Mountain Lakes Resort — Hotel in Dahlonega

EDIT : This place BRIBES its members to give positive reviews to combat the genuine and honest reviews from the many unsatisfied guests. Read the reviews with 3 stars and below for an honest idea of how this place is. Bottom line, the employees (including managers) are rude, the place is run down and falling apart, and the cabins are gross and dirty. Go somewhere else! ❤

The staff ruin it, as do the folks who own houses in the resort. It's like a retirement resort, like only senior citizens, which in and of itself wouldn't be bad, however, I feel like most of them are from far away and don't hold the same hospitable and friendly demeanor we expect in the South. No one waves to you, or wants anything to do with you. So, my boyfriend and I have kept to ourselves, aside from a family we met on the lake (only people we saw who weren't old) The staff are just as bad, if not worse. When we arrived at the gate, the man working the booth couldn't have seemed more annoyed with our questions (Where do we go, how do we get there, etc) and, obviously bothered, quickly blurted undescriptive directions and wouldn't assist us further. We ended up at some sort of office, the older woman working the desk told us we were in the wrong place so she refused to even help us at all. Even though, when I asked, she told me it was all apart of the same resort. She was so rude. We left and ended up at the right office, the woman there who was younger was so nice and helpful and led us to our cabin on a golf cart. She was literally the only nice person here. We went to the lake hoping to rent a paddle boat, but the boathouse was empty. The man at the gate said you couldn't rent them past 5pm, even though they advertise dusk. Which, is a lot later than 5 in the summer. EVERYTHING IN HERE closes at 5. So, we rented one the next day, which entailed handing out amenity cards to the man at the gate as the boathouse was still empty, and in turn, he provided us with life jackets and said he'd get us a boat. We walked back down to the boats, which were all turned upside down on a dock, to wait on him or someone to get one but they never came. My boyfriend had to turn one over, then another cause the first one was covered in spiders. Then we had to position it into the water and hold it to the dock, since it wasn't tied up, to get in. Like??? They're supposed to be in the water during the day and chained to the dock until rented, but I guess no one felt like doing their job that morning or couldn't atleast assist us in getting it in the water. What if I hadn't been with my boyfriend who is strong enough to pick on up, would I had just been SOL? There's a clubhouse with games and a pool for guests. The the woman at the desk was very rude and and impolite, she didn't greet us and only coldly demanded our amenity cards. Just such an unpleasant person. She said if we wanted ping-pong balls we would have to get them from her as she keeps them behind the desk since parents let their kids put them, and everything else, in their mouths. Kids, the horror. (We don't have any but she obviously has disdain for parents with kids in the clubhouse) She asked me, after a while, where my shirt was. I was wearing a bathing suit top and shorts, we were just swimming in the lake. She told me I needed to wear one, even though it's a completely causal and honestly dated place, with no signage saying shirts required. What does she expect? There's a pool outside and everything. Maybe one of the old ladies sitting in a large group at a table complained, I don't know.

Bottom line, this place is not friendly to families or even just younger folks in general. Do not give them your money, as they don't appreciate your business and are only bothered by having to help you. There are plenty of other places here in these beautiful mountains who, I'm sure, would appreciate your staying with them and would probably be glad to make your experience a good one. Rude staff, rude guests and rude residents who immediately dislikes you based on your...

