Cheat River Lodge & Cabins

Sabrina Allen

2023-11

Love love loved coming here for our honeymoon! It was directly on the water so every morning was beautiful to look out! It was a cute little place and would definitely recommend! Only things we didn't love were the electrical sockets were loose so whatever we plugged in in our room fell out of we moved it. We also thought there was a fire pit and got there to learn there wasn't one.Nearby activities: We found a few places close by to go hiking that were fun little trips! We went to Bickle Knob observation tower and hiked along Fox Forrest Wildlife Management AreaFood & drinks: We mostly cooked at the cabin but we had lunch at Beander's which was super good and dinner on our last at Smoke on the Water which was amazing!

Debbie Powell

2023-05

Big Poplar Sept 1-5, 2022. My husband and I were married on Sept 4th, 1992. We stayed here 30 years ago so we wanted to revisit because we loved the seclusion and the tranquility of the river right out back. We were so excited to be back. The cabin was just like I remembered. I was somewhat disappointed. I would think after 30 years they could take a little money and do some updates. Keeping the cabins nice will keep people coming back. My husband went to raise the lid on the hot tub " I said, wonder if it is the same red hot tub." Yes, it was. The red has been bleached out white from chemicals and several gobs of putty was on the interior to obviously patch for leaks. We did not get in it. Everything from eye level down in the cabin was fairly clean but if you look up there are layers of dust on the logs and cob webs everywhere. Standing in the shower and I look up to rinse my hair the logs were filthy with dust and cob webs. We packed food because we did not want to go out we wanted to chill at the cabin. A pot holder would have been nice!!! Also, the carpet in the 2 bedrooms down stairs definitely needs pulled out. It also was filthy with stains on it. Looks pretty gross. I would love to come back here but, I don't know if we will or not. Its a shame because I absolutely love this cabin.

Bridget Hoerner

2023-05

My husband and I booked the Swinging Vine cabin for this weekend to get away from all of life's daily stress and to celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary. The cabin was very clean. Sitting right along the river with a hot tub on the deck makes for a very relaxing environment. The water was good...much better than chlorinated city water. Sleeping was just like being at home because the mattress is firm and supportive just like our own bed at home. If you don't like firm mattresses, then like the host recommends prior to your stay, bring a mattress topper. We felt it was perfect as is.The cabin is conveniently located near local attractions as well as stores and restaurants. The location was easy to find with the instructions that were sent to us prior to arriving. We have had an amazing experience here and felt the need to leave a five star review, because all too often people are quick to give reviews that are negative. We definitely plan to come back again. Highly recommend!

Cheryl Welch

2022-05

We enjoyed our stay at Cheat River Lodge. The room was clean, nice and cozy. My pups also enjoyed it.We also enjoyed sitting on the deck enjoying the view of the Cheat River, absolutely beautiful.But I do have two constructive criticism suggestions. I believe they need a better water filtration system. The tap water smells bad and is full of minerals also tastes bad as well. There is virtually no place for the pups to go potty, Which made it a bit difficult.

Airy Jane Everson

2023-11

Love the location and amenities of the cabins. And the dog-friendly decor. I have stayed there several times and the place is always clean.Nearby activities: Blackwater Falls, Canaan Valley, Seneca Rocks, and Weston glass museum are all nearby. CJ Maggies is my favorite restaurant.

Heidi Moore

2021-05

We had a lovely family vacation 8/31-9/6. We stayed in the Poplar cabin. The beds were comfortable and our cabin was very tidy. This property is naturally beautiful and secluded. We were able to tube right from our backyard. The hot tub is well maintained and. checked daily. The staff.is very friendly and helpful. This is not a Hilton Hotel, so if you are expecting that this is not the place for you however if you love the outdoors, want to get away and stay in a clean, comfortable cabin that has been well loved then this is the place for you. We look forward to returning!!!

Lauren Comunale

2022-05

Stayed at the Treehouse. Considering this is a hotel lodging, this particular cabin felt surprisingly private and tucked away in the trees. There is a partial view of the river, and the sound of it is absolutely tranquil. Use of the hot tub and fireplace is very seamless. Furnishings are pretty average, and we got by just fine with the kitchenware. Also enjoyed the deck, grill and views from the living room.

