Perfect getaway for the family. Must see property and simple access to the river. Will be back extremely soon. read more

Visited this property around December for a family trip around Christmas time. I didn't stay the night in the property but was visiting my family there the whole day. The photos on VRBO are very misleading and do not accurately reflect the property. For example, the hot tub isn't even in that location right by the house. It's off on the other end of the yard. There is an extra room add on, I don't even know what to call it because it was giving summer camp vibes? The 3 rooms in this area did not lock. The inside of the house was spacious but out dated and dirty. I laid my arm over the back of one of the couches only to be met with tons of spider webs in the couch! The fireplace was broken, the pool table was broken and the bbq outside didn't work either. The dining room with all the drawings all over featured male genitals as well as nazi symbols. Overall, this could be a beautiful property but it unfortunately is not maintained. read more

Arrogant owner whose ego allows him to take zero responsibility for the decline of his property; deceitful property pics; dishonest in his remarks/responses in an attempt to deflect attention from the disrepair of his property. Read the reviews. They're truth. Stay at your own risk. read more

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We went to this place for a Christmas weekend getaway booking many months in advance. Four days before our arrival there was severe flooding on the river and we contacted the owner to see if we were going to be able to get through as many roads in the area were closed. He told us we were not near the river, The house is right on the river, and it should be fine. I messaged him personally asking him about a couple things and he never told us any of the problems we would encounter when we arrived. This place was very expensive and even though it's very large it was not clean. it was in poor repair. I slept out in a room on the porch without any heat at all in December and with doors that did not lock that were open to the outside and anyone could have come in. The place was well stocked with dishes and pans and glassware but the overall condition of the house was very poor. We did stay. We paid several thousand dollars for 3 days so of course we would stay but I would not recommend it to anyone and we would never go back. We also lost power for about 8 hours being unable to cook or play games or watch TV. The owner did offer a couple hundred bucks for us to drive into town for dinner but why would we do that when the town could be out of power as well. Made no sense at all. My daughter tried unsuccessfully to get some consideration from Vrbo and they were not helpful at all and we will not use Vrbo again. Highly unrecommended in every aspect. The owner is rude and demeaning and impossible to work with. If I could I would get it give it a -5. read more

Fabulous house and location. This was our second time renting for our group of 10. Great spaces to gather and plenty of bedrooms/bathrooms to spread out. Owners are easy to work with and the property is very clear. read more

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My group has booked here for a good number of years, and it has always been an excellent experience. Facilities always top notch and clean. Some of us were a bit nostalgic for the historical graffiti which had been painted over, but do understand it was time to cover up and move on. The lodge looks great. Looking forward to next year! Lee Wagner read more

We are getting ready to head up for our 2nd Christmas at House on the River. I originally found the place as a possible wedding venue but we loved it so much we got our family on board for a full week of Christmas fun. Round two will be even better. My Highlights: -Great sized, spaced out bedrooms and bathrooms -Giant kitchen -Huge dining room -Plenty of seating in the living room -Washer and dryer -Hot tub -RV hookups (yes our family is too big for the giant lodge but it is still spacious enough in the common areas) -Furry family members welcomed (w/ deposit) -Fireplace -2 dishwashers -2 refrigerators read more