I’ve been coming here for years, my mom has been coming here for years, my grandparents have been coming here for years. Since the early 1970’s. I’ve enjoyed it as a kid, until I aged and realized how broken down and nasty everything is. I sliced my foot open on the steam room door in January and when asked to do an incident report I couldn’t because I had a screaming child with me and it was 9 at night. A friend did the same recently and we had to be at a concert an hour away in an hour from when it happened and we just didn’t have time. They need to be able to note those things, not just do incident reports. Also there is a newer lady with blond-ish hair working counter in the lodge and she couldn’t be more of an unapproachable unpleasant woman if she tried. I get that she has to follow rules and has to enforce them, but she doesn’t have to be a crank every time she is there especially to people just asking questions. She just acts like everyone is stupid! I loved the lady who used to work and worked until it closed but this newer lady is why I quit going out of my way to come and bring guests. She talks to me like I’m an idiot. My mother has been coming here a full decade longer than she’s even been a member we know what she knows just as good as she knows it. I reccomend hiring someone with a smile if you guys want to have more business and PAINT THE SIGN! It’s an embarrassment. When I pull in my guests say “is this..... it?” Everything is old and broken down. The pools stay nasty, the paddle boats are terrible. I had to tie two together in the middle of the lake and jump in and hold onto the back of one to swim it most of the way back when we got tired of riding because both were unsteerable and barely went when paddled. Throw them away, they are beyond repair. So are the decks and docks. Wood splinters every time I come, never fails! And put more chairs outside. Good lord for the price and number of members why is this resort not building new amenities and fixing things needing to be fixed? It’s pathetic! I’m a die hard member til I die, but I’m so sick and tired of this place rotting away with its residents please BRING LIFE and restore what’s needing restoration. I won’t even rent a cabin anymore because the last time I did it was disgusting. If you have a tv theft problem I reccomend not cracking down on just the young members because youth doesn’t always mean delinquency but be more specific as to who you’ll sell a membership to. I’ve seen a couple of people who I went to school with years ago, that we’re always getting into trouble and causing it, show up there and be like “yeah I’m a member” and twenty minutes later their kid is throwing a toy at someone’s head while they are watching laughing. It’s just all neglected. Also, it’s 2018, you guys could raise prices like $20 for stay if you’d add WiFi. No cell company gets reception there and not everyone is there to get away, you’d have plenty more guests if they had outside communication. You guys have a lot to work on, please, get on it for the sake of every member and the future of this family resort ! If these things were fixed this place would have enough business to build multiple...

DO NOT STAY HERE!  DO NOT HAVE AN EVENT HERE!  The staff is rude and so are MOST of the permanent residents!  My husband and I were renewing our vows down at the beach pavilion. We were about to walk down the path to say "I Do" again when some JERK on a loud gas powered golf cart rode up between us and our guest at the pavilion! He said to my photographer, " I rode my golf cart down here because I didn't want to interfere."  "Are y'all having a wedding?"  Photographer (standing holding her camera) : Yes we are.  Golf Cart Guy: Well I'm ordained so I can sign the thing.  Do y'all need a minister?  Photographer:  We are good.  The music was playing when he pulled up.  At this point the guests are getting concerned and the sound guy is about to stop the music. Golf cart guy: When are y'all starting? Photographer: It already has! You are in the way! Finally one of my guest informed him that he needed to leave!  We almost missed our que to walk because we couldn't hear the music over his golf cart!  Right after saying our vows another JERK decided to run his weed eater and leaf blower!  We made a point of being courteous and keeping our music low.  Obviously the permanent residents are NOT as courteous! I'm surprised all our guest arrived at the pavilion anyway!  The "security" at the gate sent them EVERYWHERE except the beach pavilion! To add insult to injury, they said my service dog, "made a mess" in the unit we were staying in.  This is a lie!  I ask to see the pictures of the "mess" my SERVICE ANIMAL had made.  The very rude lady on the phone proceeded to tell me about her having to pay "pet fees" when she traveled with her dog.  This has nothing to do with my trained registered service dog or the "mess" she was accusing it of!  When I told here again I wanted to see these pictures she hung up on me!  This place is a disorganized scam!  It was 2 months before they even cashed our check for renting the pavilion!  If we hadn't already ordered invitations we would have canceled the whole thing!  I put in a call to the manager after being hung up on today.  We will see what she has to say. I was told she was out in the park.  I ask when she would call me back.  Shari, who told me she only does reservations, said she would give her the message.  So, maybe today? Maybe tomorrow? Who knows! She didn't even give me the manager's name!  This place ruined our vow renewal! So far, their customer service is terrible!  How would you feel having a GOLF CART in your vow...