This holiday weekend would have been our fourth year staying at Edgewild Resort. It was my first experience with the new owners. Maybe the old owners set the bar too high? You be the judge but be warned, if you have been to this resort under the previous ownership, it is different. If you have never been, maybe you will have a better experience but we will never go back.
I called to reserve a cabin for my family, including my parents all driving up from the twin cities. It took over two weeks to get the confirmation paperwork (after a number of calls and emails from our end). The excuse was disorganization due to a recent move from Alaska (but yet they took ownership of the resort in May of 2013?)
Moving on, we advised Eric (the owner) that having a boat was a priority, and if the pontoon was not available, it was a deal breaker. Eric assured me in an email the boat was available and we were 'all set.'
I called the day we were leaving to confirm arrival time, boat use, etc., only to learn the one we wanted wasn't available. He had another boat, however, not as nice, that we could use. We made the mistake of believing him and loaded the car with everything you need for 3 days and drove the 3+ hours north.
We arrived around 4pm which leads to the next part of the problem. While Edgewild has made some good investments in water toys (including two hydro bikes and a swimming raft), the place looked worn down. The owners' dog was running loose around the resort (we are dog lovers but what if you aren't?) the porch was in horrible need of cleaning (dead bugs everywhere, branches, twigs, leaves, etc. like it hadnt been used in weeks/months) and the office was littered with mattresses, laundry, broken furniture, etc.
Rustic? No.
More like a trailer park.
Under the previous ownership, this was never the case - flowers were planted, grounds were kept, and you got the feeling you were at a well maintained cabin of a friend.
Again, we chalked up the disarray to growing pains under new ownership (shame on us) and inquired about the pontoon.
We learned that the other boat broke down between our phone call and the 3 hour drive up.
Convenienient???
Doubtful...
We were told that due to the 'break down' we would have to share the pontoon one day (Thursday the 3rd) but Friday, "it was all ours."
We made do. An early text exchange with Eric on the 3rd told me the boat was ours at 3pm onwards and all day Friday. At 12:30, i called him, to see how we get the keys, timing, etc., only to learn we won't get it at 3 and would have to share it Friday.
This was beyond disappointing (and ifuriating) as we said from the get-go that we were only coming if the boat was available. How convenient that family friends had it instead (those were the people we had to share it with)
Upon learning of lack of a boat, we decided to pack up and leave. Eric never apologized and simply said, 'ok.'
He had no concern that our family weekend was ruined. No attempt to right the mistake.
While we did not pay anything for the one day we spent there, we also had nowhere else to go as everything in the area was booked, ergo my son's tears as we packed the cabin and left what used to be a wonderful retreat to one that has become a place where I wouldn't stay if it were free...
I would never recommend this resort and will tell everyone to stay away. My guess (and hope) is they will not own it long as additionally, the adverstised internet didn't work in Cabin 8 (our cabin), the DVD player was broken (no replacement available when I asked) and the cabin overall seemed like it wasn't cleaned as well as in past years. It smelled like a musty, old cabin you would stay if you had to but not one you wanted to stay at if you were paying for.
In the meantime, we will look to other resorts/cabins in the area as the area itself is really nice. read more