Have been going to Lake of the Woods Sports Headquarters in Kenora, Ontario for the last couple of…read moreyears. They have all the walleye, smallmouth, northern pike and muskie gear you need. They are located on the west end of Kenora on the main street. Have always found the folks who work there to be passionate and knowledgeable. Last year my buddy had a problem with a lake map chip that goes in a newer Humminbird GPS/Sonar unit. They sent a guy from the shop out to set up the Humminbird unit without asking. It seems that most of the local guides visit the shop on a regular basis. Do not doubt as they have the latest and quality fishing equipment. If you have not visited this shop and love fishing...do it. You will like it.

Okay, so admittedly the idea of reviewing a gas station/bait shop strikes me as fairly dumb, too,…read morebut this place is going to be a footnote in my travel tails for life, I'll bet. I flew into International Falls to rent a car and visit a friend up in Thunder Bay. My first stop was the Border Bob tourist trap to exchange some USD for some Canuck currency, but they failed me and pointed me in this direction. The old guy that runs this place is one of the most interesting individuals I've run across. For about 45 minutes I stood there and talked to this guy about his prior camping trips to Atikokan, and his encounters with the wildlife in the area. The guy busted out some old photographs of moose he'd run into on a canoe trip some five-ten-fifteen-who knows? years ago. This man is one of the friendliest people I've run across in my travels. If you happen to be in the area, stop in and say hi. (Bring cash though, because he apparently uses a fairly unreliable credit card processor.)

Great place to stock up on lures and get a massive amount of ice cream. I got two scoops and I was…read moresitting there as he put like 6 scoops in. I will be coming many more times in the future.

Biggest one scoop of ice cream I have ever had in my life!!! Pretty impressed with the tackle…read moreselection as well.

I am writing this about the restaurant only. I come here a couple times a year (spring and fall)…read morefor lunch and dinners for several years now. The menu has not changed in the years I have been coming here. They have a couple vegetarian options (grilled cheese on kids menu, cheese pizza) and no vegan options. The salad bar is lackluster; my vegetarian friend took one look and said "Uh no thanks" which was my thought too when I looked at it previously. The dining room and bar areas are nice and clean, bathrooms are clean and you can see into the kitchen which also looks clean. The food is good, not amazing. The service in the bar and dining room is great and friendly. The views are great from the bar and dining room looking at the Rainy River. They have a nice patio to enjoy when the weather and bugs are cooperating.

Six experiences since 2011, five summer and one winter. All were fantastic, except maybe the -30…read moredegree winter one. Full disclosure: I hate winter anyway but wanted to experience winter fishing at least once ! Our guides were always cheery and pleasant, even when they would have to keep replacing the many jigs we kept losing in the rocks. Shore luches were always a necessity. Dining room meals were always great, the portions hearty, and staff friendly and attentive. Unfortunately, fish are not guaranteed, but a great time is! Whenever I hear of someone headed to LOTW for fishing, I try to steer them to Ballard's. Fish on!

Apparently just reopened before my stay. Bar and restaurant were still closed. Good service. Very…read moreclean rooms. Great view. Walking distance to restaurants.

I stayed for four nights at the Best Western, while visiting my dad, and the hotel had some clear…read moreplusses and minuses. In my opinion, this is likely one of the better hotels in the area, and it is a landmark as well at the waterfront, so I figured it may have a better standard than some of the others. Since I have never stayed anywhere else in Kenora, I am not sure if that is true. But I will talk about the good and the bad with my stay. The Bad ------------- There was two beds in the room, and when I sat on the first one, the springs were gone. I sunk like a stone, and the springs made a very loud protest. I crossed my fingers and thankfully when I sat on the second bed, it was perfectly fine. The shower had very little temperature control. When I had the shower's hot water tank cranked on high, it only came out warm. It wasnt cold and my showers were confortable, but I couldnt add more heat. Room service did not show up every day. Matter of fact, then showed up once. By showed up, they asked me in the hall on my way out for DINNER if I required service. I said yes. The other days -- no service at all. The Good -------------- The staff were very courteous. I ran into nothing but nice people. The pool is gorgeous. Its on the top floor of the hotel with a stunning view of the lake. The restaurant was very good (but pricey for Kenora). Regardless I ate there once, sometimes twice a day, because the food was consistently good, and the view of the lake was outstanding. The rate was fair. I paid $104 a night, which i thought was an awesome rate for the location.