We were headed up to a cabin in Bellaire on a Friday evening, but unexpected ice derailed us. We stopped off the highway about an hour and a half from our destination in search of a place to hunker down for the evening. Thankfully, Powers Lodge was open and not too far from the highway. It was around 9:00 p.m., and we ran to the front. The lights were off but the open sign was on. After ringing the door bell a few times, a man emerged and told us he had vacancy (not particularly surprising, all things considered). It looks as if the primary residence opens up into the front desk, so they're always there should someone press the bell.
Unfortunately, we discovered that they don't take credit cards (in 2018), which is incredibly inconvenient at a time when many don't carry cash anymore. We ran to an ATM down the road and came back. The lodging is broken up into non-connected, individual cabins. The privacy is enticing. It's everything else that brings down my opinion of the place. The inside of our cabin had an incredibly potent odor - an unfortunate mixture of old air freshener, stale cleaning chemicals and a grassy funk. This wouldn't have been too bad had the smell not been so pronounced and somewhat nauseating.
Compounding matters was the shabby bathroom. The shower is incredibly small - barely the width of someone's body. The shower head was below my head (I'm 6'0"). The hot water runs out after about five minutes or so. There's also a rather steep drop down from the shower floor to the bathroom floor (which is precious space that could have freed up room for those who are taller than 5'8" or so). I almost fell getting out. The bathroom itself was hardly insulated, so going to the bathroom meant you went from warm to freezing, even if you left the door open. Oh, and the towels they provide smell like moth balls.
It could have been worse, but not by much. The price is pretty low ($60 a night), yet I still feel like I got less than I paid for. Only go here if you're in a crunch. read more
