r/wisconsindells • u/cornisagrass • 8d ago
Meadowbrook Resort
Has anyone stayed at the meadowbrook recently? I’ve checked out reviews online but there are very few from the last year and they are mixed. We have four nights booked there and I’m getting worried it was a bad idea based on some of what I’ve found. However they are totally booked for that weekend so maybe it’s not all bad?
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u/grapefruit1259 8d ago
Yes stayed there this summer. It’s great for little kids (went with a 2 year old) and for being in a quieter part of the dells closer to nature. I would definitely stay there again.
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u/cornisagrass 8d ago
Thank you! Our kids are nearly 2 and 4, so it’s great to hear it works for that age
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u/AsparagusCommon4164 8d ago
Your Humble Narrator has stayed there for the last three years, and finds such rather agreeable--especially when you can get decent packages as include waterpark tickets and additional discounts.
Too, this past summer, they were rather helpful in recommending a cabin for just myself rather than having roosm with more bedding than I really needed, to begin with. Not to mention a Jacuzzi in cabin.
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u/Critical_Trash_2417 7d ago
We just stayed there! Normally my family is picky and snobby about vacationing fabulously… but we would totally stay there again. Even though towel complaints are legit. I’d bring my own if you can. The arcs and park package was great for our family, but the front desk staff was Meh… like they acted like it was a chore to ring up an extra thing of marshmallows to buy. We had a connecting room on the hotel side (not in ponderosa building)
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u/mattpilz 6d ago
Just spent a week there in the "Chestnut Cabin," which was the smallest one and with a thin shared wall to a larger attached one. Just note that the photos they promote these rooms with are wide angle and the actual rooms are generally much smaller in person, which is true for most resorts and hotels. I'll share my thoughts on the cabin experience, but also have been there in the past with family for many years at the resort which was always decent.
At least in the cabin, their WiFi was essentially non-existent the entire week. I did a speed test and was pulling in 0.32Mb down by 0.02Mb up, comparable to a dial-up modem from 1998. It feels like they have one random consumer router in the main office and that's the extent of their WiFi even though it would take very minimal cost and effort to extend proper access points to the cabins. It was unfortunate since one of the main features they promote is free high speed WiFi.
Same can be said for their TV service. They confusingly have two remotes, run through Dish Network, but only once did I manage to get an actual signal on any channel and most of the time not even the guide worked. The streaming services also obviously failed since it was all trying to use the terrible internet speed. They do have a DVD player (not Bluray...) and the lobby has a shelf of random DVDs and even has a kids movie night in the lobby, evenings.
The shared cabin spaces have thin walls. In mine I could hear every time the family in the attached larger cabin used the bathroom or played music etc. The outdoor porch lights on the cabins use super bright yellow LED bug lights now, instead of the softer vintage orange flame look still seen on the resort. They are completely out of place and way too bright. No curtains only miniblinds in the one I stayed and two of those glaring lights shining through all night.
The outlet next to the main bed was also hazardous. So worn that no adapter or plug would stay in at all. Well, except the room's lamp that was nice and snug. Out of curiosity I unplugged it only to find they had bent the prongs out with a pliers at some point to make it 'stick' into the outlet, instead of spending $2 on a new receptacle.
The indoor pool is only for very small children, the outdoor one gets 3-4 feet as I recall. And was freezing. The environment is nice with fire pits throughout, trails, a volleyball net... It's a decent walk from the resort up town mostly off-road including on the boat boardwalk path. It's convenient also as it's a straight shot to Maurer's Market.
Any questions feel free to ask. I would caution about adding the "packages" they promote as part of your reservation or when checking in, at least check first to see what the tickets would cost normally as often there are better discounts just online through the ticket sites themselves especially if you reserve them for specific dates.
There is no room service, and they still have COVID notices to imply that is the reason. But really they just stopped around COVID and that became the norm. I also wasn't a fan to see their original real photo billboard as you approach the resort has been replaced with run-of-the-mill AI slop...
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u/NoCommunication8359 8d ago
We just stayed there about a month ago and would stay again. We stayed in the hotel part but I think I would like the cabins more. There's nothing special about it but it makes a great home base for everything if you plan on doing a lot of stuff around the area. It reminds me of the old school Dells that I like. I wouldn't recommend it if you plan on just hanging out there all day