Sunbanks Lake Resort — Hotel in Grand Coulee

We were really excited to go on our first trip to Sunbanks with my husbands family and our 18 month old son. However, we were not prepared for the limited care the unit had received prior to our arrival or the limited interaction with the staff.

When we arrived we found that the exterior of the unit (AC units, railings, porch) was covered with mouse feces along with the back patio, patio furniture and bbq. The inside of the unit was quite nice but had not been cleaned for some time. There were giant cobwebs hanging from the blinds and cabinets, spider webs full of bugs behind doors and the ac units and filters were filthy.

You could see under the eaves where something had chewed it's way into the vents, through the bird block. I don't even want to know what the attic looked like.

I was really surprised and excited that there was a washer/dryer in the unit but disappointed when we dried our first load and the 1970's dryer sounded like something out of a horror movie. It was so loud that it actually scared my son. But, it beat spending the time to carry the laundry down to the laundry room and spend more money I guess.

We have an 18 month old son and the first night we tried to give him a bath we were unable to because there was no plug in the bathtub. We finally figured out a few days later that a gatorade cap fit perfectly...

The water pressure was horrible and the toilets clogged literally every time they were used. The kitchen sink leaked from the nozzle and under the sink.. we were in a constant state of wiping the floors up and washing towels and plunging the toilet.

I requested more dishwasher pods for the dishwasher as they only provided us with 2 and I was told that they usually give people enough for a few loads and then it's their (guests) responsibility to provide their own.. Um, nah. That isn't how it works.. They eventually gave me 3 more!!!

There was no internet connection available unless you wanted to pay for an hourly, day, week or month pass.. We were fine without wifi but there was no way to make an emergency call had it been necessary and there was no phone in the room and no way to contact staff after hours.

The playground was adequate if you like watching the entire thing flex under the weight of a few small children or feeling like it could collapse at any moment. I was also really excited about the fact that there was Nightshade growing around the entire campground and within 15 feet of the playground. The smell from the pit toilets that were not pumped once in 6 days also added to the experience.

I didn't get pictures of the beach but it was obvious that there had been a massive amount of goose poop recently shoveled up as there were large areas that looked like they'd been sprinkled with powdered sugar. It took me a few days to figure out what it was but when I did it narrowed the area that we let our son play in greatly.

We were there pretty early in the season (June 23 -29) but it seemed that there was little care given to state of the units upon check in. I'm assuming they clean it after the last person checks out and then don't revisit them again to freshen them up if there has been a long time between guests. The maintenance of the units was also sub par. There was a large hole in the flooring that was hidden by the couch, I'm sure someone paid for it but it was never fixed. There were curtains hung over one window with push pins.. a curtain rod is $10 at walmart.. but we we're charged a $35 non refundable cleaning fee.. There was a broom in the unit but no other method of cleaning the floors while we were there. We swept multiple times a day but a vacuum would have been really nice to have. Staff did not check in once in the 6 days we were there to see if we needed anything .

The fishing sucked.

My final opinion of this place is that we might possible stay here again but we would definitely be better prepared in terms of what we brought with us and we would probably book later in the season as it seems they aren't up and running at full capacity...

We had a group of approximately 30 people. We had multiple tent sites reserved and we had an RV site reserved for my in laws. My in laws are in their mid 80s, and have questionable day to day health. The week of this trip, they both got sick, but were still hopeful down to the wire that they could make it work. The morning of, they called us to say they simply couldn’t make the trip. The heat in the forecast, long drive, and their illness was making it clear that it wouldn’t be a good idea. They asked me to call about getting a refund.

That morning before we left to come, I called to ask about the situation and the person I spoke to on the phone was very understanding and friendly. I told her that I understood the cancellation policy, but asked if they could be considered for any portion of their reservation back due to their unexpected illness. The person I spoke to, said she would write up what I had told her and speak to the manager and have someone call me back. I told her the phone call back was not necessarily needed since I would be there later that day.

We drove to sunbanks and checked in. At check in, I said that I had called this morning about a refund for my in laws and then was told that the answer was “no”. I very kindly said ok and accepted this. But then, I was told that we could not use the power, water, or park in their site because they cancelled the reservation and opened the site to allow someone else to reserve it. We paid for it, and they refused to refund any portion, yet then made it available for someone else to come along and pay for? That’s not right.

