We just returned from a large family reunion in the Methow Valley, and one of the premier times of the weekend was the Cowboy BBQ dinner at Sun Mountain Lodge. It was an absolutely fantastic experience; starting with the horse back trail ride (or horse drawn carriage if you're not a rider), then one of the best meals we've ever had! BBQ chicken, potato salad, unbelievable baked beans and cornbread were the highlights. After some fun around the fire and other family games, we saddled up and head back to the lodge. Return trip was even better, as we rode back to the lodge during sunset, with a beautiful moon rising over the valley as we finished up out evening. Overall, this really was a benchmark experience, and I highly recommend it for large or small groups. Worth every penny! The best highlights were the dinner and the food. Very friendly and open staff, including Pike (head chef) and Red (trail ride leader and cowgirl). The staff was helpful and courteous at all times, helping young children and older folks alike). Simply put, if you're in the Methow Valley, you must make sure to experience this. First rate and highly recommended! read more

This will probably be a long review: We decided that we wanted to get married in North Cascades National Park last summer. Someone recommended to us Sun Mountain Lodge. Since it looked perfect, we inquired about the cost to get married there- we only were having 10 people total, and about a 15 minute ceremony. They wrote us up a proposal, which was $800 alone just to stand on their lawn for quick ceremony. I thought that was a bit strange, because since it was so informal and small, what was really stopping us from having a flash-wedding and doing it real quick on their property? They said they thought the view was "worth $800." They also didn't give us any price drop in the rates for having our wedding there- usually the bridge/groom get a comped room for the wedding night, etc.....rooms were going to be $300 a night per couple. No big deal, I just wanted to price out a few other options to see what it compared against. When I didn't respond right away to them, they wrote me an email and cut the prices of everything in half.....well why wasn't that the quote from the beginning?! I was sort of turned off from that. Move forward a month or two when I'm trying to figure out where to get my hair done for the wedding day. There weren't a lot of places in Winthrop that were options, so I thought maybe I could pop in their Spa on the wedding day and get a simple 'do. Not so fast. They were about to book the date and time I wanted and then heard "wedding hair." Suddenly it was excuse after excuse. They told me I'd have to call back. So I did the next week- they again were about the put me on the books and then said, "Wedding hair? (I wanted a few loose curls with a few flowers braided in- not an updo or anything)" they objected, "Ohh we seem to be really full that day and it looks like we can't get you in for months." REALLY?! I hung up in tears, partially from with being treated that way, and partlially from being exasperated with my options in Winthrop- they were running out and I would have paid Sun Mountain Lodge generously, if only they would have agreed. THAT BEING SAID- we got married in North Cascades National Park and headed to Sun Mountain for dinner since we wanted something really nice and again....it was one of the only options. And they delivered exceptionally. We reserved the wine cellar (not in a cellar, just off a hallway). The food was excellent and the waiter/sommelier was knowledgeable. Great service. The room/cellar itself was perfect for a group of 10 of us. We were able to both sit at the head of the table instead of just one. It was a very memorable experience. Oh, and afterward we went out to their precious $800 view lawn and took a few pictures since our photographer was at dinner with us. Take that, Sun Mountain ;) read more

This place is one of a kind, and they know it! The wedding coordinator is just amazing, and her cost is included in the wedding fee you pay - which would not happen west of the mountains. A few huge positives about their wedding setup: You only pay a small wedding site fee (which includes the coordinator and everything else!), you may pay for a tent or dancing stage, if you choose to, but ultimately you only need to pay for food and drinks (not cheap but family style servings are great). The newlyweds get a free night in the bridal suite, which is amazing, and far from the main lodge, so you get some privacy from the rest of the guests. The Lake cabins are simple, dated, but a great way to get family together. Most of them are roomy and can sleep up to three couples, which is a nice way to cover the cost. We went there for our one year anniversary and they had left a note in our room with their wishes. Nice touch, not everyone is as attentive. Their breakfast food is not amazing, but it's decent. One advice for anyone getting married here: stay away from their spa services for your wedding. The people they had hired to cover my wedding did a terrible job, and the person I worked with to schedule them was useless... Their usual makeup person wasn't available so they hired others just for the day, and told me I didn't need a makeup trial, even that I insisted I do it at least the day before. The only setback, that unfortunately affected our whole schedule for the day (and added stress) was the makeup for me and my wedding party. I had to redo my makeup multiple times and at the end I just ended up doing my own makeup - they still charged us all full price. I was way too upset to deal with it at that moment. Make sure to get your own makeup staff, or do it yourself. I really am not picky and didn't ask for anything special, just light foundation and smokey eye makeup with eye liner. They both used the same ONE makeup tray, so we had to take turns with it, causing delays for no reason. I then ended up with "rave" makeup, silver eye shadow.. I could write about this for days - but at the end of the day I got married in the most beautiful setting and had a blast. Props to their coordinator Mary for helping us all hold it together that day, she is amazing! read more

