Gateway Lodge Country Inn & Spa, Farmington twp

The Gateway Lodge provided a wonderful mix of nature and pampering for a couple who needed to getaway. I am not the camper but a lover of nature and I found the perfect mix at the Gateway Lodge. My husband and I needed a weekend to refresh ourselves from the everyday hectic schedules of work and kids. We enjoyed the beautiful nature walks and mixed with the spa getaway was truly amazing. We look forward to returning again in the spring/summer. Thank you for an amazing weekend!

My husband and I recently attended the "Wine and Dine" dinner at the Gateway Inn. We found it to be a warm welcome place to have a romantic dinner for two. We like to say we are wine novices but I have to say the wine pairings were fabulous. The five course dinner was delicious and exquisite. I read the review below and I have to say there was not a dry biscuit in the house. Fabulous job to the staff at the Gateway Inn and a special thank you and hat’s off to the chef.

My girlfriend and I spent a fantasic weekend at the Gateway Lodge a couple of weeks ago, and I've been talking this place up to my friends ever since. My buddy Terrence says he was thinking about booking a weekend in November when he came across this review called honeymoon horror on Yahoo. He calls me and says I should check it out. I did, and this is all I have to say ... Are you kidding me? I read these reviews when I travel, and they are helpful in deciding whether to stay somewhere. But sometimes you wonder where some of these people are comng from. Usually I just read the off-the-wall reviews and chuckle. But we had such a great time at the Gateway (we're booked for New Years Eve with two other couples), I couldn't let this one pass. This place is clean, classy, relaxing and fun. We got in Friday afternoon, unpacked and went to the great room for a free wine reception, snacks and a neck massage! Nobody asked me to take off anything, and the long work week and two hour drive from Erie was a distant memory by 7pm. We had dinner (check out the Friday night crab legs), tried a new wine called a groovey that our waitress recommended, took a long hot tub in our room, and had a night cap on our porch. Next day, after a great breakfast, we took a long hike in Cook Forest - the ancient forest was unreal, didn't know we had such a thing in PA. We grabbed lunch at a place called Trails End and came back to the spa for a couples massage. It was totally professional. They do this aromatherapy thing where you choose your oil based on your mood or whatever. Then we both went into the massage room where we were given time to get comfortable - we both brought shorts. No one suggested we remove anything more or less. I think our therapists were named Jess and Desiree. They had nice music on and we had some small talk to start but I just eased into total relaxation. Afterwords, we sipped some tea and sat in front of the fireplace in the great room for a good 45 minutes. It was perfect. We showered then went to dinner again at the Lodge restaurant (I had wild salmon, Tess had a portabella dish that rocked). We asked our waiter for another "different" wine. He suggested a red wine from Portugal (I'm kicking myself for not writing it down). After dinner, we shot pool and watched a little college football - then it was back to the room for the hot tub, etc. Next day, after breakfast and checking out, we rented tubes and floated on the Clarion River. We grabbed lunch and watched football at a place called Knotty Pine, then headed back to Erie. We met so many cool people - the staff at the Lodge (Lindsay, Jason, Courtney and Dustin waited on us at different times - they all knew about not only the menu and wines, but about the area, as well - Lindsay talked us into hiking on Saturday - thank you!), Jackie, Jess and Desiree. John, the chef, came out to visit with us. We hung out with the Masons, a couple from Butler, after dinner on Saturday - we owned them on the pool table. Our weekend was everything advertised, and everything we needed it to be. They have great events - that's why we booked New Years Eve and talked some others into joining us. We might have done the October Wine event, especially since we learned about new wines - but we have to go to a wedding that weekend. I read some of these reviews and figure some people just have an ax to grind - what, a former employee, someone looking for a freebie, someone who fancies themselves a critic. You gotta read between the lines. Was it a perfect experience? It sure felt that way to us. I suppose if I wanted to nitpick, I could find something - but, really, I don't see the point. If I was expecting blue towels and they were green, I don't think it would have ruined the weekend. And I certainly don't think you should make stuff up - like making the very professional massage therapists sound like they were on the make. Check this place out, you'll love it.

