This is one of the best golf experiences in the Brainerd lakes area. Everything from the course to…read moreclubhouse to the staff is very well run. The course is in excellent shape. Lots of trees, to be sure, but still forgiving enough for the average player. Greens are fast and challenging. The clubhouse and staff are outstanding. You can order food after 9, and they drive it out to you on the course. Oh, and the breakfast is excellent! Highly recommend.

Please do NOT plan to go to Maddens towards the end of September. We arrived and we're told the…read moremarina was closed the next day, the day we had planned to rent a boat. The website did not mention the place practically closes down the third weekend of September. The gift shops were closed by 2PM, check in is 4PM. The food was extremely over priced. Unless you are here to golf, save your money and go somewhere else. Also.. the water in the rooms was horrible. The odor was so strong and smelled of a sewer, that I had to brush my teeth and wash my face with bottled water. Mentioned it at check out, and front desk just acknowledged it,so must be a known problem they don't intend to address. #gross

We have been enjoying Sandy Beach Resort every week of the Fourth of July for the past 25 years…read more Very relaxing and beautiful spot on Gull Lake. Yes, the beach is sandy indeed. One disappointment is that a year ago they changed their store hours to close at 6:00 PM. Short on milk at supper time? Sorry you are out of luck. Want an after dinner frozen treat -- nope! I hope the owners will see this post and add go back to their previous 8:00 PM closing time -- a little customer focus will help keep your business healthy.

Sandy Beach Resort makes it feel like you have your own cabin for the week. The family who owns the…read moreresort is highly responsive and very welcoming. Would definitely recommend this resort for anyone looking for the classic up north Minnesota feel!

Amazing girls weekend at Cragun's! Our room was perfect perfectly clean with a beautiful view of…read morethe lake. I had the best walleye tacos at the new Lakeside Grill and fun cocktails. They've had live music on the beach one evening, a remodeled lobby and coffee bar to enjoy. We have not been here in many years. It was fun to see the retro touches that remain such as indoor pool and awesome carpeting :-) with many updates as well. It was great to be back. We kayaked, paddleboarded, and went in Nisswa for a great day of shopping.

General - I had a work conference onsite in May and stayed onsite with family while attending the…read moreconference. Location - You have to drive for a bit outside of Brainerd/Baxter but you are right on the beautiful shores of Gull Lake. If you don't know anything about Gull Lake, it is one of the top lakes in the area. Big and beautiful lake - great for boating, fishing and swimming. Rooms & Building - This place has been around for quite some time and still gives off those old school lake resort vibes. I used to come here as a kid for a weekend getaway and some of the things have not changed one bit. Ha. All in all, they have kept up with maintenance for the most part. The rooms do show wear and tear but for how old they buildings actually are, you would expect worse. I kind of like the old-fashioned classic look - gives the building more history and a story than if they would bulldoze it and build modern. Amenities - The resort is loaded with things to do including a full-size gymnasium and ball court, a couple pools, arcade, hot tub, outdoor recreational activities, golf course, etc. Food - There are a few bars and restaurants onsite. We got pizza one night for dinner at the poolside restaurant and it was pretty good. Large size and priced very fairly for resort food. Vibe - Easy going and super friendly staff. No complaints. Reality vs. Online - Pictures that I saw on their website and online matched the quality and condition of the hotel and rooms in-person. No surprises. Price & Final Verdict - It is a classic location in the heart of Brainerd Lakes. It is different than just a "hotel stay" or smaller resort stay. It is a unique experience that one should not miss. Give it a try - great place for a weekend getaway with family and/or friends.

I've been going up to Gull Lake Resort for 30 years. My husband's family had been going for over…read more40. It's always a good time and my kids look forward to it. It's a dog friendly resort which is nice. The cabins are clean and have modern amenities including air conditioning. It's located close to town so you can run in as needed. Outside of the cabins you can dock your boat. The lake provides amble fish for our annual end of week fish fry. The garage mirage as the kids call it has ice cream, slushies, candy, games and other necessities. There is laundry facilities in case you need to wash something. You can also grab a sweatshirt, t-shirt, hat or other souvenir. Nisswa is just down the road with lots of shops, restaurants, and coffee shops. Pirate's Cove is also just down from road. Zobaz's is easy to get to by boat or car. Lots to see and do!