This place is truly amazing. My wife and I celebrated our 13th anniversary here, and the lodge provided everything we had hoped for. We enjoyed the half day horseback riding (not for pansies!), and Cody was the most knowledgable and friendly wrangler anyone could ask for! That evening, we enjoyed 5 star dining in the "Dining Room", and the following day enjoyed the riding in to the cowboy breakfast, which featured traditional eggs, bacon and sausage, as well as the best griddle cakes and fresh fruit I've had in a long time! To end our visit and relax our tired bones, we indulged in the double decadence massage. What a way to prepare for our return to our chaotic lives. In summary, this trip felt like a trow back in time when things were much simpler, and we are truly envious of the lifestyles all of the staff live at the lodge. Thank you for making this a truly memorable experience! JessnBrent read more

The corned beef hash and the biscuits and gravy were delicious! Clearly made from scratch. We came for the view and were not expecting great things from the meal. Not extraordinary but surprisingly good. read more

Really comfortable lodge with plenty of amenities but with a down-to-earth vibe that fits in with the wilderness setting. The location is quiet and rooms are also amazingly quiet considering how many visitors are in the lodge. read more

I travel a lot for work and the corporate travel agent sometimes puts me in questionable locales in an effort to save money. Despite all the hotels I've stayed in over the past year, regardless of country, every one of them was more customer-oriented than the Sun Mountain Lodge. When asking about the possibility of checking in prior to the 16:00 check-in time, the front desk clerks (yes, plural, as in all three of them) actually laughed at me, explaining they essentially have little control over the cleaning staff and when they finish rooms from the previous guest. Instead of taking this approach, recommend listening to your guest's request and doing what you can to accommodate it. While waiting for my room, the three front desk clerks engaged in conversation in front of me about their frustration over guests complaining about the cost and quality of the food served in their local restaurant. I ate at the restaurant while waiting for my room, and despite 10 minute drink times and eventually seeking out my server in an effort to pay my bill, the food was fine and priced as I would have expected. But recommend a level of professionalism from the staff in not engaging in conversation pertaining to customer complaints (which, rather than receiving and investigating such complaints in an effort to create an ideal guest experience, were instead incredulously disregarded as noise) in front of a future guest. This conversation between the staff was immediately followed by subsequent discussions complaining about other guest complaints and how the guests were "wrong" in making said complaint. We will see how the rest of my stay goes, and should something happen to change my current mindset, I will update accordingly, but based on the first few hours I am already grossly disappointed in my choice to stay at the Sun Mountain Lodge. When I am spending my own money on a place I expected to be high quality for the quoted cost, I expect the accommodations and level of service to exceed hotel performance in areas I've stayed such as Guadalajara, Beijing, Jakarta, Detroit, Pune etc. I typically let these kinds of things slide. But my experience before check-in is already so abhorrent I immediately regret booking my stay here (enough to download the Yelp app and write my first review). Recommend to others researching a location that is more guest-oriented. read more

Warning about their third night free offer. I booked two nights through Expedia then booked the free third night by calling Sun Mountain. The representative on the phone did not mention I could not do the free night because I booked the two nights using Expedia. I did not find out until I checked in that the offer was not good if you do not book through Sun Mountain. They need to disclose this on the emailed certificate and on their website. read more

We recently had a family reunion and one of our reunion activities was the Sun Mountain Lodge's Cowboy BBQ dinner. We had a fantastic time! The adventure of arriving to dinner in either a horse drawn wagon or via horse back was a ton of fun. The BBQ chicken, home made potato salad, fresh green salad and delicious corn bread were a hit. All 32 of us enjoyed our time tremendously. I highly recommend this activity in the Methow Valley! read more

