Welcome to our Ely, Minnesota Resort. Here you can swim, boat, fish, and participate in hundreds of other activities. We offer Free Wi-Fi in the lodge, heated outdoor pool, camp fire rings, Finnish sauna and also we have RV sites for your convenience.
I am a retired Navy Veteran. My wife rolled a ATV June, 2016 and resulted in a Traumatic Brain Injury, (DAI). We stayed through Memorial day weekend for 3 nights and 4 days, I brought my own Hoyer lift and there was plenty of room in the cabin for maneuvering her wheel chair and lift. Everything was super clean, I needed a dock space to park my pontoon boat for my wife and they moved one of theirs for me. This place is top notch. I have ZERO help and am my wife's only caregiver. 4 years and not one day of respite. So this was heaven for me. Great stimulation for my wife also.
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Date of stay: May 2020
Location
Service
Room Tip:This is a resort...not a hotel.....cabins are great.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Veterans on the Lake Resort is completely designed for people with disabilities. It sits on Fall Lake just outside Ely, MN. I am a C-5 C-6 quadriplegic bilateral amputee. I live in a power chair, and do not transfer. I have been going to Veterans on the Lake Resort since 2003. This place has it all for a person who is disabled and for the person who is not, the serenity and activities are just beyond compare. The cabins have ramps to the door, roll in showers, wide doorways, and adjustable beds. The docks are all accessible and they even have a ramp to get onto the pontoon boats. If you don’t want to go out on the boats and you just want to sit on the edge of the water, there is a massive accessible floating deck that extends out over the lake. The staff there and their board of directors, main goal is to make the experience of being in nature, the absolute best for a person who is handicapped. In the last four years in particular, they've had a new General Manager and several new board members who work very well together. I can say that because I can see the changes in the place in just the last four years. They've completely rebuilt cabins, the dining hall, put in new smooth roads, a new dock, and gutted and redesigned several of the old cabins. The lake itself is 5 miles long by approximately a mile wide, its deepest point is 32 feet. If you’re a fisherman, you can catch Walleye, Northern Pike, Bass, Perch, and Bluegill. If you’re not a fishing person and wanted to tour the lake, there are, several small islands on it, a waterfall, and it’s on the boundary waters of Canada. You will also see eagles, loons, and maybe even deer. If you love boating, fishing, camping, or just plain love nature, this place is for you. You will not find another place like Veterans on the Lake Resort.
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Date of stay: August 2024
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Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:Quality place to stay at a reasonable price. If you're a nature lover, you can't find a better...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
One of the better resorts we have been too! Very accommodating. Very reasonably priced. Great fishing boats and nice pontoons. The new RV shower and bathroom is beautiful. The sauna is lit whenever you want and someone is always around to do it. I even got to bring my dog for only $15 a day! They sell bait on site and have life jackets to use. Kayaks and canoes are available to use also. Swimming beach is nice. Golf cart rentals are reasonable and they have really nice carts. They have a stocked gift shop. You can get pizzas delivered to your cabin or RV site and buy all your plastics pops and waters to take fishing into the boundary waters. We will definitely be making this a yearly trip! The amount of work that has gone into this resort since last time we stayed is incredible!
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Date of stay: August 2024
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:New adjustable beds in the cabins were very comfy!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Every Memorial Week I take my handicapped wife up to VOTL Resort. With high water up North this year I phoned ahead to make sure they were open and able to launch and dock my pontoon boat which is set up for my wife’s wheel chair. I was told yes everything is ready for us. 3 hour drive up and the first problem was the road in was dug up…road construction being done and cabin door was left wide open letting every June bug, mosquitoes, flies in. Next I got stuck trying to park the pontoon boat in a mud hole as directed by the manager. Finally got the van out and boat now was blasted with mud! 7:00:in the morning we were awoken to all the road construction outside of the cabin. I couldn’t get out to get groceries nor even get to the pontoon boat. We eventually left a day early…I spoke with the managers about not being able to even get the boat in the water…none of the docks were even out yet…so even if I did get the pontoon in there was no way to get my wife to the boat as the road was all tore up. What I feel is we should of been reimbursed at least 1/2 of our money “or” a couple night complimentary stay to make up for it. The sad part is we are senior citizens and I am Retired Military. To be lied to and treated this way is heart breaking. Also I am a member of our local VFW and we have held fund raises for the VOTL Resort and personally drove up to Ely donating the funds to them. I don’t know who owns it or I would try to get in touch with them….Very-Very 😢 Sad.
