Name: Sugar Lake Lodge
Address: 37584 Otis Ln, Cohasset, MN 55721, United States, Hill City, Hill City, Hill City, 55721, United States of America
Rating: 8

Garden

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Conference Hall

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Tennis court

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At the hotel

Sugar Lake Lodge

Hill City

child-bed

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with-view

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basement

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not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

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safe

mini-bar

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pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

Wonderful time with family in great accommodations!  Lots of people staying at the resort but it did not feel crowded.  Quiet.  There is a pool option and a sandy beach option.  Paddle boards and kayaks readily available.  Pontoons easily rented.  Lake water clear and clean.  Tennis courts and pickleball.  Lovely golf course !  We stayed Thursday to Monday.  Sunday most people left and the golf course was nice for beginners. Saturday morning there was golf lessons for kids and a naturalist who was great for kids and adults.

We will go again!

Sidewalks and all of property not shoveled. Had to walk through snow and ice just to get to the room. Water was black and sink has cracks in fixtures causing water to spray all over bathroom. The fan in bathroom was clunking and the bathroom was so stinky we could not even use it. Horrible experience from an old fashioned, unsafe, nasty property. Staff was crabby and inexperienced with paying customers. The motel in town is better. 150.00 for this junk place is outrageous 

Couldn’t wait to leave

I don't have much time to do an in depth review but I also want to make sure that I give some much deserved positive feedback about my experience at Sugar Lake Lodge.  We stayed there for a weekend in September 2022 for a family reunion (27 people, 5 families).  It was the off season and the resort was quiet; the restaurant and beach were closed.  We knew this ahead of time, and that was fine. The families stayed in a row of 1,2, or 3 bedroom villas on the golf course.  Each family had their own villa but we were right next to each other.  One family did not stay on site but they were welcome anyway (one other review had a problem with off site guests but this was not our experience at all!).

I had never been to Sugar Lake Lodge and I was the reunion organizer.  I was nervous but all I can say is the whole experience surpassed my expectations. This is especially significant because it rained the entire weekend and we couldn't do any of the outdoor activities the resort offers (golf, pickleball, tennis, kayaks, hikes, etc).  Given the weather, the owners and staff went out of their way to make sure we had a good experience.  We brought our own food and they allowed us to use the dining and fireplace/lodge area to gather and eat, play games, whatever.  It was a wonderful to spend time with our extended family.  

We would absolutely go there again, and plan on doing so in the coming years.  Two thumbs up!

Wonderful Place For Family Reunion

Just returned from a 4 night, 5 day stay at Sugar Lake Lodge to celebrate a 40th wedding anniversary in our family. We could not have enjoyed our stay more! The carefree vibe with top notch customer service makes it the perfect getaway. We stayed in the golf villas, which are perfect for families with littles. We enjoyed paddle boarding, kayaking and lounging at the pool during the day and ended our evenings around a bonfire. The golfers in our group enjoyed some rounds of golf and really enjoyed the course! They also loved the driving range just a few steps from our villas. The staff went above and beyond making it a vacation we will soon not forget. The shuttle service is very convenient and was THE highlight for our 4 year old (shout out to Olivia!!). :) 

We will absolutely be returning! And thanks for just handing me the key to the water equipment when my dad and I wanted to do some early morning kayaking. Could not be more grateful. Thanks for the memories, Sugar Lake Lodge!

Incredible Family Vacation!

We’ve been visiting Sugar Lake for 4 years and have a great time! However, every cabin we’ve stayed in has clogged shower drains. They also took away the morning breakfast and the pool was closed without notice for construction, but the price is still the same.

Nice place but needs some work

I have been going to Sugar Lake Lodge for 3 years now, joining a group of guys that make it an annual event for 10+ years. Everything is always an absolute blast. The food is always delicious in the restaurant, the bartenders are great and the accommodations are always comfortable and clean. We love taking a dip in the lake at the end of a hot day playing golf. The sand beach and shallow lake is so refreshing. In the past we have done the breakfast buffet and we hope that becomes available again after this scamdemic passes. Thank you for all you do to make our annual trip so enjoyable and we will see you again in the Spring.  -The Stang Group

Guys Golf Trip Play & Stay - AWESOME!

Sugar Lake Lodge has been a main stay for our family reunion for years.  It was asked this year if we could rent or bring our own golf cart to the lodge as it is a very large property.  We were told that they can't have people running all over the place with golf carts? We were forced to drive our car all over the place! They had 50 golf carts sitting idle all weekend.  This is very unaccomodating on their part.  A full size suv is better to drive around with kids on bikes and what not,  than a 5 mph golf cart.... seriously????.