My husband and I came to stay at Gateway for our honeymoon. The actual hotel was beautiful and front desk were helpful. After not believing into spas because of horror stories we thought with this being an upper class place we would trust this place. We scheduled a scalp massage. I asked to spa what was intitaled and the lady said head and top of shoulders. Same lady did mine and my husbands scalp massage. HOWEVER I come to find out the lady told my husband to take his shirt off and his pants too if he wanted. Pants off for a scalp massage?? She didnt tell me anything like that. Besides we both had shorts on. Im thinking she haed the wrong head in mind. Thankfully my husband was decent and took only his shirt off, she didnt talk the whole time to him then. I was so upset and called the lodge. They brushed it off as nothing. Im sorry but if it was protocal then why didnt she tell me to take whatever off and get comfortable. For me she said only my shirt. Nice memories huh? Never again!!!!!

My husband and I just returned from our 2nd trip to the Gateway. If relaxation is your "game," this place is for you. There is a wonderful great room with a fire and lots of comfy chairs and couches. The service is also the best. The staff bends over backwards to do anything they can to make your stay memorable. The rooms are cozy (actually maybe a little warm, though) and there is a deck that you can sit on and admire the flora and fauna of the area. Dinner was delicious. A little pricey but generally I have found that you get what you pay for, right? They serve all organic vegetables and have some very unique and delicious dishes on the menu. Breakfast was equally delicious with wonderful selections and again, very special choices. I have seen that people have complained about the $20 additional charge for gratuities for housekeeping and serve staff. Apparently, some didn't realize that each and every room is "touched" somehow during your stay. We watched the housekeeper visit each room and remove dishes and refresh complimentary candies etc. She also visited earlier in the day to verify if we needed anything like towels etc. I personally don't mind making my own bed! When you consider that the additional $20 is split between servers for two breakfasts and the housekeeper, I mean, really? This place is wonderful and we will be back......Oh, no dislikes.....

There are a few things they should tell guests, but don't: There is no TV. Breakfast is included. Don't tip the waiter or maid because gratuity is added to your bill upon checkout.

We celebrated our 10 year anniversary this month and decided to go to The Gateway Lodge. We arrived and Jackie took us to our room, giving a tour along the way of the pool table/tv room, massage room, and great room. Jackie made us feel right at home. She's a great tour guide and hostess! We noticed that a 10.00/day charge would be billed and was a little skeptical...but quickly felt as ease after the first morning that we had breakfast. The service is top notch and well worth a 10.00/day tip for house keeping and breakfast service (most people that complained about it on these reviews left out the fact that it also took care of your breakfast tips). Just as a side, the restaurant serves one AWESOME meal in the evenings. It's a little pricey, but worth the experience. They serve very unique and delicious dishes. Lindsey was who we hoped would be our server each day. She had a very happy demeanor about her. She made us happy just to hear her interact with the guests. I think whatever they are paying her...she needs a raise. I have never been to such a large establishment and seen such a great staff. We had a great deal (price) for Martin Luther King weekend. We could not complain about anything. We were very pleased and thankful for such a relaxing weekend in the woods! (We thought having a tv would make the weekend better. As it turns out, NOT having a tv made the weekend a blast. It sort of forced us to explore the lodge more and connect with each other more than we ever would have with a tv in our room.) You can always request a room with a tv. However, I caution that you will miss out on some things! : ) Highly recommend Gateway Lodge.

My wife and I decided to retreat to the Gateway Lodge last weekend for our 10 year anniversary. I have to tell you…we were so impressed with the place that we scheduled a year in advance for our next visit. I've always been a skeptic when it comes to lodges of sort. Growing up from Maine and surrounded by beautiful landscapes everyday, can you blame me? Anyways, this place is remarkable. The people were friendly, our suite was clean (loved the complimentary snacks), and the restaurant food was to die for! Oh, and the spa...what a treat! I felt so relaxed that I actually fell alseep towards the end. Ha! My wife enjoyed it as well and ended up with some AVEDA products which they sell at their spa. I feel that it is my duty to make people aware of something…or should I say be "cautious" of when reading the comments before me. My work as a designer naturally makes a person like myself and many other computer bound fellas (or should i say the generations ahead of us) gravitate towards reviews found on the internet to solidify their decision making process. If I for one moment, came across the negative reviews before driving to the lodge, I would of missed out on one of the most beautiful and memorable experiences of my life. I wish I had the opportunity to hug the innkeeper and each and every employee at the Gateway and tell them what a great job they are doing to their guests and their community. I wish you luck in your endeavors and my wife and I will see you next year. If only we lived closer...grrr.

