Outdoors Inn at Balsam Lake

We lost the $220 we paid because the booking was nonrefundable, and when we tried to reach the owner or manager, we got the runaround. I booked one night after seeing the website, but the hotel looked nothing like its pictures. It was nearly deserted, run-down, and dirty inside and out. The room was dark and seemed as if nobody had stayed there for months. The floors were filthy, there was barely any furniture, and the sink sat on a makeshift counter beside the bed. The bathroom had puddles on the floor and moldy shower tiles. I wouldn't have stepped into that shower for anything. The advertising was completely misleading, and the whole stay was deeply disappointing. There are plenty of better places to stay. Don't waste your time or money.

We asked for one room with one bed, but were told they were full and could only give us a two-bed room, which the ad says can sleep five. During our whole stay, we saw only one other group, who were going to the same event, and just two cars in the lot. The room wasn't ready for nearly 45 minutes after we arrived, despite what we'd been promised. The passcode didn't work. On the phone, the woman said she was changing the keypad code, but it seemed she hadn't done anything. The new code was 0000, the code meant to keep people out while we were at our event. That didn't give me confidence in their security or their ability to manage it remotely. We were rushing to make the event, and nobody answered when I called during normal business hours about the code. I also tried contacting them about the room's condition, but their supposed 24/7 phone line was ignored after 4 pm. In the room, there was fecal matter on the light switch and bathroom door, blood on the unwashed sheets, and snot and other fluids on the pillows and curtain. The towels and washcloths were stained, with some blood on them too. We heard critters moving in the walls and cupboards, and the shower wall was peeling with black mold starting to grow. Afterward I asked for a refund because the room was in an abhorrent state. Three or four days later, I got an email offering back a $50 cleaning fee. I don't know how they can charge for a service that wasn't provided. Management seemed more interested in blaming housekeeping than taking responsibility for a badly run place. This disgusting motel felt like a bait and switch. We paid $98 for one night and got a $383 lesson. Shame on the owners.

It's right in the heart of Balsam Lake, with local restaurants an easy walk away, which was a big plus. The place is super cute, and the decor is awesome. I was a little concerned by some of the reviews, but everything seemed renovated and clean. Probably one of the best local hotels around. We'll definitely come back!

This was room #2. Check-in took an hour because the door lock had problems and there was no office attendant on site. The email said there'd be a key in the lockbox, but there wasn't one. The door code mechanism worked inconsistently, so locking up was a problem, and the bathroom window lock was missing screws in a ground-level room. They called it a recent remodel, though that seemed to mean the walls had been painted white. The sink stopper didn't work, but we fixed it ourselves. There was an air conditioner, but a bonfire next door made the air smell smoky when we ran it, so we couldn't use it. We had two paper coffee cups and no other glasses, and there were no hooks in the bathroom for hanging clothes.