Freestone Inn

This is my 4th trip to The Freestone Inn in the last 25 years. Things have changed for the worse in so many ways. Peak season in the Methow Valley should come with good service and a well kept facility. 1) No staff: Lodge staff is only there from 9-5. As far as I could tell this includes only 2 people. Not a lot for a huge grounds. There's no one to answer questions after 5PM, phones go to voice mail. 2) No lodge access after hours if you are in a cabin. You have to walk around the building to get to the hot tub and there's no access to the lodge interior after the staff leaves. 3) Internet is useless. With no cell reception in this location, Wi-Fi is barely usable. I get being disconnected from civilization on vacation, but when staying at a relatively luxurious establishment, some level of connectivity would be nice. Get with the times. 4) Self check in was pretty easy but if you don't have the email handy, without cell reception, write down the lock box code before you get there. 5) The grounds are not well kept. Landscaping around the pool is overgrown and in need of maintenance. The pool in general is not very clean and it appears that is not regularly maintained. I had to skim off hundreds of bugs with a net and the pool bottom had a lot of rocks and dirt. I found a DEAD MOUSE in one of the pool filters that looked like it had been there decaying for over a week, maybe longer. I did not swim after this. I can see how a mouse would get in the pool seeking water but to leave it there for a long period of time is not OK. I cleared it out and notified management. I never got a call back. Seems like a very unsanitary condition. All the pool filters were full of pine needles and bugs so it looks like it is not being regularly maintained. The walking paths are not well maintained. The lawn at the lodge is not well maintained. The pool bathrooms are dirty. 6) The cabins are pretty much what they have been for the last 20 years. They have AC so that was nice. The back decks are vey worn out, nail heads sticking up, old rickety furniture, cheap small BBQ, rotten wood. Interiors are clean and well lit, decent furniture and very comfortable. Kitchen was well equipped. We called ahead about a coffee maker and AC. They said no AC and drip coffee. There was AC and a Keurig machine, not drip, so wrong on both counts. My coffee grinds were useless. 7) Restaurant permanently closed: We were informed they only do special event catering. The restaurant when operating was a real jewel with great food. The bar was not open the entire time we were there and if it would have been, we could not get in the lodge after 5PM. The reason given was that they could not find staff. Doesn't sound true as the Mazama establishments 5 minutes away have plenty of staff. The woman at the front desk had a justification for every concern and was very defensive. She said she was retired and working there to help the family who owns the place. Merrill Gardens owns it so I don't know what that is about. They make a lot of money on their real estate and development investments. but seemed a bit grumpy about every question I had. 8) Jack's Hut is only open until 5PM one day a week (Saturday). Jack's is a really cool space with a small kitchen and a fun place to get a bite or beverage. Closing at 5PM is crazy. They closed early the day I was there because they ran out of propane. Such poor management. From my perspective there's a chicken and egg issue here. The quality of the experience was not great so is that driving business down or is business down in general which triggers cost saving measures to be put in place to stay economically viable? I don't know but I do know that a better offering would definitely build a more regular repeat customer return rate. I would not recommend this place given the number of great alternative experiences in Mazama and the Methow Valley. Sad because I have so many great memories at this place in the winter and summer. Come on, Merrill, you can do a lot better. Clean it up. Hire friendly people and pay them. Open the services that are already there. Or, sell it to someone who knows what they are doing. It is a unique and special property and it deserves a better existence.

We loved our two-night mid-week stay at the Freestone Inn. The property is so centrally located, just a minute drive to town and 15 minutes from some of the best hiking trails. Our room was well appointed, with strong AC for the heat! The pool and grounds were well maintained and we enjoyed the privacy. The staff were friendly and accommodating. We will definitely be back!

We stayed in a lovely, secluded cabin (not the lodge) with a well-supplied kitchen and bathroom. Very peaceful after the initial start-up issues. Tiny bathroom as the photos showed so no surprises there. Outside deck chairs and picnic table are rotting, splintering, and in need of help. Wifi here was poor to terrible. Be sure to download whatever you need before you get there. I would have given a higher rating for the cabin itself. However, there was horrible communication from them and horrible wifi. It was like pulling teeth to get the information I needed. What cabin #? What is the wifi password? Do you have a site map? What is the access code to get in? [not available until ½ hour check-in before which basically meant when I arrived there, with no good wifi.] This information was eventually contained in 3 separate emails and I never knew which one I needed to look at. This certainly could have been consolidated to make my life easier! And the entry code could have been provided before 3:45pm for a 4pm check-in! [No wifi on Hwy 20 drive there.] There was a notebook inside the cabin where it would have been nice to have the wifi password, the property map, and info on nearby hiking trails. Once there, with their contact-less check-in, the notebook said to “call us to let us know you’ve arrived.” Nice concept, but I was unable to make a call. They had a landline phone there but I didn’t see until the next day that you must dial “9” first. That should have been posted on the phone. Restaurants there were closed so if you don’t bring your own food, Winthrop is 15 miles away.

First time staying at the Freestone Inn, but it won't be our last. Located a little west of Mazama and right on one of the CC trails...great location. We had a Deluxe King room #12, Upstairs on the end. Great room, spacious with a comfortable bed, fireplace, and deck. There is a small refrig in the room, Microwave downstairs. My wife said the hairdryer was excellent....don't always get a nice hairdryer at hotels/inns/etc....so this was a bonus!!! Nice to have a couch, chairs and ottoman. Check-in was easy and all on-line communication ahead of time was great. And the quiet....a real plus....so quiet everywhere. The lobby is amazing with comfortable chairs, an impressively huge stone fireplace and a lovely view to the lake outside. Front desk was very friendly and helpful. We will be back!!!

Very disappointed as we didn't even get to go because of the fires however we still were charged for a night bc we cancelled within the 14 days. I understand this policy so you don't have ppl randomly cancel but if all the popular hikes are closed per the National Park service AND the air quality map states "heavy smoke covering the area" there should be an exception. Not to mention ALL the restaurants on site are CLOSED until further notice...seems like ppl are clearing out due to the fires. We're already crushed to miss out on seeing this part of WA on our 10 day trip visiting the state, this just adds to the frustration.