We stayed for a hockey tournament on a very busy winter weekend. The staff were kind and…read moreaccommodating. The rooms were clean and spacious. We really appreciated the rollaway bed during our stay. The pool area was fun. The restaurant was good. The view from our room was beautiful. I was worried about pet or snowmobile noise but we had no issues. Most notably we left things behind in the room. Our fault but the staff was very helpful in getting it back to us. This may have been the first time a hotel has confirmed our forgotten items and facilitated their return.

We stopped here for lunch after hiking the Kawishiwi Falls Trail. It was a recommendation and we…read moreare glad we followed it. They have beautiful patio views but the patio was closed when we visited so we sat inside and enjoyed the views from the windows. I wanted something really light and just got a side salad which ended up being pretty big. All the ingredients were fresh and it was just what I was looking for. Husband had the club sandwich which was also very good. It came with chips. Service was excellent. It was fairly busy in there so all the servers were on their toes keeping up with everyone. Nice stop.

After several visits over the years, I could give a 3- or 4-star review, depending on where you sit…read moreand which server you get. Sitting on the deck is ideal, but very difficult to obtain at dinnertime. The main dining room is okay, but I'm not a big fan of the rustic look (and I certainly don't agree that it is "rustic, yet elegant" as noted on their website. If you arrive at peak time then you might be relegated to a table in the lobby, which just isn't my idea of a nice dinner venue. The menu is a bit variable also -- there are some very good offerings and several so-so dishes. I've found that the specials and fish dishes tend to be better. Note that you really need to call for a reservation; ideally 3-7 days before you want to go. There aren't very many higher-quality restaurants in Ely and they get busy very quickly during peak season.

Perfect place to stay while in Ely. Looking forward to our next visit this summer of 2026 ! Always…read morea treat to be at Burnside Lodge . Looking forward to being there this summer. It's the nicest place to stay that I know of in northern Minnesota.

My father's family used to come here on vacation when he was a boy many years ago. We came back…read morewith him this year and discovered for ourselves what a gem this place is! Betty Espland is daughter of the original owners and keeps the place very neat and welcoming. The cost is very reasonable, the cabins are older but larger, and well stocked with cooking equipment. Beds are quite comfortable, we've slept really well! Bring your own towels, soaps, and garbage bags though. Full size fridge, and gas stove, with newer microwave and coffee maker. Lot of lakefront yard! There are two kayaks free to use, and a canoe and three rowboats - all in great working order, with paddles and life jackets too. Decent swimming off the dock, but be warned for kids there is not really any "beach" and it is pretty rocky (wear water shoes!) and has a steep dropoff. Betty also has a pontoon that can be rented but should be reserved ahead of time so she can get it in the water. We LOVE this place, and Betty the owner, and I am sure I will be back again many times in years to come - the tradition has been renewed for our family! :)

I stayed here for 6 days while fighting the the Jenkins creek fire. Leah (staff) was very rude,…read moreand unaccommodating. During my 6 day stay, no fresh towels, no new sheets no service at all walls are very thin and could here the person in the next room snoring all night. . Definitely will seek other arrangements if we are to return. There are better accommodations down the road where the rest of the crew was housed.

After a disappointing first try at a different hotel (no heat, no bathroom, hard beds with light…read moreblankets), we landed at Adventure Inn. What an amazing difference! It was toasty warm, had two very nice beds with down comforters, heated floors, and a lovely little bathroom. Our room was nicely decorated, even with sparkles in the ceiling that looked like twinkling stars in the light! We really enjoyed our stay here.

I might be a little biased to this place because I've been going here since I was born…read more.. BUT, it is the one thing I look forward to every year, so clearly there's something special about it. I will say that this is one of the BEST places you can go to have a good time with your family. -Stay in one of the rustic cabins for a week, which are equipped with adequate bedding and appliances (in case you're wondering how stocked they are, they do have dinnerware and dishwashers). They don't have AC, but that's one of the things you sacrifice by going to the BWCA. It's so cleansing to breathe pure air and not have to worry about technology for a week. -Visit the lodge, which has a pool table, juke box, and cheap candy! The lodge owners are nice and will get to know you personally if you visit multiple times. -GO CANOEING! It's one of the most peaceful things there is to do. Go down the channel (you'll see what I mean) and look for wild moose. Go portaging, or canoe to a far out place and have lunch for an afternoon before coming back. You can also go camping for a night or two if you like. -Drive into town for a day. Go to the Chocolate Moose for any meal, and shop at the local outfitters and galleries. There's some great shopping to do! -Go blueberry picking in the area if it's that time of year! Bring bug spray if you hate flies. -Rent a boat on Snowbank lake for an afternoon if you crave some speed. (Since Kawishiwi is in the BWCA, you can't use motorboats) But most of all, enjoy your family! Ours likes to bring a huge puzzle to complete throughout the week, and play card games and Scrabble. Every night we have a collective family dinner, to which each immediate family contributes a dish or two. We do every activity as an extended family. It's the best week every year!

I've been coming to this place since 1977, thought I was a valued customer...NOT!!!…read moreThis was the worst trip ever (June 2018)... lake was down and I had to go fish at another, and power went out the last 3 days of my trip there and they did nothing to accommodate the guests!!!! They did not even offer Ice... No generators???? Appliances couldn't work or the air conditioning!!! Left early with no compensation from them what's so ever! It's a shame, very disappointed. Update: I talked with this business, the owners wife, and they told me if I wanted to ever come back to this place, I needed to remove this post and then call her back the next day to talk when it was gone. Threatening people? How unprofessional. In response to the trip I requested a refund for, and about being a valued costumer, I was told that, "I do not need your money" by the owners.

