Big Pine Lodge
| Address: | 43606 Mosquito Heights Rd, Perham, MN 56573, USA |
| Phone: | +1 218-346-3480 |
| Site: | bigpinelodgemn.com |
| Rating: | 3.8 |
Location
Photos 98
Reviews 5
A
A Private User
I made the mistake of reserving a cabin sight unseen, purposefully setting my standards low. Unfortunately the cabin didnt even meet my low expectations. Exterior: - The cabin looks as if it hasnt seen paint in 20 years. - The roof looks like it is sagging. - The cabin looks “old”, but not in a charming way; It looks like it has not been maintained. - The cabin is much smaller than I had anticipated for a building that is supposed to sleep 6. - It is set upon a steep hill overlooking seasonal trailers that also look like they are falling apart (with clearly sagging roofs). - The lake looks wonderful, but you have to walk through the seasonal trailer campsites to reach it. - The lakeshore is a good 200-300 plus feet from the cabin, so you’re definitely not on the water. - The area is crowded with permanent looking trailers so there is no sense of peacefulness or privacy. There are only three “cabins”; the rest of the area is packed with trailers / mobile home type structures. Interior: - There are water stains on the interior ceiling. - There are holes in virtually every wall, some as large as a golf ball. - There doesn’t appear to be any insulation when looking into the hole in the bedroom wall. Im guessing none of the walls have any insulation so plan on being hot or cold depending upon the time of year. - The bathroom door has a 6 inch gap under it and the bathroom itself was filthy. - The cabin ceiling is low enough that I (61" tall) had to duck to avoid hitting my head on the greasy ceiling fan in the "kitchen". - The refrigerator freezer handle is broken and the freezer door cannot be closed without lifting the door. - The bedrooms are literally two curtained rooms (no doors) with a full sized bed taking up the entire room space. - The window coverings are ragged, mismatched, see-through, and falling off the curtain rods. In one case, the curtain rod itself had fallen off the wall on the left side. - The “pull out couch” was nothing more than foam “padding” on something the size of a futon. I didn’t bother pulling it out because of all the “organics” underneath the bedding. - There was no way the air conditioner was going to keep the place cool on its current setting; the knobs had long ago broken off so there was no way to change it without a pair of pliers. - The exterior door had no externally accessible lock so you cannot lock the cabin while you are out. - The cabin wasnt clean. It was dirty and did not look maintained. All in all, the cabin reminded me of a dirty motel room that you can get for $30 a night, cash only. Yes, it was that bad. The best part about the experience was the wireless internet; I was able to get online and find another resort close by. Perhaps this place would be fine if you were bringing your own trailer/motor home. But based on my experience I wouldn’t stay in one of the three cabins if you paid me. I suspect someone related to the owners wrote the 5-star review. Do your due diligence; if you’re looking for a cabin to rent, look elsewhere.
A
A Private User
We as group (10 people) wondered why there were no pictures of the interiors of any of the cabins in the Big Pine Lodge brochure. My son and I rented two cabins ( #1 and #3) for a family gathering and were we shocked when arrived. The first thing I had to do was put a interior lock on the bathroom door that didnt stay closed due to warped floor, then repair the outside door that couldnt close because it didnt have a handle. The interior was incredibly filthy, the floors looked like they had never been swept or mopped. Several windows were painted shut. Sleep 6?? One pullout bed less than a twin size. Other two beds were full size with barely room to walk around. Small screen porch where pull-out was had screen windows with several unable to open. Lake near?? Cabins on hill overlooking seasonal mobile homes - in other words, above their roofs. Steep hill and another 150+ feet to water. Porch didnt even face the water. We lost $1000.00 plus and had to drive away. They didnt apologize, say good-bye or even thank you. We were blessed with another resorts opening with two beautiful cabins next to each other and after a shocking beginning, we enjoyed our family vacation. Beware of resorts that dont show pictures or cabin location layouts. What an awakening after years of never a problem. Good luck.
A
A Private User
My parents took me here as a child as my mother was taken there by my grandparents. My families memories of the place stretch waaaay back. I may be a bit biased... :) The new owners have spent a lot of time fixing it up. It looks a lot better than it did when I was a child. Thank you for the A/C in the cabins! :) Theyre also quite helpful if you have a problem. Ive never really had any problems with any of the owners past or present nor the patrons. Always seems to be a pleasant stay, except for the mosquitoes, heh. If you want to fish the lake, its a great place to do it from. Dam access is right there, from land or by water. Right out front there is a decent drop off you can easily find and follow with any sounder thats a good place to fish. Good cleaning facilities also. The lodge has a bar with a TV and serves beer only, if I recall correctly, and also a small selection of food. Decent place to take a sit after a long days fishing. This is not the Taj Mahal. Its a fishing resort. If you want to be pampered, maybe you should look somewhere else. Not to say its not a great place, its just not a $5000/wk, 5 star meal every night type of place. BUT, if you want to be around good people, who like to have a laugh and love to see a nice fish brought in, this is the place you want to be!
MI
Mike Murphy
We reserved three camping spots for a family trip to Perham. Before you book here I highly recommend you scope this place out. This is a very rustic campground and I was surprised by the amount of junk laying around. You are greeted with a broken down car and no signs telling you where to go. The lodge smelled like animals and the bathrooms matched the up-keep. For $37 a night it was not worth the lake view in my mind. Just know what you are getting in to before you book here - some of these issues may not bother you. On the plus side, the owners were friendly, but it isnt enough to get me to ever stay here again. We stayed there June 2013.
A
A Private User
I feel like the negative feedback on the cabins are a little exagerrated. My family and I have been going to this resort for years and even though the cabins arent as modern as some others they are still updated enough to be acceptable. This is a rustic resort that is fun for the whole family and great for fishing. The owners are very friendly and also run a bar and small resturant that comes in handy when you want to relax a bit. The important thing to remeber when you stay here is that they do not claim to be a fancy place but they will provide you and your family with great hospitality and a fun experience.
