Arrowhead Mountain Lodge — Hotel in Lake City

The lodge room was VERY clean. I was especially pleased about that. The amenities were nice, towels, sheets nice quality. Duvet and pillows also nice. The bar/restaurant area is nice and homey and so is the main living area with nice TV selection. No TV in the room but there is good wifi access. The housekeeper was very nice, it was between seasons and I messed up and thought I booked 2 nights but at check out she politely asked if I was leaving and offered to tell the desk herself I'd be staying another night. She was very pleasant. I also met another staff member, Katelyn who introduced herself and said this would be her first season at the lodge, coming from Texas and she was excited about it. The area is lovely, if you want some nice walking with your dog, the main road in front of the lodge is pretty busy so it felt like you were walking in a wonderful mountain subdivision but loads of RV's and hunting trucks. It is a basically a hunters lodge I'm guessing so that makes sense of course but I was hoping for a little less traffic. Regardless, it was beautiful to have access to their local ponds. I thought I was able to fish in it w/o a license and hoped to have a rental or free pole to use but was told that guests are no longer allowed to use the pond. Breakfast was some store bought pastries that didn't look too good, coffee (the kuerig could use a note on it as to which button to use). Juice in the fridge and 3 cereal choices. Decent enough if you're not a breakfast person. They also offered a full breakfast cooked by the restaurant or a breakfast buffet so you've got everything you need. I was hoping for music Friday night which is why I stayed a Friday but there was no music but I did have the prime rib Saturday evening and it was very good. I think where they fall a little short (but I'm guessing it's because I was between hunting season and I was only 1 of 2 guests staying) is that....it wasn't very personable at all. It was the house keeper and Kaitlyn that actually engaged me. I checked in at the bar, was shown to my room by a pleasant enough girl who was actually the bar tender.. I was told to make myself at home so that was nice but it wasn't until the next day that I saw the outdoor fire pits by the bar which I would have liked to have had one lit at night and sit by it but I wasn't sure if I should take it upon myself to light it. I actually felt a little weird that employees kind of just walked by me and around me and weren't terribly welcoming. I wasn't asked if I needed anything or how everything was. I wanted to try the prime rib so went down before dinner to ask if I could reserve a end cut and was told that the cook said I couldn't, that I'd just have to show up at 5:00. I changed my mind on the end cut anyway but showed up at 5 and got it because I was the first for dinner so it was okay either way. I just found it bad customer service for a GUEST to be told they may be paying $130.00/night but we won't save you a end cut. I'm guessing it might be that they have regulars that live there who invest more over the long haul so I get that but it wasn't something I expected to be told NO. It's petty, I know. I did like that when I asked to reserve the room via email, I was given the exact room I asked for and happy that the noise level died down really quickly at shutting time. I read that was a issue so I didn't expect it to be as loud as it was without music but it stopped at a reasonable time so it wasn't a big deal. Over all, it was good and the simplicity of the rooms was nice and cleanliness EXCELLENT... Just staff needs some warming up and more personality. Katliyn was welcoming and friendly.. I look forward to coming back, glad you at least have a TV downstairs for a FOX news junkie like me, it was good to just watch news with my coffee down there. Wish I could have just catch/release a few fish though.. ...

Our room was very quaint, bedroom was spacious. The bathroom was tiny, but it got the job done. There was soap scum left over in the soap dish in the shower. We don't use bar soap, we use body wash, so it was not from us. The bedroom could have used a little more vacuuming, but was clean overall.

The food is very good, but don't expect breakfast because the restaurant does not offer it. They set out pastries, bagels, toast, yogurt and cereal, but nothing of real substance. You'll have to schlep 30 miles to town for breakfast, which is not conducive to early morning fishing. Also, this morning, they ran out of milk and regular coffee. If you are a decaf fan, they have decaf for days.

The first night we got there, we were excited to sit down and eat dinner after a long day of traveling and fishing. I ordered tomato soup and my husband ordered prime rib.

Well, they brought out his prime rib(which was delicious), but I guess they changed the soup on the waiter without telling him. I ordered something else, and my patient husband waited for my food to come out before he ate his.

Last night, they offered a BBQ buffet, no regular menu just BBQ buffet. Once again, the closet restaraunt is like 30 miles away so you dont have much of a choice. This poor older couple didn't want the BBQ buffet and ended up leaving. The waiter told these people to always check facebook for the menu. I almost choked on my food! Even if they weren't older, not everyone does facebook and there's barely any reception anywhere in the area!

The waiter was actually the chef and told us the prices and that was fine, until we went to pay. The price of my meal was not what the chef said and all I got was a shoulder shrug and an I'm sorry. Two nights in a row, I could have at least been offered a free drink for my trouble.

The staff in the restaurant were kind of friendly. When I checked in, the chef got my key and showed me to my room. I kind of felt like I was an inconvenience to her. I didn't really see any other staff other than the 4 in the restaurant. Is there supposed to be staff from the lodge somewhere?

With all of that being said, the place is very noisy. There's lots of traffic, trailers going down the road, and people slamming doors outside. It startled me a few times at night. Have to keep the windows open for airflow, otherwise its stuffy.

The location was not convenient for our needs, but the dirt road was okay. There were a couple big potholes, but we managed. I don't think...

I heard so many amazing things from people who had stayed here before, but my time spent here was rather frustrating.

It started by getting a room different from what we had reserved. There was no explanation offered. They were nice enough to walk us up to our room, but no details were given about what to expect during our stay here. As a consequence, we weren't aware of when the restaurant closed and arrived a few minutes after. We still got some fries and soup, but it was rather disheartening.

We were told by people who had stayed here before (just a month before us), that a lovely breakfast basket was delivered at night. It was purported to include muffins, burritos, juice, milk and fruit. No basket was delivered. It had also been mentioned that the restaurant downstairs serves breakfast, but no times were posted on the pamphlet or the website. So the next morning, without a basket, we wandered downstairs wondering if the restaurant was open for breakfast. It wasn't. There wasn't a worker in sight at 8:30 am. Since Arrowhead is located in the middle of a long stretch of highway between 2 cuties, there's really no food to be found nearby. Still, we drove down to Montrose only to be told by the same friend who had stayed before that apparently breakfast is now kept in the fridge instead of being delivered (she knows someone who works at the Lodge). We head back, open the fridge, and see a few little cups of cereal (Raisin Bran and Cheerios), milk, juice, and some oranges. After missing out on a hearty dinner and hearing about the delicious breakfast burritos apparently offered for no extra charge, to get a few small servings of cereal was similarly disappointing.

Things to improve: increased communication. That was the stem of most of our issues during our stay. It was assumed we'd know what to expect, which is rather unreasonable of any guest.

I say all this so future guests know what was assumed to be understood and remained unexplained by Lodge workers. The room itself is nice and large, though there doesn't seem to be A/C. Downstairs is a piano and some card games, which is fun. And a major plus is that it is dog friendly. Just remember to ask any questions you have early, because you'll be in the dark otherwise.

Other things to note: check out is at 11 am, though we weren't told that. A bit early, I think, considering check...