Lake Crest Inn

We enjoyed the on-site café, which served delicious breakfasts, and being able to rent kayaks and paddle boards right there. The beach access was a bit small, but we still had a great time by the lake. The inn is in the heart of everything, so nearby attractions were easy to reach on foot. The place was clean, though there was a strong smell, possibly from the carpets. The front desk staff were very friendly and gave us great recommendations when we arrived. We had a pleasant stay and would consider coming back.

Our stay started out pleasant, but the life jacket situation turned it into a nightmare. We spent over $1,000 on an outdated room with dirty carpets, no water for showering, and no room service, and the lake area had maybe five chairs. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel. Scotty’s Resort or the Georgian would be better choices. When we first went paddle boarding, the receptionist told us she had to give us life jackets but that we didn’t have to use them. My partner and I left them with our shoes and towels, then marine patrol stopped us on the water and said we couldn’t be out without them. We cut our hour short to paddle back, only to find one jacket missing. The desk staff kept my ID until I returned the vest or paid for it, without making the cost clear. They wouldn’t review the cameras overlooking the lake. This wasn’t about the money, but the principle, and it wasn’t in their policy. If the receptionist had said we had to wear them, we would have, but she made it sound optional. The next day, I asked to borrow two jackets for a friend’s boat and said we didn’t want to start the double kayak’s hour timer yet. The receptionist wouldn’t hand them over until I paid for kayaking, so I paid $30 without taking the paddle. We agreed I’d come back later for it and start the rental then. It began raining, I dropped my phone in the lake, and we didn’t go out or use the jackets, so I forgot about them. I later found many missed calls and voicemails saying they’d charge us by the hour until the jackets were returned. I figured nobody would be waiting to go out in the storm, and I didn’t see the calls until morning. We were checking out the next day anyway. At the desk, Paul was blatantly rude. He’d also been the person banging on our door over the first jacket and leaving the calls and voicemails. He said he would have charged by the hour, but his manager decided against it. We had paid $30 and never got to kayak, yet he refused to let us go that morning before checkout, saying, “I don’t think I should let you go because of what we went through yesterday”. He said the manager, “Magik,” had been angry with him and made his life or job miserable, so he was taking it out on us. The whole thing was disgusting. I didn’t have the energy to talk to the manager and just wanted to check out and leave.

The rooms had a cozy cabin feel, and my family liked them. The location at the edge of town made it easy to walk everywhere. We were lucky the place wasn't busy, because the parking is cramped when the hotel fills up. There was no housekeeping during our stay. We had to leave used towels outside to get replacements, though they left a tip envelope in the room, which was kind of funny. The advertised beach was just a 10 x 15' patch, and the shoreline and water were disgusting while nearby hotels looked clean and cared for. The pool rule was a problem too: anyone under 18 needed two adults over 18 with them. I'm 52 and still couldn't take my daughter by myself. If we'd known about the beach and pool restrictions, we'd have picked somewhere else. It did the job, but this was probably our first and last stay.

The courtyard room charge came up when my husband asked about it. The young man at the desk said we were in the courtyard area, though we could see only two or three rooms facing the road, and he was rude about it. We spent as little time there as we could and ended up buying our own pillows and cases because the ones provided were so unpleasant. The room was dirty: ticks and spiders, brown and blood-stained pillowcases, mold on the shower curtain, and someone else's dirty socks on the floor. There were no amenities like a microwave or housekeeping, the room was compact, and the mini fridge was smaller than our cooler. We dealt with the insects ourselves, since we figured the staff probably wouldn't do anything. The owners should be ashamed. We're over 65, and this is among the five most disgusting places we've stayed. For the price, I'd choose a resort instead.