We arrived early on a rainy day and were given a room quickly. The host was thoughtful and very accommodating. It's not fancy, but you can't beat the value. Each room has a notebook with information about things to do and includes hiking maps (you can get copies for yourself in the office).

The bedding was clean and the staff friendly enough. The hotel was a little tired needing a good amount of TLC. Pool shut. Breakfast below average.

What I liked...staff / owners were very pleasant and wi-fi capable What I disliked... 1. The view...I took the river side since the pics looked serene and pet free. The pics don't show that the view beyond the river is rte 3. 2. Dirty lodge &rooms!...I had to clean the bathroom before we could use it. The rugs are filthy, don't go stocking footed. Rooms smelled awful (mildew). 3. Decor...old furnishing from clothes storage, lamps, curtains (ridden with moth holes), tables, etc. 4. Decks are were to filthy to sit in chairs. They have lots of mildew issues on exterior of blg. 5. Two prong outlets in the bedroom area, bring an adapter if you use a laptop. No iron or ironing board 6. Pool...They never took the cover off the pool so you could use it, not that I would trust the cleanliness. 7. Location...If your looking for a classy place to eat you have to travel. Worst place too stay if your celebrating your anniversary. All the eateries are casual dress and not dressy nor romantic. 8. TV, very few channels to view. 9. The beds are very old, but they do put a foam type top to make it more comfortable. To get through the visit, I had to go buy room deororizers, sheets, adapters, flip flops to walk without shoes, iron and iron pad. To be fair, if the place was clean and didn't smell I would have given it a 3 star rating. I was very disappointed at the 4 & 5 star ratings that I based my decision on. They were not accurate. I don't mind the basics, but cleanliness is a must!

Hillwinds Lodge is a real find, friendly staff, picturesque location, clean and comfortable rooms, nice landscaping, and extremely relaxing. We would stay there again anytime we're in the area.

Regarding the one negative review above, speaking to the Lodge staff about the situation it sounds like an unfortunate but unavoidable situation they took care of quickly, so I hope the reviewer will consider writing a follow-up acknowledging the extenuating circumstances. I would say it definitely falls under the category of "stuff happens", and is no reflection on the general quality of the place overall.

In any case, great place and we highly recommend it.