Lisa Moore

2016-05

We stayed at the Rhododendron cabin for a weekend fishing getaway on March 25-27, 2016. Check in was easy as I had received an email to tell me what to do should the store be closed when we arrived. When we pulled in to the cabin the maintenance man was there and introduced himself as such, and returned the next day to gather our trash. Each contact I have had with any of the Cheat River Lodge Staff has been very positive. The cabin itself met all of our needs. There were directions for the hot tub posted which we didn't use but they were very easy to follow. The beds were comfortable, and all linens were clean. We had fresh towels in the bathroom and when they came for our garbage the second day we were provided with more towels. My son is a fly fisherman so the ease of the river access was very good and suited our needs perfectly. I was able to prepare all of our meals right in the cabin with all kitchen accommodations adequately provided. It was a clean kitchen to cook in and all pots and pan and utensils were clean. I loved that they provided the dish soap as I seem to always forget to pack it. Though it is not city water, I never had trouble with the water pressure and our showers were always hot. There was cable TV provided in the cabin so when we were ready to stay in for the evening it provided entertainment. We have already talked about a return trip. Though we didn't catch fish that weekend, we are ready to try again. I would definitely recommend the Cheat River Lodge and especially the Rhododendron cabin! The Moores definitely had a great trip!

Janette Cavender

2017-05

I enjoyed our stay at the swinging vine cabin on the Cheat River. I sometimes dread traveling, just due to my own nervousness about cleanliness. The mattresses in both rooms could use an update, but only because you sink in the middle. The cabin was clean and well stocked with pretty much everything you may need as far as kitchen items. Remember to bring paper towel, and salt and pepper. They provide coffee, but not even enough if you are a big coffee drinker. Housekeeping provided clean towels, soap and toilet paper everyday of our stay. If you are looking for a relaxing stay this would be great. The one thing I didn't understand was the policy on having to send the funds via certified check for 50 % of your stay total. You would think in this day and age it would be an easier process.

Kimberly Edwards

2017-05

Over spring break my Son and his girl friend drove up from Florida and as I needed some great R&R we booked The Big Polar Cabin. I had stayed in the lodge years ago and truly enjoyed it but this time we wanted the perfect cabin and that is exactly what we got! All the comforts of home but with a hot tub and the cabin was feet away from the river. I took the bedroom with the view of the river but even better was the sounds of the river as I slept in my comfy bed. The (adult) kids took the loft and enjoyed the stars at night from their skylight window (one bedroom was empty as it sleeps 6) The kitchen has everything you need and the wood burning stove was great for the cooler nights. Scott came by every day and checked the hot tub, took the trash, stocked firewood and we all enjoyed his conversation and love of the area. Check in was effortless and house keeping made sure we had everything we needed. As a world traveler, I wish I'd known about this hidden gem right in my WV State. The owners are delightful and take great pride in the lodge and all their cabins. Peaceful, 1/4 mile of private fishing and boy did we fish and caught all our fish on the stretch of river behind our cabin. None of that elbow to elbow fishing when they stock trout as we had this portion of the river to ourselves. The Big Poplar puts the heaven in "Almost Heaven West Virginia". We even extended our stay with no complication, well there was one. My cell got service and I got called back to work early. My advice to all looking for a great cabin and true relaxation book with The Cheat River Lodge and remember to turn your phone off! Thank you to Roxy and her staff...we will be back next year booking several cabins for a bigger family retreat!

Chad Myers

2019-05

Our goal was to get snowed in and enjoy a few days in the cabin. The Poplar was a great place to do that. Even in the winter, the vegetation on the sides made you feel very private, especially when enjoying the hot tub. The next closest cabin is about 150 yards away and you wouldn't even know it's there. Love the decor inside. Couple appliances are out dated, but it's a good taste of a little more rustic life.

