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Northern Lights Lodge – reviews, photos

9089 Highway 21, Ely, MN 55731
Hotel amenities
Northern Lights Lodge
Ranked #1 of 7 hotels in Ely
4.5 of 5 stars 25 Reviews
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25 reviews from our community

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Davidsonville, Maryland
Senior Contributor
21 reviews 21 reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
“The perfect place for an escape!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 February 2011

Found Northern Lights Lodge as a last minute escape. Was hoping things would be as good as the seemed on their web site... turns out it was better than I could have imagined. Lots of open space, Beautiful scenery, friendly owners who made sure everything was right. We didn't rent a full cabin but instead chose one of their suites. Again, very nice and almost as good as staying in a cabin. Thanks Marie for getting us on the dog sled ride too!

  • Stayed February 2011, travelled with friends
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask lf479 about Northern Lights Lodge
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
A TripAdvisor Member, Owner at Northern Lights Lodge, responded to this review
26 April 2011
Thank you so much for your Northern Lights Lodge feedback. We are so glad that you enjoyed your stay with us and it was a pleasure having you here with us. We'll see you this fall for the Harvest Moon Festival!

Marie
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Midwest
1 review
“Awesome!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 November 2010

We stayed in cabins 11 and 12 in June of this year for a family reunion. We had 11 people total and were very comfortable in the cabins. The location is beautiful, cabins were very nice, lake was gorgeous. We were too early in the year for swimming but went out on the lake in the motorboat and kayaks. We also took a guided fishing trip arranged with a guide. Marie was wonderful and very accommodating. She really went out of her way to help us in any way she could, from answering numerous questions by email before the trip, letting us adjust our stay by a day when we made a mistake in booking, letting a few in our group use the lobby for a business teleconference one morning during our stay, and having a slightly late checkout our last day.
The price was very reasonable, it was one of the only places I found that would let us book for less than a week, and it turned out better than we could have hoped!
I would definitely stay here again.

  • Stayed June 2010, travelled with family
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask hjkl12 about Northern Lights Lodge
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
A TripAdvisor Member, Owner at Northern Lights Lodge, responded to this review
26 April 2011
Thank you so much for your Northern Lights Lodge feedback. We are so glad that you enjoyed your stay with us and it was a pleasure having you here with us. We hope to see you again this summer!

Marie
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Midwest, USA
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
“What a delightful resort! We stayed with...”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 October 2010 via mobile
1
person found this review helpful

What a delightful resort! We stayed with our two children and had a fantastic week. The resort is set on a beautiful lake, is very well equipped, and is a good value. Perhaps the highlight of our stay was the three amazing doggies, Pepper, the gentle giant, Goldy, the aging sweetie pie, and the divine Daisy, who is both the kindest and smartest dog you'll ever meet. The kids had an absolute blast! Great stay all around!

  • Stayed October 2010
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask parisusaparis about Northern Lights Lodge
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
A TripAdvisor Member, Owner at Northern Lights Lodge, responded to this review
26 April 2011
Thank you so much for your Northern Lights Lodge feedback. We are so glad that you enjoyed your stay with us and it was a pleasure having you here with us. Pepper and Daisy definitely had a blast with the family. We'd love to have you stay with us again.

Marie
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Minneapolis, Minnesota
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Recommended!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 June 2010
1
person found this review helpful

We were a group of 5 grad students from U of M, Minneapolis, looking for a weekend getaway after a hectic Spring semester. We spent 2 nights at Norther Lights and it was an awesome experience. Our cabin was very spacious with all required amenities and the sauna was a blessing after swimming in the cold lake.
The lodge has Canoeing/Kayaking options and we got a small training on how to use before we were let free... :-).
We enjoyed our stay very much and recommend this to anyone looking for a quite and comfortable stay in the BWCA wilderness.

  • Stayed May 2010, travelled with friends
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask VineethMekkat about Northern Lights Lodge
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
A TripAdvisor Member, Owner at Northern Lights Lodge, responded to this review
26 April 2011
Thank you so much for your Northern Lights Lodge feedback and thanks for sharing the absolutely amazing photo from the beach! We are so glad that you enjoyed your stay with us and it was my privilege to be able to get you out on the lake and kayaking for the first time!

Marie
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Brunswick
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Great time GREAT PLACE!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 June 2010
1
person found this review helpful

This was our first time at Northern Lights Lodge. We stayed June 1-5, 2010. This place was beyond what I expected. As soon as you step out of your vehicle you smell pine trees. We stayed in Cabin 4. It was spotless and smelled like cedar the minute we walked in. I loved the knotty pine walls and nice furnishings and decor. There was plenty of room for my husband and I, two teenage boys and a teen girl. I didn't realize until I got back home that not once did I think of my bed at home OR the TV or radio! We had a radio/CD player but we never thought to turn it on. The sounds there are so peaceful and beautiful! You are surrounded by pine and birch trees and hear loons call, song birds, ducks, etc. If we were in the cabin we would open a few windows just to listen to the outdoors. We even spotted a small black bear dart off into the trees. Don't worry, it is rare that you see a bear there , no bother ever with bears around the cabin or garbage cans or anything like that, so don't be scared off by that! DO go to the North American Bear Center in Ely, MN just 10 miles down the road. You will understand them better and not be afraid!! We did not get to see a moose but heard wolves way off in the distance one night for a short time.

The kitchen had everything we needed and such nice pots, pans, dishes, and glasses! The shower kept up with us just fine. Once we were doing dishes and had 3 people shower, and never ran out of hot water.

The cabins are placed just right. Not secluded but not too close. The neighbors we met were all so friendly and had all been there before. That tells you that it is a great place to stay and have fun at. We went out with a guide the first morning then fished on our own catching a pike, sm mouth bass, lg mouth bass, rock bass, blue gill/pumpkin seeds. There is a nice playground area with a swing, 2 hammocks, sand box with toys, adorable wood playhouse and table and chairs, a great fire pit area with 4 nice wood benches all around it, and although they have volleyball, bad mitten, ping pong,etc. available, it is not a huge busy area. There is something for all ages there! There was an adirondack chair on the marina dock so I could read a book and wait for the family to come back in from early morning fishing or just sit and listen to all the sounds in the evening. There was a great little fire pit with 2 wooden benches down by the waters edge. That was our favorite spot to be with a fire going between 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. The different sounds of the loons are incredible, fish jumping, bull frogs croaking, etc.!

Their dogs Daisy the yellow lab, and Pepper the great dane were the NICEST dogs I have ever been around! We all loved playing with them and just hanging out together! They will play catch/fetch with balls and frisbees and then just nap by you if you like. We even went to the lodge once and asked if Daisy could come out and play!

Marie was a wonderful host and was there if we ever needed anything or had a question, very nice.

I can't wait to go back and hope to see the fall colors this time!

  • Stayed June 2010, travelled with family
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Additional Information about Northern Lights Lodge

9089 Highway 21, Ely, MN 55731
Price range (per night):* INR4,697 - 18,174

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