Every year for Mother's Day (and we've been doing this for well over 10 years), my Mom likes to be joined by her 3 children and our father, at the Maumee Bay State Park Lodge for their Mother's Day Buffet. Over the years, the buffet has consistently gone down hill and yet, Mom likes being near the lake and the fact that afterward, we can go walk the boardwalk trails and see the wildlife. (this year: frogs, a muskrat, deer, an owl, and plenty of birds). We actually walk a little over 2 miles. Some years, it's been cold..some years it's warm, last year we were drenched by a sudden downpour. But, it comes down to our Mom asking just one thing for Mother's Day, and this is it...so we won't begrudge her this trip, though we have suggested other restaurants and other parks for the hike afterward. This year...well..even Mom said it's time to go somewhere else next year. Let me first say that I mistakenly typed up a lengthy review of the buffet and put it on the Maumee Bay page, only to find out that the Maumee Bay "page owner" will review my post before sharing. Um..it won't be seen, there's no doubt about that. But..let's just talk about it for a moment. I am not overly fussy...and I understand it's a state park and they probably hired the low bidder to run their kitchen. But, this is Birder Weeks out that way and there were tons of people..but you know what? They weren't in the restaurant. They were all over the lodge and grounds..but not in the restaurant. We used to have to wait, even with our reservations, back in the beginning. There would be lines of people in the buffet lines. And..the food was good. Now, it's just a disappointment. Starting off in the salad line, you're greeted by a stack of wet plates that are still warm from the dishwasher and some with food still on them. There used to be a large fresh fruit, cheese, and roasted and marinated vegetable area. The fruit tray has shrunk, as well as the cheese, and the roasted veggies are gone. Dinner rolls are down the table, but the delicious croissants are gone. There's "Cajun" shrimp in the shell..but I have no clue what makes it "Cajun" as there was no spice to it. The "Smoked" salmon, was definitely not smoked..and why accessorize with the capers, cream cheese, diced egg, chopped onions, etc..and not have the bagels that were always at this station? When you hit the hot food table..well..that's just a hoot. Two highlights, the baked cod and what appeared to be real mashed potatoes. There was a sign next to what appeared to be a steam table pan of some soup - looking entree and it said "turkey and dumplings". There was corn floating on top and as I dipped into it, I discovered some extremely small pieces of turkey and in place of dumplings, there was Italian gnocchi (a potato dumpling/pasta). Oddly, it looked better than the gravy to me, so I poured some over my potatoes. Another interesting dish was the "roasted carrots, with cranberries and almonds". Sounds interesting, doesn't it? But..what if the carrots were sliced super thin and cooked until crisp and then put into a dry pan with some cranberries and sliced almonds? Even a little seasoning could have helped..but it was unlike anything I have ever seen. There was a dish they called "Thai" noodles..that I didn't try, but was told it would offend anyone that has ever eaten Thai food as it was bland, flavorless and definitely not a true Thai recipe. A surprise to the buffet was the elimination of the chicken Marsala which was replaced with the honey miso chicken breast with cilantro. There was potential here, had it not been cooked hours ahead and left to dry out in a hot steam pan. At the end of the hot food station is the "carving table" where we were to be treated to hand-carved prime rib (to order) with roasted garlic au jus. In the past, there were always at least 2 other meats being carved...such as ham, turkey, or pork roast, but this year..just the "prime rib". Well..it was beef (as best I could tell) and it was cooked well done (don't even think of asking for med-rare) and our "chef" at the carving table was slicing it with the grain and lining up slices on his cutting board and then dumping the gravy-like au jus over the slices, so that it didn't have to be carved for each person. It was tough, bland, and disappointing. When asked about ham or another meat, he said, "we never have another meat on Sunday". On a somewhat positive note, the dessert table wasn't a total disappointment, but, it too, has suffered from the hands of those running food service and many of the things of the past were gone. Oh..and worst of all, the cost is $29.95 per person. I think it's one of (if not the) highest priced Mother's Day Buffet in the Toledo area. Next year..we will visit a different restaurant for a Mother's Day Buffet and we'll find another park to take our walk after dinner. It's just a shame to have this beautiful park and lodge and watch it go down hill. read more