Sun Mountain lodge is a "kick back", relax, ignore the fast paced world around you venue. Without the tv, radio, computers, telephones. freeway noise one can actually appreciate the beauty around them. It can be one of the best therapies for ignoring the creasy world and giving your mind a break. love it! read more

Beautiful location, food was great, but the staff all seemed rather cranky... My husband thought so too so I know it wasn't just me... From the bartender who took 5 minutes to acknowledge my presence and then was rude about me interrupting her to take my order when there was literally no one else at the bar, to the server and busser who gave us attitude when we asked for bread. For such an expensive and upscale place I expected better service and friendlier staff. read more

We came here for dinner. This is probably one of a very few higher end restaurants in the area. Some of the dishes were really good and others missed the mark. We started with the caprese salad and soup of the day. The caprese was delicious; the tomatoes were fresh and very flavorful as was the mozzarella. The soup was a green pepper and artichoke soup with a goat cheese cream. While the soup was tasty, the artichoke component was completely lost. The soup also had some heat to it that the waiter did not mention (although it was not over the top). The amuse buse was this cod puree with onion jam on a shard of pappadam. It did not look appetizing. You could tell that it was not prepared fresh as there was a crust forming on the cod puree. When I picked up the pappadam, I could tell, it was soggy underneath. I promptly put it back down. Hubby ordered the ling cod with lobster and craw fish risotto and I ordered the pork chop with seasonal veggies and potato rosti. Hubby's fish was under-seasoned and the risotto, while it had great lobster/craw fish flavor was way too stiff and gummy. My pork was cooked very well, but for some reason, was drowned in this thai sweet chili sauce (the type that you can buy in a bottle in most Asian grocery stores and probably some chain supermarkets). The potato rosti was saturated with oil and inedible (good thing as I'm watching my carbs). The highlight of our meal was the finale. Hubby ordered the cheese plate and I ordered the trio of creme brulee. All 3 cheeses were very tasty (I cannot recall what they were..although one was a goat cheese that I could have eaten like dessert) Hubby especially raved about the port poached figs. The three creme brulees were mocha, plain and orange. While nothing out of the ordinary, all three where rich and satisfying. read more

36 in our car club had the BBQ buffet this past weekend. Was great. Service as excellent and the view is grand. They were easy to work with. read more

Great place to stay and eat! Didn't enjoy the horse trails though...they are mostly biker trails and not horse friendly. I had to duck every 15 minutes to save my life...and my horse was having a hard time staying on the trails..super tiny narrow trails and rounded edges on trail from bike riders...not horse friendly AT ALL. So next time we will stay somewhere where we can board our horses and overnight at the same place. But we will stay at Sun Mountain again when we come without our horses..amazing place. You won't be disappointed. Just don't come and keep your horses at a neighboring barn thinking the trails at Sun Mountain are for horses..we found many many amazing other trails in the hills around Mazama and out further that were horse safe and friendly. Worth trailering out for! read more

This is a bit of a late review but my wife and I were over in the area for a few nights for our anniversary in September and decided to indulge in the couples massage. First of all the spa is, is just a area where they converted some of the rooms for massage etc. We were very disappointed in the unprofessional nature in which the masseuses re entered the room on TWO different occasions with out knocking or even bothering to ask if we were decent. Luckily one time I had made it to the restroom/changing room and the other time at least my wife still had her robe on. When we mentioned it to the "spa" manager she was very snarky and defensive. My wife and I have been to many spas and had many massages and for the price I would have expected much more. Don't waste your money on a massage here. You're better off going into town and spending your money at a local massage therapy place. read more

I'm a fan because of the location and view. Our room was mediocre and old and the food acceptable in the casual dining place. There is a ton to do which I think is great. This is a good place for those seeking a peaceful getaway. I think for the cost, the product could greatly be improved upon. I would not pay 300 a night for it. Or should I say it wouldn't be worth it to me. The Ritz in Cayman is 300 a night. That is worth it! read more