Went up for a week and had a great time! You can rent pontoons, kayaks, canoes and paddle boats to…read morekeep yourself entertained. Plenty of room for sure. Rustic and on a great part of Gull Lake. They have a store on site but not much for groceries but plenty of grocery shopping close by. They have stuff for the kids to do and if you have a boat bring it! They have plenty of docks. Very relaxing time! Staff is great!

My husband and I stayed at Quarterdeck Resort for 4 days and overall had a really great experience…read more We stayed in the Lakeview King Suite and the room was very nice, although a bit more outdated than modern, which honestly was not a big deal to us. The bed was incredibly comfortable, and everything in the room worked as expected. The only minor issue we noticed was that the bathroom sink drained a little slowly. While there was no daily housekeeping during our stay, the staff was fantastic about providing anything we needed. We also had an issue with a clogged toilet and staff responded within about 5 minutes, which was awesome customer service. That said, it might be nice to have plungers available in the bathrooms to save guests a little embarrassment. I absolutely have to mention that the nachos were some of the best we've ever had. The portion size was massive and they were fully loaded! Also the Cajun Alfredo was phenomenal (we even got it to-go a couple times to heat up later and it was still amazing)! Highly recommend!!! A few improvements I think would make the resort even better: * Better soundproofing. We were in room 124 and could hear the bar throughout the night. Thankfully it was never extremely loud, but it was noticeable at times. * Blackout curtains/window coverings instead of the current white blinds. The morning sun comes through very aggressively. * A fish cleaning house would be an amazing addition. My partner and I are huge fishers and caught over 100 fish during our stay, but couldn't keep any because there wasn't a place to clean them. * During our stay, we noticed the food prices we were charged did not match the menu we had originally been given. On the last night of our stay, we were provided an updated menu dated 6/3/26, which means we had been given an outdated menu while still being charged the newer pricing. Since our stay was from 6/4/26 through 6/7/26, it would have been nice to have received the updated menu from the start to avoid confusion, though I completely understand that new menus can take some time to roll out. (Plus there were newly-updated items on the menu that we would have loved to have ordered previously)! * There are currently no onsite laundry amenities available (at least for the suites). For guests like us who prefer to pack light or stay for multiple days, having laundry facilities onsite would be a really nice addition. Also, I saw a previous review mentioning loud headboards and can confirm that issue seems to have been fixed, at least in our room. ;) Overall, we had a GREAT stay and are already planning to return!

It may have been a bad night but we waited over two hours for a table when originally told…read more55minuted. Then it took over an hour to get all our food. The Walleye fingers and Canadian Walleye were excellent. The steak was fine. But the Walleye meal and steak meal game with small portions of vegetables and potatoes. The other food was fine except for the pasta(Cajun and fettuccini) where the sauces were very watery and the children who ate them even described them as that. I woukd say high price meals for mediocre food. The wait staff did their best and the setting was gorgeous (kids went swimming) and there was music.

We usually avoid staying at Wyndham properties because we often get pulled into timeshare or upsell…read moreconversations, and unfortunately that happened again this time just when calling to confirm our reservation and request early check-in. I called multiple times about early check-in and got a different answer each time. We did end up being able to check in early the same day, but it cost an extra $60. They also mentioned we were the only guests requesting it, which felt a bit odd. The water park was a highlight our kids had a great time. The only downside is that the water is freezing and there's a noticeable cold draft throughout the area. Our room was spacious and worked really well for our family of five. Wi-Fi was spotty, but the TVs were nice. Overall, some frustrations, but the space and water park kept the stay enjoyable for the kids.