Shawn Rosenzweig

2021-05

If the odor of mildew trapped in a home that has no air conditioning or circulation is your idea of a terrific getaway accommodation, then the Stone House is for you! If you enjoy being overrun by feral cats, come to the Cheat River Lodge! If your idea of a river view is needing to look beyond the dumpster directly in front of your cabin, you'll love this place! To be fair, there were ample linens provided and the hot water never ran out and the hot tub was clean. Aside from that, not a particularly enjoyable stay.

mike white

2021-05

Our cabin was very clean, beautiful scenery, very peaceful atmosphere. Had a situation come up and Scott the property manager was right there to get the situation corrected in a timely and professional manner. Only thing we would change is instead of staying 3 days next year it will be a week for sure. Once again Scott thank you for making our stay enjoyable. C-ya next year.

Britte van Tiem

2021-05

We reserved the tree house cabin for 3 nights. The property is dated and the outside space was not clean (think a dirty BBQ, dirty table and chairs). Does not have a 'river view'; the river can barely be seen through the thick trees. Generally overpriced for what it is.We reported an issue and subsequently spent the whole day on the phone with a long chain of people involved in the property management, before finally getting through to the owner, who asked us - in a defensive and unpleasant manner - to vacate the property so that the issue could be addressed. She offered us to stay in one of her hotel rooms instead, but at that point we preferred to leave the premises all together.

Marta Schoch

2021-05

We reserved the tree house cabin for 3 nights. The property is dated: fittings and amenities need improvement. ItDIt not have a 'river view'; the river can barely be seen through the thick trees. Generally overpriced for what it is.Unfortunately our stay was cut short because after reporting an issue and spending the whole day on the phone before reaching the owner, she asked us - in a very and unpleasant manner - to vacate the property so that the issue could be addressed. She offered us to stay in even more outdated rooms in their lodge, but given the whole unpleasant experience we decide to leave altogether.

Jason Tomany

2021-05

Worst experience I have ever had with lodging internationally or domestic for work or personal travel. "Cheat" River Lodge is an appropriate name. They care more about taking your money than provide a great customer experience and services.They were not willing to help out customers given the COVID-19 situation especially where states the guests resided were requiring shelter in place. They only care about what WV state restricted (no NY or NJ guests allowed. Funny they acknowledged that, but did not care about our state's policy. I had two high risks guests (father 72 years old and military vet) and they still would not cancel and refund our money initially. We will push it out 30 days...which is not helpful given the severity and potential risk to my other guests.The owner hung up when I was explaining our situation and that per the Governor of Ohio's policy...we were not allowed to leave per legal authority. She hung up on me mid-sentence as I respectfully pushed this issue given the unfairness and treatment. I had to call her back. She did not care and only talked about her employees. My wife and I have a small business and had to refund our customer's money even though it put our business and employee’s livelihood at risk because we could not provide the service the customer paid for. Their money is not ours until we provide and fulfill the service.Multiple times "Cheat" River Lodge did not return email correspondences requesting updates. It should not be the customers responsibility to have to continually request updates. That's not how we treat our customers. Customers are how you and your employees have a job. The customer is not here to just transfer their money too you and your employees’ pockets.Finally, we got 90% of our money back after they rebooked all 3 nights. Then they charged us a 10% credit card fee!!!

Sailor H

2021-05

Stayed here with friends (5 adults total + 1 dog) in February 2021. Our favorite parts: pet-friendly, daily-serviced hot tub, effective heating, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, and a large dining table where we could all sit. It took us about 45 minutes to get to White Grass for cross-country skiing. Simply and comfortably-enough-for-campers furnished.

Karla Hanley

2018-05

We loved it here. Unfortunately, there was a huge storm(declared state of emergency), so we had to leave 2 days early. My children were babies at this time. Promised a refund of 2 days of credit for next stay. Then when I went to book again, they wouldn't give me our credit. Guess we aren't going to stay here then. Also, mice ( a lot of) in the kitchen. Take your own stuff or you're going to be doing a lot of dishes to wash off the mice poop. I wanted a vacation but had to clean the cabin first.

Rachel Ebert

2017-05

Very friendly and hasslefree!! My husband and I came for our anniversary and the only complaint was that we had to leave, we loved it so much! We stayed in the Rhodie. Awesome place, we even caught trout from the back porch! It was very clean and had everything we needed for the weekend. We Will definitely come back thank you for the great cabin and experience.

