Fillenwarth Beach Resort — Hotel in Arnolds Park

My family has stayed at Fillenwarth Beach Resort every summer for the last 25 years. I've been fortunate enough to travel the world--and I still tell anyone who will listen that staying at Fillenwarth, on West Lake, with my family, is the singular vacation experience I wouldn't trade for anything. This place is host to many of my best childhood memories, and more than a few of my best adult memories. Guests are treated like they’re special, like all the little “extras” are thrown in just for you. I mean, my grandparents genuinely believe we are their most anticipated, adored yearly guests—such is the charm of this family-run business, and the friendly, relaxed, personal atmosphere cultivated by the Fillenwarth family.

I don’t understand the reviews critiquing the rooms, or the priorities behind them. There are plenty of upscale hotels, if you’re planning on spending your vacation inside. Personally, my family likes to take advantage of the skiing, sailing, family boat tours, and/or “booze” cruises offered all day, every day--included in the price of your stay. We like to swim, shop, bike, walk to the amusement park and museums, explore the town, take advantage of the resort’s proximity. We enjoy the countless activities offered by the resort every day (from AM crafts for the kiddos to afternoon wine tastings). Each day there’s a new itinerary, something new to try. These are the experiences you’re paying for. If you need a modern, penthouse suite, as well—expect to pay a lot more, and expect all the impersonal corporate touches that come along with it.

Look at the photos provided on the website—that’s what to expect. Personally, tile floor makes a lot of sense to me, considering how often I’ve witnessed kids running into their rooms straight from the lake. Concerned about cleanliness? There’s maid service, every day—any review stating otherwise is mistaken, or subject to a fluke I’ve not encountered in all the years my family has stayed with Fillenwarth. Think the rooms are too small? Maybe they’re not what you’re used to, but give it a chance. My family has stayed in the South Beach hotel rooms and rented South Lake Cottage 160, depending on the year--18 people, 4 bedrooms, 6 beds, 3 sleeper sofas—it’s tight, yes; but for a week spent largely outdoors, it’s totally manageable. There’s a prim, proper, borderline-germaphobe in my family (re: my 85-year-old grandmother) and she adores staying at Fillenwarth. Cut loose, have a vacation, enjoy being close to your family, and remember the things that really matter. If you’re staying on West Lake, Fillenwarth Beach Resort is the only place to consider. ((And definitely splurge on Cottage 160 if there's enough of you to...

Pros: Right on the water. Nice view, but blocked by trees. Our original room was not what we had anticipated, so other accommodations were found for us (for more $). Free rides available on several different watercraft (though we didn't discover this until our third day at the resort. No one told us at check-in. Probably our fault for not knowing about it before we arrived.) This is the most compelling reason to stay at Fillenwarth, in my opinion. Extremely friendly and accommodating staff. The owner, Lynn, is very social with guests... even personally offering to take them on sailboat rides! Nice game room with ping pong, pool (very old table) and video games. Great view from this game room. They should probably replace the old pool table with a new bumper pool table because of space. Short walk to the amusement park and downtown. Lots of chairs on the dock to relax upon. Tetherball and paddleboats were available and fun. Free yummy apples were available at the front desk. Wifi available, if you've had enough time on the water. Fun crafts for my kids, and beer-tasting for me!

Cons: Expensive. We just stayed at a 2 bedroom oceanfront Marriott condo in Maui with a full kitchen and an amazing pool complex for less per night than our 1 bedroom unit here! Rooms are extremely dated. I don't think a somewhat large person would be able to use the small room containing just a toilet. (No vent fan.) No outlets on the balcony. No counter space available. Not sure why "Beach" is in the name because there is no beach. (Actually, there's a very sloped, small area with sand, about 10' x 10'.) Seems to attract a fairly noisy clientele who stay up late. Cash or checks only. Leave your credit card in your wallet! Sliding screen door kept falling off our front door, so it remained propped up against an outside wall our entire stay. Could have had a really nice cross-breeze blowing through our unit. Oh, well. Rooms on the main floor at the Main Beach are extremely small. Smaller than a dorm room. Very cage-like! Stay away if you're claustrophobic! Requested several times to have someone at the front desk ask a guest to turn down their stereo (they were blasting Jimi Hendrix, et al), but no one on staff ever did anything about it. The lake is really for folk with powerboats, waverunners, etc. It's not a very...

This place is a really neat lakefront property. There are tons of amenities included with your room like indoor pool, lake swimming, boat rides, tours on boats, lounge deck on the water, a bunch of lounge spaces, indoor ping-pong and pool and arcade games, arts and crafts for kids, beach party on Monday nights, wine and beer tastings, free rental of canoe, paddle boat, rowboat. Rooms are standard, nothing extravagant, but lots of extras at the resort. We chose the lowest tier room, a small lakefront apt because that’s what could afford. Very small studio, but fine for a 4-night trip. Shared deck space. Their online brochure has really detailed information about every room and what’s included. It’s in a really great location within walking distance from Broadway Street which has good restaurants and it’s near the Central Emporium with tons of shopping in it and it’s also close to the Arnolds Park Plaza which is a walkway down to a pier and the amusement park and some other shops and cafés. The staff was really nice however a couple things.

We definitely did not use nearly as many of the amenities as we thought, so I would say just really think about how you’re going to spend your time in Okoboji and if you’re going to mostly spend it at the resort this is a great place but if you’re planning on doing other stuff away from this resort you might not use all the amenities they have. Also we had to leave a day early because of a serious knee injury and were not given the option to be refunded any of the cost of that last night. I understand that it is a business but at the same time, it was a little bit frustrating that we couldn’t even get a percentage back or credit for another trip or anything.

Overall I think I would visit again if I had the intention of spending more time at the resort and using more amenities, and compared to a lot of other resorts around Okoboji, this one was pretty affordable for all the extras that...