Lake Anna State Park — Hotel in Louisa

My husband and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary a month early due to no availability on the actual day in May and brought our two children along. While the state park itself is gorgeous as several others we’ve visited, my review is more so for the cabin stay. I heard good things about cabin 5 and wanted to experience the water view; however, found the cabin to be just ok having previously stayed at a couple of other VA state parks. It was not as private as I thought it would be after reading some reviews and could hear conversations/music of other guests on their porches. A couple of our neighbors even walked through our picnic area to check out the shared dock located between cabins four and five, which I though was strange as I would have gone around the parking driveway had I been in that particular cabin. It didn’t really bother me but I was surprised. It was something to take note of as to how close the cabins in that particular are that I guess they felt comfortable enough to do that. We enjoyed the serenity at chippokes and westmoreland much more. It also happened to be the very warm weekend of April 13th and our ac unit was not working when we arrived that Friday evening. The park office was closed and it got up to 80 degrees inside and made for an uncomfortable rest that night. The next morning we called and rangers arrived 30 minutes later but the circuit kept tripping and we were told they would place a service call. After the service guy arrived later that afternoon, we were told that it needed a compressor and that we could have a window unit installed which we did and while accommodating it was a bit loud and we had to sleep with the bedroom doors open to get some of the cooling effect as it was placed in the window beside the door in the kitchen. The ceiling fan is also in the kitchen and was refreshing after coming in from biking before the unit was installed. The wrap around porch was nice but I couldn’t help but notice the cabin needed to be pressure washed. Also, when adjusting the blinds noticed they needed to be dusted. The wand was missing from one of the window blinds near the porch so we couldn’t close them conveniently. Then noticed the blinds at the kitchen sink were torn when we let them down to keep the sun out after the air conditioning unit issue. The refrigerator/freezer had an odor that could have possibly been remedied with a deep cleaning and baking soda. Husband noted the ice was nasty due to the odor. Although there was a holder on the kitchen counter, no paper towels were provided - I guess this varies with the parks. The beds were uncomfortable. My ten year old stated she was literally sleeping on a plastic bag. The shower was the pressure washer needed for the exterior - stings very bad! We drove around a bit and noticed the camping cabins look so adorable if we ever did try this park again we would consider them or try tent camping as we enjoyed biking the trails very much (even with some very tall, skinny trees swinging widely in a high gust as though they were...

This is a review for the Lodge Accommodations:

We stayed at the wonderful Pigeon Run Lodge over the weekend and it was perfect for a weekend getaway for you and your 15 closest friends! I took lots of pictures of the space because I couldn't find any when we were looking in to booking it.

The whole building has a central HVAC which kept the space comfortable for the entire stay. Somewhat odd was that some of the bedrooms were warmer than others, so if people in your party have specific temperature preferences they may need to trade around if they don't like it too hot or too cold.

There are 6 bedrooms in total. 2 with a queen bed each, 2 with a pair of singles each, and 2 bunk pair rooms: sleeps 4 in each room.

The couches are also very comfortable for a mid-afternoon nap, or to get away from a snoring roommate. :)

There are 3 bathrooms, one of which has a walk-in shower and is accessible to people with disabilities. There is a fully equipped kitchen with an electric range, and a washer dryer, really great if you are planning an extended stay.

We made use of the gas fireplace and the outdoor fire ring and both were wonderful on a crispy fall evening. The fireplace has a 60 minute auto shut off so you don't forget to turn it off before bed and burn the place down.

All and all I give this a 10/10 would definitely recommend this for a large family outing or Friendsgiving!

Notes: -There ARE liquid soap dispensers in all of the bathrooms -You need to provide your own coffee filters for the coffee maker they are BASKET filters not cone -There is NO TV at all in the entire place -There ARE plenty of electrical outlets to plug in your devices. -There IS Toilet paper in all of the bathrooms (and a backup roll too). -You need to bring your own bedlinens, blankets, and towels -Kitchen is fully stocked with enough plates, bowls, cups and utensils for 16 people. -if you plan on using this make sure to bring either a dish soap and a sponge and/or dishwasher liquid/tablets because you are required to clean up after yourself.

I took lots of pictures of the place, but you really should see it...

My wife and I made the mistake of vising Lake Anna State Park on Saturday, July 9th, and based on our experience we will not be returning to this park. Upon our arrival around 9:20 am we were charged $7.00 at the park entrance. I knew I had to pay this amount but was disappointed that the Virginia State Park System does not offer any military or Veteran discounts that are offered by other states and the federal park system. After we parked we walked to the beach area and were surprised by the excessive amount of people at the park. Some of the park attendees were using the playground area as their personal footprint that interfered with others who wanted to use the playground. We set up our chairs in the beach area and were disappointed that the beach sand was not raked and the water was murky compared to other parks we have visited. We were extremely surprised when the lifeguards blew their whistles at 10:00 am and requested that everyone get out of the water. Apparently you have to get in a line with scores of other park attendees to pay an additional $4.00 per person to use the beach area. I have never seen such an inefficient process as what I observed at Lake Anna. Making people leave a beach area after they have already set up their chairs defies logic and common sense. The most disturbing aspect of our visit was the nauseating, unsanitary, and disgusting bathrooms. In the men’s bathroom there were toilets that were not flushed, toilet paper and trash all over the floor, and water running in one of the sinks. From what my wife told me the women’s bathroom was worse with trash overflowing and women’s sanitary products strewn about the bathroom area. We would have taken pictures but didn’t think this was appropriate in a bathroom. After refusing to pay another $8.00 to stay at this poor excuse for a state park my wife and I left and vowed never to return. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere for a place to swim unless you enjoy a park that overcharges its patrons, does not clean its bathrooms, and where sanitary conditions are not...