Joe Poppa

2019-05

We recently stayed at the Big Poplar Cabin. The cabin is located right along the Cheat River, with a hot tub on the deck that lets you enjoy the river view. On our first day, they sent Scott out to help with a few things and deliver more kindling and whatnot. He came right away and was polite and handled what we needed.The water is well-water so you can expect a bit of a smell in the water and mineral film in the hot tub, but the place seemed well kept and hot tub was checked and maintained. This was similar to any other log cabin with well water I'd ever stayed in, so I wasn't surprised or dismayed at all. There's a wood/smokey smell because there's a wood burning stove in the cabin (which is a great touch).My wife and I are prepared to have certain expectations for being in a log cabin, comparing it to other cabin experiences (favorably) and not to a hotel. I saw no sign of problem with the owners while we were there. I'd suggest anyone simply check over their rental right away, and report any issues immediately. We left the place as we found it, respectfully, and were already discussing possible return visits on our drive home... we enjoyed our stay too much to drop a star so it gets 5/5. Yes, there are small flaws, but they were all expected related to staying in a genuine log cabin on a river off the beaten path.Of note... overall, the entire area (even Elkins) is weak on cell service. We had mixed feelings about some of the restaurants in Elkins, but staying at The Big Poplar cabin was great. We asked about booking WiFi in advance and were able to enjoy a bit of an experimental solution that worked, but there are no guarantees so don't plan to do a working trip from these cabins with limited/no WiFi and weak cell service. For taking a trip to unplug though, you can't beat it. We called in advance and made sure all of our major concerns were planned for before booking, so there were no surprises and everything went well.

Amber Larry

2021-05

23 hours ago on GoogleStayed here a while back on two different cabins. We stayed in Laurels place first couple days. The place was definitely spacious and had a beautiful view. The two issues were that the place was extremely Musty and one room we could not use at night due to animals crawling in the walls over the bed. Luckily there were enough rooms to switch and solved the issue for the time being. We then were switched to The Cabin and had no issues.. Just small and outdated. These are not luxury cabins but is a nice enough place to stay out in the mountains. So if you are expecting to stay somewhere like a 5 star hotel this isnt the place. If you love nature go for it!Edit to Owner: We did stay for a week it was not recently. It would not be under my name because we were staying with a group that was with a company. YES we were moved due to there not being enough spots at Laurels place. I know its was 3 floors as we stayed on the floor above the master room that had animals in the wall. If you want to sit here and debate with me. I will go get all the pictures of our trip. Instead of arguing with people on every review..which money was not negative and we would have came agian but forget it.Response from the owner22 hours agoWe do not have you registered as a guest on property..we did not have anyone registered to move from a 5bedrm 3 bath home to a small cabin. Moves are generally up to more..rather than lesser accomodations. Too much trouble to pack & move. Laurel has 3 levels. No bedrooms are on the ground floor, they are on the 2nd and top floor

Nicole

2020-05

When I rate this 4 stars I don't want people to perceive it as a 4 star chain hotel with luxury items and service. This is a local ran, small cabin right at the entrance of the forest and I really don't have any complaints other than they seem a tad disorganized in regards to their book keeping and computer systems so our check in was very messy but we're laid back people so It was no biggie (the cleaning lady was wonderful and helped us out so much). We were on a motorcycle trip and wanted to support a local owned place versus chain hotel and I really enjoyed my stay. We stayed in the king room with the kitchen and the room was clean, bathroom needed updating but who cares, it's a lodge on a river, AC was killer strong and the bed wasn't bad. Theres about 8 rooms at the lodge and you're enclosed in a screened in porch with lots of patio furniture which was nice when it rained to able to enjoy the outside. They have a small patio area with a hot tub (small but very clean) and a small patio across overlooking the river. If you are traveling for work and depend on strong wifi, I'd advise against this place but if you are just traveling and enjoy nature the location is awesome. Kids swimming in the river, jumping off the bridge, great location in regards to getting back to town. They have dog beds build inside the rooms (which i love) but If you're not an animal person, dont bother because you're in the woods, theres stray cats (didnt bother us at all but didnt want to be touched) and people bring their dogs and they may be a bark or two when you walk in. As for noise, yeah you can hear the few cars going down the road to their cabins but it's not a heavy trafficked road in my opinion. At first the location seems unsettling because its next to a big abandoned restaurant and large RV campsite on other side of the road but we had our motorcycles and trailer all outside and nothing and no one messed with any of our gear or belongings. There is a property manager on site but you will rarely see him and the office never had the open sign on so if you require a lot of attention or want someone be at the desk at all hours, it's not the place for you. But if you enjoy the silence and easy going simpleness of the are, I'd recommend supporting this place. Great starting spot for motorcycles!!! We will be back. Sorry for the long review but I felt no one adequately reviews this place.