Golf Carts

I booked the Sugar Lake Lodge for our annual trip to visit family in Grand Rapids, not realizing what a mess it would end up being. I felt lucky to get a room because this place is usually booked 6 months out. For 2 years, I’ve booked a golf course villa room and had my sister's family come over for a day of swimming.  It’s a great resort!  They offer free use of kayaks and paddle boards, canoes and an outdoor pool. They have Adirondack chairs to lounge in by the beach. Free little bags of ice for your cooler are given out at the front desk. It’s these kind of touches that have made Sugar Lake Lodge special and set it apart from corporate-owned places. I’ve shouted from the rooftops about how much I loved this family-owned resort!  

Well, until this year. Womp womp. On a Friday morning, my sister's family in Grand Rapids, were loading up to come over to the resort and I called the front desk to get the amount of wrist bands we’d need for the beach access. The woman who answered the phone, was taken aback by this request. She said only resort guests can have wristbands and that outside guests aren’t allowed. Now I was taken aback because I truly never knew this. I guess it didn't dawn on me because I’d stayed at Sugar Lake Lodge 2 times before and had my nieces and nephews over to swim when we come into town. Actually, in those years past, I announced I was bringing my family over from Grand Rapids for the day WHILE getting wristbands. I’ve stood at the front desk, counting out on my fingers how many bands I needed for the family coming over. 

Bottom line, she treated me like I was at fault for something and actually made me feel guilty for even thinking my family could come. What a way to treat a guest!  “Ma’am, our paying guests don’t get full use of the amenities if we allow visitors to use the property.”  And she's saying this on an overcast Friday morning where there is literally nobody at the beach.  She suggested the only reason I was likely allowed to have visitors come in the past, is because they probably weren’t booked to capacity. Absolutely not true. I got one of the last rooms available the past 2 times I stayed there and it was less busy on this particular day. Weekend guests hadn’t fully arrived yet. The woman sounded irritated at me for something I didn’t even know was an issue or policy. So, I offered to PAY for the wristbands. Nope.  “Again, ma’am, our guests book with us so they have full use of the resort amenities,” (as tumbleweeds blew across the beach).  

Okay, I get it. That's their policy. Something obviously changed since I was there last. But in the world of hospitality, the better way to handle it would have been to apologize that their company had apparently broken their own rules in the past and because of that misunderstanding, let my guests come for just that one day and be done.  I never would have expected another day out of it. I would have thanked her and written a glowing review. 

I told her my family was actively loading up their stuff while I was on the phone with her to come over, which is when I offered to pay for the wristbands. No, they don't do that. Only paying guests of the resort can have wristbands. BUT. She was sooooo kind as to provide me with some public beach options for my free-loading family.  And you know what?  If it wasn’t for this woman who doesn’t understand the meaning of "hospitality,” I never would have known there is a great public beach with picnic tables, shaded trees, a playground and a diving board at Gibbs Beach. (She actually didn't offer that option, my family recommended us going there.) Anyway, it was awesome! 

“Mrs. Hospitality” saved me a lot of money in the future because I don’t need to pay resort prices and stay 20 miles away from family, to be treated like I’m a grifter.  Allowing my guests to come for that one day, to a use a beach that nobody was at, and letting me know in the future, it wasn’t allowed, would have saved the day. Being cold and suggesting a public beach was not at all the vibe that the Sugar Lake Lodge has encompassed in the past. 

The truth is, I wrote this review to vent because it was disappointing to see a great family business take this approach to the way they handle easy-fixed misunderstandings. There was no point to tell management about this, because this woman probably IS the new management. And the way they respond, if they respond, to this review will also be very telling about Sugar Lake Lodge's current branding today.

What Happened to Sugar Lake Lodge?

We had an enjoyable stay at this location. Very remote and quiet in the off-season. One of the best features was the gas fireplace. Kitchen appliances were newer and in great working order, especially important to me since I like to cook. We enjoyed nearby hikes and ice fishing. I can only imagine how wonderful this place is in the summertime - will be back to try it!

Winter getaway

We had a great time at Sugar Lake Lodge.  We stayed in a cabin by the lake - really nice accommodations and beautiful view.  The water is really clear, the restaurant was excellent, and the golf course was beautiful.  We'll definitely go back!

Sugar Lake Lodge

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