I read through the other reviews and can't help but wonder if they are talking about the same resort I stayed in this weekend for my husband's birthday. The lodge was pretty but overrated in our opinion. The trails were fantastic. First off, here were a few of the positives. Reservations was very helpful when we called to book a room and spa services. There was no line at checkin. The housekeepers down at the cabins were very kind and helpful. Abby in the spa was very nice and gave a great message. Unfortunately the positives end there. We spent $1000 for a 3 night stay in a larger Patterson lake cabin. When we checked in the curly haired man told us that we had access to all the main lodge eminities. However, when we asked for robes to use the hot tub we were made to feel like an inconvenience. There was no where to put our clothes while enjoying the hot tub. We were tired after a long day of skiing and decided to eat at the Wolf Creek Grill. It was dead, only one other guest in the dining area. William was our server. He was cold and unfriendly. I am from the NW and am very familiar with the seafood industries in our area. I asked our server, William, if he knew where the clams come from and he just looked at me, rolled his eyes and said no. We all stared at him in disbelief that he just said that. After several seconds of silence he gave in and said "I guess I could go check." It was as if we were an inconvenience to him. The food was average. We had a similar experience in the same grill the next day with another server. This was the only place to eat unless we wanted to drive into town, which we did after this point for all other meals. The next day, a few of us had appointments at the spa. It was an odd experience to say the least. We had trouble finding the lobby because it was in a converted guest room. The receptionist made us feel bad for showing up 15 min early, saying "I guess we can try to get you in really early." She led us out into the hotel hallway where there were two chairs. This was their waiting area? I felt more like I was at the Olive Garden waiting for a table, not relaxing. Then a man came out and led us into another converted guest room where there was a regular bathroom for us to change. It was not spa worthy. They used this same bathroom for the water for our foot treatments. It was odd. The message was nice but the male who messages my friend was pretty rude, snapping at her a few times. Then when it was all done they came in while we were still changing to turn over the room. They seemed to rush us out. There was no option to take a shower. It was not worth the $130 each we spent. Throughout the weekend several other staff members snapped at us for asking about trails, sleds, food etc... Then when we went to checkout the gal asked us how our stay was and we were kind but honest. She said "wow, it is not that I don't believe you but I never hear this." This rounded out the poor experience we had. We won't be retuning. read more

Pretty amazing, and good value for money. Impeccably clean, like house proud grandma. The amenities are very nice, the WiFi is good and the food is good considering you're on the edge of the wilderness. I mean deer walk right up to you. Good whiskeys. The best thing is the total silence. No noise pollution, no cars, cars stereos, yelling people... Just peace and quiet. read more

This review is for the private cabins. When we drove up to the cabins, my initial thoughts were, "You've got to be kidding - I feel like I'm in a hole." We parked, got into our cabin and I see *sort of* see why they put the cabins down here. They're facing a small lake. But, it's still in a bowl-like area, making it feel like you're in a hole. I wish we had stayed up at the Lodge where there are gorgeous, expansive views. That is another thing, the Lodge is just over a mile away. So, every time you want to use any of the facilities at the Lodge, it's not a quick walk. You have to get in your car and drive up the hill for just over a mile. Also, there are absolutely no lights lighting up the parking lot at the Lodge. I think this is really unsafe and truly hope that management sees my review and rectifies that. We went in February when the ground is pretty slippery, especially at night. I would have given 2 stars, but I gave it 3 because the location is pretty spectacular. If you're looking to stay here, bypass the private cabins. read more

I'm resting after a long but easy hike on trails around Sun Mountain Lodge, including the meadow where they stage cook outs, and also Beaver Lake where at present geese are plumping themselves for the winter migration to Canada. It's a beautiful sunny fall day and the deer are out grazing. You can hear the grasses quietly popping and the breeze rustling through the Aspen groves. Super peaceful. The food has been outstanding. The resort's F&B program has now fully embraced using local growers and purveyors and the Exec. Chef is turning out delectable and beautifully presented dishes. Try the organic goat cheese and spinach-stuffed chicken. It's raised just down the road and cooked to perfection. Pricey but priceless! Our Mt. Robinson suite has a refreshment center but we needed a fridge. We called the front desk and it was delivered quickly. No TV so we brought a powerbook, plug in speakers and DVDs. Lovely watching movies by the fire at night. Strong WIFI, too. The sweeping views draw you in and beckon you outdoors. Next on the agenda: biking. Plus saying hi to the horses down at the corral. Thinking about my next Blue Star Coffee cappuccino. Super talented coffee roasters from Twisp. The couple dropped out of big-time Seattle and are living "off the grid" and producing some of the best coffee roasts bar none. Except maybe Vivace in Seattle! I think I'll get one to enjoy before the roaring live fire in the lodge lounge. read more