Steven Duffy

2023-06

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Jeffery Richards

2017-05

To start off with, we were advertised the wrong cabin. The cabin we were advertised was Vine, but the cabin we got was Poplar. This was remedied by the house keepers, who gave us the key on the same day. The hot tub in Vine was broken; the maintenance man had taken the pump from Vine's hot tub to put in another cabin's tub. This was managable, but the cabin was in abysmal condition. The shower had lime stains and we were given no shampoo or soap. I was forced to shower with a deodorant bar that was approximately one fourth the size of a Kit-Kat bar; it shattered like glass when I dropped it. Quite obviously old, and I cut my foot stepping on one of the shards.The front door frame was sagged in to the point the door got stuck every time it closed, the screen was loose. One of the leather couches was pushed against the floor heater. The driveway was lined with thin metal fence posts with yellow "Caution" tape lined around it. The beds were covered in dust, as was everything else.These things would be somewhat acceptable for the five of us visiting, but the worst offense came when my grandmother called the owner via my phone. We received a note that day from housekeeping saying the owner tried to reach us several times, so she called the number provided to see what they wanted to contact us for. Once she mentioned the cabin mix-up and the reason we needed this specific cabin (easy access to the river for my crippled [but able to walk] grandfather), the man proceeded to yell at her loud enough for me to hear across the room. He called her the rudest woman he ever met, and proceeded to make fun of my grandparents for being too crippled to walk to the river, stating it isn't handicapped accessable, dishing out a tirade of insults even after my grandma began to cry on the phone, and ending the call after saying "We'll refund you 100%, I'm not forcing you to stay." After this, we began packing our things.I personally called the number again after things cooled down with the intent of seeing how we would receive our refund. I was answered by the owner's wife, who was calm and told us we would recieve a refund for ONE night; we intended to stay here for two nights. I apologized for the inconvenience we might have caused, thinking she was more reasonable than her husband, and she accepted the apology. She began to state we were being rather rude, to which I cut her off stating we were given the wrong cabin and treated poorly when confronting her husband on the matter. The woman proceeded to list off the costs; for replacing the pump for the hot tub it was around one hundred dollars. I attempted to politely tell her it wasn't my issue, that we weren't responsible for her deciding to replace the pump, but she kept saying "Sir, please let me talk." and continuing to rant about our "damages" until I hung up out of frustration.The housekeepers were empathetic to us, the woman (my apologies, I never got the housekeepers' names) and her husband stated the owners are the only people allowed to collect cash and give refunds, and that they live in North Carolina. The owners gave us no mode to contact them and ignored my number, so we have no way to make sure the $506.78 we paid gets fully refunded. In short, the Cheat River Lodge lives up to its name in every respect.*update*My initial review went away because the owners contacted my grandparents and demanded I take the review down before they would refund our money. Besides being illegal, it is highly immoral to withhold a promised refund from a costumer if you don't like their review of your business. I decided to put up the review again because they still haven't given us our money back. It has been three weeks. I can't say we left empty-handed, however, because after coming back home I found out the Cheat River Lodge gave me a parting gift. Bed bugs.

