Short review: Nice place for a romantic stay in NW IN Room: Lake View 2nd Floor Suite Good: View, Fire Place, Spa, Big Room, Friendly service, close to lake and Drift on Pine Bad: Stain on comforter, pipes from other rooms very loud in our room, tv has 1/2 of the channels it shows It's a good stay, will probably be better in the summer when there's more to do. read more

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The staff was very helpful. Breakfast was good and dinner was fantastic! Rooms are nice and the common rooms have been updated. Very nice little getaway spot! read more

Everything was great. Clean- quaint- comfy- and the general area of the Inn is so comfy. I can't wait to go back. Ps. Mary at the front desk is a gem. read more

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Charming & clean hotel! The rooms are large, beds were comfortable and even though we stayed above T Bones the rooms were very quiet. The 2 restaurants are good; the Boardwalk is my fav right over the water. All the food we had was delicious; we rented a pontoon for the afternoon to troll around the lake. Chessie trailhead is right beside this hotel, which is paved and perfect for a walk. There's also a park with benches/swings and a great view of the lake on the other side! We plan to make this an annual summer stop! I've also heard their fireplace rooms are great for a winter weekend! read more

My family was supposed to stay in a family suite from June 10-13. I booked the room ON the hotels website back in April. No third party booking! I had a confirmation email and everything. When we arrived, we were put into a standard room. I went back to the desk to remedy the situation. We are a family of 4. We need more than one bed and i reserved a family suite. It was shown in the confirmation I received. The front desk employee didn't know what to say or how to help. They did not have any family suites available. We were very disappointed and distraught being as we traveled from another state to stay there. We had other plans and reservations in the area during the week. This was not acceptable! We were unable to find anything comparable in the area so we were forced to go home. My young children, my husband, and I were devastated. We had taken time off of work too. SHAME ON YOU BLUE HERON! read more

Upon going to the room, I heard and saw a blower. I smelled mildew and realized why the blower was running. This place is filthy. I ran my hand over the jacuzzi and felt grit. Also, I examined jets they were dirty and filled with mold. I'm sorry, I have no pictures of the brown stains on mattress cover that no one tried to conceal since the bed spread was missing. The pillows were fit for the trash, and the sheets appeared to be used. That was enough to make me immediately check out. This place is so horrible that they could not give me a receipt showing I didn't stay. I needed proof for my credit card company if charges appeared on my statement. I was told to take a picture of the computer screen. However, after insisting, I received a print-out. The sign did say they were remodeling. However, that sign has been there for years, and the health department should close this place immediately. One star gives this establishment way to much credit. read more

2 stars only for the nice lady at the desk and the location. This hotel is run hard and partied hard. Needs some serious management for housekeeping and to ensure the comfort of all guests. Our room was disgusting. Smelled, dirty sheets. I wish it were up to par because the location is awesome. read more

Blue Heron Inn - Dirty underwear left in our closet from previous guest. - Hotels Near Me - Laporte, Indiana

The inn is in a wonderful location however the room we stayed in was not clean, smelled of smoke and the bed was horribly uncomfortable. The bedskirt had a giant stain on it The sheets were old and I just prayed they were clean but I am not too sure about that. We stayed 2 nights and after the 1st night we put out the sign for housekeeping to come by. We returned to find that all they did was change the trash and throw (literally throw) the blanket on the bed. No new towels, no vacuuming, and definitely no cleaning. The staff was very nice at check in and the waterfront bar/restaurant was great but that does not make up for the condition of the room. read more

