Lets start with my expectations based on the website for Deer Run Lodge locate in St. Germain WI. Here are a few things the sell but do not delivery on;
1) " luxurious accommodations", "modern". Most of the walls are original, the carpet is very old, the flooring in all the bathrooms and the kitchen is peeling up from water damage. The 70's would like their decor back.
2) "Our grounds give you the feeling of having the whole property to yourself." You do not have the whole place to yourself. The property is shared with neihboring homes, which are part of a condo association. They use the beach in front of the main lodge which you stay in. They will use your lawn furniture. They will cut across your patio. You do not feel welcome at all.
3)"Deer Run Lodge includes friendly Northwoods hospitality -- free of charge." We were scolded on more than one occasion for taking items from the storage area which were included in our rental fee, after we were told we could help our self. It was difficult to notify the owners when we wanted to use something, they did not answer the door and we could not find the phone inside our rental to dial 0.
4) "Each of our 13 bedrooms offers their own unique Northwood's charm and is equipped with a Twin or Double bed and a Queen or King sized bed." There were no King size beds in any of the rooms. The second day out of seven, the owners removed bedding from those we were not using. So we had to look at bare matresses.
5) "The lodge has 4 full BATHROOMS, stocked with complimentary toiletries". This does not include toilet paper, we figured this out after we went grocery shopping and finished what was on the roll.
6) "Dishwasher". Had to contact the owner because it did not work. Did not rinse the dishes When it worked.
7) "Complimentary coffee, condiments, spices, ice, and cleaning supplies". No condiments to be found anywere. The owner took the spices on the sixth day, they claimed to be packing up for the winter. I really felt like I was in their way.
8) "Desk with high-speed Internet access". Internet was not available.
9) "Full refrigerator" upstairs. Could not find the refrigerator.
10) "Exercise equipment" upstairs. Could not find the equipment.
11) "restful". It is hard to feel this way when the vacuum cleaner is sitting in the front room.
12) "Lakeside hot tub". The hot tub was not kept clean, 3 of my immediate and 2 of my friends went to urgent care for a baterial infection obtained during our vacation, the hot tub is the likely suspect.
13) "Pontoon boat" we prepaid $250 for the boat, the day we arived, if we wanted to use the boat more than 2 days, we need to pay an aditional $250. We paid the extra money. They said the pontoon boat owner was asking for the extra money.
14) "Outdoor shower". Was not available, this may have contributed to a dirty hot tub. It would have been nice to shower after getting out of the lake and before entering the hot tub.
15) "Large swimming raft" No swimming raft, the kids were very disappointed.
16) "Available in all rooms: Alarm clocks". We found one in the entire lodge.
17) "Available in all rooms: Wireless Internet Access" No wireless could be detected, we tried with four different laptops.
18) "Kitchen, Bathrooms and Bedrooms UNDER CONSTRUCTION" We found one wall in a bathroom that could be new, the remaining construction material was dated. The worst part was the hand sink in the kitchen, it would spit up sewer water when the main sink was used, don't set any thing on the counter near this sink.
19) "Take a well deserved nap!" Lodge rules found in the cabin listed quite time to be 11pm, others in our party were awaken after 12am by the daughter and son of the owner enjoying their hot tub in the nude.
The owner entered the rental unit on numerous occasions to remove decoration and decor for winterization. There is no way to secure the residance, locks and keys are not available.
Could not fill the tube with water to give the kids a bath. So I gave them a shower, but my 2 year old screamed when the water temperature change to very hot unexpectedly.
If the wind blows in the right direction, you can smell the trash dumpsters in the lodge. It smells teriable, breath through your mouth when you take out your own trash.
Michael
Summer 2010
Comments from other in my party.
Here are a couple more bullet points:
The boat we payed for did not meet DNR regulations for lights.
No locks on bedroom doors
smelly couches
non working outlets
unsafe electrical wiring, not meeting NEC
no drapery on the bedroom windows
broken "courtsity" fans read more
