Moon Water Lodge

There’s a lot to like in the layout, with the loft, inlet view, and cozy decor, and the confirmation and pre-arrival communication were clear and professional. It has the ingredients for a great getaway. But the cleanliness was a serious letdown: hair all over the bathroom shelves, floor, and sink, shoe prints on the floor, dust and dirt in corners, and disgusting shower grout. The bed was very old and noisy even with slight movement. Both the frame and mattress badly need replacing, and I slept terribly despite not usually being a fussy sleeper. I emailed management after the visit with feedback, without asking for a refund. I just wanted to flag the issues so future guests might have a better stay. No one replied, which left me feeling they didn’t value the feedback. If they’d acknowledged it, I wouldn’t have posted this. We paid $400 for one night, so I’d have expected enough margin for the fairly modest upgrades this place needs.

The view is gorgeous, but people at the restaurant next door can see straight into the panoramic room, so we had the blinds down most of the time. That rather defeats the point of upgrading for the view. We also had trouble getting into the room, and Jackie at the front desk, who was lovely, is only there from 11 to 4:30 even though check-in is at 4. For our first wedding anniversary I wanted to treat my husband, but this felt more like an Airbnb with a view than a boutique hotel, and a lot of things seemed done as cheaply as possible. The curtains didn’t cover the windows, so morning sun came in; the toilet paper was single ply; the bubble bath wasn’t replaced after we used it; and the conditioner dispenser didn’t work. The smart TV wouldn’t connect to the internet. A woman came to look, said she didn’t know how TVs worked, suggested cable, and never returned. There weren’t really any channels to watch because they don’t pay for them. At $300+ a night, I expected them to at least pay for cable, though that alone wasn’t a huge deal. The room was nice enough and the view beautiful, but we won’t return. For not much more, we’d probably stay at Eyrie next time, where they have actual accommodations.

Room 13 had a lovely view, and I really appreciated the cute welcome note. The complimentary coffee was delicious; a little container of milk would make it even better. Since the sun hits the room, the AC unit was very useful. The bed was fairly comfortable and had lots of pillows. Even though it’s pet friendly, the room was spotless and had none of the usual odor.

The outside and the view were nice, but the room was gross, and we never got the promised refund. We stayed at moon water lodge on Aug.6th, the last night of our island trip. It was around 5-6pm, and self check-in is usually our preference, but it went badly here. After putting our bags down and taking off our shoes, we went to look at the view. When we started unpacking, the fireplace top where the remotes sat was dirty with clumps of gunk, and the remotes were covered in dust and more buildup, as if they hadn’t been cleaned for months. My husband found a long hair at the base of the toilet seat, hanging over the side, and then stepped on a clump of long hair on the floor. We contacted management by booking.com and text. They replied quickly and said cleaners would come. First they said the cleaners were at dinner and it’d be about an hour. We were tired after a long day and felt dirty, so we put our shoes back on and ate takeout at the table, trying not to touch much. About 45 minutes later, management said the cleaners had an emergency and couldn’t come. It was nearly 7pm. They said we could find another place and get a refund. A nearby place was full, and we were too exhausted to search more. Management offered $100 off, though they never actually gave it to us, and we accepted. That’s when we found more. We didn’t unpack and tried to settle in. The main soaker tub seemed less dirty than the rest, though I can’t say it was clean, so my daughter and I got in. Then there was a knock. It was the cleaning woman, upset that she had to come in on her day off. My husband explained we’d been told nobody was coming and we were using the tub, so we didn’t want her to enter. He took the vacuum she’d brought and did a quick vacuum himself, just so things felt a little cleaner. She left and we told management what happened. When my husband showered, he found hair in drawers, what looked like shaving cream on the floor, a rolled-up wrapper on the ground, hair on the shower floor, and a long fake eyelash stuck to the soap dispenser. Several different stains were on the sheets. The place clearly hadn’t been cleaned. We should have checked everything when told a cleaner was coming, because we would have taken the full refund and left. We spent the evening avoiding touching things and couldn’t wait for morning. At checkout, my husband went to the office to confirm the refund. The receptionist knew nothing about the incident and said she’d contact the person we’d spoken to. It looked like a refund was sent and then retracted, and we never received it. Keep records of every conversation and dispute the charges. We offered photos of the mess, which they asked to see; after we sent them, the reply was “thank you, have a good day.” We don’t recommend staying here. Others have posted similar complaints. They don’t seem to care about customers and made promises about a refund that weren’t kept.