My stay at the Cloudland at McLemore Resort Lookout Mountain, Curio by Hilton resort property in Rising Fawn in Georgia occurred only slightly greater than three months after its official grand opening on Thursday, February 29, 2024. I had a free night certificate that I earned with my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card that I needed to use; so I thought I would redeem it for a stay at this resort property.
My Stay at Cloudland at McLemore Resort Lookout Mountain, Curio by Hilton
Once I arrived at the resort property, I was forced to have the vehicle I drove parked by a valet attendant for $43.00 for the night. No option is available to park a car by oneself. The parking lot was too far away for guests to be able to easily access their vehicles.
I did have to wait for some time before I checked in at the front desk — otherwise, the process was flawless.
A sparsely furnished waiting area with views of the wooded outdoors was located opposite the front desk.
I had to climb up the stairs to see the view of the lobby from the upper floor.
I was not disappointed. The lobby area is comfortable, spacious, and welcoming — especially with a roaring fire in the fireplace.
An extensive selection of books are available for avid readers at the resort property.
I then proceeded to the room.
The Room.
Despite the room being somewhat small, I really liked how cozy it felt to me.
I found the room to be quite quiet and comfortable, with the choices of colors and materials.
Portable electronic devices can be charged wirelessly on top of the alarm clock. Universal Serial Bus — or USB — ports were available wherever an electrical outlet was located in the room.
Opposite the bed was a desk and a flat-screen television…
…as well as two chairs and a table.
The closet was part of the vestibule near the entrance of the room.
Inside of the closet were two drawers, a safe for a laptop computer, a plastic bag for laundry, several wooden hangers, and a portable machine that is used to steam clothing.
A miniature refrigerator was also included in the room; but the room did not have a microwave oven…
…but a coffee machine was available — along with everything that is needed for a cup of coffee…
…and two bottles of water, two glasses, and an ice bucket with tongs were also available in the room.
Complimentary dark chocolate with sea salt was provided to my room.
Although lighting in the room was rather dark, it lent to the cozy ambiance of the room — including a fixture which created an interesting pattern of light on the ceiling.
The Bathroom.
A vanity with a round illuminated mirror was in the bathroom — with two sets of towels, extra toilet paper, and an electric hair dryer on a shelf below the countertop. The shower was enclosed with sliding glass doors.
Bulk plastic dispensers of products by Hunter were mounted on the wall of the shower:
- Hand & Body Wash had nots of grapefruit, tangerine peel, and rum.
- Nourishing Conditioner had notes of aniseed, cardamom, and geranium leaf.
- Invigorating Shampoo had nots of grapefruit pee, basil, and geranium.
The toilet had its own area of the bathroom.
One the counter of the vanity were Hunter Hand & Body Lotion with notes of rosemary, mandarin, and cedarwood; Hunder Hand & Body Bar; a black wash cloth for makeup; and a vanity kit.
The View
I used the balcony that was outside of the sliding glass doors of the room — multiple times…
…so that I could take in the scenic view…
…which included the heated infinity swimming pool and the smaller hot jetted pool…
…as well as the mountains of northern Georgia and part of the resort property itself.
Be forewarned that the resort property is not called Cloudland for nothing, as the view from the balcony the next day was little more than a thick fog — so a view is not guaranteed at a higher elevation.
Food and Beverage
Croft at Cloudland is one of four dining options at the Cloudland at McLemore Resort Lookout Mountain, Curio Collection by Hilton resort property. It seemed like the best of all of the options for me, based on the menus.
The part of the interior of the restaurant which offered the best views were apparently for larger groups.
I was seated at a table to the left of the bar, which blocked much of the view. I am not sure I particularly understand this design. Why not offer the view to as many patrons of the restaurant as possible and locate the bar near a wall?
The Thick Cut Bacon was served on a wood block and candied with a bourbon barrel sugar crust — but it was neither crisp nor extraordinary; and it was not all that thick. The sliced jalapeño peppers did help to counter the sweetness and the saltiness of this appetizer — but not enough to save it. $15.00
The greasy beer batter which coated the Grouper Bites was soggy and not crispy. The remoulade which accompanied it was little more than glorified mayonnaise. Even the grilled lemon contributed to the poor presentation. The fish was rather bland — even with both the lemon and the remoulade. $18.00
Roasted fingerling potato, grilled broccolini, and oven dried cherry tomato rounded out the Flat Iron Steak. The chimichurri was way too overpowering, as the tough meat tasted mostly of salt, which did little for the flavorless potatoes. $32.00
A different view did not help this dish look any more appetizing. In fact, it was arguably worse.
The Roasted Scottish Salmon also came with crispy fingerling potatoes — but it was wrapped in country ham and was on a bed of Swiss chard and tomato-fennel coulis. The salmon was good; but “country ham” was more like a poor quality prosciutto — which to me was better than ham, as bacon is the only pork product I eat. The Swiss chard and the tomato-fennel coulis did little to add to this dish. $30.00
The presentation of the check was the most interesting part of this meal. It was a bookmark inserted in between the pages of a book. The pen advertised the city of Tupelo in Mississippi rather than the restaurant, the resort property, or even the state in which it was located.