Steve Jordan

2020-05

Where to start….I was coming in town due to work so I booked 2 nights online through the website due to the nice pictures. Room placed on hold with no conformation email. Arrived after 5pm and looked for someone or sign stating “check-in” with no luck. Seen the store was closed. After 15 min of wondering around, I walked up the closed store and by chance, seen my name on a envelope with a giant key ring inside, thumb tacked to the wall! Found my room without no one to ask where. Upon entering the room, it seemed nice but on closer inspection, Ceiling tiles were about to fall, Some had stains, shower curtain was rusty, lose and about to fall. Screws were about to fall out. The old window AC unit was half in and out of a closet. Pictures will be posted where possible.Finished work a day early so I left a note on the same wall as my room key as I assumed this was the manner of communication the staff dealt with. I called the # left on the closed store window for questions and the staff answered on the 2nd attempt. I explained my intention on checking out a day early and asked for a refund. I was told, “This isn’t Holiday Inn where we refund on early check out”. So I lost over a $100.To sum up, falling and stained ceiling tiles, AC half in and out of a closet with poor cooling, falling shower curtain and if it fell, you know I would be billed for it! and the Cheat River was more like Cheat Creek! You could walk across it without getting wet. If told this was the low season for the river, I wouldn’t have booked but when no staff is around to talk too in person… Maybe nice during tourist season but stay away off season

Melissa Burdette

2020-05

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Tina Grissett

2017-05

Everyone that works here is fabulous! The owner knew from the beginning that my husband was sub contracted with the electric company and could be moved at anytime. She gave us a discount on our stay which was nice but she charged our card a week earlier than she should have after we paid 30 days in advance for a month but thought we were going to be staying 4 additional days but instead of charging our card the 30th day for the next 4 days ,she charge it a week earlier. It turned out that we didn't need the 4 additional days. When I contacted her about refunding those 4 days she was very ugly to me and started giving excuses about not refunding us those days including the discount she had given us in the beginning. The place was never booked out the whole time we were there matter of fact most of the time we were the only ones there!

Manuel Gil

2015-05

A friend and I rented Rhododendron cabin in mid-October, 2014. While the location was excellent and as advertised, we were very disappointed in the actual condition of the cabin.We had been advised that Rhododendron had gone through renovations recently. However, what we found was a cabin with old furnishings, a bathroom with low water pressure, dirty/moldy window and poorly constructed ceilings with nails and screws sticking out from the roof.While this was manageable to an extent (even in light that no real renovation took place), what really broke the camel's back for us was that we had rodents in the rooms. During our first night, we heard scratching noises. On the second night, the noise came back and, unable to sleep, my friend turned on the light and spotted the rodents on the beams above the bed (Based on previous reviews of this cabin, it seems there was a bat issue at some point as well).On Sunday, we went to discuss the situation with the lady working the reception desk. While she seemed to empathize, she did not seem very customer service oriented and did not offer any real solutions. She only stated that the exterminator comes to the place once a month and somehow implied this sort of thing is "normal." We had one more night in the cabin and the prospect of having to encounter vermin was not one we were looking forward to and we had seriously considered just moving out.However, the lady at the front desk said she'd call the owner to pass along our request that some sort of refund was in order. $736.96 for 3 nights is a HIGH price to pay for a cabin in this state. We could take the condition of the cabin but having an unaddressed rodent problem is over the top at any price. We never heard back.We had a really great time in the area and it is unfortunate that we had this issue to deal with staying at this cabin, with seemingly no real interest in having it addressed by the lodge's staff. That is unacceptable in any costumer service situation.We sent them an email after we checked-out and their response was basically that rodents are part of the environment, they get in when it's cold but an exterminator visits the place often (not doing a good job, I guess). They stated that this 200 year old cabin was once considered by Harrison Ford for a movie (it's no wonder he didn't choose it). Incidentally, I read other descriptions of the cabin stating it was built in the early 1900s so the 200 year old claim is bogus (like the "recently renovated" claim).They went on to say that the cabin "is what it is" and suggested that we're better suited for a more "controlled environment." (Between my friend and I, we have either stayed at mountain cabins in the past and/or own them).So, if you think rodents inside an overpriced cabin are part of the normal charm and if you enjoy passive-aggressive responses instead of true customer service, this place is for you. Caveat emptor.

Amy Taylor

2017-05

Totally enjoyed our little country hideaway. It was just what we need to get away from city life. It was simple and homey. It was just outside of Elkins so a very short drive to town. Loved the balcony and we enjoyed dinner while watching the river. We will be back! Thanks Crystal for checking on our stay. It gave a nice personal touch!

Sonya Saunders

2023-05

I haven't been there in over 20 years but it is a wonderful place pretty much in the middle of nowhere. If you want to get lost in each other for a romantic getaway or solo it's a great option.Nearby activities: Nature all around you