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Wedding Venue....I'd be very cautious selecting this place for a wedding or any other important get-together. In October 2020 my son and his fiance contacted the House on the River via their website inquiring about booking the venue for their wedding. The owner responded and after finding out what date they wanted, he stated they would have to book it right away as they were filling up. He sent them a copy of his contract for them to read over. The price of the venue was $5000.00. They decided right away they wanted to reserve it and contacted him to set it up. The owner asked that they meet him at Home Depot in Redding to pay the deposit ($2500.00) and sign the contract reserving the venue for 4/30/2021 - 5/2/2021. The owner stated the $2500.00 deposit be paid in cash. My son's fiance and her dad met with the owner and paid a $2500.00 deposit in cash. A short while later my son and his fiance were browsing the website again, checking out the photo gallery, and noticed the venue had increased in price from $5000.00 to $7500.00. They were happy to have booked their reservation before the price increase. They also noticed the venue was listed for sale. This concerned them a little in regards to what if the venue sells before their wedding? They were assured by their wedding planner that they had a signed contract and it would be upheld with the new owners if it were to sell before their reservation date. Excited to have a signed contract, they started contacting vendors for the wedding. They contacted their wedding planner, letting her know of the location for the wedding, and she proceeded to gather ideas for the planned venue location. They booked their honeymoon flights and hotels. They purchased and mailed out "save the date" cards with the announcement that the wedding would be in Lakehead (30-45 minutes from their hometown of Redding). They were excited and busy planning the wedding. Fast forward to 5 months later (2 months and 3 weeks BEFORE the wedding) they received a phone call from the owner stating he had to cancel their reservation/contract. He claimed he had just noticed he had double-booked for the same weekend. How do you go 5 months not noticing a double booking?? He stated he never noticed because the other reservation had the same names. WHAT?? My son's fiance was shocked, caught off guard, and didn't know what to say. The next week she contacted the owner via text and asked him to refund their $2500.00 cash deposit. The owner met with my son at his work on Feb. 17, 2021. The owner asked if it was ok to backdate the check for Dec. 27, 2020, for the cash deposit. My son said, "you do what you want to do". The owner stated he wanted to backdate the check so he could write it off his taxes. My son again said, "you do what you want to do". How do you write off a cash deposit that you had to refund?? Sounds pretty shady to me. My son and his fiance have all the texts and emails with dates and conversations. I would seriously recommend another venue for a wedding, reunion, etc. Canceling a signed contract 5 months after it is signed is not good business. Leaving them scrambling, trying to find another venue 2 months and 3 weeks before the wedding is awful. read more

Here is an update that is quite special. My 13 year old grandson brought his little pet 5-inch lizard with him in a portable "home." When we left to go home Maxie was missing. We looked everywhere and after 5 years of nurturing this pet our grandson had to leave without her So sad. We asked Craig, the owner, if he would keep an eye out for the pet when the house cleaner came in. The nice conclusion is that after a week we received a call from Craig that when a different cleaner entered the lodge she found the little lady in a cold corner of the lodge. She brought him to Craig who put her near the fireplace to warm up and called me. We arranged to have a pet retailer to work out the details to ship this little lady pet back up to Washington. Craig drove Maxie 35-plus miles to the shipping point. The shipping was made and my grandson received his pet back in a healthy condition. Talk about an owner-operator going the extra mlle! I get that some people may not get the point about a kid getting his pet back but at least understand how attentive and helpful the owner is in ALL of his customers needs. Way to go Craig. read more

We chose House on the River for our wedding venue and we couldn't have been happier. The lodge and property was perfect for our special day and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a laid back wedding venue. I loved the fact that there weren't any significant rules, curfews, corkage, or catering requirements which are all common in other venues. I got the feeling that this was "our" venue for the weekend and the fact that we could do our rehearsal, party, ceremony, and lodging for our bridal party at one place. Having the tables and chair included in the price saved us a significant amount of money as well which was nice. Craig was amazing and its obvious that he is continually upgrading his property to become more marketable. I do have to say that I feel he could use some more staff to assist him in his duties at the lodge. The kitchen was perfect for our rehearsal, the outdoor bar and grill area was a common place for us to hang out, and the surroundings were perfect. As far as the railroad tracks go, it was not an issue. Sure it gets loud for a bit but it goes away and it helps you focus back on how quiet it actually is. We had our wedding at 4:30 pm and had no trains the entire time. To sum it up, look at the pictures-it is not a place to have a wedding if you want lavish surroundings or the golf course feel. This is a perfect place for that country/outdoor type wedding and I don't think I would have wanted to go anywhere else. read more

