Applegate River Lodge, Jacksonville

When we arrived, the lodge was having a memorial for one of the musicians who often played there. Things were chaotic but everyone was extremely friendly. We enjoyed the music and the unusual environment. We had a beautiful room and could sit on the deck and enjoy the river. The lodge is run in a family style and their family seems to extend to musicians who often visit. It is a music hub in the area and have music events every Wednesday. The son of the lodge owners runs the restaurant and he was particularly interested in making our stay happy. We definitely will return there soon.

We had the Lodge as the venue for our daughter's wedding. It was wonderful!!! The wedding coordinator went above and beyond. The servers were great and the food was fantastic. All of our guests raved about the quality (taste) and quantity of the food, no one went away hungry. The weather was a little warm that weekend yet, all of our guests commented that they had a marvelous time. We had out of town guests staying at the Lodge for the entire weekend and all said that they really enjoyed the accomodations. Wonderful venue for a wedding... very romantic and reasonably priced for what is included. I've read other people's reviews and all I can say is that our wedding experience at the Lodge was GREAT and personally, I would definitely recommend it as a wedding venue.

My wife and I chose this spot because it was only a short drive from where we were married... That was a mistake. Like others said, we waited about 45 minutes for someone to show up to the desk to check us in and give us a key. We ended up walking around outside the entire lodge in the dark looking for someone. Finally we just found a key that had the name of the room we reserved and felt like we were breaking into our room. This was only the beginning. There were loud banging noises everywhere and the floor above us was extremely creaky and rickety- everytime someone walked above us it sounded like they were walking through our room. Also, my wife developed some sort of allergic reaction from something in the room. We were thinking it was the bed. There was such a strong musky odor in the room that we didnt know if there was some sort of mold growing somewhere. Then, when we went to go check out we once again had trouble finding someone and after waiting a good 20 minutes we just left frustrated. We spent the next day at the doctors office making sure my wife was ok. Sure made for a horrible honeymoon experience. My wife now hates the word "Lodge" and we know for sure we are NEVER going back. Shaun and Taylor

We pulled into the parking lot around 6 p.m. and parked near the ramp at the front entrance. Went in the front door to the lodge where the desk is located, no one around, in fact no one around for two hours. I mentioned to my wife that the place smelled funny, kind of like exotic smoke. Around 8 p.m. a grey haired fellow and a Beagle hound showed up, the man also had the exotic smoke odor. He was very friendly and checked us in right away. Unfortunatly for us his friendliness was the only good thing about the stay. Two nights of noise til the wee hours, loud music and more exotic odors.

It was advertised as a B&B on their websites until a few days ago. They did NOT serve breakfast and our experience was so bad I emailed them suggesting they refund our money, considering the piss-poor service AND the false advertising. They immediately changed their websites and ignored me. Says a lot, eh? There are two positive reviews on this place. One is from someone who stayed there in September and was able to see all the rooms. If that's the case, they were the only guests. So, I guess if the owners were partied out that night, it would have been quiet. The other review was obviously written in the exact style of their own advertising. I will say that the food has USUALLY been quite good and the music on Wednesday nights is outstanding. However, if you're one that doesn't care for animals in a food service area, this place is not for you.

Looks can be deceiving when staying at this place. I was looking forward to a nice stay on the Applegate river near where my folks own property. Well, took forever for somebody to come to the check-in desk. I was about to leave because I didnt feel like looking around for the clerk (who I found out is the owner also). When I needed help at the check-in desk, people in the lobby who I thought were guests turn out to know the person who runs the desk. Seemed strange to me....turns out most of the people there somehow knew the owner very well, would just walk to the room in back of the desk. I find the owner and ask about any trails to hike around the river and the response is a foul word about the neighbors not letting him build a trail?? which I didnt understand and was a bit taken aback. I also find out that the clerk is the owner too. There was no soap or shampoo in the bathroom. No television, just a old boom box. Lighting is sparse and loft upstairs is too warm to sleep. I found a dirty pillow case just sitting by itself on a stool near the bed. I heard music blaring late at night and coming from below my room. Turns out the owner is having his own party with all the guests who I suppose are really friends and family. I get strange responses like, "this place is really a recording studio", "we just want to have fun", "don't you like to party?" Not when it disturbs my sleep past 1 am. I do not recommend this place for anyone and also suggest that the place be advertised as a so-called "recording studio" if thats the case and not a lodge.

I was hoping for a nice, relaxing quiet geteway by the Applegate River but turned into a fiasco. The lodge is overlooking a river and has some beautiful scenery but thats where the fun ends. There are no trails to walk near the river and just a few innertubes to float in but if you catch the river current, how are you going to get back. There are no trails, just lots of brush. No television, too hot to sleep in the loft where the big bed is located. Lighting is very dim and sparse and I couldnt find any complimentary soaps or shampoos (luckily I brought my own). Kids running amok at night jumping up and down on the floors and stairway. Pre-recorded music starts playing late at night as I am just going to sleep, goes on until 1 am or so. I investigate and find the music coming from room behind the check in desk.

If you are looking for a quiet geteway this is not the place. Where do I begin? When my wife and I first arrived we waiting at the desk for a good period of time. No bell but we knocked on the desk, said hellooo? Finally, someone shows up but can't find our reservation. We have to help the person look at the registry log and finally find just a phone number (no names) that was used for us. The room is somewhat charming with a view overlooking the river but queen bed is upstairs in a loft where its very warm in the summer. There is a twin bed downstairs where there is an air conditioner so its a little bit cooler down there. Lights are sparse and not very bright so I found it hard to read. No T.V. but it didnt matter to us because this was a getaway to a remote location. There is no soap or shampoo in the place so better bring your own. After 10 pm, I hear banging sounds to discover kids jumping up and down on the floor downstairs and running up and downstairs yelling. The noise goes away until about 11:30 pm when I hear rock music being played from somewhere down below our room. The music is coming from the area or room around the check in desk which is down below our room. The music went on past midnight and I decide to pack up and stay somewhere else. If you make any complaint they do not seem to really care and do not seem to want to rectify the situation.

My wife and I visited The Applegate Lodge in Sept. 2005. It was an anniversary trip and we lucked out got to stay in the honeymoon suite. Loved the ambience-It's so peaceful sitting out along the applegate river. Everything was so layed back- we couldn't help but relax and enjoy a truly beautiful lodge. "Pa", one of the owners, went out of his way to provide excellent hospitality. We were able to view all the different rooms at the lodge and we can't wait to try one of the many interesting choices available on our next trip. If you enjoy meeting genuine and honest folks. I think you will enjoy Applegate lodge. There's nothing phoney or artificial here- Just honest good natured people wanting to share a bit of their "paradise" with others. Jerry