Get a map of Arizona and look for the middle. Go couple clicks to your right and a small town east of Payson called Forest Lakes Estates exists. I believe this is the highest elevated town in Arizona and it frigging snows here. Who would think 1-2 hours from Phoenix and snow in October? I mean, just one hour north of Hwy 17 is snow, but in October? It didn't just snow, i got stuck in a damn blizzard. The only time I remember a more fearful snow moment was 17 years ago at Mt. Ranier where we got hit by heavy powder at baseline and forfeited our trekking adventure. The difference is I was healthy and young. Now im sick and old. Anyhow, I pulled over to the first moment i saw lights. Traveling at 5-10mph, it felt like five hours have gone by. Cars started piling up here and finally a nice gent from Tejas opened up for us. I got a warm room, a nice hot shower and limited wifi for $70-75. The night's rest was comforting considering I pre-planned roughing it. someplace between Petrfied and Gallup, NM The lodge itself was ok. The exterior is prettier than the interior. They provided hot warer, coffee, and sugar snacks in the morning. Nothing else was open for breakfast so the sugar helped until I reached civilization to eat real food. The bed was comfy enough for me to sleep past 7-8am. Clean enough to walk around barefoot. And the tv works. The first time i had to shovel off snow and a bit of the driveway to leave. Thank you forest lakes lodge for leaving the light on. read more

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Read this before you book this hotel. There is no air conditioner in the room. The 2nd floor squeaks as you walk. I felt sorry for guests below us but we could not be trapped on our bed. read more

Totally Disgusting. This was the filthiest place I have ever stayed in the US or abroad. I don't think they EVER clean. This is a wet paper towel wiped on a 2x2 foot area of linoleum floor in front of the bathroom. This place should be condemned. In response to management comment: I appreciate the willingness to respond to customer dissatisfaction. You were also a pleasant fellow. HOWEVER, the lack of cleaning wasn't isolated to one room. We had two rooms, and both were filthy. Things looked just like the photos in Jacob C's review from several years ago, which means after the reviews and comments, nothing has changed. THE FOLLOWING ISSUES ARE FOR BOTH ROOMS. Rooms smelled like urine. Edges of carpet had dirt, dead bugs, and lint accumulation. No hard furniture surface was clean, and a wipe with a wet paper towel came back dirty. Microwave had a greasy top and dirty counter area with food crumbs and grease. Inside of refrigerator poorly wiped down, with hair, food crumbs, and grease present. Linoleum floor - well, my photo sums that up, and the entryway linoleum was dirty too, never mopped. Bathroom had been sprayed with disinfectant and wiped with a towel. There was a greasy yellow film on the toilet and sink from the disinfectant that had to be wiped off with a towel. The sink and showers drained poorly, and its not nice standing in 4 inch deep water for your shower. My bathroom had black streaks of what appeared to be mold on the walls. Overall, 1 to 2 hours of deep cleaning per room, and proper maintenance could help turn things around. Sadly, given the several year history of posts about being filthy, I doubt anything will change. To top it off, the beds were very old, completely worn out, and sank deeply in the center, probably 8 to 10 inches, and were uncomfortable. read more

Forest Lakes Lodge - Wiped 2 sft area of the floor. Disgusting. - Hotels Near Me - Forest Lakes Estates, Arizona

This place is even worse than the prior bad reviews. Zero stars would be my choice if it was possible. Literally someone else's garbage underneath the sheets from a previous stay. A cough drop wrapper, and sinus medication. Now my boyfriend and I are stuck looking for lodging little bit of the night when nothing is open , while we don't wanna touch anything in the dang room. Do not waste your time.! read more

Forest Lakes Lodge - Someone else's crap which means they didn't even change the sheets - Hotels Near Me - Forest Lakes Estates, Arizona

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Room infested with bugs, towels and wash cloths were stained brown and Way over priced for the quality of the room. I felt like I was in a time warp back to the 1970's especially since there were only 3 or 4 working channels. P.S. I get and completely understand it's in the woods, and yea most who stay there are to hike, fish or even hike, but seriously if I wanted camping accommodations I would have went camping.....just saying read more

My son and I were traveling and had car issues. Triple A picked up my car and we decided to stay here. The room was clean and we enjoyed the quiet. The weather was so nice that we could open our door and enjoy. Garry the owner was really so nice and my son and I enjoyed our conversation with him in his background and the love he had for the area. It was really quaint and affordable. There is a general store across the street within walking distance which is nice. This is the only motel within several miles, so we were so grateful to have the comfort of just having this blessing as our car was being fixed. read more

Shame on me for not reading reviews... STAY AWAY!!! This is one of the most disgusting places I've ever seen I don't know how they have a business license or are allowed to operate. The rooms appear not to have been cleaned in a long time. The filth, dust and who knows what in this room is scary. Pictures speak a thousand words, you be the judge. Taken Sept. 2018 read more