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My stay at the Blue Herron Inn was amazing! As soon as we arrived into town on Friday (August 2, 2019) we were greeted by two friendly ladies at the front desk who took my information and showed us to our room. The décor of the inn is very comfortable--like you are in the living room of an old friend who happens to have a huge house on the lake. We booked our room only a week from when we were coming to LaPorte, so we did not have high expectations for the room, but when we were shown our room we were stunned to find a beautifully furnished room with a dock overlooking the lake. Breakfast is cooked by the staff in the morning. Mary, one of the front desk hostesses, made it a point to tell us that it wasn't the "from the box stuff" that other hotels serve, but she made it herself every morning. It was delicious. Since we were in town for a wedding, I was able to corral everyone who was not taking pictures after the wedding to come back to the hotel for the bar that is in the back. It is called "The Dock", and it is exactly what it sounds, it is a shaded dock bar with delicious, (very) affordable drinks. I recommend bringing your friends back there for some drinks and bar food. Final Notes: Clean rooms, friendly staff, gorgeous (clean) pool, only 5 minutes away from Stone Lake Beach, and great bang for your buck. Definitely heading back as soon as I can. read more

This hotel is a disgrace. We found a PEE stain in my bed. Hair throughout our room. And to top it off, a dirty pair of underwear in the closet. We were worried to even travel but were assured this hotel was clean. I am disgusted. We are leaving this hotel and driving home immediately. read more

This is a fantastic hotel. I was planning to stay in the Holiday Inn across the street, but I saw this place and couldn't resist. Right on Pine Lake! I'm staying in room 5, it's right on the water. There is a great restaurant that is 20 steps from my room. I highly recommend you stay here. read more

What a pleasant surprise this place was! Everything you need in one place (comfy room overlooking the lake with a hot tub, pool, tiki bar with live music, a steakhouse and very friendly staff!) The complimentary breakfast buffet was a bonus and very good! The outdated decor was easily overlooked by the cleanliness. The only thing that is keeping me from 5 stars is the mattress was clearly old and uncomfortable but otherwise this was a great stay and I would definitely consider coming back! read more

Going to review in sections to hit the points.... Day 1 - Friday July 21st..... So we were sad to hear that the floating units were all removed but one. However, its completely understandable due to the upkeep and winterizing that needs to be done to maintain those. They had been there a very long time. We were able to book the one they had left. The furniture is a little out dated but who cares! It was a great room on the lake and fishing off the back porch is amazing! Blue Gill and Crappie seemed to be everywhere with the occasional bass swimming by. We got to watch a thunderstorm roll in and being right on the water like that made it freaking amazing!! Fish were biting left and right and my wife made friends with a few of the local turtles...lol. Drinks and food at the tiki bar along with the bartenders was awesome! The first night of the weekend was excellent!! Day 2 - Saturday July 22nd.... (the bump in the road that was immediately paved over) We went across the street to Mom's Home Cafe for an amazing breakfast. Came back to find maintenance working on our unit. Turns out there was a pipe issue that needed to be repaired and unfortunately we could not remain in the unit. Bummer. The wife really loved the fishing from the porch but we understood. The Inn was close to being booked solid but they offered to move us to a Spa Suite room on the second floor with a full lake view. A young man named Matt who works the docks and maintenance helped us move all of our stuff to the new unit. That was greatly appreciated due to all the fishing gear and stuff we brought. The staff was so apologetic and did everything they could to make our stay as comfortable as possible and to accommodate the unexpected plumbing issue (the bump in the road). We had reserved a pontoon boat from 4-7 pm and due to the inconvenience of the room they discounted the boat and gave us an extra two hours so we went out from 3-8 pm! Matt helped us with the boat and sent us on our way. We had a great time fishing the lake and cruising around enjoying the scenery. Our only issue with the pontoon is that it could use a little bigger motor and an anchor. My wife really wanted to swim with me at the sand bar in the lake but with no anchor we couldn't both leave the boat. Made fishing a bit harder as well because of having to move the boat every so often to not float to close to shore. We were told that past guests just didn't take care of the equipment properly which we totally understood. It's a shame when past guests create an issue the effects everyone else. We made due and still caught a bunch of fish so it was worth it. We got back at 8 pm and went up to get changed. We came down just a tad too late to hit T-Bone's connected to the Inn so I missed out on steak. The smell of that place could make a dead man hungry. Amazing and will definitely be sure to get that steak on my next visit!!! We headed across the street to 3rd Base Bar & Grill and grabbed some food. Came back and hung out with another couple we met earlier in the day. Stayed up way too late but laughed hard and had a great time!!! Day 3 - Sunday July 23rd.... Slept in and enjoyed the spa style bathtub. So much room and such a relaxing way to send us off on our way back to IL. Check out was easy and painless. The wait staff at the tiki bar even made a point to say goodbye to us as we left. It's great to see they remember their guests and do their best to acknowledge that! We headed out and found this amazing BBQ joint 2 minutes away and had a great lunch. We couldn't be more appreciative of the courteousness and over the top kindness that everyone did to make our stay the best it could be. We are already planning to return next year and our hats are off to all the staff and management that make the Blue Heron Inn such a great place to stay!! read more

