Belknap Hot Springs, Lodge and Gardens. — Hotel in Sisters

First time visiting and had a most lovely time. Did enough research beforehand to know to bring our own food, as you are way out in the woods miles from anything substantial (although the Mckenzie grill and market up the highway was great). I also fully expected, and welcomed, there being no cable or cell signal, though the wifi is adequate. The website details the rules very clearly as well, if one takes the time to read (for all those complaining in other reviews about random things they could have simply read or even, gasp, called to ask about, before driving there if it was something that required more clarity).

When checking in, we were presented with a nice map of the grounds, some towels to use at the pools, and the front desk associate explained things very nicely to us. We felt very welcomed.

One thing I didn't ask about so unsure if available, was someone to assist in carrying luggage up the stairs. This would be especially helpful for seniors and lesser abled people.

Overall, beautiful grounds, pools, gardens, and trails. Nice, generous continental breakfast served by a friendly face who also later brought us fresh towels to our room, a pleasant surprise. I suspect this lady is a "Jill of all Trades", as it seemed she also was the (perhaps only?) housekeeper. Kudos to her for being so sweet and helpful.

There is a food truck on site as well with very friendly and helpful staff that operates during the day, as well as general snacks and even ice cream in the lobby. There was a portable AC in the room, for which I was surprised and very grateful, as it was definitely needed with the hot sun coming in our room in the evening. Apparently, there once was actual central air conditioning, as evidenced by the old vents still on the ceilings.

Now, the parts with room for improvement. I wouldn't exactly refer to the lodge as a "resort" in its current condition. It's definitely old, over 100 years old, to be precise, and it shows. That in itself isn't a problem. But, some updates, cleaning, and maintenance are needed.

They could definitely spring for some new, room darkening curtains, or, at the very least, wash the very old dingy, dirty ones that are haphazardly hung in the rooms currently and hang properly. A coffee maker in the rooms would be welcome as well. A note pad for writing on, standard lodging utensils.

A fresh coat of paint goes a long way, or even cleaning the walls and cobwebs off the ceiling. Patch the holes in the ceiling. Fix the loose floor stones in the bathroom. I found the missing smoke alarm, something I noticed shortly after arriving, stuck in a dresser drawer along with the information sign that once hung on the back of the door. The furniture was old, scratched up (forgivable), but not very clean, though the bed and pillows were comfy enough, if you're a fan of firm mattresses. An amusing aside, holiday decorations still adorned the lobby, which was kinda funny and possibly endearing, but also questionable...I mean, it's July after all, lol.

Come on, guys, seriously, I think you can do better than this. Besides the smoke alarm in the drawer thing being a total safety violation, these were all signs of laziness, neglect, and carelessness that gave pause for concern. I truly hope someone in management reads this, not as an insult or harsh criticism, but as inspiration to step up the maintenance of this truly beautiful and historic building. There is so much potential. The grounds are so lovingly maintained. It would be refreshing to see some of that love put into the lodge and rooms themselves.

All that said, we had a beautiful stay and look forward to returning one day, maybe to try one of the cabins next time. The water was magnificent as well as being able to relax and disconnect from everything for a few days. I loved seeing all the old pictures of the history of the place and reading the little quips about the founders.

Look forward to returning and hopefully to a few maintenance improvements to truly make the place shine again, and earn its rightful title...

(Updating this review so it remains at the top so people can see what this "resort" is really like..

Where to even begin with this place... My wife and I recently booked a night here in one of their cabins. We had selected it for the river view which did not disappoint. The deck and the campfire were both features we enjoyed as well. It was nice to have a place outside to relax both at night and during the day. The final enjoyable thing we experienced was the mineral pool. Those booking cabins and lodge rooms get access to a more private pool which during our stay was nearly empty which was very nice compared to the one that is available for day use which seems to remain packed at all times.

Now that I got all the positives out of the way time to move on to why after all those positives this still has firmly earned a 1 star rating. (If Google allowed it I would rate 0) It can really be boiled down to 2 very simple things, Customer Service/Hospitality, and very outdated rooms.

Starting with the Customer Service, from the get-go with my reservation I tried to get ahold of them to change the date and I was never able to reach someone by phone. I was able to finally get ahold of someone on an email and get it worked out however I never received a new confirmation email which made me worried on my drive to the lodge that I would arrive and my reservation would be gone. Luckily that was not the case. However upon our arrival the Ladies working the front desk did not appear to want to do their jobs at all. In-fact, I heard the phone ring (Wow so they do have a phone?) and one of the ladies reluctantly reaches for it and groans "ugh I have to work". This was a horrible first impression. I will dig more into the Customer service but first I need to get into the rooms.

