Curriers Lakeview Lodge — Hotel in Town of Rice Lake

Looking for a lake destination to rent a place annually within 2 hrs from our MN home.  Saw commercials for Rice Lake, WI and researched areas to stay. Currier's was listed as #1 out of 9 with Tripadvisor. Reviewed room photos, amenities, etc. Also confirmed we could bring our elderly dog. 4th of July weekend with 1 room left (#10 - The Antique Room).  Booked at $565+tax for the weekend +$250 boat rental half day.

Room 10 impression:  Updated but cramped. My husband is 6'5" and his head skimmed the wood beam supporting the ceiling in the middle of the room. There's a mini fridge w/ a microwave in one corner and a full size dresser next to it. No closet to hang clothes. There is a wood bar with shelf to hang clothes, which sits in front of the mini fridge making it even harder to get to.  If you plan to eat in, you'll need to bring your own utensils, dishes, bowls, etc.  We appreciated the dog bowl, treats and blanket that were provided.  A nice touch.  There are two small windows front and back, but the room still felt dark. The back door opens to the lake but doesn't have a key entry requiring a walk around the building to get back into your room from the lake.  Website states that all rooms have lake views but this isn't not the case for #10. It's a view of the stairs going up to the main deck. You can see a bit of the lake beyond the stairs. You can also hear every creak of the floor from the room above as people walk through it. The "pastries" consisted of a homemade scone and Cutie orange.

Common deck is a nice size w/ good seating and very nice grills. Depending on which side of the resort, you have lovely decks or patios with  chairs or lounges to relax while enjoying a view of the lake.  Some rooms had kitchenettes and lofts.  None of this applies to room #10.

Rented a pontoon for half day ($250).  Told our pontoon would be in front of our unit and it would be the smallest given it was just the two of us. Walking out our back door and straight ahead to the pier, we discovered the pontoon already had a cooler on board.  My husband returned to the office to let them know and the gentleman came out and pointed to a much larger and older pontoon that was tied off in an area that required navigating quite a few steps, walking across the main deck and navigating additional steps before arriving on the pier.  Not happy about this particularly because we had our cooler, towels, snacks, and elderly dog to transport.

The Pontoon: A POS. We grew up on boats and this one was an absolute dud. Busy lake and ended up docking early because of the concern for not being able to shift into forward and reverse properly. Have a video demonstrating how ineffective this was. Boat also didn't go faster than 15 MPH despite a display that said 30 MPH, and anchor was attached to a 5' rope so couldn't even use it. Shared our concerns and were told they were aware the boat had issues. WTH?! No refund offered. Very disappointing.

Opted to leave a day early due to rain and understanding that we would have to pay the $195 room rate. We did check out the nearby park, which is nice.

Overall, I'm glad we were able to see this area and explore Long Lake as well (very nice!). We met families who had been coming to Curriers for years and I can see why kids would love this place if renting a larger unit with a kitchenette.  Not sure why the resort wasn't set back further from the lake allowing for more lawn space and room to move. Everything just felt cramped and for this reason we won't be returning.

Shout out to the employees who were friendly, courteous, and...

My wife found this place last minute last year for a little getaway right after 4th of July. We wanted someplace not too far from the Twin Cities where we could take our little senior Chihuahua on a little adventure. This place is outstanding and I'm typing this from the upper level balcony here on the final night of what is now our second stay (and in the same room no less) - my wife and I agreed this is at least a 1x a year visit for us moving forward, though I think we will try and get another trip in yet this year in the fall too before we come back next summer.

The rooms are updated and very clean and cozy, staff are all very friendly, the resort is really quiet, and amenities are plentiful. One thing to note that I personally love is just how easy everything is here, from booking to check in to kayak rental to grill usage to check out. Everything is just made to be really simple and easy to do without a bunch of unnecessary administrative hassles, notifications, or emails; you don't get bombarded with fees or end up on a junk mail list, or need to jump through any hoops to use the various amenities. The amenities are also well maintained - grills always have gas, there are always clean utensils, there are plenty of kayaks at all times, and everything just works and nothing is broken.

The owners take pride in this place and it really shows; they were doing extensive front landscaping last year which is now finished (and clearly nearly the entire exterior has been re-sided over the last few years) and the biggest upgrade I noticed is the wonderful new chairs outside each room - each room now has very nice, new, sustainable furniture outside. On the upper levels, the chairs (and matching height tables) actually clear the balcony rail so your view isn't obstructed...this furniture is a great investment.

Overall this place is worth taking the time to write a review, and has quickly become a perennial favorite. You won't find a place literally 30 feet from the water like this at this price with these views that is this peaceful or this close to the Twin Cities. Also, our dog just loves it too, which is the most important thing - we want him to have positive experiences and adventures in his old age and Currier's most definitely fits the bill to make him happy and stay stimulated. Usually when a trip comes to an end, I'm ready to head home, but this place is just different - neither this time nor last time have I wanted to go back home and I've been legitimately bummed to go back home. So with that said, we will be back again soon,...

Let me begin by pointing out that I am in no way "entitled" beyond expecting to receive what I paid for and was promised.

Curriers is a charming place; the rooms are small but comfortable, the staff friendly and helpful, and the breakfast nook well serviced. The lodge is close enough to shopping and nearby attractions, and there is free use of craft to go onto the lake with. All in all a very nice place to stay.

ATTENTION...Negativity

Our first night was very relaxing; we sat and watched the sunset in the most comfortable deck chairs, and slept well that evening.

The second day was the beginning of our nightmare stay. A family reunion/birthday party arrived and absolutely ruined the peaceful solitude.

Imagine expecting a quiet stay and having to tolerate kids running on the deck, barking dogs, and the most inconsiderate people I've chanced to come across in years. There was no escape from their rudeness.

Their party was held outside below our room; they could have had it at the nearby park, or even at the kids play area, but no "Let's ignore the fact that there's other people who paid for a quiet place to vacation at and ruin their weekend!". There's a posted quiet time of 10PM to 8AM, but their revelry went on 'til 1AM when we finally had enough and told them to take their party to the other side of the lake.

It was almost as though they worked in teams to annoy us because the next morning the wives and kids had social hour with loud inane banter.

That night the partying was in full swing and preemptively we contacted the front desk and asked them to remind the partiers of "quiet time", which to their credit they did, however the group must have held an entire stack of 'get out being responsible free' cards and continued for hours after quiet time, even lighting off fireworks!

So I'm writing this from the deck shortly after 7:30 in the morning. The day shift is already here. I'm trying to enjoy my coffee and scone as I listen to their volume inhanced discussion on baby poop and formula.

I'd be remiss if I didn't thank that family for ruining my peaceful vacation. F@#* you all!

Thanks to the staff at Curriers for attempting to keep the group quiet and for an otherwise...