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What a wonderful treat to find this place !! On our cross country trip with a dog, we found this family run inn at 11:30 pm. The Inn was clean, staff extremely friendly. A wonderful view from our room. In my opinion cheap for the room. Will keep this place in mind as we drive cross country every year. read more

Very cute and CLEAN. Checked in last minute and Lisa was very helpful at front desk. Attached restaurant was delicious. Would definitely visit again. read more

This is a great option if in laporte/michigan city area. Reasonable rates. Friendly staff. Good restaurant with bar. It's an older hotel but the rooms are large and well appointed. It is located on a lake. They have boat rentals in the summer. It's my new digs when in the area. read more

If I could would have given zero stars. Usually stay here at least once a year. It has definitely gone downhill. Front desk not very friendly. Room door left open by maid one day. Next day room not cleaned at all. Wasn't very clean to begin with. Things falling apart in the room, leaky faucet in the bathroom etc. Used to love this place, still love the area. We'll find someplace else to stay next time. read more

We stayed in one of the houseboats. It was a lot of fun for our kids. Outdated and the shower had no hot water but because of the novelty, the price ($140) and the outstanding customer service, I still have to give it 4 stars! Overall, we will keep staying here when we come back. I loved it, our kids loved it. Just a great place at a great price! read more

Blue Heron Inn - The boat house & a new friend! - Hotels Near Me - Laporte, Indiana

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"Blue Heron / Red Herring" "NIGHTMARE ON LAKESIDE STREET!" With out a doubt the worst experience in a business in my life in an industry that is supposed to be based on hospitality. Thank God, the unstable, volatile owner doesn't work for the Post Office if you know what I mean! The owner's ranting and verbal assault left my daughter shaking and crying uncontrollably as she was afraid that "he was going to come into the rooms and hurt our family" after he stated that he had come into the room earlier and that the dogs went nuts. My daughter was so intimidated by the owner's actions she went to the car as she was too afraid to come back into the hotel. There was no way we could stay there so we packed up our belongings and drove an hour and a half back to Chicago. We arrived 7/3/2014 and the desk clerk was very professional and friendly, so far so good. We went into the 2 rooms we had rented and there was a strong odor reminiscent of spoiled milk, so we opened the windows and figured it would mellow out, which by the way it did not. But we decided to stay anyway because we came in from Chicago and planned on spending the 4th of July on a pontoon boat we had reserved to rent for the day from the resort and go to dinner in their restaurant that evening. Food and service was adequate. My wife was relaxing outside on the deck outside the smelly room (211 on the first floor?) with our two dogs. A really obnoxious drunk resident (Larry) came by with his two dogs and started hitting on my wife while I was walking on the docks with the kids. I had to go and save her from him. As I walked back with the kids Larry says "So this is your husband?" to our 16 year old son! Apparently Larry had been staggering around the hotel being inappropriate with the female staff and other guests leaving the a fore mentioned desk clerk in tears. Wow what a jerk! We have 2 small under 10# dogs that we decided to bring along at the last minute as they are "DOG FRIENDLY" Apparently the dogs were barking in the room which we were of course not aware of. We had fed and walked the dogs and waited until they were settled in and sleeping before we went to the restaurant at 9:00 pm. As respectful and courteous people we would never have left the dogs alone if we had any notion that they would be barking in the room as we have frequented the Palmer House Hilton Hotel downtown Chicago with them in the past with no problems . Barking dogs in a strange place and the uber aggressive, angry owner bursts into the room REALLY? What the hell do you expect? All he had to do is call us on our cell phone (which we had on us at dinner) and one of us would have immediately have returned to the room to resolve the situation like normal people do. Shame on the red faced, hot headed lunatic owner who verbally assaulted my entire family shouting and acting in a very violent and threatening manner as we came out of their restaurant at 10:00 pm after dropping $200.00 for dinner. The owners wife tried to get him under control and calm him down to no avail. She was sincerely apologetic for his inappropriate behavior that destroyed what was intended to be our little family getaway. "The Bates Motel" might be the better option over the Blue Heron as both are equally terrifying! Thanks for NOTHING "Red Heron" Happy 4th of July :( read more

