The Wanderlust Inn — Hotel in Leavenworth

Ugh. I so want to be kind here. I really do. There's so much potential. But, this review is not based on potential.

I rarely, if ever give a review less than 4 or 5 stars. We love Leavenworth and have stayed in many hotels, airbnbs, hotel with the turret suites and "castle" right on the river. We were even married in Leavenworth! So, I know this place and it's accomodations fairly well.

And my God!

Stay away. Just don't do it. No matter how cute and quaint the wide angle lens photos look. It's all a lie. It's a dirty tinder box of a place, with a t.v. so small I wonder why it's even there? But, we didn't come to watch t.v. and that's a good thing.

I wasn't expecting the Four Seasons or anything luxurious on this quick trip. I had very tempered expectations. I can forgive bad paint, maybe even weird smells (there were many) broken blinds...

I can move past that right!? Sure, I can! I mean those photos, the rooms, eh, I mean suites, it looks rather magical! It looks so spacious!

To use the word "suite" is a complete joke. And at $560 for 2 nights in a room with dirty sheets, hand prints on walls, dead bolt locks that do not work, with door jams that look like they were busted down by the ATF. Alright, maybe not the ATF but, someone or something!

I did feel unsafe. I hated every moment of walking in my "suite" with it's leaning floors. And I do so love having to wash my cups out in the bathroom sink. I should of noticed in the photos that was the only sink in said suite- in bathroom of horrors.

Their check in email states to call or text them anytime! Ha! OK, no response- at all.

Who are these owners? Who are the investors backing this so called remodel/facelift project!? Because, Houston We Have a Problem.

If I leave a place thinking I should get a tetanus shot, I should get a refund.

P.s. the GIGANTIC propane tanks right by the room entrance, are such a beautiful touch. And the blaring lights outside the bedroom window both nights were also so lovely. Kind of like the sun being out 24/7. Sure wish the blinds helped. But, when they don't fit the window, you're s.o.l.

I have to stop this review here; because if you are still considering this place after what I just said, may the force be with you. You're...

SCAM!!!! I’ve never even stayed here but I made a reservation and everything went downhill fast. In less than 24 hours from booking I had a family emergency and tried to cancel. They firmly refused (red flag #1) and only offered to allow me to reschedule after I was persistent. Mind you, while experiencing an emergency I had to deal with their BS. They didn’t answer the phone for hours (red flag #2) or I’d have been even earlier to notify them of my need to cancel. Once I actually reached someone, I could barely understand them in part because the reception was so poor (Red flag #3- what legitimate business doesn’t have a solid phone system). They told me to continue communicating via text. Once I made a change they refused to send me a confirmation email stating they had already sent one (with the original reservation) and could not send a second one. (Red flag #4). They text me the details and “promised” I had a confirmed reservation (red flag #5). Fast forward about 6 weeks and I devastatingly had another family related need to move my stay. I reached out via text to attempt this since it was the only way I got a response the last time, and although I got no response via text, call, or email, I was charged an additional $189 without my approval. (Red flag #7) Multiple inquiries were sent and ignored (red flag #8). I NEVER heard back from them. I finally had to report it as fraud and Visa thankfully agreed and reimbursed me.

DO NOT ENGAGE WITH THIS “BUSINESS”. You will regret it.

Update 10/11/25: after closing this matter with Visa, who declared the transactions fraudulent I was emailed and called by the “business” stating that I still owed them $717. IRONIC that NOW, they reach out. I...

While the location is great, and the decorations are fun and thoughtful, this place clearly has some work to do.

First, regarding safety— the deadbolt would not lock in our room. I had to use a screwdriver to fix the door latch strike plate in order to get the deadbolt to work. Even then, I had to pull up really hard to get it to lock. Guests should be able to sleep securely. I work in the hotel industry for a large company, and I know it’s also against the state code for lodging establishments to have a non-functioning door lock on any room. Has nobody inspected this place??

The walls let in every sound from adjacent rooms and outside. A hard fix, but still annoying.

The beds were really comfortable, and the bedding was upscale.

The decorations were nice and fun, too— weird given the other quality issues, but it made the vibe nice and turned this from one stars to two.

There was a very nice, brand new Keurig in the room, which was impressive.

The AC/Heater was brand new and functioned perfectly.

The layout of the room was eccentric… a bed in the living room, bed in the bedroom, and bunk bed in the space between the living room and bathroom. We liked it anyway, it was a decent value for the price despite the issues we noticed.

It’s clear the owners are working on improving the place, but there is still a long way to go. This cozy place has lots of potential and I hope they work through their issues. I’d stay here again, but I’d be more prepared for a few issues. Good for a short stay, would not be great long term with the issues that need to be...