When planning a trip to the area, primarily to see the mountain village of Helen, Georgia, we decided on to stay a short drive outside of Helen in order to avoid the tourist crowds. The Nacoochee Valley Lodge was a great choice for us. It’s a simple drive out of Helen (about 10 minutes). The property is a completely renovated and updated little motor hotel, and the rooms are very cozily set up along certain themes. We stayed in the Whiskey Suite, which had two rooms, a nice little back deck overlooking a grassy field and trees, and parking right in front of the room. It was so much nicer than staying in a traditional motel, as we had our privacy and comfort. Hotel owner/manager Cindy was super nice, checked on us when we arrived and made sure we were comfortable throughout our stay. The hotel has an adjacent sports bar/restaurant open Wed-Sun and it’s a very cozy place to eat and drink, with a full bar and Sunday specials! The room had a smart TV with Roku installed, so we could watch our own streaming accounts, and the Internet worked great! Besides the village of Helen, the hotel is also close to Unicoi State Park and several other hiking and outdoor recreation areas.