Very friendly staff and large rooms. Great prices during winter hours and the fireplace was perfect to warm up the room. The tv selection could be better. read more

My husband and I came to the Blue Heron for our anniversary and our stay was nothing but lovely. From day 1, Dan was so kind as to even drive and pick us up from the train station and escort us to the inn, and his father (the inn's owner) dropped us back off after our stay was over. Our room had a gorgeous view of Pine Lake right outside of our sliding glass door, and came furnished with a jacuzzi and fireplace! There are also pontoon boats that the inn has available to rent when the weather is good, which we had a blast crusing around the lake with! There is free breakfast every morning, and a fabulous (not to mention super affordable!) steakhouse adjacent to the inn with balcony seating overlooking the water. And if that all wasn't great enough, there is a heated pool overlooking the water available out back, which we spent many an hour laying our next to. Overall I would highly recommend Blue Heron! It is a super affordable, beautiful, relaxing getaway - with great service! We definitely plan on returning! read more

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Beautiful location right on the water. Diner on the terrace was delicious even by Chicago standards. The negative is you need to drive like Carol Shelby to cross the road. Crazed truckers ,along with feet fear. Afraid to step on the carpet or shower stall. Could be such a cute spot for someone to invest a pile of cash . read more

Luckily this place was paid for by a third party for it definitely wouldn't have been on the top of my list for places to stay. The place has a very homey feel so there is that bit of charm going for it. They don't have key cards like most would expect but a standard house key with a large metal key tag attached to it. Upon entering our room, it wreaked of old cigarette smoke instantly causing a headache for the entire stay. This weekend they were completely booked or we would have switched rooms. The door to the outside is just across the hall and slams shut every time it opens. All day and night the door is slamming shut while you're trying to sleep. There is a small pool outside which buts up to the lake. We can't speak to the bar or restaurant on premises but I'm sure it's very fair. All in all it's a fairly clean place and good enough to stay to sleep. I didn't pay for the room but I'm sure I'd be willing to pay half of what it's actually worth. There also aren't a ton of places to stay in La Porte so this might be the Ritz of this town. In for a wedding and wouldn't choose this spot for a future stay. read more