This place is showing a little wear but is still a bargain. The rooms are very nice and reasonable for being lakefront. Their is a ton of things to do. Golfing, a billion beaches, walking trails (one even goes through a marsh), pools, bikes, fishing, etc... we will be back again. read more

Over the years of staying here we have only experienced great staff, fun and smiles. We have stayed in the cabins and in the lodge. My grandchildren are so happy here, no matter the season. Such beautiful grounds. Not their fault Lake Erie can be "ifie" at times, so they have great pools and lots of places to relax. Our oldest daughter was married here in 2013 and it is a ceremony still talked about. The entire staff were exceptional in helping to make her big day a huge success. We love it here! read more

I enjoyed staying here for a work retreat - plenty of peace and quiet! However, if I was paying the bill, it seemed a little pricey for a resort far from activities. There was a small fitness center, closed wallyball/racquetball courts, and good-sized pool. It was just a decent drive to any restaurants, coffee, shopping, etc. I loved sitting by the fireplaces and reading. We were also able to see deer from our room. The walking paths were clean and easy to follow. Definitely a place to get away and relax. read more

I'm bumping up my review to 4 stars after our recent visit. Our experience this time around was considerably better. It appears they've done some updating to all of the common areas to make them even more cozy and welcoming. There were fires going in the fireplaces throughout our stay, and given the crisp March weather we all really enjoyed this while hanging out in the lounge areas. The indoor pool area was well maintained with plenty of clean towels always available. The rooms themselves are still a tad dated, but they were clean and comfortable and met our needs perfectly. Usually it's the little things that make the difference. Here's an example... my younger son drug a bunch of his favorite stuffed toys with him on our trip. And he won a few more in the arcade on the first couple days of our stay. They were tossed around our room when we headed out for the day this AM. Upon returning late in the afternoon we found that Renata had carefully arranged all of M's "buddies" on the bed while tidying up our room. They were all staring at us when we entered. lol. Thank you, Renata. read more

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This is a resort with a great location and a lot of potential but it needs a little work. Really pretty state park location with well kept beach, walking trails and a golf course that looked nice. This would be a great place to bring little kids with 2 nice pools, indoor and outdoor play areas and scheduled activities throughout the day. We ate in the lounge and had a very good meal. And the bathroom in our room looks like it was recently updated. So what needs help? The room (except the bathroom) needed rehab - our mattress caved into the center. Housekeeping (cleanliness) was just okay. The only breakfast we found on site was complimentary Folgers coffee that was empty when we tried to get some and a breakfast buffet that was more food than we wanted or needed so not worth $11.95 per person for us. The nearest coffee shop is 15 min away by car so it's not convenient to get a light breakfast. Some Staff were friendly but not what we expect from a place that calls itself a resort. We most likely will try it again because overall we liked it, but there's definitely room for improvement. read more

I received a call from my brother about playing golf at Maumee Bay. I went and played a beautiful course designed by Arthur Hills. It is a very difficult course if the wind is blowing off the lake. Narrow fairways on some holes there is plenty of water in play. The staff was very nice and courteous. I even received a ruling about a situation that happened on the course. That ruling helped me out in a friendly game of bets. After playing, I had dinner at the lodge in the Icebreaker Lounge. Fantastic place to unwind after a long day on the links. The menu is mostly appetizers and sandwiches, but the food is prepared very well! The lodge has many choices for accommodations, plan early for a room. I will be going back to this resort on Lake Erie whenever possible. read more

The golf course is nice but the staff at the lodge is terrible. The cabins were blocked off by park staff and local sheriff's due to a fireworks show the first week of June. We rented two cabins and had twenty golfers who were unable to get a deliver from a local pizza company. Management never let guest know that they would be stuck at the cabins with no access to food or local roads. Staff refused to let us speak to the manager on staff or make any attempt to resolve the issue. In short a very disappointing experience. read more

Had a great time with my family for very low price. We had problems with our reservation but the staffs were nice enough to help us out! I will definitely come back. read more

Great place for the family and a ton of accessible activities. Lifts in the pools and a 3 mile deck hike - 100% accessible via wheelchair and it's a spectacular walk in the woods, marsh, wetlands and grassy areas. So beautiful - had the Sunday brunch and it was amazingly great. No complaints, looking forward to another visit one day read more

