Firehole Ranch — Hotel in West Yellowstone

We just completed 5 night 4 day stay at Firehole Ranch. It was a wonderful experience excluding one significant issue which will prevent us from returning.

The vast majority of the trip was beyond outstanding due to the service of the Firehole staff; including our unbelievably "fishy" guide Adam, the manager Eric, the entire outdoor team (Jackson, Nick, Collin, etc), the Kitchen team and maid service. The food was eclectic, unique and truly special. The fishing on the Madison, inside Yellowstone, and other nearby areas was great. We waded and floated extensively. The other guests were friendly, fun and from across the country.

Unfortunately however, our trip was unnecessarily affected by the owner of Firehole Ranch, Lyndy Caine. While she is a quite pleasant person on the surface, her inappropriate control issues relative to dinner service and conversation content were unpalatable and inappropriate for a supposed client focused luxury resort experience.

The example which stands out was during the wonderful July 4th Barbecue celebration at the Ranch. Lyndy asked for a picture with myself and my wife for posting purposes which we happily accommodated. Shortly thereafter, in the middle of the party, she asked to speak with me privately about an issue. I readily agreed not sure about what was going on. She then said politely that I had discussed, 2 days prior at the cocktail hour, a medical subject with a guest which she felt inappropriate for Firehole Ranch conversation. I was quite surprised by this as I didn't realize there were "secret" topic restrictions at Firehole and the conversation only occurred after said guest's multiple requests for my opinion on the topic. She felt I should have not have given my opinion on the question, clearly disagreed with my position and preferred I not discuss the subject further... as if I had initiated or generated the entire event...which lasted less than 4-5 minutes in an amicable and pleasant manner. Lyndy made it clear she would define or censor what client conversations were allowed at her resort and opinions expressed. I directly and politely told her I disagreed with her opinion on the medical subject but would of course abide by her request and left it at that. This surprise and ambushed criticism, interrupting a pleasant social event, after first making sure she got the social media photos she desired, was deeply offensive. At the next evening's dinner, Lyndy was uncomfortable around us and didn't ever greet my wife and obviously avoided our table the entire night. Her junior staff assistant, Jaclyn, who had been pleasant prior was unfriendly and initially unhelpful with coordinating our final departure details for the next day. We were clearly "out" as guests with the owner which appeared to have been communicated to some portion of the staff.

The whole affair was unnecessary, completely avoidable and a failure in customer care. However, upon reading reviews of the Firehole Ranch this behavior by Lyndy has been repeatedly documented by other guests.

It's a very special place but we won't be back.

Noel...

We are well-traveled and have stayed at a number of fly fishing lodges and dude ranches around the country, so we know what to expect at a world-class establishment like Firehole. ||||First the positives, which are the reasons we gave the ranch an "Excellent" here on Trip Advisor, as well as on Firehole's own guest feedback survey.||1. The setting is stunningly beautiful.||2. Service by the staff was absolutely outstanding! They were delighful young people trying really hard to please, despite comment #1 below. ||3. The fishing guides were expert, well-mannered and accommodating. And the fishing itself was amazing!||Now the negatives:||1. The owner, Lyndy Caine, should step back from day-to-day management of Firehole and leave things to a professional manager. She is a very regimented and unpleasant person. From comments we heard, we picked up on the fact that both staff and guests consider her too controlling. She arranges the seating for dinner and guests have no choice in the matter. We noticed that she became irritated when we asked to borrow an iron, when we needed ice, and when we needed help with the front door of our cabin, which was stuck shut. At dinner on our last night she made a point of insulting us in front of the other guests, simply because we were exhausted and wanted to eat alone on our first night, a request that Lyndy had very reluctantly allowed. ||2. Though the food was very well prepared and presented, we noticed that during the three nights we were there, the fish choice was cod for two nights in a row. On the third night, the scallops were really tiny. As lovely as the breakfasts are, the jelly is provided in diner-style plastic packets. Rather curious and certainly not consistent with a high-end resort.||3. Other reviewers on this web site have noted that the bar is really not as available as represented in Firehole's literature and that guests cannot get a drink outside of Lyndy's strict "cocktail hour". From what we observed, this is true.||4. Our cabin, as historic and charming as it was, was in dire need of maintenance (for that sticking front door) and refurbishment. The carpeting, upholstery, and window treatments were old and dirty.||5. Comments 2-4 above lead us to wonder where the money is going in this operation. Apparently, Lyndy is not reinvesting in the business as a wise owner should be. ||||Although we ourselves had a great time at Firehole largely because of the positives, we will not return and would not...

No review I can write here can fully describe the sheer beauty, solitude and outstanding service we experienced in our first visit to this top-rated fishing lodge. There are many reasons why the Firehole Ranch has been selected as #1 among three dozen fine Orvis fishing lodges around the country. First, there is plenty of history here and the owner is not only proud of it, but shares her enthusiasm for building on that foundation. The main lodge is a beauty, comfortable and well equipped for anyone with an appreciation for western charms. If you prefer the Savoy in London, fine, go for it, but I'll take an old lodge like this in God's country any day. If you are in to wildlife, the big field in front of the cabins and lodge is filled with birds, as is the towering forest to the rear. Every morning the place was alive with bird song including some hard-to-find species like the Brewer's sparrow, mountain bluebirds, and gold-crowned warblers. One day I stepped out of the cabin at dawn to witness an osprey chasing two golden eagles likely bent on raiding the osprey nest. On the lovely lakeshore each day I could enjoy western grebes, buffleheads, Canada geese and other interesting birds. If you need good food to make you happy on vacation, have no fear, this place has a wonderful kitchen with well-trained and customer-focused staff members. The variety and quality of food served for breakfast and dinner was just superb, and the packed lunches were no slouches either (more than I could eat). We fished hard every day and our fine young guide was more than happy to accommodate us, with trips to the Henry's Fork and Madison for drift boat trips, bushwhacking into the Gallatin for big rainbows and browns, driving through Yellowstone Park to see the fascinating Firehole River with all of its thermal features and unique lava base. To summarize, our 5 days here flew by, we loved every minute of it, and we cannot wait to go back. Thank you and congratulations to Lyndy and her wonderful team for giving us many special memories of a beautiful...