Rowleys Bay Resort — Hotel in Town of Liberty Grove

I'll say up front that it's been a few years since I've been to the Rowley's Bay Resort (formerly Wagon Trail), and I've never stayed in the hotel itself. Read this review with that in mind.

My family and I have been to the Rowley's Bay Resort several times and stayed in the cabins. Yes, the place is older. Yep, the hotel itself is dated. But we've always been treated well, and the vacation homes have always been clean and welcoming. It's a rustic experience, to be sure, but that's what we've always enjoyed about it.

Most reviewers seem to be grumbling about two things:

1. The hotel is old and outdated.
2. There's nothing to do at the hotel.

Both points are true. Yes, the hotel is old. When we were there it wasn't in disrepair, it was just outdated. We've always opted not to stay in the lodge — we prefer to stretch out in a vacation home.

Yes, Ellison Bay is on the quiet side of Door County. That's actually what I like about this place. All of the shops and most of the things that draw visitors to Door County are on the bay side, not the lake side, and they're really only a short drive away. When you're done hitting the shops you can return to the peace and quiet of the Rowley's Bay Resort.

If you're expecting a fancy, updated, top-tier resort experience, look elsewhere. If you like a rustic, quiet location and a resort with friendly staff, give this...

We spent 3 nights there. When we checked in, we were a little nervous because its really outdated. But we quickly got over that. We rented a 3 bedroom condo. We were on the 2nd floor. It was well stocked with pots and pans and dishes. The location was absolutely perfect. The laundry was at the end of the hall and was close to the exit door also. We came up here specifically to see the dark skies. I didnt even need to go to the dark park at Newport State Park. The sky from the back of the parking lot was breathtaking. The pool was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. There was even a cute game room downstairs. My kids enjoyed playing some good old ping pong and pool table. It was nice to disconnect from the world for a few days. I wish we could've experienced a fish boil or their buffet, but unfortunately covid stopped that from happening. But we will definitely be back. There's kayak and zip lining right on property. Its about 20 minutes to the next town. The front desk staff was really friendly. And the items in the bakery are amazing.

I recommend this property to anyone that is looking to escape the crowds. We will be...

We had a 3rd floor location at the end of the building with a wonderful view of the bay. The front desk was very friendly and helpful. We enjoyed having the paddleboards, kayaks and off road segways on site. Our 3 bedroom suite was a good size space for the 7 of us. This is such a great place but I do feel that if there was some maintenance and deeper cleaning done on the resort that it would be even better. The tennis court was nice to have on site but it definitely needs some fixing up. There are large cracks on the court and weeds growing all over. It would also be nice to have a bit more in the way of kitchen utensils as well. There was limited silverware and a lack of other kitchen supplies. We were disappointed that the restaurant was closed and the fish boil was cancelled as those are really great selling points to the resort that we couldn't utilize. I realize that they may have had a shortage of staff as a result of COVID but I hope that it will eventually open up again. Overall we had a great stay at Rowley's and will definitely...