Tag Archives: Lodging

Lutsen Resort on the Superior, Lutsen, MN

Lutsen Resort on the Superior, Lutsen, MN

We didn’t stay at the Lutsen Resort on our trek near Lake Superior, but we did stop in one evening for a meal.  I believe the resort has changed ownership since then so I do not know what has changed.

The view was great, the service was very good, but the food was odd.  The prices are on the higher side, but not extreme.  I ordered fish because we were on Lake Superior and that seemed appropriate.  I don’t know why, but Minnesotans have some sort of inability to properly cook a fish, so that it tastes good.  It is not just this restaurant.  I have had exactly one good fish the entire time I have lived in Minnesota.  I know it isn’t the fish because we used to vacation in Minnesota when I was a kid, and the fish were delicious.  Jon ordered the Swedish meatballs, again, very odd.  A lot of the other items on the menu look really good.  We may have just made the worst choices on the menu.  The flavors were just odd.

View of the Lounge at Lutsen Resort
Front door of Lutsen Resort
Dinning Hall at Lutsen Resort

After dinner we walked around the resort a bit and took in a sunset.  The views at this resort are amazing.  The placement of the resort is perfect for exploring the north shore.

View of peer on Lutsen Resort

The resort has a great beach right in front of it.  You can take your family down and put your foot into Lake Superior.  I am sure you can sun bathe on the beach during the day.

Beach in front of Lutsen Resort dining hall

Overall, I would say, if you have some money to spend, and want an extremely nice resort, on Lake Superior, that reminds you of days gone by, this is the place.  It feels like it is straight out of the fifties or earlier, when families went on a long vacation, and dressed up to go to dinner.  You play hard all day, and return to your room to get cleaned up, before heading downstairs to an elegant meal.  It really is a great atmosphere and an amazing location and view.

Roadway Inn and Suites, Spearfish, SD

Roadway Inn and Suites, 2275 E Colorado Blvd, Spearfish, SD 57783

I really liked this hotel.  It isn’t super nice, but it is exactly what you need.   We stayed here on a trip to everywhere.  It was our first stop on a trip out west.  If you are looking for a place with a pool and hot tub this one is pretty nice.

Rodeway Inn & Suites May 2016 016

The rooms are fairly basic.  You get a bed and a seating area.  I believe the pillows were a normal size.  Something that I never thought would be a concern, but we have all encountered the tiny pillows some hotels have these days.

Rodeway Inn & Suites May 2016 013

Rodeway Inn & Suites May 2016 012

The coffee in the room is Arabica coffee which is really important.  100% Arabica, I cannot stress how important this is in coffee.

Rodeway Inn & Suites May 2016 014

You get a free breakfast.  The eating area is extremely small, but you can always take it back to your room.  The gravy for the biscuits and gravy was really good.  The biscuits were a bit dense, but tasted okay.  They also had cereal.

Rodeway Inn & Suites May 2016 011

Rodeway Inn & Suites May 2016 010

The best part about staying at this hotel was the Perkins across the street.  With your hotel key you can get a free desert.  Perkins deserts are really good so this was a great perk.  I am not sure if they have it all of the time, but if they do it might be the best reason to stay at this hotel.

It isn’t the Four Seasons, but it is clean, up to date, the food is okay, and it is a good area to stay in.  If you need a place in Spearfish, SD I suggest this one.

Hampton Inn Spearfish, SD

Hampton Inn – 240 North 27th Street, Spearfish, SD 57783

The Hampton Inn in Spearfish, SD is right off the interstate and clustered near a few other hotels in case you didn’t make a reservation.  The prices are fairly low.  The hotel seems clean.  Here is their website.

Issues I have had with this particular hotel include a deadbolt that wouldn’t lock due to the door not being properly aligned, tiny pillows, and the breakfast.

You get a free breakfast at this hotel, but it isn’t very good.  Everything is prepackaged and then heated up which is what you would expect at a hotel of this quality.  Actually based on how nice the inside of this hotel is and the dining area I expected more, but they do not have a proper kitchen area or connected restaurant so you get prepackaged food.  This might not be an issue, but I swear the potatoes were freezer burned last time we ate there.

The bed is actually really nice, but then they give you a ton of tiny pillows.  Move your head to the side and boom you are on the bed and not the pillow.  It is pretty annoying.  The bathrooms are new and nice.

You do have access to WiFi and I believe it works fairly well.  They also have a pool.  The children running the halls seemed to be very happy about that.  There are stairs at the end of the halls or an elevator that you can take in the middle.

Overall it is an OK place to stay, but I suggest getting your breakfast somewhere else.  The price makes it a place worth staying in this area.  Plus on the other side of the interstate is a pretty decent Perkins chain restaurant where you can get your breakfast or a late meal.

Sylvan Lake Lodge

Sylvan Lake Lodge – 13389 US Hwy 16A, Custer, SD 57730

Stay in the Lodge or in one of their cabins just around the corner and you have a great place to start your trip around Sylvan Lake Sylvan Lake and up Harney Peak Harney Peak.  You can also take your chances through driving through Needles Highway, slow down and drive a smaller vehicle.

The front of Sylvan Lake Lodge

Here is their website.

Sylvan Lake Lodge Cabin, picnic table, and fire pit.

We stayed in one of the cabins.  Some cabins are bigger than others.  Ours had 2 beds and a bathroom.  The campfire outside was nice and the fireplace inside was fun to have in the room.  We found some flying insects in the room, but this is a park and bound to happen.

Sylvan Lake Lodge bed, fireplace, and appliances.

The cabins are a very short walk to the lodge and the restaurant.  We ate breakfast and one dinner at the lodge.  The lounge area is really nice.  We took our dinner on the outdoor patio.  There is an opening along the wall of the patio that you can take right off a ledge or down to the front of the building, I love South Dakota.  It is very tread at your own risk.

seating at Sylvan Lake Lodge

Breakfast the lodge can be a little slow, but the food is amazing:  pancakes, try the pancakes.  The bacon was pretty good too.  The restaurant is very high end for South Dakota.  Check out their menu.

This cost is high for South Dakota, but not super expensive.  Really the overall cost was rather reasonable.  Plus you are right there to start your trek up to Harney Peak or around Sylvan Lake.