A great state park resort. I've stays here a handful of times including the past five New Years Eve's in a cabin or the lodge. As far as state parks go, this is a good one. If you are expecting a five star resort, keep looking for a Hyatt, Hilton or Marriott. Good spot for families to connect with the local nature, play some golf or hang out on the lake, during the summer. I've done all these here and enjoyed it. We also enjoy connecting with friends on New Years Eve in the cabins. Again, not a luxury cabin but kept clean and the grounds are nice. The food in the restaurant is decent and the New Years Day brunch is pretty good. The bar is a fun place to grab a drink, play pool and even dance if you like. Will return again for NYE and maybe even the summer for some golf. read more

I was planning on rating this place four stars until I crawled into bed my last night there and found a spider in my bed. I then completely freaked out and stripped my bed to find what I initially thought to be bed bugs but was quickly determined to be chocolate sprinkles. There is virtually no mattress pad to protect the mattress. I was annoyed about the lack of outlets which were not near the bed where most people like them. There was also this nifty nook bench type thing which was great for putting your suitcase on but there was no lighting over there. I did enjoy our second floor balcony. We ate two breakfast and two dinners at Water's Edge. I had the Asiago Chicken both dinners but the second time substituting mashed potatoes for the pasta. Yum! For dessert I had the Buckeye Pie...also tasty and each breakfast I had Maumee Bay which was virtually everything you could ever want for breakfast. I was there with a group of over 20 so service was expected to be slow but when we had one particular server it seemed to be slower. Allison, however, was awesome! We spent a lot of time at the pool which was nice and there are a ton of lounge chairs. We spent one evening in the hottub but one of the two hottbs were broken. The children in our group seemed to enjoy themselves and a number of men went golfing. We took a walk around the grounds which also seemed nice as well. I would most likely go back, depending on the price. read more

Friendly staff but the food was not very good. I would look for another place for a dinner innthe area.

We just had our wedding at Maumee Bay State Park Lodge on July 14th 2018. The venue itself was absolutely beautiful and amazing however, the service itself was a different story. Leading up to the wedding they changed management companies and because of this there was a lot of confusion for our guest who were trying to book a room at the lodge. Our guest were consistently being told different rates and we didn't have a clear idea of who we needed to make our payments to. Our guest were also told they had to book for 2 nights after we got confirmation that our guest could book one night if they wanted to. Also leading up to the wedding I felt that our wedding coordinator Kendra didn't answer calls or emails promptly. She was also very defensive when talking to members of the bridal party the day of the wedding. On the day before the wedding, we went in to drop off the decorations to Kendra. We were told that as long as we had things labeled as to where we wanted them to go that Kendra and her staff would set it up for us the day of the wedding. On the day of the wedding, my mom and maids of honor went to go check the reception hall to see if anything was set up and nothing was set up yet. When my mom brought this up to Kendra she told my mom she didn't realize how much stuff we had even though she was the one who helped bring it all up the day before. Later, during cocktail hour several guest were told that the BRIDE and GROOM didn't order enough hors d'oeuvres. The service blamed the bride and groom for not having enough money to afford hors d'oeuvres which was completely embarrassing for us and also not true. We were never once told that we were running low on food and if our wedding coordinator would of just discreetly told us we were running low on food we would of told her we wanted to have more food made so that our guest had enough to eat. When my dad confronted Kendra regarding this issue she told him that we had a budget. Yes she is right we did have a budget for our wedding (like most people do) however, when we sat down with Kendra months before to go over the food she never once advised us that the amount of hors d'oeuvres we were ordering wouldn't be enough for our guest. My husband and I do not work in the food industry and there is no way we would of known we would run low on food. With all of the money we spent on our wedding for our guest and ourselves to have a great night it was just a little embarrassing to find out the staff threw my husband and I under the bus and were telling people we couldn't afford to feed them when we would of gladly spent more money to make sure that didn't happen. The venue itself was very pretty however, because the staff and coordinator lacked communciation and more importantly professionalism I would not recommend having a large wedding here. read more