When we arrived at the Gateway Lodge we were greeted by a very charming young lady named Ashley. She was very thorough and very helpful, even walked us to our room. On the way we passed by the spa where we met another helpful employee, Tracy. She explained the services offered in such a convincing manner that we scheduled our first ever massages. We were a bit nervous but Tracy was able to put us at ease. What a wonderful weekend this was going to be! Wrong! We were told that tea time was at 4:00 in the great room. We arrived at approximately 4:40 to find no tea or snacks, only other unhappy guests who had been waiting since 4:00. We stayed for about a half an hour and gave up on waiting as the other guests had also. On Saturday just the opposite happened. We went down to the great room at about 4:20 to find the fruit and cookies had been totally picked over. We waited around for a replenishment but it never came. What a disappointment. Our room was clean and the bed comfortable enough but the "roar" from the hot tub in the next room droned on most of both nights we were there. Apparently the walls are poorly insulated. The room had a "woodsy" feel as a room in a lodge should but upon closer inspection there are many unfinished elements. As an example, the tile around the fireplace is just laying on the hearth, not even glued or grouted! Ill fitting trim elements give the feeling of shoddy workmanship. A very major complaint we had and communicated to the front desk is that the air conditioning wasn't working properly. The thermostat didn't seem to work at all. The front desk said they would have someone look at it but that never happened on either night we were there. Instead we roasted even with the windows open both nights. On Friday night we ate dinner in the restaurant. We both ordered the fillet. I have to say that it tasted really good but was such a tiny piece of meat that it only took three bites to eat it. Literally. It was like a very expensive bad joke and nobody was laughing. On Saturday morning we decided to give the restaurant another try and went to breakfast. To our surprise the woman on the front desk, Pamela, had to do the cooking in between other duties. We asked if this were the norm and learned that this is the way they do it there. Totally ridiculous, it took almost an hour to get through breakfast, everything happened in spurts and the service was terrible. That afternoon we had our massages by two delightful young girls, Jessica and Jennifer. It was nirvana! Everyone should experience it. Tracy was there and introduced us to Aveda skin care products, she seems to be quite an expert and I made a sizable purchase. No regrets, I love everything she sold me. That night we opted to eat out somewhere else and found a cute little place up the road called Knotty Pines. The service and food were both excellent. We liked it so well that we went back on Sunday morning for breakfast. During our 3 day, 2 night stay our room was never cleaned but at check-out we were charged a gratuity for the house keepers for everyday we were there! The explanation is that they don't clean the rooms because they want to be more like an inn than a hotel??? Then why charge the gratuity? My suggestion to anyone thinking of staying at the Gateway Lodge is don't! Find another place close by to stay and eat but be sure to make an appointment at their spa. It's the only part of our stay that we truly enjoyed.

Liked: quaint and cute, nice room, dinner was good, convenient to area's points of interest. The area is pretty and the staff were nice. Disliked: Breakfast was really bad and even if it was good, it was not enough food. Fruit in fruit cup looked old, egg souffle was almost raw. Potatoes tasted bad. Early bird coffee was like water, no complementary sweets or even toast/fruit, unheard of for a high priced room as ours. One guest still waiting for the promised 7:15 coffee was fuming, the other guest gave up and left, one said she was tired of waiting and had tea. Dinner service was so slow our backs ached from sitting so long, no cushions on chairs. The new salon was nice but bizarrely closed on Friday night when I wanted to go there. The grounds were weedy and messy, such a shame because flowers and some attention could really make that place. Heard another guest complaining about the cheap toilet paper and no AC in her room. I had to laugh but she had a point, for a pricey room, all the little perks that one would expect for $250 a night just aren't there. Also, there wasn't enough staff and no one managing what staff there was; I don't know that I ever saw the innkeeper except for 2 minutes. What really burned my husband was the automatic charge of $10 for maid service that never comes. I couldn't understand why I had to pay for the next guests clean room!