The rooms are horribly outdated. The newest appliance in sight was a kitchen sink with a hose nozzle, the hair dryer in the bathroom from the 1970s did not work at all. The ceiling fan did not work unless you had the light on as well. They provided an industrial style floor fan which had to be propped up on the couch in order to get the air to reach the beds. Speaking of which, the beds were spring mattresses and didn't even have a fitted sheet, leaving the edges exposed so you can really see how old that mattress is. (Older than myself I would imagine) The pillows had no fluff left in them and the heat is either none or full blast. I would have slept better if i rented out one of the tent spots and slept on an air mattress.

Now for a combination of poor hospitality and bad rooms. Upon arriving in our room I noticed sugar was spilt on the counter by the sink, dusty cobwebs on the picture frames, and when I went to brew a cup of coffee the coffee maker was stained and had condensation from the last guest making their coffee. So needless to say the housekeeping does a poor job cleaning up. It seems as though they brush that responsibility off to the guests as we saw a note posted about various fees we would receive if furniture was out of place or dishes were not washed and placed back in the correct place. This is supposed to be a vacation, I understand fees for trashed rooms, but housekeeping exists for a reason and the guest shouldn't need to clean the room before they leave.

Upon waking up early in the morning from one of the worst nights of sleep in a while, I packed up, cleaned up (Don't want to give them any more money) and went to check out. I arrived at the lobby around 8:40 and was surprised to see the door ajar. I went inside with my keys and one of the ladies reluctantly came to help. I said I needed to check out and all she said was "Did you have anything charged to your room?" to which I responded "Nope" and she said "well then you're good" I was not asked how my stay was I wasn't even told to have a good day.

The ladies that run the front desk are going to drive the establishment into the ground. They need to be fired immediately, I've never felt more unwelcomed at a Lodge ever. We will never be...

What a disappointment. I have been coming here for the last 5 years and it has been a rustic charming place. Not this time. It has been about a year since my last visit and this will be my last visit. I have recommended this place to friends and acquaintances. SAVE YOUR MONEY! Go somewhere else.

This was my daughter and my first girl's trip. (She is 3). She was so excited to go and wanted to swim. I showed her pictures and she couldn't wait. (This has always been a kid friendly place when I have been there. There are other hot springs nearby for adult crowds if that's what you're looking for).

We arrived at 9:30pm after a 3 and a half hour drive in the pouring rain. I didn't realize the lobby and pool closed at 9, but was thankful an envelope was on the door with my name and instructions to get in. My daughter wanted to see the pool, so we looked at it and she was disappointed she couldn't swim, but we would first thing in the morning.

Getting into the room.... It was at last 85-90 degrees in the room when we arrived. The heater was off. I couldn't figure out why it was so hot, but there was a portable AC and big fan in the room, so I turned those on and hoped for a cool down. There was no book with TV instructions and hotel contact/breakfast etc. Breakfast is for 1 hour from 7:45-8:45 and pool opens at 9. We went to breakfast and have never experienced such a strict breakfast experience. They wanted to see the room key and we were not allowed to touch anything and had a count on items. This was not gourmet either, it was Quaker oatmeal, a packet of applesauce or yogurt and a bagel or bland biscuits and gravy.

After breakfast we went upstairs to get suited up for the pool, only to find out we were not allowed to swim. The two women at the front desk were miserable, angry people who did not have one ounce of hospitality or humanity. (There have always been kids and infants in the swimming area, the pool is not too hot for toddlers) I also noticed multiple screens behind the desk one lady was intently watching. I told her we were here for our trip and asked if she could please swim. Hard no! I asked if I could swim while she was on the chair, another HARD NO! My daughter was distraught. We came all this way (7 hours round trip) Spent $300 for a room to relax and swim when we weren't allowed to enjoy any of it.

We went to nearby Deer Creek Hot Springs, a natural, free hot springs. When we came back and walked through the door, the miserable front desk woman by the cameras questioned us wanting to know why we were wet and where we were swimming to ensure we had not broken the rules and swam in their precious pool.

My daughter was super upset and begging and crying to swim in the pool. They didn't care. We rented a movie and the TV didn't work. A guy came to fix it and my daughter begged to swim. He said they don't let his kids swim either and since we could t swim there, told us about Cougar Hot Springs and suggested I take her to an uncontrolled hot pool with multiple nude adults. Gee thanks. How about just let us swim in the pool we are paying for?! Not to mention it was a Saturday and the pool was FULL of kids, and definitely younger than 3. So my daughter sees all these kids, even younger than her, swimming and is even more upset.

We sweated in bed for two nights (the AC and fan didn't even make a difference that's how hot it was), couldn't enjoy the pools, interrogated about being wet and a item count for breakfast (felt like mealtime at the state hospital when I worked there). Top it off, the rooms are dirty with a dank moldy smell, very outdated.

I feel robbed. Definitely not coming back and will not recommend. Seems like they switched owners. We made the best of our trip by visiting local scenic views. Clear Lake is great! The area...