Wildwood Lodge Clive — Hotel in Clive

The room is the star of the show, and it did not make the show. Consequently, I am awarding it two stars. However, before we proceed, we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the staff. The staff consistently exhibited genuine empathy, provided exceptional service, and were always eager to assist. I am grateful. The establishment's location is ideal and was advantageous for us, in addition to the numerous restaurants in the vicinity. Furthermore, the staff appeared to possess a comprehensive understanding of the local dining establishments and could effortlessly guide us to our desired dining destination. Thoroughly clean! The establishment was exceedingly clean. The check-in process was straightforward and uncomplicated, thanks to the exceptional staff. Additionally, the pool area was both spacious and impeccably maintained. We did not use the pool however, we did use the hot tub, particularly following a lengthy day of driving. Nevertheless, the hot tub was excessively hot, and the water contained an extremely high concentration of chemicals, which caused us to experience a slight nauseous sensation. The hot tub was devoid of jets and instead exhibited large, boisterous bubbles. OK, if you require bubble therapy for your back, jets will not be of assistance.

The space. The room is the sole reason for my rating of two stars. The room was impeccably maintained. The decor was impeccable, distinguishing it from the typical hotel room. The room was generously proportioned, and the bed was exceedingly comfortable. Nevertheless, the king-size bed was not a king-size bed; however, we were so exhausted that we simply desired a hot shower and to retire for the night. Absence of a preferred shower. The shower stall was unusually shaped, with a peculiar plastic liner that occupied a substantial portion of its space. The curved shelves, which were intended to accommodate your soap bottle, slid off and collided with your feet, resulting in discomfort. The curved, forward-leaning design of the built-in seat in the show stall rendered it unsuitable for storing soap bottles. Hot water and water pressure are the two things that I anticipate from a hotel room shower. The quantity of hot water is sufficient, so there is no cause for complaint. The joy was extinguished by the water pressure. No water pressure was present, and the water trickled out. It is important to note that the shower head's angle was quite low, which means that individuals who are 6 feet tall, such as myself, will be hunching over to rinse. Shampoo is nearly impossible to rinse out due to the inadequate water pressure. It is nearly impossible to rinse conditioner out without adequate water pressure. Broken toilet paper roller. It was not only damaged, but it was also missing half of  the holder.

Breakfast. Scrambled eggs, biscuits, and gravy comprised the hot breakfast. The eggs are fake, possess an unusual flavor, and emit an even stranger odor. The biscuits and gravy should be renamed to biscuits and cream of salt. Although this may appear to be sarcastic, it is crucial to take action if you are at risk of developing diabetes.

While our stay was not entirely unpleasant, it was also not...

When we arrived, they could not give us the room we had reserved, which offered my son a separate space to nap while his father completed business communications, and eventually for him to sleep at night while we used the whirlpool tub, spoke freely and hoped to enjoy some time together. Instead we were put in a room that was just one main living area, which was very difficult and did not meet our needs at all. My son was unable to nap due to my husband's necessary daytime phone conversations and all of my time was spent trying to keep him quiet rather than accomplishing my own tasks. Later, he woke during the night when the bathroom was used, which interrupted our sleep as well. We weren't able to enjoy our evening much after he went down, for the sake of letting him get some much needed rest. Good thing our bed was comfortable! When we reserved the room we asked for a pack and play for our son to sleep in. When they changed our room to the down-graded option they said the crib would be put in there, but it wasn't, so I still ended up needing to call the front desk and request it a third time. When it did arrive, it was very small and of horrible quality - even by hotel standards. (We've used hotel provided pack and plays 12 times since he's been born.) The heating/cooling unit makes strange noises throughout the night, some of which sound unfortunately like a child's distress cries, which disturbed me in a couple of instances throughout the night. I tried to bathe my son in the whirlpool tub and inadvertently touched what appears to be nothing more than a manufactures label, but is in fact a button that activates the jets. This button is in the middle center of the edge of the tub. Since the water was obviously not high enough for the jets to be on, water exploded all over and around us, five feet high on the back mirrors and scared my son horribly. (Honestly, me too!) It took us a very long time to figure out what had happened and twice as long as that to attempt to calm him again. When we reverted to the shower, somehow the light fixture was leaking water. I have no idea how that would even happen, but it leaks consistently in the center of the shower so long as the water is running. The pool area was decent. It's attractive and there was a little play house for children. The best part of the stay was a diverse and enjoyable breakfast the following morning. There was a little something for everyone, food was quite tasty and fresh, and the ambiance was bright and friendly. All things considered, I would never stay here again and felt we paid twice what...

I don’t ever think I’ve stayed in a more home-like hotel in my entire life. My best friend and I live many states apart and planned a weekend together meeting exactly halfway for each of us. That so happened to be Des Moines, but we wanted to stay somewhere low-key and just have a good time doing whatever the wind blew us to. My friend found this place and wow, reviews don’t do it justice.

First of all, if you’re coming from out of state, this is the perfect place because it’s right off the interstate. But yet it’s quiet enough and you don’t notice it. It’s also located near anything and everything you may need while in town.

Then you enter the hotel. It is so rustic and welcoming. It’s so well maintained too. The fireplace both outside AND inside, are so much fun just to sit next to and mingle with other guests. We did while we stayed and it really makes the experience. Everyone we met was so friendly - staff included. Speaking of staff, they go above and beyond. Our first face when we got there was Anthony. Just a sweetheart. So laidback and made us feel right at home. Breakfast staff are also so nice. Down to earth. Speaking of breakfast - they cook everything on camping fire-things. Their breakfast was so good for a hotel breakfast! A wide variety of things and something for everyone. And I assure you, if there was something you needed, I have no doubt in my mind they’d try to make it happen for you.

The rooms are older but well maintained and clean. The room we had was huge! It was a king room and so much space. The decor was our favorite. The beds were comfortable and afforded us many naps and good nights sleep. We were on the top floor so can’t speak much to the sounds or walls but we didn’t hear any other guests near us all weekend. And I hope people didn’t have to hear us laughing constantly….and loudly, if so, sorry! :)

If you’re the type of person expecting state of the art, cutting edge, fancy hotel rooms with staff that feel and act forced to work there, then this place isn’t for you. If you want a place where not only the staff treat you and talk to you like family, but the other guests too, and are down to mingle with anyone and everyone staying there (if you want to) then this most definitely is the place to stay. We had so much fun on our girls trip and the hotel honestly was a huge part of that. We can’t say enough good things about this place. We will be back. And I’m trying to recruit other friends to also come back down sometime too just for a...