Unfortunately I have to give this hotel 1 star... it definitely does not deserve a star at all. The hotel is located on Pine Lake which is a beautiful lake. When you enter the lobby, you are greeted with the awful smell of old cigarettes as the owner allows guests and employees to smoke in the main lobby. The rooms are basic- bed, bath.... nothing special. My husband and I decided to get a hotel room at Pine lake that is about an hour and half away from our home. We were celebrating our anniversary and had planned on hiking, going out on the lake, etc. We checked in and a few hours later I went to take a shower. The water was warm for 2-3 minutes and then cold. My husband called the front desk who said they would look into the problem. I already had shampoo in my hair so I had to finish showering. Besides cold water, the shower also turned off/on every 5 seconds. The front desk called and said they were sending someone up. My husband asked them to wait b/c I was out of the shower and not dressed. There was a knock at the door about 5 seconds later.... clearly ignoring our request. I had to throw on clothes so this person could come in. He did not say a word, just walked in all huffy and irritated and turned on the water. The man immediately started yelling "it's hot, it's hot, the water's hot... I'm not sure what you want from me" over and over. My husband told him to wait a few seconds b/c it had been going cold after about a minute. The water did get cold again and my husband told him to test it again. He did and said nothing, so DH asked him if he could take a shower in water that temperature. The man continued to yell at us and told us he didn't know what we wanted from him and was going on and on. Neither my husband or I did anything to provoke him and he was YELLING at us. I stopped him and asked if this was how he normally treated paying customers and said that typically when a hotel was not providing a basic accommodation, they apologize and try to remedy the situation not YELL at their customers for doing NOTHING wrong. He told us we could leave the hotel if we wanted to. At this point, we asked him to leave our room. My husband went down to the front desk to check out while I packed the bags. The lady at the front desk told my husband that the man that was in our room was the OWNER and that she wasn't surprised at all by his actions. She did however apologize. I am guessing this is pretty common behavior for this man which is completely ridiculous to verbally attack your customers. We left and drove back home at 8 o'clock at night. I will never be back to this hotel and hope that this deters anyone else from staying there. read more

This hotel has potential. The 2nd floor lake view rooms are a nice place to relax and watch the sunset. However, the place needs a thorough cleaning--tons of fake plants and ceiling fans in common areas with thick layers of dust; white plastic chairs on deck were filthy; and the worst was our bathroom. My guess is they sprayed for ants (which were very much still present) and it was clear that there were 2 small clusters of dead insects in the bathroom by the baseboards. The tile floor in there was filthy. It was too late for us to get a new room and the rest of the room seemed relatively clean. I pointed out to the desk clerk in the morning that there were ants in the room--dead and alive--I received a look of suspicion and a lot of odd questions about my traveling alone with my daughter. No apologies, nothing! read more

Forget the old reviews on Yelp. We stayed here on September 8, 2012. A really nice place at reasonable prices. Friendly and helpful staff. Very clean and well decorated. Our room had a spa and fridge -- very roomy and very clean. Given that there was a Notre Dame football game that weekend, the price ($125 was competitive with Holiday Inn Express -- only much nicer and less corporate feeling. On the lake. I would stay again if I was in the area. read more

Great place for a relaxing little getaway! Great view on the lake. Our hot tub was amazing and our bed was SO comfortable. They need to update the outdoor furniture. We had 2 cheap, filthy chairs and that was it. They had a descent hot breakfast in the morning- nice change from your typical fruit and cereal. Front desk employees were very friendly. We will go back. read more

Traveling for work I ran across this great hotel. The hotel and restaurant staff are extremely friendly and were always eager to make my stay more comfortable. I enjoyed every meal at their steak and chops restaurant, where the staff was great to converse with. Try the duck, it's delicious. My room overlooking the lake was beautiful and comfortable. I want to try to stay on one of their boat houses next time though. I also highly recommend renting one of their pontoon boats and cruise the lake. It's a must do!! I enjoyed my stay there so much, that I stayed there again on my way back through. I even had the pleasure of meeting the owner, who was very personable and a delight to talk to. Thanks for the great time Blue Heron Inn read more

This is a great place to get away in Laporte. Right on the lake and the rooms are nice. Need a little upgrading though. The price for the whole weekend was affordable. Dinner and Drinks inside the attached restaurant was convenient. Will recommend this place for a weekend stay. Watch out for the spiders on the docks though:) read more