Snowater Resort — Hotel in Area H (Cultus Lake/Columbia Valley)

My partner and I stayed here for a week in October 2024, my parents gifted us an exchange week from some timeshare thing they have and we chose Snowater.

Starting with all the good, it was an absolutely wonderful location. Gorgeous scenery, we were in building 15 and the river was right behind our building. I spent a lot of time walking around back there and sitting in the living room window seat just looking out. The bed was comfortable and everything seemed clean. Other reviews mention the wifi being unreliable, it is but rarely presented an issue for us. Just be sure you either download that region ahead of time on your maps app, or have a paper map.

There is a ton of hiking in the area, Artist Point closed to vehicles the week we were there but we made it up a few days before it snowed up there. If it's open when you visit definitely head up that way! And Nooksack Falls is a must visit in my book. We definitely went to Wake N Bakery several times as well. Oh, and the tap water tasted great! My partner is super sensitive to weird water tastes but was perfectly happy with the tap water. The people at the office were very kind, and I enjoyed the pools and fitness center. Even when it was busier the first few days we were there, I feel like I barely ran into anyone when I was walking around. Once most of the visitors left on Monday, it was super quiet the rest of the week. I'm sure that changes in busier seasons.

It was also nice that there were some trails right behind/starting in the property. I wish I'd had more time to explore that immediate area, we found some really beautiful spots just walking around and followed one trail until it got a bit more overgrown and steep than we wanted to deal with.

There were a few things not as good, but not major issues either. The sink faucet was too high I think so the water constantly splashed out onto the counter and floor. The shower was a bit aggressive until we figured out how to angle and adjust the shower head so it wasn't blasting in our faces. The condo and common areas (especially the fitness center) were pretty dated, but everything worked just fine. The location more than made up for it. And I imagine some of the non timeshare, privately owned condos are more updated.

The only thing that really was unpleasant was the road work. Monday through Thursday they started at 7:30 am and were loud for several hours. A few times it looked like people's cars were a bit blocked in. Obviously that isn't a permanent issue, just might be worth checking if there will be road work in the parking lot when you plan to visit if it's in the next month or so. It really took away from the nature around us to smell diesel and hear heavy machinery while sitting on the balcony in the back. This is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, the by the 4th day of early morning road work I was so sick of it.

Oh and it wasn't an issue but just remember it is a very rainy area and we did have rain for a large portion of the week. We also had some beautiful days, and were able to do some hiking even in the rain because the trees provided a lot of shelter. All these pictures are on the property the week...

The bathroom in our unit wasn’t clean and we also found the previous occupants underwear in the kitchen. Instead of offering to come and collect the underwear and clean the bathroom they offered to move us to a different unit. Unfortunately that would have been a much bigger inconvenience because we all had unpacked and put away our belongings but we also and had several coolers of food that we had already unpacked. To make matters worse, two strange drunk men barged into our unit in the middle of the night thinking they were in their unit which was a few units away from us. My husband went outside and asked them what they were doing and found out that they had lost their unit keys and were locked out in the freezing cold. We decided to call the emergency number to ask someone to come open their door on their behalf so they would not freeze to death outside. The person who answered the emergency line insisted we get confirmation from these strange drunk men that they were willing to pay $100 for the front desk staff to come with another key and let them in. This put us in a very uncomfortable situation. If we would have been unwilling to go ask them the front desk person would have been ok with letting these people freeze to death. And if we did go back out and ask them, would we be putting ourselves at risk dealing with two unpredictable strange drunk men? I understand that they don’t want to come if they are not going to get paid but in this situation they should have put our safety above their own personal inconvenience. The WiFi is pretty much nonexistent. The DVD player that is in this 2 bedroom unit is in a 20 in tv that is connected to the wall in the master bedroom upstairs. So if you want your 6 family & friends to be able to watch a movie together, you have to squeeze together on the double bed that is in the master bedroom and watch it on a tiny tv instead of the larger tv that’s in the living room downstairs. the furniture is stained and very dated. It’s a beautiful setting but I wouldn’t want to come back to this...

Our stay at Snowater Resort was a memorable experience! The resort offers a fantastic retreat close to Mount Baker and the Nooksack River, with plenty of trails and breathtaking nature all around. We appreciated the peaceful atmosphere and the chance to disconnect—there’s no internet here, which was both a blessing and a bit of a challenge. While it was refreshing to take a break from social media, we realized how much we rely on connectivity for practical things like directions to nearby spots like Artist Point or the closest store.

The room itself was cozy, with a lovely fireplace, and the first piece of firewood provided was a nice touch. However, there were a few hiccups. The microwave sparked when we tried to pop popcorn, which was concerning, and the hall light was inconveniently wired to the same switch as the TV. This meant we had to keep the light on to watch TV—an annoyance but not a dealbreaker. On the plus side, the resort provided a great selection of DVDs to enjoy. One minor disappointment was that the room didn’t match the online photos, as it wasn’t directly on the river. That said, the river was just a short walk away, so it didn’t detract from the experience too much.

The resort’s amenities were a highlight, with two recreation centers offering pools and jacuzzis. However, it would’ve been nice to have access to a kitchen, as per online we would have access to all the amenities. We also think a small on-site store would be a great addition for necessities like water, snacks, or firewood.

Finally, the staff and fellow guests made the stay even better. Everyone was so pleasant, happy, and clearly enjoying themselves, which contributed to the positive vibe of the place. Overall, Snowater Resort is an excellent choice for a relaxing getaway surrounded by nature. With a few minor tweaks, it could be...