I have been coming to Maumee Bay since I was a kid. We always stayed at the marina and used the resort facilities, but this was my first time staying at the resort. We stayed in a king suite, which was very nice. My six-year old slept on a rollaway for a $12 charge. The blanket on the rollaway was very scratchy, but we replaced it with the soft, extra blanket provided with the room. We could hear the conversation of the people next door at various hours throughout the night, and doors slammed into the early hours of the morning. There were two weddings this weekend, but I would have assumed they would all be in one area of the hotel. Aside from the noisy, belligerent drunks from the wedding, we had a good time. The pools are nice, then activities offered for children are awesome, the restaurant has excellent food, and the snack bar offers ice cream and other yummy snacks. There is a lot to offer here at Maumee Bay, and I would return again. I might try to request a room that is more quiet if it is a possibility. read more

We vacationed here last year with our two young daughters and had a wonderful time, so we decided to come back again this year for four nights. What a mistake. In contrast to last year, the hallways, particularly the stairs, were filthy. Our room appeared only to have been cleaned cursorily. A look underneath the beds and nightstand revealed crumbs and garbage. The indoor pool was disgusting, with clumps of hair and other debris floating in the "well" that surrounded the pool deck. I don't think it was cleaned at all during our stay. The staff (with a few exceptions) was unfriendly and seemed unhappy. Accordingly, we decided to check out a day early, and the front desk staff was rude about it, not once asking how our stay was, and charged us a fee for early check-out. Although we enjoyed our visit last year, the facilities and hospitality this year were markedly different. Our trip this past week was an utter disappointment and waste of money. We will not be back again. read more

Adequate, but charges for internet among other nickel and dime charges to make it a poor choice for a conference venue.

A great unexpected find outside of Toledo. Very peaceful and refreshing stay. Given that I stayed September, older people/couples, not busy with families, so can only judge for this timeframe. My room was very comfortable and clean, Loved the bed it was very comfortable, loved the lemongrass soap and shampoo. The balcony view was awesome, I had a few warblers in the tree outside my room. The front desk staff was pleasant and friendly. The maintentance man an older gentlemen was quite professional and helpful. The restaurant was nice, also, I personally thought the cole slaw that is made fresh was the best I have ever had. And a personal thank you to my waitress Tina, she was just a friendly, lovely waitress. The only complaint I have is that they need better signage for where the ice machines are because I had to ask for help to find one, and some of the vending machines were empty when I wanted to get bottled water they were all sold out. This would be a great retreat for a couple or someone wanting to get away, as for the summertime, I can see why this would be popular with families. read more

This place is awful. They offered a BBQ buffet for $45. It consisted of baked beans, potato salad, thin hamburger patties that tasted like shoe leather, sausages, dry, tough chicken breasts and chips. Ice tea and water were the only drinks offered. Food is terrible. Additionally, they ignore the "Do not Disturb" sign and waltz in whenever they please. Does not offer a sense of safety or privacy. When I checked in, they said one credit card was denied so I used another. I called the credit card company and they said they did not deny it. They did not have an ADA room so I was forced to stay in a higher priced room. No cell phone reception inside the hotel and no cable tv. Despite sunshine, the lawn and grounds are soppy and muddy. Need boots to walk on grass. Worse place EVER. read more

I thought this was a newer lodge, but you'd never tell given the state of deterioration. The furniture, tables, chairs and flooring inside public areas are virtually destroyed. The paint is falling off exterior walls, and the place appears rather poorly kept albeit in a beautiful area. The lodge has no rules or policies, you can just show up and ride a wild African elephant through the place if you like. We found the place very noisy, bearing hoards of unparented, screaming children running down the hallways. The pool was a spectacle, mercilessly bathing 50 children at a time from dawn until late dusk, rarely ever letting up. Groups of aggressive adolescents filled the pool at various times throughout the day whipping footballs around, sometimes slamming into and injuring other patrons. Ironically, they have an OCD ranger who hides his truck behind a tree all day, every day, deftly protecting the eighth mile or so entrance parkway. Don't be fooled though, once you get past the false security, absolutely anything goes. The lounge was fun, the pizza was good, and the wife and I had a nice evening drinking wine and playing cards. The room was small, but clean and had everything we needed during our stay. read more