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This place is defiantly for hunters so during my review, keep in mind we are 2 girls from Orange County California who came to explore nature. Gary at the front was super amazing. He let us check in early since we drove all night to get here. We checked it probably around 11am. We went to our room & it had a cozy home-like feel to it. There was a flat screen tv, 2 beds, a comfy lazy boy, a table with chairs, a mini fridge, & a microwave. The room was nice & warm. The heater was our best friend lemme tell you that. The place was pretty clean. The staff were so sweet too. We came the day after thanksgiving & they offered us free thanksgiving dinner with turkey & corn casserole & stuffing. Delicious! Over all I give this place a 4 out of 5 stars. The only reason I wouldn't give it a 5 star is because we asked if we could stay a little longer because we slept late. Then at 11:30am they flashed the lights & then cut our power in our room to get us to leave. I just thought that was a little bit rude. But overall, great place to stay. $85.00 a night after tax. read more

Forest Lakes Lodge - Hotels Near Me - Forest Lakes Estates, Arizona

I stayed here this past weekend. I was worried about the bedbug reviews but didn't see any. The office staff was nice. I think the room was over-priced. We paid for the convenience of staying close to the rim lakes and next to a restaurant. The room itself for the most part was clean, but I did notice a dead bug in a corner and the back side of the shower curtain was covered with what looked like red algae. The beds were not comfortable and the pillows were so light that I had to double over and stack two high to sleep. Furniture outdated and worn. Bed comforter was stained. Toiled handle had to be held down to flush. Solid waste took three flushes to clear. The wi-fi worked well. The outside was grubby and says "I don't care". There were weeds growing all over the place in the decorative rocks out front of the lodge. The manager should spend $10 at WalMart for a bottle of weed killer and take care of the issue in 30 minutes. Someone had broken a statue or something ceramic by the office front door. The broken pieces stayed there the whole time of our visit. No excuse for the sloppiness. The American flag on the restaurant side of the parking lot was twisted and tattered. C'mon guys...pay attention! Nothing growing in the planter boxes. Parking lot was a mess with dirt and pavement. Most of the problems I noted can be fixed with minimal effort. Someone needs to make that effort when charging $90 per night for a room. I was disappointed with the laziness and sloppiness and likely won't stay here again. If Garry the manager responds to this, I hope he takes the criticism as constructive. Garry, you should do better. read more

Nice little get away! Reasonable prices and beautiful area!!! It's not a brand new hotel, it's been here for years. It is ALWAYS CLEAN, and believe me stayed in almost every room they have. I read the reviews below, we have been here all of this week...... there are NO BUGS! They clean everyday I've watched them do it! We will always come back here and enjoy the area! read more

Great place to stay between Phoenix and Albuquerque This place is about 7 hours from Albuquerque and the perfect rest stop for us when travelling to see family in Scottsdale. This is exactly what we needed with our three kids. The scenery is beautiful and I plan to come back here with my boys in the Spring sometime because it is the perfect spot to stay for fishing and hunting trips. read more

Very disappointed, it's a nice cozy place and the lobby staff was friendly but unfortunately we had to hurry up and get out of there due to BED BUGS!! It was gross!! the employee did offer us a free night and another room but I couldn't stay there again and will not be coming back it's sad seemed like a nice place but it's just gross read more

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My husband and I stayed in #7. It defiantly needs the carpet cleaned, has a REALLY sticky spot between the the refrigerator and bed. I think someone spilled something! I wore socks after stepping in that and the bottom of my socks were black. There was mud on the shower curtain and the bottom of the tub floor is black. The microwave was greasy and dusty on top. I did not use it, so did't open it. the fan only worked on high and was too loud to sleep with it on. The mattress was not comfortable at all and the pillows are flat as pancakes. The best part is the shower, pressure is fantastic and water is hot. We could have tolerated all of this because of the location and convenience, but the musty horrible smell of the room was more than I could take. I'm almost positive is was dirty carpet. Yes I know the place is old, but come on at least clean the carpet or replace with a hard surface knowing mud and snow are always going to be present. read more

Please review this Yelp Review in its entirety. *** *** *** I'm reviewing this as a 5 out of 5 stars, because I can do what I want with my reviews and how I rate them . There are a few things that I list below from my point of view, that you will want to read if you care about the stay. Please let me know if you find this review helpful. Cost: Overall rating 2/5 - Our Rate was $92 for two people on a Saturday night. Location must be everything for those who want a roof over their heads in the middle of the woods. I believe the price is $20 too high. But the demand was there as the parking lot was packed and there wasn't a king size bed available for my wife and I. Condition: Overall rating 2/5 - I thought about this rating for a while. I was leaning on a 3/5, however, the overall condition, few dead bugs we found and a couple dirty linens made me decide on a overall 2. There is a desperate need of renovation for the rooms. The entire room has a retro 1970's feel, because it hasn't been updated since then (other than the TV and maybe the carpet) the bed springs will make it slight uncomfortable. We also stayed when the temp was 87 degrees and the 20" oscillating fan didn't do the trick (no AC unit). Overview: When you're in the middle of the woods and need a quick place to stay or if you got drawn for a tag to go hunt, without a trailer, this place is ideal. We slept on the 2nd floor, window open and sweated the entire night. Overall, the staff was friendly. We didn't go to the free continental breakfast. This lodge needs a renovation, badly. The price was a little too high, there were questions like: How many adults, kids and pets? It seems like the rate may be different if you have additional adults, kids or pets but don't quote me on it. If your stuck in a jam, fee free to stay here. If not, there are other hotels about 20-25 away. You can't go wrong with this location as you're in the woods! Bar/restaurant next door incase if you need something to eat. I hope you enjoyed the review! read more