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Date of stay: June 2022
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Room Tip:There are many other resorts in the area that will be run on honesty…and probably treat Veterans...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We go there as a small family reunion. Our children, some siblings and even our grandchildren come to the 3 cabins we have rented for the last 4 years. The facilities are older but they are being upgraded or replaced. At least one new cabin was built in the last year. Only downside was that the pool was closed to some mechanical difficulty but we worked around that. A new fishing/relaxation pier was added during the past year. We used a pontoon boat for our stay. For this disabled vet, it worked great. A golf cart got me around the resort. I suppose the best endorsement I can give is that each year, we take a vote to see if we want to return. Each year, it is unanimous to return.
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Date of stay: July 2024
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Reserve early.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We just got back from sending a week at Veterans on the Lake. What a great find! We stayed in cabin 19. It's a 3br. The cabins are clean and have incredible views. The staff are very accommodating and friendly. The office hours are shorter that other resorts we've been to but it worked out ok. There is a pool and beach which is great. About 5 mimutes from Ely.
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Came to Ely for a college visit for my son at Vermillion College there. Just wanted two nights clean, comfortable lodging, nothing fancy. Well, nothing fancy was what we got. For $154/night it was not a quaint cabin on the lake as described in the literature, but a concrete block nightmare that reeked of PineSol. The AC was a tine window unit in what barely passed for a kitchenette. It could not even keep that room cool, let alone the rest of the place.
It took 10 minutes to find someone to check us in, and when she finally came to the bunker that passes for the office, she smelled so strongly of cigarette smoke my son was nealry nauseated.
After about 10 minutes in the place I began to have breathing problems. My throat was closing up and I began to cough. We left the "cabin" and went into Ely and found a beautiful room at the Grand Ely Lodge for only $20 more per night. We went back to Veterans and checked out as fast as we could. It took another hour before I could breath normally again.
Stay Away!!!!!!
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Date of stay: July 2012Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from VOTLR, Manager at Veterans On The Lake Resort
Responded Aug 3, 2012
First of all, we sincerely apologize for this guests breathing issues. Our housekeeping crew had just finished cleaning that cabin only minutes earlier. Our cabins, which date back to before the founding of Veterans on the Lake, are old. As a non-profit, we do our best to improve and upgrade this resort as funding becomes available. We were recently able to replace the air conditioner in this cabin with a new, more efficient model. It is highly unusual for our office personnel to be absent from the lodge office when a guest is checking in. They are allowed periodic breaks where they may choose to go outside and have a cigarette. We understand some people are highly sensitive to any smoke odors and we do apologize.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
VOTLR was a delightful surprise! We stayed in a one bedroom cabin with a lovely view of Fall Lake. The resort is approximately 5 miles east of Ely, MN on the Fernberg Rd., so accessiblity to the stores, shops, and restaurants in town is very easy - directly off the highway, no long dirt road to navigate to get to your cabin on the lake!
The cabin had log walls and ceiling, a small yet completely functional kitchen with all utensils and dishes provided, a shower-only bath, and a double-size bed. It was very clean! There were dish rags and bedding provided, but you need to bring your own bath towels and wash clothes, as well as any additional pillows (2 on the bed).
We stayed in Cabin #30 which is a tri-plex, 2 bedroom cabins on each side, all under one roof. We had quiet neighbors, but you could still hear the shower and the toilet flushing. Realistically, we were only in our cabin to sleep and eat breakfast - otherwise we were enjoying all the naterual beauty Ely has to offer!
