Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Date of visit: Jan, 2011
This lodge has been a favorite on trip advisor for several years, and deservedly so. It embodies the best of a local inn. We stayed here twice, heading to and from our final destination, and were very impressed with this motel-style lodge. We were fortunate that others had sung its praises previously or we would have driven right by it.
One of the first things you notice, beyond the striking mural on the side of the building, is the location. The lodge is on the south side of Cranbrook, right next to a 250 acre bird sanctuary. While there were not a lot of birds during our visit (in the middle of winter), just having the view over the expanse of trees and Elizabeth Lake, instead of looking into another business, was a nice change. I imagine in the summer, it would be even better. There is also a miniature golf course on the premises, though it, too, was closed for the season.
The rooms were well-equipped with a miniature kitchen, a full size breakfast table, and duvets over the beds. The kitchenette was a nice surprise, and allowed us to easily make breakfast and reheat leftover dinner. My favorite feature, however, was the heated floors in the bathroom. Tile floors are common in bathrooms, and are always cold. The heated floors warm the tile so that it is not only not cold, but actually warm on your feet. This makes stepping out of the shower much nicer. The heated floors were also a great compliment to the dedicated bathroom heater that allowed the temperature in the bathroom to be set independent of the main sleeping area.
Other amenities included a 42” flat-screen TV, tea and tea kettle (it is Canada, after all), deck chairs outside, and custom soaps made especially for the Elizabeth Lake Lodge by a local soap company.
It is also worth mentioning that we were greeted enthusiastically on check in. On both occasions, we were met by George (one of the owners) who not only showed us a room before we committed to staying, but checked the weather and road conditions for the next leg of our drive, as well as provided multiple restaurant recommendations. George is clearly interested in providing the best accommodations in the area, and even asked us what amenities we have seen elsewhere that we have enjoyed. Clearly, he is not taking his high trip advisor rating for granted and is continuing to look for ways to enhance his guests’ experience.
If possible, I would give this lodge a 4.5. However, there are two, minor reasons I don’t believe this hotel rates a 5. The first is the request that the guests wash their own dishes (and as a small sign notes, they may be charged if they don’t). While I find this to be an unusual request, having never seen this before in anything but a condo, and I am not thrilled with it, I would be willing to go along with it given the other advantages of the lodge. However, I am very concerned about the sanitary aspects of this practice. Specifically, I have very little confidence that guests will do a thorough job cleaning the dishes, and that could lead to germs being passed along to the next visitor. Something as simple as a centralized dish washer that could sanitize the dishes (and not just make them look clean) would resolve this concern. The second issue is that the rooms do not appear to be particularly sound-resistant. It was fairly easy for us to hear other guests both above and near our rooms – more so than in many other hotels. Unfortunately, this problem is not something that is easy to resolve in the existing building. On the plus side, a second building is under construction, and is due to open in May. Hopefully, the insulation in this building will provide additional soundproofing.
Terence
City Escapes Nature Photography
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