Melody Lodge Resort and Marina — Hotel in South Frontenac

We just walked away without a refund for a week costing $1079. This “cottage” is unhabitable, it was clearly not cleaned, and the owner was boldly rude. He explained to us that “cottages” are the lowest rung of lodging, below motel, hotel, and resort respectively. He continued to explain that bugs and dirt are to be expected, and that you would have to spend “$1000 a night” to go to a hotel instead. The cottage was indeed disgusting, and we were told it would be cleaned before our visit. It was not, as these images should convey. (1) You may notice on the listing that the bathroom is not shown - this is purposeful, because it is small, homemade from scrap materials, and does not flush toilet paper (you must bring out your toilet paper to the communal trash each night). The blantant deception is the worst part of this cottage, followed closely by its clear and complete lack of hygiene. (2) Next, there is not a real door! I had to insist for 15 minutes that I needed a key, while the owner explained that is a bad idea “because what if there was a fire” or “what if you lose it?” and “no one will steal from you”. This key is only to a flimsy screen door. There is a piece of cloth as a privacy device and a screen door, but that is all. (3) As a non-smoker, it was to my dismay that there is a designated smoking area about 6 feet from the only entrance to our unit. Similarly, you may not want to go near the trash area in the morning, because that is when he burns it.

My list continues if you are still interested in this property: The owner was convinced that I invented all of this, in order to get a refund. He was directly confrontational and called me a liar to my face when I showed him the pictures I had just taken. All the outdoor space is communal, so don’t expect to have any to yourself. The floors are uneven and kind of wobbly, not great if you have any vertigo or dizziness. The oven is broken. Many bulbs are bare. Parking is a decent walk away from the cottage.

Just some darkly humorous notes: The owner recommended that instead of leaving, we learn to “focus on the outside”. He insisted that because I came from the city, I could not possibly be here for the cottage but only his small shared green space. He also explained that although it “looks like it wasn’t cleaned” it was in fact deeply cleaned. They sprayed everything down - but they don’t wipe anything because that could spread COVID. So that is why I could get up so much grime on my first pass even though it was “actually spotless”. He continued that people like myself come and complain about “oh no, a spider!” and waste 10 of his minutes instead of dealing with it myself (… by deep cleaning the apartment for him).

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend...

We stayed in their Elm Cottage for 3 days and I must say that it was not as good as we expected. We were honestly deceived by the nice photos on their website.||||1.) The fridge is really old and dirty. The fridge is surrounded by yellow stains and is already rusty. It is not even working well.||2.) There was a leak in the tubing in the sink. We were wondering why the floor always gets wet to find out later that there is a leakage on one of the pipes. All of the cook wares under the sink were flooded with water.||3.) Their utensils were already old. I think they should purchase new kitchen wares because it doesn't look safe to use anymore.||4.) One of our mattresses was already ripped out.||5.) On our second day, the heater was not working anymore. Shower was too cold because heater was not functioning. ||6.) Windows were filled with dead insects. You cannot even dare to look at the windows because there were a lot of insects trapped in there. They should have cleaned it once in a while.||7.) And since it was freaking hot last long weekend, they do not have good ventilation in the cottage so we were sweating the entire time.||||The owner I must say was really nice. I do not have any complaints with how they treated us but as a suggestion, I hope they would try to keep the cottages clean and change their old appliances and furniture. I cannot recommend this resort to my friends because I do not want them to travel far and feel...

My husband and I stayed at Melody Lodge on a recent visit to the Kingston area at the beginning of June. The lodge and cabins are located on Cranberry Lake in an idyllic setting of a lush forested area and marina for fishing and relaxing. Upon arrival on a Friday night around 9 p.m., we were greeted warmly by James, the proprietor. As it was a quiet, off-season weekend, James immediately upgraded us from the Acorn to the Birch cabin--we could easily have slept us and four or five friends, and we now had a full shower and excellent kitchen facilities. We spent two very pleasant evenings at Melody Lodge, taking full advantage of the propane barbeque and enjoying the pristine views and wonderful air. We were even treated to some little visitors one evening--three baby raccoons ambling by our door as they chatted away with one another! Another plus--mattresses were top-notch, and we both had great sleeps! We highly recommend this lovely place as a great "get away from it all" spot--and we would love to go back! Thank you, James, for your excellent attention to detail and gracious...