Horrific Customer Service, Stolen Funds, and Aggressive Management - Avoid at All Costs…read moreBetter options in Mio! Our family booked a 15-canoe memorial trip for 30 people three months in advance to honor our late uncle. A month before the trip, we pre-paid in full. We were explicitly told by staff that we could adjust our reservation up to 24 hours in advance. The day before the trip, we emailed to scale down to 9 canoes (19 people).Upon arrival, the woman claiming to be the owner flatly refused a refund for the 6 unused canoes. Her justification was hostile and absurd: she stated we "should not have prepaid" and that refunds are only avoided if you pay the day of. This policy was never disclosed to us verbally or in writing.The customer service deteriorated rapidly from there: Hostility at Departure: The owner stood on the deck screaming at both her staff and our family, demanding everyone wear life jackets inside the transport vans--saying no one left without one on-falsely claiming it was a transport fine--rather than explaining it calmly as a high-water safety precaution. Labor: Despite paying full price (plus the 6-canoe overcharge), the resort provided only one staff member per van. Our group was made to help manually unload the canoes at the launch, and drag them up a steep hill and reload the trailers upon return. No trash bins were provided at the landing. Just a bag one of the drivers found in the van Verbal Abuse & Shushing: When two family members calmly went into the office to discuss the refund, the owner became instantly belligerent. When a female family member asked why she was being so rude, the owner told her to "zip it" and repeatedly shushed her like a child. When challenged on the overcharge, the owner claimed she "felt unsafe" and "threatened" from 10 feet away. Physical Altercation & False Accusations: The situation turned completely unhinged when we had to turn our vehicle around to look for a missing key fob. The owner's husband marched out "ready to fight," chest puffed out, screaming at customers. Looking for the guy who "threatened his wife" the situation escalated and The female owner then physically shoved her way into our group at the back of our vehicle, intentionally bumping into a smaller female customer. When the customer pushed back to create space, the owner began screaming like an actor that she had been "assaulted," before videotaping us and threatening to call the police. Honestly we thought at that point we were being punked. The river and weather were beautiful, but Rainbow Resorts completely tarnished a memorial trip for a grieving family. They stole money for services not rendered, treated paying customers like physical threats, and exhibited erratic, hostile behavior. Do not go here. They are completely unprofessional and running a financial scam on pre-payments.

The new owners bought the business Feb. 2023. They were very friendly and helpful. We picked the…read more3hr trip with kayaks. The river was pretty. It did storm on us for part of the trip but we still made some great memories. We plan on coming back!!

We selected Eagles Club for my sister Jessica's Wedding Reception Dinner last night and it was a…read moreblast. There was Dancing, the food was good and a lot a people was there, so we had a great time. I give that 5 Stars Superb.

Owned by a husband and his wife who just love puzzels and create all the games themselves, this…read morehole in the wall escape room joint is perfect for group outings or dates. It's clear that this couple makes the rooms themselves as the overall production qaulity lower as you'd expect as a lot of the rooms are hand made. However, the quality of the puzzels are high. We did the two person, closed quarters submarine room as a date and loved it. We were not that good, the the game masters were great about giving us hints along the way to keep us engaged. They were so enthusiastic and generous with us as they let us share in the games they've created. After our game we had a chance to hear about other strategies and tactics other teams had taken. What a fun way to spend time together and work on our communication and teamwork skills as well.

Great escape room, better than most, even those in high tourist areas. The owners have used great…read moreimagination to utilize the space they have and created some great logic puzzles. Highly recommend and a great way to spend an hour when you tire of the snow.

