We sadly just left June Lake, one of our favorite spots to go and relax in nature and go get our fishing itch met.
June Lake Pines has been a steady place for our family and two dogs :) to get some R&R. We've been here a few times and here is my assessment:
Pros:
1. Owners are stellar, professional, conscientious, considerate people--they take care of you and your group's needs. Never had to ask for fresh linens or toilet paper. They were just automatically placed in our rooms or given to us before we left to go on our fishing outings. Never once got that uneasy feeling like they would steal while we were away.
Amanda also made sure to call me the day of our arrival to let me know my keys were available and door was opened because we were arriving later than expected and they we're not going to be available to give us our key by the time we arrived.
2. Reasonably priced. Considering we booked literally the day before we got there. Price wasn't hiked up because it was their last accommodation so still reasonably priced.
3. Rustic and cozy atmosphere.
4. Free wifi, full sized fridge, microwave, two full kitchen sinks, full stove.
5. Fish cleaning station and laundry facilities on site.
6. Great location--literally across street from the June Lake general store, candy/ice cream store, short walking distance to all the restaurants.
7. They provided a roll-away bed for us. It was already in one of the rooms when we got there.
8. Room #8 was great for cool breeze ventilation during the evening and night!
Cons:
1. I read some of the reviews and noticed that people mentioned upgrades to the rooms. Maybe it was our room (#8) but it didn't seem upgraded?....The bathroom floor was buckling and rising near the door (water damage perhaps? I could hear the water pipe dripping in the wall next to the sink) so it made it difficult to shut the door because it kept getting caught on the rising floor.
2. The kitchen was pretty small even though it had everything to make a meal. There was almost no counter space to cut our food while prepping. Though it had a few dishes, a few cups, cookware, and knives, I highly recommend you bring additional kitchenware items of your own (cups, knives, pots, fry pans, eating utensils, etc).
Especially a big pot if you plan to make chili or soup because the kitchen didn't have one. Thankfully we brought ours from past experience.
3. The fridge hummed so loudly my husband had a hard time falling asleep. And he never has a hard time falling asleep anywhere.
4. Parking almost always threatened to be an issue. Very few spots. First come first served. If you came in late you had to park on the street and walk it up to your room.
5. The ceiling and walls were thin.
We could definitely hear the person walking above us and the people next door to us sounded like they were in our living room. It's ok I guess because our loud children probably woke them early in the am. It all evened out, lol ;)
FYI:
1. They charge a fee of $25/person for extra people if your party exceeds the expected number of people per cabin. I think that's unfortunate because having extra people made it more inconvenient for the space we had available to us: we got less space but had to pay more for our cabin. I get it because of extra linen laundry costs, toilet paper costs, electricity costs, etc.
2. Pet fee is reasonable too. $15 per pet, I believe. Just be a conscientious guest and bring a kennel for your dogs so they don't urinate all over the rooms from anxiety if you leave them in the room while you are away. And bring some linens for your dogs to cover the beds and couches if they will be sitting or sleeping on them with you. It's a common courtesy for everyone involved--owners and future guests :)
3. Though it was cozy, our 2 bedroom was a bit too cozy for 6: 4 adults and 2 small kids. The roll away was a full sized bed that took up half the living room. So plan early if you want sufficient room for your party. And the roll away bed wasn't the most comfortable thing to sleep on. If you need serious support for your back do not sleep on a roll away bed!
All in all we had a memorable stay here and we will be back sometime in September or October June Lake Pines!
Thanks for a great stay! Again! :) read more