Creekside Lodge at Custer State Park Resort — Hotel in Custer

I rarely provide a review where "I would return here again", but indeed that is exactly what I would do.

My wife and I and two other couples drove here from Omaha, NE and Sydney, IA to have a few days of fun in the Black Hills. We arrived a few days after the resort opened for the season and ended up using the Lodge as our base of operations. All of these excursions were a relatively short distance away: Mt Rushmore, Devils Tower, Rapid City, Needles Hwy, Wildlife Loop, Reptile Gardens, and Deadwood. We plan to visit the Badlands on the way home, which is also relatively close to the Lodge.

Check in - There was no staff at the Creekside Lodge, so we checked in at the State Lodge, a short distance away. Check in was easy and the lobby was very old and quaint. A definite visit even if you check in at the Creekside Lodge.

Room - We had a second floor room with a king sized bed, but no balcony. Not having a balcony was great, as it made watching the wildlife easier without having to go outside. The mattress was stiff, but enjoyable. The various lamps had different brightness and frequency bulbs, which could be better, but there was sufficient light. The sink and counter are outside the restroom with the bath/shower and toilet, which is great when two people are trying to get ready for the day. Internet access in the room was very good as well. The couch is comfortable too. There is a very good coffee pot in the room, microwave oven, and refrigerator.

Restaurant - we ate in the restaurant one night and the food and service were great, although a little pricey. We also at in the restaurant the next morning and were sadly disappointed. We were there for 1.5 hours when we really would like to have been there for less than an hour. The eggs were tasty, but the hashbrowns were undercooked, despite all of us telling the server to ensure that our hashbrowns were "crispy". He admitted that he thought we were joking. The food was plentiful and ok. We decided to get snack food for dinner and breakfast in town and we enjoyed the Creekside Lodge common area to eat together. We decided that the few issues we encountered in the restaurant were due to the lodge just opening for the season.

Creekside Lodge lobby and common area - Very nice ambience, but we rarely saw any staff there. The good news is that if no staff are present, you can take a short walk to the main lodge for assistance. The common area has quite a few tables and counter space, along with a microwave and coffee machine. I don't drink coffee, but everyone else did and no one liked the coffee from that machine. We enjoyed meeting together for breakfast and "dinner" (cheese, crackers, adult beverages) and watching TV. The fireplace was not working. They do have a variety of board games and puzzles to help keep you entertained in your downtime.

WILDLIFE! - Be careful as bison do wander the area. We had one bison walk a VERY close distance from the lodge, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The wildlife loop yielded lots of bison, elk, a few bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, deer, and the silly burros, who will gladly come right up to your window begging for treats. Who knew that they like Pringles, which is all we had to offer. The Needles highway was awesome, but beware that anything larger than a Ford Expedition will be difficult to get through some of the tunnels - slow and steady. The Needles Tunnel, at the top was especially tight. It had snowed overnight and the roads were slippery light snow. The highlight of the Needles excursion was seeing Mountain Goats near the...

This is an interesting place. The hotel itself is located inside the state park, so there's an extra cost of a park license that you have to pay. There's a Jeep tour based from this location that is 100% worth doing, but you don't have to be a guest to do it. Absolutely do the Jeep tour, our guide told us about a bunch of other free activities in the park.

The hotel itself: it's important to note there is absolutely nothing to do at the hotel except sleep. If you're wanting to hang out at a hotel and not leave the property, go elsewhere. If there's nature stuff you want to do, or activities in the park that you want to do, you'll be hard pressed to get closer to them overnight. There is no food at the hotel, plan accordingly. There is a zero late checkout policy, plan accordingly. There is an extra fee for a crib/pack and play, so if you have small children, plan accordingly.

My biggest gripe was the AC. The AC only has an auto mode, and it will heat or cool to your set temperature. This means that if you walk into your room in the middle of the summer and turn the AC from 60 (default) to 70, it will turn on the heat, and you will die a slow painful and stuffy death. Also, the AC vents directly into the patios, so while it's beautiful to sit and look out at the park, you get to do so with gale force winds blowing hot air on you. Imagine sitting on top of your air compressor at home, it's like that.

We enjoyed our stay, but a few issues (above) brought down the...

The room is very small and outdated, Considering $300/night I paid, the stay is overpriced too much! We also went to the on-site restaurant, my dish was so overly salted that I had to pushed it away. The waiter apologized but still charged me on the bill. I paid for the food and left a tip. But I regretted since then because I should have requested to move...