Wow, wow, wow!!!! This was our best family vacation ever. No one was ready to go home and they're all still raving about the great time they had. It was a 5 bedroom lodge with plenty of room for our active noisy family of 18... there was space enough for everyone, great kitchen for creating meals and the long dining room table fit ALL of us. It felt very remote yet we were still able to run to the Marina or market for forgotten items. My 10 grandkids ages 4-19 enjoyed the hot tub, nearby swimming hole, s'mores at the fire pit, fishing, and picking blackberries to make homemade cobbler. Craig was an excellent host and answered all our questions not only during booking but during our stay. Because this is also a terrific venue for a wedding the huge lawn and marble stage with pillars was a perfect spot for our family talent show. I don't think we've laughed so much together in a long time. The kids tried archery, jewelry making, challenged the adults to a few games of pool,and were taught blackjack by their oldest cousin. Can't wait to return to House on the river! Ginny Ward read more

The house on the river was pretty good overall. But its a bit overmarketed by the owner. The house was pretty clearn, but could have been cleaner, in that there were a few cobwebs in places, and visible dust on ceiling fans. But most importantly, the owner forgot to mention that there are Union Pacific railroad tracks in between the house and the river. Now how in the world do you simply not tell people about that? It turned out that the preschool kids with our families loved the trains, but having multiple 50+ car freight trains pass through in the middle of the night isn't exactly something that foster a relaxing weekend in the mountains. If you don't believe me, check out the web site. You can tell there is something there in between the river and the house, but its not clear what it is. It could be a road. And if you aren't really paying attention, then you don't even realize it from the pic. Hey, if I'm crazy, let me know and I'll update this review. read more

My wife and I have stayed at House on the River a number of times over the years, with too many good memories to remember. The property is located with a beautiful view overlooking a bend in the Lower Sacramento River--one the finest blue ribbon trout streams in the state. If you're a fly-fisherman or an artificial lure fisherman you will have a good time. Wife, children, or significant other(s) don't fish? There is a lovely little sand beach on the river for your 'tadpoles" to splash in, or cool a tired older body, or, a nice glass of wine, or cool beer under the veranda is great place for an unplanned nap, or meditation. Situated just off Interstate 5 at the Delta exit there is quick (5 minutes) access to Lake Shasta and all it has to offer, or in the other direction you have the old town of Dunsmuir, or just above Mount Shasta for skiing, shopping, and/or eating. What keeps bringing us back? Great, large kitchen, enough to handle the biggest crowd. The dining room table can seat 18 hungry adults, and the kitchen has to equipment to make sure they are well fed. Next, in the great room you will find a restored, antique, full-sized pool table, an almost 8 foot projection TV screen, marble topped bar with kegerator, comfy seating, and a gorgeous stone-faced fireplace. The 2 master suites have private baths, plus there are 2 other bedrooms that share a bath. We have always found the accommodations clean when we arrived, and the premises well maintained. For me the most important thing is how I fell when I'm here. Sitting on the deck overlooking the river time seems to stand still or at least slowdown. I call my antidote to the 60 cycle hum. I stayed here with "captains of industry" and "regular Joes". To a person they looked younger when they left than when they arrived. I can't say how I've looked on departing, (can't trust my wife to give it to me straight!), but I know I'll be back. read more

I would go back again. Nice big grass area. Location is good, and is near a cool swimming hole. Kids had a lot of fun. The train was not a big deal. However, the over watering of the grass during the day caused water pressure issues. It was hard to get water in the lodge. Sinks and Toilet issue when no water pressure. read more

Great fishing, best swimming hole close by, large flat lawn for the kids and dogs to play. Owner is knowledgeable about the area for secret fishing holes. Extremely comfortable and large great room for big party, pool table, fireplace, huge TV and bar with beer on tap. Great place for a family reunion, wedding, whatever. The train is no big deal after a night of debauchery. Hot tub on deck helps you relax looking at river. Very restful. We had a blast. Been going for years. read more