Lake Lanier Islands — Local services in Buford

TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE! NOT COMING BACK... Lake Lanier Islands is beautiful... but I highly doubt I will ever be back again or even recommend the place to anyone. I will actually go a step forward and discourage anyone planning to go for a day outing there. Here's why - the place is beautiful, but has the most unprofessional staff and really no visible sign or message on the property that clearly tells you what areas are private and what's not. So if you are going there without researching and finding out everything possible about the place on your own, you are in for a terrible day that you will regret having decided to spend there. Here is what happened to us. So we arrive at Lake Lanier Islands. Our group had 7 adults and 4 kids. We had three cars. We drove up to Pineisle, parked our cars, and got down to take in the scenery. Mind you, there is no written notice or message or a lock anywhere that tells you clearly you cannot be in this spot or park your car without paying a fee to reserve it. A couple of our friends had to drive away to another spot within Lake Lanier islands to take one of the kids to the restroom and also to check what restaurants are available. The rest of us were still waiting at PineIsle when a staff drives up there and comes up and tells us "You cannot be here, this is private property and there is a fee required to reserve the place." All is well, we accept what he says even though no written message is visible anywhere. Without an iota of resistance, we gathered our kids and stuff and left the place and proceeded to the parking. After reaching the parking we realized that we have only one car with keys. Since couple of friends had driven to the other spot in one of the cars and had taken keys to the second car parked there, we had no option but to wait for them to come back before we could leave. We had also called them as soon as the staff person had asked us to leave. So, at this point, we are literally just waiting in the parking area. This guy is still hanging around in his car waiting for us to leave. Moments later, he comes up to me and repeats that we can't be in the parking lot either. I explain to him that we have to wait for the other car to arrive as we have kids with us that cannot be just packed in one car by force and driven away. He gives the most unprofessional reaction and starts asking when they will arrive, are they here or somewhere else etc. etc. It was as if he left, we will just enter the area again and may steal some of the trees, the drapes, or maybe the huge ground or that part of the lake. Eventually he says he will wait until the other car arrives. We left the spot as soon as the other car arrived. We then went to a different spot and on the way out we were passing through another pavilion to go up to the parking when "Mr. Super Unprofessional and Rude" guy arrives again and tells us "You can't be here either." My husband's reaction to him was "This is our last visit to Lanier Islands." When we left from there and started driving away, he continued to follow us in his car. We were so frustrated with his behavior that we just left the place immediately. I totally get that he was doing his job, but my complaints are: He was extremely rude and unprofessional and has no skills to deal politely with visitors. He was not understanding of the situation when we were waiting for our car in the parking lot and displayed total lack of courteousness. The place itself needs clear messages stating what's accessible and what's not. If you do have any information anywhere today, I am sorry to say that it's not enough, because none of us could tell. Forget about good customer service, you are actually doing a disservice by not making it clear to visitors and frustrating them in the process. Especially when you have stellar staff in the mix like the one we encountered. The lack of clear information and the abundance of upprofessionalism from your staff spoilt an entire day of outing for us and especially for our kids. NOT...

I recently moved to the Lake at Flowery Branch. I love the lake so I thought what perfect way to celebrate a special Saturday off with my new girlfriend...WRONG! The drive up to the entrance was beautifully manicured even the entrance gate was attractive. The website was a little unclear about pricing so I asked the young lady at the gate to explain. I told her that we wanted to see the beach and dine at the beach bar. She explained that we had to pay a $15 entrance fee or buy the annual pass for $55. Now living less than 5 miles away it seem like a no brainer so I purchased the pass figuring my date and I would return often. That is when the Twilight-Zone experience began.

The signage was confusing and almost non-existent. The few signs directing us to Landshark's were poorly placed causing several wrong turns and late turns. When arriving at what we suspected was the beach parking area again we found no signs at the lot or pointing to the long walk down to the tiny beach/bar area. There was very loud music playing in the distance so we parked and decided to proceed down the path to what we hoped was the beach. I was a contractor in Florida for years so I immediately noticed that the long stairs were not code prompting my date and I to carefully watch our steps on the odd height and width stair treads. Upon arriving at the base of the stairs there was a couple of young people at a booth. I began to walk past and they called for me to stop. I explained that we were season pass holders. "No, you have to pay again per person." I asked why no one told us that at the entrance gate when I told the attendandant our destination? So, I said, we have to pay twice to get to the restaurant/bar? Yes, of course we did, UGH!

It was a very hot day so on the walk over to the openair restaurant bar area I removed my shirt and hung it around my neck(we are on a beach right?) As I approached the entrance to the patio a young lady yelled at me hey you can't go in there without a shirt on. By now I am a very unhappy victim of the Lake Lanier Island Beach racketeering operation. We have a wait for the beach patio seating so my date asked hostess to use the restroom. "There are no restrooms in the restaurant ma'am you have to go walk up that hill, they are inside that building up there." Pointing up to a bathhouse looking configuration along a very long walkway up a very steep incline appx 75 yards away. UNBELIEVABLE! I am in very good physical shape be was winded after the hike.

Lastly, after finally getting seated on the outdoor patio the music was so obnoxiously loud my date and I could not communicate even by yelling across the table at one another.

My best advice, DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY AT THIS HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE ESTABLISHMENT. You will notice that most of the positive reviews leave no comment, makes you...

Our family was really disappointed with the Lake Lanier Islands Resort hotel specifically. We stayed for one night with our 2 children. The focus of our trip was to spend most of our time at Margaritaville (which was awesome).

We live about an hour away from Lake Lanier and did not bring beach towels with us. We went to the pool to take a few towels with us to Margaritaville and were quickly scolded by the pool attendent stating we were not allowed to take the towels to Margaritaville. Her suggestion was to "buy" towels at the gift shop at Margaritaville. What type of resort tells their guests to buy towels? It's the most absurd thing I've ever heard. I've never been to a hotel, much less a resort that doesn't offer beach towels if there is a beach close to or on the property.

The resort really lacks catering to families in the evenings. They advertise a family movie night on the weekends and make it seem like it's going to be in a cool setting. When we showed up to watch the movie, it was being played in a conference room with conference chairs setup. The host was very gracious and did provide popcorn, but it just wasn't up to par with other family activities we've done at other resorts.

We stayed in the villas. The villas outside landscaping is gorgeous and the entire property has amazing views and beautiful foliage. However, the interior of the hotel is in need of renovations. The ceiling in our bathroom was peeling and the dock close to the lake behind the villas had holes the size of baseballs and soft spots in the wood from rot. I was afraid my children would get hurt just by walking on the deck.

My advice, don't waste your money staying at this property, especially if you live near the Atlanta area. My recommendation is to drive to Lake Lanier and enjoy Margaritaville for the day, this was by far our favorite part of the entire trip. Margaritaville is free to get into unless you want to ride the water slides. Their staff is super hospitable and friendly. There is so much to do there for all ages. We would have loved to enjoy more of the resort but there just wasn't enough to do in the evenings if you have children.

The staff (aside from the valet department and one lady at the front desk) are not friendly. They make you feel as if it's a privilege for you to be at their hotel. I left with a sour taste in my mouth and for that reason, I cannot recommend this hotel to anyone I know.

This hotel has so much potential. If they focused on the little things that wow guests, I promise that would have gone a long ways...