Loooooooove Camp Barakel so much. We have had many great weekends here while enjoying couples and…read morefamily retreats. This is a Christian camp, and they preach God's Word and apply it in a meaningful way. They tell about God's grace and Jesus's forgiveness, and bring it full circle to teach about improving and healing relationships. Every time we have attended, we have been blessed by it. Thank you!!!!! They are on a beautiful spring-fed lake, and there are tons of activities and opportunities to get back to nature. And as a true Yelper I can honestly attest: The food is good, too! Some of the sleeping accommodations are more rustic than some newer ones, but they are in the process of renovating every cabin, as I understand. The newer lodges are really nice!! I'm sure they can fully fill you in about where you would stay if you call. Life is simple here and it provides an opportunity to focus on what is most important. I have huge respect for their dedicated staff. They treat others with such love, and you can feel an attitude that demonstrates their care and dedication in their ministry. I have seen their worship leaders gracefully serving others as staff in the dining hall. There is a lot of walking involved. My dad went with a walker and could get around, but some places were a little harder than others, and a few were just too hard. There are two camps, one on each side of the lake, so they can run two different camps at once, or one big camp. I also love singing hymns in chapel, especially Ancient Words. It really sums up what they are trying to do here. Holy words long preserved for our walk in this world, They resound with God's own heart Oh let the ancient words impart. Words of Life, words of Hope Give us strength, help us cope In this world, where e'er we roam Ancient words will guide us Home. Ancient words ever true Changing me and changing you, We have come with open hearts Oh let the ancient words impart. This is not just a summer camp or a lake getaway. Barakel means "The place where God has blessed" and we have encountered Him here. Barakel is not fancy, but it's real, and I mean that in deepest and best sense of the word.

I just spent a weekend fishing while at a Christian Men's Retreat at Camp Barakel in Fairview, Mi…read more(near Mio in Oscoda County), and I wanted to blog my experience because I could find no fishing information for the camp's privately owned Shear Lake. https://www.bing.com/maps?q=shear+lake+michigan&FORM=HDRSC4 https://www.campbarakel.org/ Shear Lake is a shallow, clear water, spring fed lake with a sandy bottom and sparse aquatic vegetation. The perimeter of the lake is peppered with many lay downs of fallen trees. While staying at Camp Barakel, the campground provided small rowboats, canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats for recreational use. At peak times of the day, there can be a lot of campers using the small lake, so fisherman will need to be patient with the recreational users who are attempting to paddle around it. Prior to fishing on Shear Lake, the only fishing information that I could find was that the lake contained Blue Gills. Having fished the lake last fall and this spring, I can verify that Shear Lake has Large Mouth Bass, Rock Bass, Perch (some are jumbo size, being12 inches or larger), and Blue Gills. The lake is rumored to have Pike, but I am not aware of any being caught. Although the lake may contain only a few lunkers (last fall, I failed to set the hook with a weedless frog on what was probably around a four pound bass), the overall Large Mouth Bass fishing seems to be quite good. Some 16 to 18 inch bass were caught while while standing on the docks. Even though the lake has sparse vegetation, the lake's shallowness makes it easy for lures that come in contact with it's sandy bottom to constantly pick up clumps of plant material and algae. Also, it's easy to get hung up on the many branches and tree trunks that line the shore. Consequently, weedless lures (like a Texas-rigged soft plastic worms), plus mid-water and top-water lures (which are fished away from the shore) work well. I caught ten Large Mouth Bass (12 to 16 inches) and one Rock Bass last weekend on a Texas-rigged soft plastic worm. Some had good luck using spinners or top water lures that worked in the mildly windy conditions, like Jitterbugs. Others had good luck with live baits such as Big Red Worms or Minnows. Last fall, I had some luck swimming small curly tail jigs, but I now now prefer to drag Texas-rigged worms along the lake's bottom, near the many fallen trees.

We had an amazing experience canoeing with this company. I called the day of to see if they had…read moreavailability and they did. We did the 2.5 hr paddle. It's with the current so it's very easy to do. There are a few stopping points that have portable toilets. They picked us up at the end and shuttled us back. We paid $36 for one canoe. They provided seat cushions. The staff did an excellent job previewing the route with us. It was easy to navigate. They also have mountain bikes and kayaks to rent.

My family and I had a blast! I'm coming back soon. You guys will have fun too. It's the right price…read moreand so much fun.

Got to the river pickup and they did not give us a ride back had to call an uber to get ourselves…read moreback. Shit company.

Such a great time! This is a yearly tradition in my family and Carlisle is the place to start! The…read moreAu Sable river is breathtakingly beautiful with many stopping points along the way. We stayed over night and got picked up at McMasters bridge the next day. Our family loves Carlisle and will be back for many years to come!