The following day, I found out that my friend, who was also scheduled to come with us, called the morning she was supposed to come and cancelled. She told me she was given a 40 percent refund.

I returned to the office to ask about this and was told that she had “special circumstances”. I guess they decided that her circumstances deserved a refund, but I guess my in laws medical issues do not.

The person I spoke to in the office agreed with me that this was not right or fair and told me they would put the refund request in again. I said ok.

The day of check out, I came in again to see the status of this. I spoke to crystal who I guess is the manager? Crystal was rude. Cutting me off when I spoke, was very blunt, and frankly lied to me multiple times. She tried telling me that my friend called multiple days before, which was a lie. There were lots of excuses and then she told me that “the system won’t let her refund me” and that “she needs to keep the rules the same” and “can’t do refunds for one person and not another”. However, that’s EXACTLY what she did. The completely inconsistent rules and policies are not right.

I did argue this at this point. We were being treated completely unfairly. I finally was offered a “credit” to use next year. I don’t agree with this but didn’t seem to have a choice. The campground was not full over the weekend. There were plenty of sites available. I would understand not refunding me if it seemed like their site being taken would have prevented someone else from coming, but that simply was not the case.

The prices here are astronomical for camping. They claim this is due to their amenities. The grass area in the middle of the park was completely unusable and unkept our entire stay. Have of it was taped off with caution tape and what was left was uneven and unusable. The playground last year was falling apart to the point that a swing literally fell off the swing set while a kid was swinging. The playground was redone this year but honestly is nothing to brag about and looks like it was something purchased from Costco and not even...

When I first arrived to this park I was pleasantly surprised by the tranquility of the spot (p7) I chose next to a natural rock launch that was surrounded by beautiful spaces of grass and practically no one camping around me.

Day 2 a series of unfortunate events occurred resulting in my parents boat catching fire on the lake (4 adults and 3 children under 3 were aboard). We were safely rescued off the vessel by the most selfless people watching out for us. A few bumps and bruises were had but no one seriously injured and checked out by the local medical center. After I returned to the park, I talked with crystal (the manager of the clubhouse) and was told I would be taken care of for the rest of the stay since I had lost my truck keys, diaper bag and other things on that boat. Her and staff were truly so selfless in taking the time to make sure we were taken care of and had the essentials I needed for an infant and two toddlers. The next day Catherine (from front desk) made call after call to get my truck keys remade so that I could get home and move out of the boat launch area to keep the spaces open for the incoming boaters on a very busy 4th of July weekend. Keys were made same day by the most kind gentleman that traveled from ephrata to get me dialed in.

Now here comes some more unfortunate events…

Day of the 4th so many people started pouring in to set up tent sites and camp. What I thought to be a quiet camping space, turned into a drunkfest later that night with loud campers, blaring music, walking through my rv site, unhooking my rv from power, turning off our water and etc…it couldn’t get any worse. And to top it off…the water access 10 feet from my spot turned into the local water hole. (Considering the tent sites had their own water access but used the one close to me because the drop off was cleaner). Patrons parked jet skis and boats right off the bank…left floaters and fishing poles directly on the shoreline and made it impossible to enjoy the water with the three littles and two dogs we had. Campers also let their animals roam free into my site and on multiple occasions go after my pets (whom were on tethers and supervised).

And to top it off…my parents ended up getting double booked into their spot 4 days into a 6 day stay, and asked to vacate asap for the new rv coming to park in their space. (They were supposed to leave by 10am but never notified and by 6pm asked to leave). I helped them pack up as quickly as possible and they drove home at night.

What could’ve been a great trip turned Into a nightmare and I may never come back strictly due to the lack of etiquette and order of this place. Crystal and her staff were great to us…but rule enforcement needs to occur. And the sheer lack of ownership of the booking debacle will put a bad taste in my mouth forever….so heed this warning

Book during a slow time in the season. Call front desk before you make a reservation. Keep your pets leashed for the love of god. And good luck getting into some of the spots farther away from the clubhouse.

P.S. the dump has no hose to wash out your lines…and dont pay for service. It still...