Cedar Crest Lodge — Hotel in Mound City

There's not a single negative thing to say about Cedar Crest Lodge. It is about an hour and five minutes away from the KC proper. The staff is very friendly and attentive. It is owned by a family of four but they have additional staff. It seems a bit pricey but every stay comes with breakfast and dinner. Dinner is served around 6pm and breakfast is served either at 8:30, 9 or 9:30. The entire grounds, dining area, and rooms were very clean! From the glasses, mugs, plates, sheets...everything seemed so clean. The food is cooked fresh. Everything was so yummy. I appreciated how you pre-select your food choices and they surprise you each day. You are not allowed to pick your breakfast but we enjoyed breakfast every day we were there. We arrived Thursday evening and stayed until Monday morning! I think that it would have been nice to select our breakfast but it was not a big deal. They do ask you when you check in if there are any food allergies or aversions for them to take into consideration.

My only suggestion for them is to have a password protected and secured Wi-Fi connection. I was surprised it was a public Wi-Fi for all rooms. They do not serve alcohol on site but you are welcome to bring your alcohol to dinner and they will allow you to drink it without a corking fee (if it is wine that you bring). I loved how this place felt like an all inclusive resort whereby you did not need to bring anything wherever you went. The rooms are locked by code so you do not even need a key! The grounds have two dogs and three cats wandering around if you're allergic or do not like dogs. We love both and are not allergic to any so we really enjoyed the three cats: Biscuit, Muffin and _. The two dogs were Cocoa and _. The dogs were labs so they were a bit big but the two dogs were pretty old so they moved a bit slow just like two of the three cats. One cat, the orange super fat one is super friendly. If you don't close your suite floor, they will try to sneak in so be awares as you are loading and unloading your vehicle. The staff ask you to not allow them in your room which is understandable because some folks are allergic. So do yourself a favor and book a few nights there! Don't let the outdated rooms scare you away. They are not as outdated as they look online!!! Just don't make the same mistake and take the robes thinking they are part of the amenities mentioned. We made that mistake and they reached out to us asking where they were! So we did send them payment for them offering to do that or return them. They mentioned we can return them but we decided to go ahead and keep them for souvenirs then. They were comfy robes!!! Very good quality, should have known they were not free but we really thought they came with the room stay. No worries, they were so kind about it. They are several trails all around that you can experience the wonders of nature. They have a garden where they grow most of their veggies during season to serve. It is such a wonderful place and we will definitely visit again despite how pricey it is!!! It is definitely a place worth saving up for. We stayed in Tuscan Manor Suite! We are looking forward to trying out the other ones next time. Also if you like seafood, definitely get the Chilean Sea Bass!!! You will not...

My wife and I are always on the hunt for fresh new experiences, especially when they are within close proximity to our home in the Kansas City area. For those of you with similar goals, I highly recommend that you look into the Cedar Crest Lodge. It's a hideaway nest that is well-deserving of a 5-Star rating, largely because it offers "all the things" (my wife's favorite phrase).

Starting with the amenities, CCL is a stunningly beautiful oasis, about an hour's drive directly south of KC. The undisturbed stands of large cedar trees and nicely maintained hiking trails give the place a Front Range Colorado vibe (it reminded us both a bit like the outskirts of Nederland, Colorado, without the Front Range views, of course). Nevertheless, the observation deck provides some opportunities for amazing sunset viewing. The grounds are immaculately maintained with beautiful varieties of perennials. The Lodge provides over four miles of hiking trails, several well-stocked fishing lakes, a variety of indoor and outdoor games, and a sparkling pool with an inviting sundeck. Best of all, they offer on-site therapeutic massage services, which we both highly recommend.

Food, which is mostly included in the daily lodging rate, is first-rate and largely farm-to-table, thanks to the on-site vegetable, herb, and berry gardens. Fresh eggs and dairy products are provided by the local farms (you MUST try their goat-milk fudge!). Breakfasts and dinners are either served in their intimate dining room or delivered to your room. The staff will even prepare a delicious picnic lunch for you (we took our lunch home today, since we were still so satisfied by our breakfast).

The service was wonderful, very down-to-earth and focused on our personal enjoyment. Landry was filling in for the owners while they were out of town; she's a terrific young lady that took care of all of our needs and made us feel right at home. Kathleen and the maintenance staff were also extremely friendly and kept everything there in tip-top shape. Nothing more needs to be said about the meal preparation team; the food quality exceeds that provided by many of the finer restaurants in Kansas City.

I could go on, but you get the gist. Check out this hidden gem; we've already booked our next visit so that we can enjoy the Fall colors!

P.S. Make sure to get acquainted with their sweet pets, especially Muffin and Oscar (two very friendly yellow...

I stayed at Cedar Crest Lodge for a much needed, "rest and digest" girls weekend with my best friend. This was our first visit and it will not be our last. The countryside is beautiful, even in winter, serene, and quiet. I think we felt out bodies exhale from the moment we parked the car. I have very special food allergy needs and the kitchen team was amazing at accommodating every need with top of the line gourmet meals that were filling and delicious. The attentiveness of the staff was outstanding. Friendly, warm, personalizing your stay and service. The handy texting system allows you to communicate with staff if questions or needs arose and also allow them to provide you with your scheduled reminders of meals and spa times. The rooms are so well planned out within the lodge that you hear nothing. The beds and bedding are very comfortable as well. We had two conjoining rooms with a jack and jill bathroom in the middle so we could each have our own space to retreat to. It worked out beautifully. Our spa services were done by Jose and Xa and they were also incredibly warm, friendly and we were comfortable the entire time. The experience was as exceptional as the view. We spent our weekend exhaling, reading by the fire in the main community room, taking walks around the grounds, napping and had no need to tv at all. It was freeing. The owners, Matt and Laura, are onsite and interactive with everyone and all services. I cannot express adequately how wonderful and recharging this experience was for us, who greatly needed it. It would be the perfect place for a romantic weekend for couples who wanted to relax and connect as well and the grounds are gorgeous. I cannot wait to return when the gardens and foliage is full. Thank you for an...