I do not recommend dining at Croft, which had been open for only a few months when I dined there. The quality of the food was sub-par — pun intended, as this resort property is known for its golfing — in between that of a fast casual restaurant and what is on sale in the supermarket; and at times, the presentation was simply sloppy. The service was equivalent to what one would find at a fast casual restaurant; and the interior of the restaurant was no different as well — with the exception of the partially blocked view.
Based on that experience, I avoided breakfast the next morning.
Unfortunately, the four dining options at the Cloudland at McLemore Resort Lookout Mountain, Curio Collection by Hilton resort property are basically the only restaurants that are available, as other dining options are not conveniently located nearby.
The total cost of the meal that was highlighted in this article was $117.00 in United States dollars, which includes tax and gratuity — but not the $43.00 for the cost of valet parking. The daily food and beverage credit of $30.00 was deducted from the total because of my Diamond elite status with Hilton Honors — but this overpriced meal was not even worth half of that amount, in my opinion.
I was not a patron at any of the other dining options at the resort property.
Infinity Swimming Pool and Fitness Center
Spending several hours in the heated infinity swimming pool was a highlight of my stay, as featured in this Sunday Morning Photograph article…
…as well as the smaller hot jetted pool, which was both invigorating and relaxing.
I enjoyed the view of the mountains of northern Georgia in the distance.
A practice area is available for golfers.
One can also enjoy views of the outside from the fitness center.
The fitness center was well equipped.
Water, towels, and a flat screen television were also available in the fitness center.
Final Boarding Call
Perched atop Lookout Mountain, Cloudland at McLemore Resort Lookout Mountain, Curio by Hilton is located fewer than 27 miles south southwest of Chattanooga; and approximately two hours from the metropolitan areas of Atlanta, Birmingham, and Nashville.
I used a free night certificate that I earned with my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card to pay for my stay of one night. The grand total for my stay — including all taxes, fees, and meals — was $87.00…
…but checking out of the resort property was when I experienced the most issues. The mandatory resort fee was mistakenly added to my bill; and I waited at least 20 minutes until someone finally retrieved the vehicle so that I can drive out, which was unacceptable. For a cost of $43.00, I expected the vehicle to arrive within a few minutes at the most. Other people arrived after me and received their vehicles within minutes. After bringing this experience to the attention of members of the staff, both the mandatory resort fee and the valet parking fee were removed from my bill — but doing so took unnecessary effort and a long time before that finally happened.
I did not play golf at this resort property; but I understand that the golf is worth the experience. I also did not have a chance to visit or photograph Selah Spa.
I cannot really pinpoint the pretentiousness that I felt from some of the members of the staff of the resort property — other than that they seemed to act as though the resort property was significantly more than it really was. For example, Auld Alliance — which is the fine dining option — has a very strict dress code. Bring a jacket if you want to dine there, as others were turned away despite the restaurant being close to empty.
If not for the mandatory valet parking charge of $43.00 per day — which is unreasonable, in my opinion, as no other mode of transportation is readily available to get to this resort property — and for the expensive dining options, I would recommend staying at Cloudland at McLemore Resort Lookout Mountain, Curio by Hilton. I am neither a golfer nor a spa person, which is to whom this resort property caters. I truly enjoyed the coziness of the room and the pools.
Cloudland at McLemore Resort Lookout Mountain, Curio by Hilton
243 Cloudland Drive
Rising Fawn, Georgia 30738
United States of America
+1-888-391-1148
Room rates for the least expensive rooms for the remainder of 2025 range from $278.00 per night to $778.00 per night at the time this article was written. The rates include a mandatory resort fee of $45.00 per night; but taxes are not included. The mandatory resort fee includes:
- Guest internet access
- Bicycle rentals — see the front desk or the concierge
- Curated library access
- Golf course transportation
- Golf bag storage
- Daily spa credit of $15.00
- Complimentary access to golf practice facilities
- Two signature cocktails every evening at The Pocket Café
- Stargazing equipment
Four dining options are available at this resort property — but keep in mind that no other dining options or shopping options are available near the resort property.
The following hours apply only to Croft at Cloudland as I did not partake in any of the other dining options:
- Breakfast: 6:30 in the morning until 10:30 in the morning daily
- Lunch: 11:00 in the morning until 2:30 in the afternoon daily
- Dinner: 4:00 in the afternoon until 10:00 in the evening daily
- Brunch: 7:00 in the morning until 2:30 in the afternoon Saturdays and Sundays only
The cost for parking is $43.00 per day for valet parking with no access to vehicles. Self parking is not available as an option. Charging for electric vehicles is available.
A maximum of two dogs who can weigh no more than 65 pounds each are allowed on the resort property for a non-refundable fee of:
- $75.00 for a maximum of days
- $125.00 for a minimum of five days
The resort property does not provide pet-sitting services.
All photographs ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