A very run down hotel. I had to come in for a conference and didn't have many options. The front…read moredesk experience is an absolute train wreck. I stood there for 15 minutes while the front desk took a call from a "potential future booking" and discussed all things water park. I was finally acknowledged only to find out my room (a few minutes before 4pm) wasn't ready. I asked for an alternate room and she said no, we have nothing yet cleared by housekeeping. The hotel is in need of a major deep clean. The bathrooms are small and dingy, towels thin, and products terrible. Don't get me started on the thin sheets. I had another date booked at the Arrowwood Lodge for a conference in October and I promptly cancelled. There aren't many options on the Brainerd/Baxter area, but this place isn't it!

Great resort on the Mississippi river. Cabins, small hot tub and pool, small shop, houseboat for…read morerent, and two campgrounds for seasonal guests. Very dog friendly. Airport nearby. It's a short drive to Brainerd for groceries, supplies, or dinner out on a rainy day. We love it!

These are great people. It was September, about the end of the season and I was visiting a very…read moredear friend in Merrifield, who was in hospice in their little cabin. It wasn't really a cabin, it is kind if a 1 bedroom trailer. Her family was there visiting. There weren't too many places to go. Some of her family had some RV's but all the space was taken up. This resort The Train Bell found out about it and offered some space for free. It's been so hard on the family and this little but of kindness (A LOT) was salve on a wound for a family that was going through a lot. I want to personally thank The Train Bell for their kindness.

From the owner: Train Bell Resort is a premier year-round family and friends resort where fun is the focus. At…read moreTrain Bell, we have accommodations to fit everyone's needs ... From our modern Condos, lakeside Cabins, cozy Villas to our 6 bedroom Grand Lodge, we have room for all generations! Whether you are catching some rays on the beach, trophy fishing on North Long Lake, biking the Paul Bunyan Trail, exploring Brainerd Lakes area, shopping in Nisswa, enjoying the daily activities or enjoying the sunset next to a campfire, you are sure to build memories that will last forever.From the comfort of your cabin, to the relaxing fun atmosphere, to beautiful sunsets and peaceful lakeside campfires reminds you that every day is a grand day at the lake.

We just stayed here and had a great time! I was a little reluctant with the other reviews but we…read moredidn't experience any issues. We enjoyed the swimming opportunities and never found them overly crowded. The facilities were beautiful and the kids enjoyed the activities. We really enjoyed our long weekend here.

Our goal here is not to bash management of Birch Bay RV Park, but to rather provide you our…read moreexperience, so you can make an informed decision about where you want to spend your precious summer weekends you work so hard all week to enjoy. If you are looking for a fun seasonal campground, I would strongly urge against staying here. The management has control issues, are very rude most of the time, and they will charge you extra for everything possible. We were on our 2nd season staying here as Full Time RVers. We have traveled to numerous campgrounds for weeks to months at a time, and have never been treated so poorly as we were at Birch Bay. Knowing that we lived there (and it was our home location), they kicked us out mid-season, giving us a week to leave without discussion. This, for doing absolutely NOTHING against the rules. We were up singing around a campfire with many friends (from the campground) on a Saturday night, up until quiet time, which was 11 PM at this time (as read in our contract. I see now that they have changed that to 10:30pm). At 10:59 PM the music was shut off. At 11:02, management called our cell phone and said, "Party is over...meet me in the office at 9AM", where they proceeded to say we needed to leave and had a week to do so. The last comment made from management was to "make sure your friends knew you are taking the fall!" Who does this?! A couple hours later, management did come back and offer us a different site back in the woods, but again, made a comment about making sure our friends stay away! So, not only did they kick us out without talking about noise levels acceptable during normal hours, they then wanted to control who and how many friends we hung out with! We left the next day! I wouldn't recommend this campground to my worst enemy. If you like to be controlled and treated poorly, this may be the campground for you. I know they will come back with a rebuttal as they always do too turn the blame against the camper, but how many times can they do this too campers before people see right through them.