After reading several reviews and finding out that winter guest pay thousands of dollars to visit here I expected first class top notch accommodations. This was not the case for my recent visit. There must be a great deal of variations in quality of accommodations from one cabin to the next and here's why. At check in during our overnight stay in early September, my wife and I were put in a cabin very near the front office. As it was a very warm day and I was surprised to find there was no air conditioning in the cabin . Some reviews talk about cabins having a/c but obviously not all. Due to the heat it would be necessary to open the windows to cool the cabin. For us this was not possible as one window was broken and would not stay open and the other had no screen. Also this cabin was very worn and furniture was battered, tables scratched and gouged, very dark and dreary. I spoke with Lyndsy at the front desk who was very understanding and moved us to a much nicer cabin, but still not one equipped like those described in other reviews. This cabin was larger and cleaner, much less worn but not luxurious . The bed was rock hard. My wife tuffed it out but I spent the night on the sofa which was much more comfortable than the bed. Again there was no a/c so the unit was hot. Opening the windows exposed us to the highway and train noise that continued all night. There are limited restaurant choices in this area. The hotel resturant was closed. The nicer resturant across the highway that gets good reviews......closed on Fridays and Saturdays ??? The grill just south of hotel was the only option and although not fancy did prepare a decent meal for dinner and breakfast. Over all I think I would leave this hotel to the winter guest who are more focused on skiing. My advice would be to route your trip so as to avoid staying overnight along this stretch of road. Staying in Kamloops, valemount or Jasper might be a better choice

We stayed 2 nights in one of the spacious luxury chalets. The beds were extremely comfortable and we were not bothered by the noise of the trains or the highway. We enjoyed the walk to the lake and the more adventurous went swimming. The chalet was well equipped though the kitchen was missing a cutting board. The first day we were there the weather was beautiful and it would have been nice to have been able to sit outside. We spent the evenings in front of the fire watching DVDs we had brought on the huge flat screen tv.

When we drove up to our chalet, my initial thought was that it was stunning. Then we opened the door and saw the open kitchen and sitting area in front of the full stone fireplace and thought "you've got to be kidding". As we found the double king beds and fell into them (incredibly comfortable) it was affirming that we'd had a great family vacation to the bc island; but to end with such a beautiful location in such a fabulous chalet - it couldn't have been better.

The location is perfect between Edmonton and nanaimo - almost exactly half way.
The accommodations are brilliant for a mountainous lodge and chalet ... For the people that have not liked this spot - are you kidding?? Best to stay in the concrete jungle and the four seasons.... This place was breathe-taking. Our family spent a couple hours after breakfast taking in the lake, walking and fishing and swimming- it was an absolute blast.
The staff were very friendly, the main lodge was warm and inviting ... Could almost manage living in blue river if it was at that chalet....

Very memorable, great value for the money, stunning locale and views and experiences.... One if not the highlights of our vacation. I would highly recommend this place for wary travellers.