Spent the weekend in cabin 15 with 4 other couples... It was great that all 5 couples could have…read moretheir own bedroom. And, with 3 bathrooms, you never needed to wait too long for access. Kitchen is well equipped and there is plenty of room for relaxing... Bring a book and some board games... Or better yet, get outside because there is no TV. And, Mitchell Lake allows a direct access point to the Taconite Trail for snowmobile enthusiasts.

Stayed in cabin 15 in the winter…read more Very nice place to stay with couples. Plenty of room. They plowed a road on the lake for us. Everything was top notch. We had 2 refrigerators in the cabin. They have a crock pot. Plenty of silverware, just a very nice place. Very happy, would be happy to stay here again. Would like to try the summer. Awesome awesome awesome.

Hey, after a week on a northern lake, how hard could it be to earn a 5-star review?…read more Well, unless you've checked out a lot of northern Minnesota resorts, you might not see the difference. Most of them are woefully outdated -- with few plans for improvement -- or astoundingly expensive. My wife did the research for this place, so I wasn't sure what to expect when she put in on my calendar and said, "We're going." (She's an Iron Ranger and likes her lake life). We reserved a "duplex" cabin up on the ridge above the lake, shared with retired owners. Talk about nice -- it was well-appointed (the owners are artists), clean, tidy, and comfortable. I enjoyed it so much that I heartily endorsed a return visit this summer. The main lodge has a few video games, but is a great place to chill and read. The owners are relaxed but hard-working and attentive. The beach is a bit tiny (good for little ones), and overall the resort was quiet enough that I never was irritated with neighbors. A highlight of our visit was a pontoon rental that we navigated through the lakes to the edge of the Boundary Waters (actually, about 50 yards into the BWCA before I realized that I shouldn't be there and promptly turned around). Lovely, medium-sized lakes with a lot of great scenery (at least for flat northern Minnesota). We're coming back with our 9-year old grandson to rent an older cabin right on the water where he can step outside to fish at 6 in the morning without worrying about him. Oh, and bring your bicycles so you can ride the Mesabi Trail out to Tower. Surprisingly hilly in places, but a beautiful trail. We positioned two cars to avoid a round-trip.

This was our third stay with Sandy and Kerry Davis at WIBR! Their cabins are nice, and if you…read moreneed anything, all have to do is ask. The power actually went out one night while we were there, and they had a back up generator so that the well would stay running to supply us with water! We were able to cook on the grill and had flashlights, so we fared just fine. They have pontoon rentals (extra charge) , canoes and paddle boats that are included in the rental. They have a swimming beach on the lake. We have always enjoyed our stays here. Will likely go again in the future.

The potatoes au gratin were lowkey undercooked. I did not care for the maple salmon but I necked it…read moreanyway because I'm not a quitter. Everything else was good.

The view from the bar area is great, over looks the lake and has an upwoodsy feel to it. The…read morefood, everything we had which included walleye, bluegill, soup, wontons, salads and au gratin potatoes were absolutely delicious and highly recommend all of them. Now the bad part, the service was absolutely abysmal, at one point the male bartender walked past 4 times without even acknowledging an empty glass or a new person sitting there. It took 9 minutes before the person I was traveling with was even initially greeted. When they would give you attention it felt like we were such a bother to them and were annoying then by patronizing their restaurant. Absolutely the worst. I gave it two stars because the food was really really good!

Just got back June 29, 2024 and it was excellent!!! The staff, packs, food, and bunk house were…read moregreat and they provide great points of takeoff for a trek as well as planning. Hope to go back next summer! Good people. M Skelley, MD

We arrived at Packsack as fish out of water when it came to canoeing and camping in the Boundary…read moreWaters. Danielle and Nick set us up optimally with every single item we would need to navigate, survive, and thrive during our amazing trip. They kindly provided us with pro-tips, and answered all of our questions. Plus, there was a fun little surprise when we returned!

Booked a queen room on Expedia, were traveling with a small dog and indicated as much on the site…read moreeven leaving a message stating as much. We arrive, check in saying we have a dog, they moved us from the room we rented to a 10' x 14' room with a double bed, no headboard, theft deterrent devices on the pillows, extremely loud air conditioning in a bright-high traffic area (not good for dogs). Then to top it off they charged us extra for the dog! This being the 4th of July weekend left us no other choice but to endure a sleepless night in a room we grossly overpaid for. After all fees we paid roughly $180 to stay in a cell.

I like to be honest with my reviews, not try to oversell a place I like. That said, let's list some…read moreof Ely Motels' potential shortcomings: This is an old motel. It's exterior looks old and a bit shabby. The rooms are small, there's no getting around that. Much of the decor is also dated. The TVs are small, and the AC unit in our room was noisy. The parking lot is comically small. Now that all that is out of the way... onto the pros: The rooms, though small, are clean. The AC had a noisy fan, but it was modern, efficient, worked well, and even had a remote control. There were plenty of outlets in the room to plug in peripheral gear and devices. The Queen mattress was new and a medium-firmness. The mini fridge was an upright with a little freezer, not a cube. It also appeared to be new, as did the microwave and coffee maker. Also new were the bathroom fixtures, such as toilet, sink and shower head - a note about the shower: The owners are committed to a green motel experience. To that end they have dispensers for soap and shampoo rather than little bottles and bars. And their hot water is supplemented by solar heating. The shower head is amazing! Speaking of the owners, they are new owners of the motel and are very enthusiastic about their business and the town. They had some great recommendations for us, from dining, to day trips. For the amount of money that we paid during peak season (less than half of most other places), this place outshines its shortcomings. But keep in mind, if you're looking for the lap of luxury, look elsewhere. If you're looking for an affordable stay that is a comfortable night's sleep and a hot shower, then this IS the place for you.