Twin Pines Lodge & Cabins

There wasn't anyone available to check us in when we arrived for one night at the end of September, probably the lodge's low season. We found instructions taped to the office door instead. The room was fine, but it had no air conditioning, so we opened the window and set up a window fan to bring in fresh air.

We arrived late and found a note on the door explaining how to get into our room. The room itself was beautiful, and the lodge is conveniently close to town. We were there during office season, but didn't see any staff either when we arrived or when we left.

I didn't sleep at all, and the room was so hot that I kept dampening a face cloth to cool down under the fan. At one point I chilled a wet towel in the mini fridge and used it like a blanket once it iced up, but it only helped for less than an hour. The weather did cool off overnight, but slowly, and opening the window barely helped. There was a wooden prop that let my window open about six inches, but the other room we had didn't even have that. The fan above the bed just moved hot air. I found window fans in a closet, along with a unit marked heater only, don't use. When I remembered there was supposed to be ice water in a hall cooler, I went downstairs to fill a bottle and found a sign saying it was broken. So I walked across the street to the gas station and bought water for the night. The rooms looked great, with a quaint cabin style, but no AC made the heat miserable. Things started badly at check-in. I pulled into an open space near the office so I could run in for my key. There weren't any official parking signs, but before I'd even put the car in park, the owner was yelling at me about where I'd stopped. I moved beside the office and went in, then realized she was the owner. Her manner changed and she seemed “off”; right after yelling, she got excited that I'd arrived and did a happy dance, then told me I had to leave by 10am. No hello, welcome, or thanks. She left and put up a sign saying the office was closed for the evening and to call John if there were issues. This was one of my worst experiences for a place labeled 4.5 stars. I'd give zero if I could.

I love this place. You get cabin charm right in the heart of Dubois, and the prices are great.