I'm not going to beat around any bush here ... my experience would have been 4-5 star if the "guy" who is in the office had just been absent the day we checked in. Sadly, I think he is the husband of the gal who manages the place and he is part of the care taking crew.
So how does one man take a 4-5 star potential experience down to a 2-star stay? First impressions ... Here's what happened - and I am not going to go into all the detail here but give you enough to know to stay away from the troll!
First - we drove from Northern California to get here - and showed up a little (1 hr.) early before check in. We had been "warned" to not attempt to check in early ... BUT we had no where to go and we had to get out of that car and get our groceries into a fridge. So we (and when I say we, it was myself, my sister, and my mother - all went to the office to plead with them to allow us to at the very least hang around and "maybe" get our food in a fridge. I, personally felt that was an easy request which should/could have been accommodated without any difficulty. BOY, was I wrong!!
After knocking on the door to the office several times, he (the guy) almost refused to open it, and when he did it was a mere crack to barely show his face. Here's how it went down.
Him: Yes? (note - no greeting - no hello)
Us: ... silent because we had to scoop our jaw up off the ground to respond ...
Him: YES!?
Us: ... Oh, sorry, is this the place to check in?
Him: YES!? What do you want?
Us: ... again silent - we were in shock!
Him: (repeating himself) What do you want?
Us: ... oh well we know we aren't supposed to request to check in early (admission of true facts!) but is there any way we can just get the paperwork and charges out of the way? We just drove a long way and want to get this taken care of.
Him: There is no early check in.
Us: Yes, we understand that - but we have perishable items and we are happy to "take a hike" and get out of your hair for a while - if we can at least get our items into our fridge.
That's enough ... I think you get the picture. RUDE - so rude that the word rude is actually not sufficient for his behavior. I was completely flabbergasted.
Here's the bottom line - he doesn't do check in; he clearly doesn't have much contact with guests - for a reason. Keep him out of the office and never let him open the door. Or at the very least - teach him how to greet guests and kindly inform them that the office person will be back shortly. There was absolutely no reason he had to be so RUDE! We were paying customers - and last time I checked - they are NOT the cheapest location along the McKenzie River.
This first impression set the tone for the entire weekend - SADLY - because we were there for a family member's wedding celebration.
PROS:
- Cabins - Nicely appointed cabins with all the amenities - the things we brought because we thought we'd need them - we didn't.
- Location - Beautiful grounds well manicured/maintained and to be on that river was exceptional.
- Family - I was there for a family event which took place over the course of 3-days and it is because of them - that I didn't leave.
CONS:
- The TROLL who should never have contact with humans - EVER!
- Early check in policy - stinks for out of town travelers. Time your arrival accordingly or you might meet the TROLL!
- Price - not sure you get what you pay for at this place considering my first impression.
- Wi-Fi - not free.
I can't see myself ever returning to this place - I would rather stay up or down the road and hope for a better experience. read more