Montecito Sequoia Lodge — Hotel in Dinuba

Hi!

We just spent our first (of many to come, I hope) week at Montecito Sequoia Lodge for Summer Family Camp.

My husband was here 35 years ago and this year is their 60th year in operation. I don't know exactly how they have done it but these people KNOW what they are doing.

We had the most AMAZING time and by Day 2 of our week-long stay, we already knew we would come back. If the price tag makes you hesitant - I will tell you it is 150% WORTH IT. As someone who plans and budgets and is very conscious of cost - this week was a fantastic way to spend that $$. Break it down daily and you will totally see the value.

You get lodging (and I will be honest, it could use some updating but everything is functional and clean), HOT buffet meals 3 times a day (everything is delicious, artfully prepared, I'm astounded at the tasty vegan/vegetarian options!), snacks/drinks all day long, activities (4 scheduled periods a day plus Pow Wow in the mornings, evening special events every night, and other events like sunset/sunrise hikes), lake access with boating and swimming, with some options for other things at very reasonable prices: horseback riding for all ages, massage, BABYSITTING services.

The way the activities work for ages 2-13: counselor led day camps during the 4 periods (parents have to pick up for mealtimes), each day is a rotation of activities and the kids can either follow their group or stick with their parents to do other activities and you can mix and match which is what we did. We often had TOO MANY OPTIONS. My little one LOVED her group (Yeah Marmots!) and while my older one didn't stick her her group as much - she still enjoyed her time there because THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO.

There is also an Artist in Residence (Bonjour Mike!) who has art projects daily for you to participate in - painting, collage, postcard making, murals.

Adults can choose to do activities during the open periods and their are ones such as hiking, mountain biking, paintball that are more geared towards adults and can span several periods (this is where babysitting comes into play!).

The evening events include Coffee House, Dance Party, Variety show - all are super fun and not TOO LATE since there's POW WOW in the mornings you don't want to miss - it's a wake-up call/announcements/get-to-know you/funny skits about the place. Honestly my favorite part of the mornings.

The STAFF are top-notch - super friendly and just people you'd WANT to hang out with just because (shout-out to Opal, Aspen, Echo, Knuckles, Bucket). . .they really CARE about you and your experience there and it totally comes through. If the location wasn't breath-taking (which it absolutely is!), the staff MORE than make up for it but since the location is crazy beautiful. . .having such fabulous staff is like the cherry on top of a sundae!

We are NOT outdoors people and this vacation was PERFECT for us - just the right amount of outdoorsy things but plenty of indoor & low-key activities too.

We would totally go back next year (but we're already going to Hawaii) . . . so we will be back the following year. And if Hawaii is our alternative, can you imagine how high we're rating THIS PLACE.

Yay Week 6...

We are a group of hiking friends who stayed in a vintage lodge suite. On prior hiking trips, we have stayed in tents, wood/canvas tent cabins, and regular hotels/motels. MS Lodge offered a great combination of amenities that were just about perfect for us.|• location to hiking trails (there's a lot of driving to do within Sierra/Kings Canyon NPs, so being at a location on Generals Highway rather than in a nearby town outside the parks, was a big time- and gas-saver)|• all meals included|• pool, spa, and other outdoor activities|• big tables for hanging out and playing games (drawing from the abundant selection of actually good games in a big cupboard)|• surprisingly quiet|• affordable prices (I think I'm seeing that they're going up for the next year but honestly the prices still look reasonable.)||The fact that the suite we stayed in was itself pretty dated and worn didn't really bother us. All we needed to do was shower and sleep there. It was clean, just needs some updating. We were a group of five. We were pleased to see that there were two bath houses with showers available on the property, so we didn't all have to take turns showering one after another in our suite.||MS Lodge does offer newer and renovated accommodations. So, if desire something nicer, you can pick one of those instead, but the large vintage suite worked well for us.||The food was surprisingly good and although we were never able to take advantage of the lunches (which can be eaten there or ordered in advance to take as bag lunches after 9 am), there was plenty of food available for us before 9 am so we could pack our food suitable for lunch as well as trail food - a variety of fruit, bagels and cream cheese, hard-boiled eggs, baby carrots, string cheese, etc., even avocados! The main dinner courses varied and they took care to offer gluten-free and vegetarian options (and I think vegan, although none in my group is vegan so I didn't pay close attention). Dinners had some delicious foods, such as mahi mahi and a spicy vegetarian (and probably vegan) dish of chickpeas, vegetables, and coconut milk that was really tasty. Dessert consisted of a different layer cake each of our three days. Each was clearly made from scratch and had very nice fillings (not box-mix cake or icing) and we're very tasty. One night there was also a baked (non-chocolate) brownie-like dessert with apples and berries. Breakfasts always included fresh fruits - on two of our three days there were even mixed berries. Yum! And hot things like eggs and sausages. We were very pleased with the food. Many things (like what we packed to take as our lunches) are available 24/7. Guests can even help themselves to leftovers from prior meals, well labeled in a guest-accessible fridge to reheat in a microwave.||I believe that during the summer months the lodge acts as a family camp. I'd have had a blast here as a kid - so much to do. But in Sept we saw mostly adult guests and from what we could tell, everyone seemed to be pretty happy.||Bottom line: we are already thinking about a return trip next year and this will be where we...

Absolutely spectacular stay. My all time favourite accommodation at any national park, ever. I enjoyed it more than staying at Ahwahnee in Yosemite.

The location is within nature, with a nice mountain view from the deck. You have to drive through a dirt road to reach the property, but it's a very well maintained dirt road, suitable for even a basic compact car. The location is about 50 minutes drive to the main trailheads at Sequoia National Park, and about 90 minutes drive to Cedar Grove at King's Canyon National Park. Just perfect for exploring both parks. The only exception is if you want to head out to Mineral King, which would be a 3+ hour drive.

The staff are very nice, and they went out of their way to accommodate us and make us feel at home. The highlight for us was the dining. We loved the fresh food and wide variety offered, all prepared in a healthy manner. They always have options for vegans, and we appreciated this. We were satisfied with these options (as vegans), but after the chef learned that we specifically are looking for vegan options, the quality of the vegan food improved dramatically and we were elated by the type of food prepared.

There are fixed meal times, so it's easy to miss those times if you're looking to head out early or come back late. However, there's a 24 hour breakfast area, and best of all, a wide selection of leftovers in the fridge. We were able to make large and delicious meals using the leftovers (usually left over from the same day) at any time of day, even at 4am if we liked. It felt like unlimited food at all hours, and this was extremely helpful given we went on some very long and strenuous hikes and came back at odd hours and were very hungry. We greatly preferred this model vs the "restaurant" model at other accommodations. This place felt like home, and it was so relaxing to just be able to help ourselves instead of sitting down and ordering things. For vegans, the food offered is much, much more impressive than the "veggie burger" and "hummus wrap" offered at Wuksachi and other national park lodges. We were treated to foods like vegan enchiladas, chickpea curry, vegan pastas, vegan meatballs, and more. So good! All included in the cost of the room. When you factor in how much we ate and the quality of what we ate, the price of this accommodation becomes an incredible value.

The only thing I'd improve in terms of dining is the coffee; it is about equal to gas station coffee. It's probably fine for most people, but I ended up bringing my own coffee.

The rooms are basic but have everything you need. They are heated appropriately, have appropriately sized and comfortable beds, a normal bathroom with hot water, etc. You couldn't ask for more so far out in nature, in my opinion. The common areas are quite comfortable, with large sofas, dining tables, etc.

100% recommended. Can't wait to...