Oh my goodness, what a pleasant surprise. After a two mile drive down a two lane forested road, you are greeted by cabins and a small motel. When you walk into the small office area, everything is still done by hand, from the reservations, the sign in on a small postcard and the handwritten receipt. The bookkeeping is also done on a large spreadsheet on the back wall of the office. You get two keys and don't even present a credit card until checkout. The rooms are spacious and sparking clean. Ours had two beds, and two chairs with end tables along with a sitting room with the MOST comfortable couch and throw pillows. There was no microwave or refrigerator or shampoo or blow dryer just like in the 50's but it's part of the experience. The ice machine was broken on our visit and the parking lot hasn't been repaved in a while but kind of adds to the charm. There were kids playing catch and riding bikes on the spacious grounds. A couple played tennis on the tennis court and there's a swimming pool in addition to the lake, even though it was closed for the season. The best part was sitting outside at the end of the day on the chairs and benches in front of your room listening to the bugs and birds and watching the squirrels scamper up the pines. The sun setting on the changing leaves in the forest was an extra bonus. It was a step back in time for the bargain price of $68 a night. The restaurant on the premises has really good food with out-of-this-world homemade pie. What's not to love about the whole experience? We'll be back!!
- Shangri La Mount Ida
- Mount Ida Shangri La