The resort has a heated pool, kids' playground, basketball courts, as well as very nice paved walking trails through the resort. A boat comes with each cabin rental (no motor, but can be rented) and also has other boats for rent (pontoons). For winter months, if you enjoy snowmobiling or cross country skiing, it has direct access to one of the many trails in the area. Also, good to know, you do not need to be a veteran of our military to stay here - you just need to have a vet in your family.
Lastly, the staff was very friendly and show great pride in their resort. This is an older resort that requires a lot of TLC, but the staff obviously care for the buildings and the grounds in a meticulous manner.
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Date of stay: August 2011
Value
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Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Just returned from my 3rd stay at the VOTL Resort. Once again a great time was had by all. I feel compelled to note a few things before I get into the review. This resort caters to veterans and disabled veterans & civilians. They are not supported by the government or any subsidy program, so their nonprofit organization is funded by donations and the reasonable rental fees. The grounds are mostly wheelchair accessible and a Hoyer lift can be made available. They also offer a meal plan if you need it. Those things give this resort a special place in my heart.
I struggle with reviewing facilities such as these because, it is true, the cabins and facilities are in need of some TLC but they are clean and cared for the best they can with the resources they have. The furnishings might not be matching or may be outdated, the docks a little rickety or the screen door on the fish cleaning house may be dilapidated, but the staff are so friendly and helpful and we just love the "feel" of the resort.
First, let me say I think the one place the resort fails is with their website. It is very difficult to navigate and to find even simple things like availability, accomodations each cabin offers, photos, etc. For example, you have to go into the booking engine to see pics of the cabins which was very odd to me, and I don't even know that I ever saw a picture of the pool. I think if they had more picture showing the facility, cabins, & grounds, people would understand these are not first class accommodations. If you know the condition of the resort going into it, you will have the appropriate expectations and likely enjoy your stay.
We stayed in the Rock house. It is larger cabin w/ 4 bedrooms upstairs and one very small one downstairs. There was plenty of kitchen & dining space, living room a little small but not bad & plenty of room down stairs. The downstairs could definitely be better set up though with a couch and chairs (like it was last time we were there) versus the two small dinette sets this time. The pool was nice, clean & warm. The only down fall was they didn’t have any chairs or tables around the pool. Again everything costs money. The tennis court is in very rough shape, more for just batting the ball back & forth. Same with the shuffleboard court. Disks are broke and the plastic heads on the cues are very worn down. On a plus note, the boat launch is nice and they have two new playgrounds with new equipment. And for us, the outdoor pool was priceless! Not many resorts of this type in this area have pools so we really enjoy that part. They do have a few items for sale in the lobby but town is not far away if you forget something.
As I mentioned, this was our 3rd stay, so we knew what to expect. We had 3 generations, grandparents, parents and grandkids and everyone enjoyed themselves. So, all that being said, I will say our stay and experience was 5 star but the condition of the resort is more 3 star.
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Date of stay: June 2013
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:In case you didn't see it on the website, please note there are 5 bedrooms BUT 4 of them have...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I booked a studio cabin (their least expensive one) for a 70+ veteran - 25 years in the air force. Due to very, very unforeseen circumstances I needed to cancel less than 48 hours later. The reservation was 6 weeks out. Even given the situation they charged the $50.00 cancellation fee. It makes me wonder if this is similar to other rip offs for veterans I am hearing about on TV. My suggestion is to stay away from this.
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Date of stay: July 2012Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from VOTLR, Manager at Veterans On The Lake Resort
Responded Aug 3, 2012
We are sympathetic to personal issues which do come up, however our refund policy is clearly stated on our literature and website. Also, we always offer our cancelling guests the the option of re-scheduling at a future time, thereby retaining all of their deposit dollars.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
There are more places to choose from in the Ely area.
LOCATION
United StatesMinnesotaEly
NUMBER OF ROOMS
26
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