Bryan Wilkinson

Review of Sun Mountain Lodge Resort

This was a first time visit. The first impression ...

This was a first time visit. The first impression on walking into the lodge is impressive. It reminds me, although the SML is smaller, of the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. We had requested a King room with a great view, and that is exactly what we got. There was no TV in the room which was great. The room is pretty isolated so I really didn't hear anything going on next door on either side. The beds are pretty comfortable, the pillows so so. They have a lot of trails, but we decided not to partake this time, we did use the pool but it was not a clean as I would have liked to have seen it in other places I have stayed and we did use the hot tub which was nice. The towels and washcloths in the bathroom were very soft which was also nice. The room we had came with a Jacuzzi, which we used. The showed was kind of small but that really is based on the person using it. The restaurants. First the Dining Room as it is called, this is upscale, while there is no dress code, we were greeted by Nancy to get us to the table, she also took our initial drink order, and then our waiter was Colby. I had the Tenderloin while my wife had the quail. The salad we chose was the 3rd on the left side of the menu. Presentation was a 5, and the meal we had the first night was perfect in every way it could have been. Having eaten at some of the most prestigious restaurants in the US, it was really deserving of the AAA 4 star rating for the last 17 years. Colby was exceptional, if not one of the best experiences I have ever had with a waiter. He definitely gets joy out of doing what he does. I was able to meet the Souz chef, to share my experience. The Breakfast was breakfast. The hostess did not seem like she wanted to be there both mornings. The waitress on the other hand acted like she was doing what she wanted to be doing. She got the orders right both times, and was very pleasant. The second night for dinner, we opted to go back to the dinning room, and requested Colby a second time. Nancy remembered out last name, which I thought was kind of impressive considering all of the other guest. Again Colby was exceptional. Because the Tenderloin was so good the first night I opted for a second helping and my wife ordered the tenderloin as well. The second night, which in my opinion is the key to determining the quality of a restaurant. My wifes was perfect, mine was under cooked. Now I could have said something, but in my opinion, this is a skill set that required consistency in order to get my highest rating. Make no mistake, the food served at this restaurant is top shelf, but as a note to the chef, "you have to do it right every time" :), We partook in a couples massage, and I think they did pretty well, perhaps a 8 out of 10. I felt relaxed when I left and she didnt injure me so that was a plus, and my wife felt like she wanted a little more. So all in all pretty good and worth the expense. Lunch at the Wolf Creek was a completely different experience. The food here is not exceptional, nor would I ever eat there again. You only get a chance to poison me once. I ordered a salad which was ok, I ordered a roasted chicken and red pepper soup which was really good, but I was not really hungry so I just ordered some chicken strips that came with fries. I was served frozen chicken that had been deep fried, but as everyone knows when chicken is frozen it takes longer to cook all the way through, and they apparently didn't know that as one of the pieces was almost raw. If you have ever watched Hells Kitchen and seen how Chef Ramsey gets when food is not cooked, I didnt pull one of the those, but when I brought it to the attention of the waitress, her response was "Can I get you something else?" No apology, which would have made the situation better. I told her no, and that I wanted it taken off the bill. Then the manager came over, and filled my water, didnt say anything, then the other waitress came over replaced my wifes drink, and didnt say anything, Then before she left, she said let me go check on your replacement wings. Not Professional.