We have stayed at the lodge a few times and sometimes with a group taking several rooms..the place is reminiscent of a 1960's motor lodge but it has always been clean...The guy that runs it is very kind...the office smells of cigarettes but who cares I don't sleep in the office. I think it is a great place to get out of the heat for a night or two especially if you don't want to tent it. Next door is Buglers which is a great place to eat and you are only 5 miles to Willow Springs lake or close to many of the area lakes. We parked our SUV with the kayaks and trailer on the back and had no issues. We will definitely return whenever possible read more

We were here on Thursday the 16th n 17th of June 2020. We stayed in room 3. As we walked in there was dirt on the entry floor n spiders behind the door! The first thing I cked was the Bed no Bed bugs but dead bugs in the bath room corner! There was a layer of dust around the edge of the carpet that was at least a year old as I cleaned houses for a living just a few years ago! There was visible dirt on the carpet everywhere no dusting had been done! The tub/shower looked like someone had run around in the mud and stromped all over the bottom! Not clean and shower curtain was dirty n 10 years old! There was soiled dirt along bottom n visible dirt on outside! We had to get a vacume from the office n go to the little store n get cleaners! We spent the first 40 mins to get it acceptable! Why did we stay... it is the only Hotel near camping to be close to our family! No Air conditioning and u get pretty uncomfortable on a very old bed with plastic covers on it! I also found a black hair on the sheets! We left after cking out and came back in 8 mins as I had left my charger! They had already cleaned the room! How is that possible and disinfected a room during this covid scare? We will never stay there Again!!! We stayed there so we could be away from the dirt not sleep with it! read more

At $78 it was a bit overpriced for what you got. My biggest complaint is that there were dozens of long black hairs on the bathroom floor. Clearly this floor was not cleaned. Even if it was spot cleaned, I do not know how you could have missed this. Made me feel like the rest of the room was not cleaned adequately. Room was very sparse and badly in need of updating. I have stayed at Motel 6's that cost less and were better rooms. read more

We love coming here. It's a nice getaway and Gary is very accommodating. The price is good and it's close to many lakes and hiking spots. We have been here many times throughout the last few years and always enjoy our stay. read more

Had a chance to get out of the East Valley and head up to the Mogollon Rim area of AZ. The drive up (and back) is one of the most beautiful drives around. Forest Lakes Lodge is only about a 30 minute drive east of Payson and sits at 7700 feet elevation. You want to see snow in AZ, this is the place to do it! I grew up in Minnesota and there is nowhere else in AZ that feels like Northern MN with the huge pine trees, lakes and cooler weather. The Forest Lakes Lodge is a great place for a weekend escape from the oppressive heat in the valley during the summer or a place to go see the snow in the winter. You want to go hiking or hit the Jeep and Side x Side trails, there are trails everywhere! You want to fish or hunt, look no further, the Lodge is the place to stay. Garry & Kayla are the managers that live on site and they are truly the best hosts!!! They know this area well and are awesome ambassador's for this town. For a quick get-a-way from the valley or for travelers looking for a nice place to stay for a night or weekend trip to the mountains within a short drive of Phoenix, look no further, give Garry or Kayla a call and book your reservation. Can't wait to go back up and fish this summer!!! read more

Staff was friendly and the motel is close to ATV trails and fishing. However, we experienced bed bugs on our stay.

Forest Lakes Lodge is top notch... I know from first hand experience. jTwice. Once when my house flooded I was displaced for 6 weeks and then again when my house caught fire a few years back and I was displaced from my home for almost 6 months then ....the only place to go was the Forest Lakes Lodge. I was raised up here in Forest Lakes and have know the owner for most all my life and when I moved back up here 8 years ago, meet the manager, Garry. Let me say, Garry and Kayla are the best...they welcome you as family and treat you as such. They both bent over backwards to say the very least to make me feel welcomed and loved. Even cooked meals for me, invited me to have meals with their family and left treats in my room upon my return from work each night. They truly made a bad experience more tolerable. The lodge is up for sale now, I can only hope if it does sell, the new owners keep Garry and Kayla on staff to run the place...they truly make the lodge what it is today....home. Love the FOREST LAKES LODGE - Garry and Kayla!!! Fan for life. read more