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Reviews of River Ranch Lodge & Restaurant

2.5 out of 5
River Ranch Lodge & Restaurant
2285 River Road, Olympic Valley, CA

Reviews

8.2

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 82 out of 192 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 64 out of 192 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 33 out of 192 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 8 out of 192 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 5 out of 192 reviews" "

8.6/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

7.4/10

Amenities

7.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

james

Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

James

Travelled with pets, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities
Having the Truckee River right outside of your room was wonderful. Really enjoyed sitting on the balcony and have breakfast.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2023
Response from Lodge Manager on 20 Aug 2023
Thanks James for staying with us!

8/10 Good

Kathy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff are very friendly and professional. The lodge is on the older side but well maintained. Little things like a drapery hanging off the rod were not really a problem. There are condos across the river that can look straight in to your room so having the window and door open for cool air is a problem. No AC in the warm summer so that is a must. I would stay again, great value for the area.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Lodge Manager on 29 Jul 2023
Thank you Kathy for your honest and fair comments, very helpful for other guests to know! Hoping to host you again in the cooler season some time, enjoy your summer!

10/10 Excellent

Linda

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Enjoyed our stay, our balcony overlooked the Truckee River. A screen was needed for the bathroom window.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Lodge Manager on 18 Jul 2023
Thanks again Linda for staying with us! Noted about the screen too- not sure where it went but we will replace!

8/10 Good

Peter

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Rustic/Charming/Great staff
The staff was friendly, accommodating, and just lovely to engage with; from reception (Danielle/Alicia/Stephanie) to Kat at the restaurant and Asa as our server on my birthday. Everyone we crossed paths with during our two week stay was terrific. The Lodge has charm and our room had some minor updates (new fridge and Keurig machine) but if you come here, be sure and ask for a remodeled/updated room. Rustic charm is great and this place has it for sure! Unfortunately, the room we were given had not been repaired/updated/remodeled in many years and because of that the condition of the room and bathroom reflected some neglect. We mentioned our concerns at check out and in a follow up conversation were told the quick fixes were implemented right away…so that tells me the staff care and are very responsive! The food was sublime. Everything I ate was delicious. The prices are comparable to other restaurants in the area, so be prepared. The Truckee River is the big draw and if/when we come back to this area, we’ll want to enjoy this beautiful place again.
Stayed 14 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Lodge Manager on 18 Jul 2023
Peter thank you again so much for staying with us and your candid, honest review and feedback! We really appreciate guests like you and hope to host you again soon!

4/10 Poor

thomas

Travelled with family
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beat ! Needs substantial upgrade.
Generally speaking, the place needs substantial upgrading, not just in the rooms (which look to be 1980's vintage) but in the entire property: cracked concrete, peeling paint, this could be an interesting place with some real investment. The restaurant was good with very good bar service
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Lodge Manager on 24 Jun 2023
Thank you for staying with us. We are constantly working on upgrades for this old property but appreciate your specific comments. The roof was just replaced, and we are in the process of repainting (while you were here, in fact). Hope to host you again when things are looking fresh!

8/10 Good

Christopher

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
I like this place. It is however like stepping back in time 50 years. Rooms are a little outdated, but the staff is kind and the kitchen is good.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Everyone was very friendly and the bar/restaurant staff were very nice.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kathleen

Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Natalie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My room over looks the river it was just perfect what I needed to rest and not difficult to get to the ski lifts can take Tart or Mountaineer free transportation. I will definitely stay here again in the future.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Best New Year’s Trip
It was beautiful! The whole place was covered in snow. Or balcony was at least covered in a foot of snow and felt like a picture from a book! Everything was quiet and peaceful. Also had New Years Eve dinner at the Lodge and it was tasteful
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2022

6/10 Okay

gary

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Staff Great ... beds alittle rough, wobbly. Dissapointed about the river, which is what i was looking forward to , but thats mother nature..Danille was great!,
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Relaxing stay. Friendly and helpful staff.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Erika

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2022

2/10 Terrible

John

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nothing
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Had a wonderful dinner in the hotel restaurant by the Truckee River. Room was up to date and clean
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

6/10 Okay

wensheng

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service, amenities
Rooms are too closed to the chimney of the restaurant.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

8/10 Good

Bethsy L

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great view
Great place with a great view. Unfortunately it did only have a portable fan and the room got really hot.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

8/10 Good

Taylor

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
River Ranch summer stay
Stayed here for a wedding in Tahoe City area. Very fun atmosphere since this is the take out point for rafting on the Truckee River in June and July. Restaurant is very good but pricey. Room was clean and comfortable. Second floor Rooms with balconies are best. Road noise noticeable during day but not at night. Very friendly and attentive staff. Property a bit worn overall but has a wonderful location and is more inexpensive than many properties in an expensive region.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Gustavo, Victorville

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Friendly, nice staff; clean, spacious room. Location on the Truckee River with bike/jogging path; awesome.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Bathroom tiles had mold between them.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022
Response from Lodge Manager on 4 Jul 2022
Thank you for your stars! And yes the grout could look like mold because it's a colored grout, but your comments help us realize we should re-do it with white! Thank you again!

6/10 Okay

chandra

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Overlooks truckee river and thats the only plus; carpets are dirty, old. I wouldnt stay there again for that price unless i was desperate
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022
Response from Lodge Manager on 4 Jul 2022
Sorry you didn't enjoy your time with us!

6/10 Okay

LINDA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Holly

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely staff. Great food!
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2022
Response from Lodge Manager on 14 Jun 2022
Thank you Holly! We hope to host you again soon!

10/10 Excellent

Muriel

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great views
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022
Response from Kristen Front Desk on 11 Jun 2022
Thank you for your review! We hope to see you again soon, enjoy the rest of the summer!

10/10 Excellent

Barbara

Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022

8/10 Good

Scott

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Lisa

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very awesome feel at the hotel and restaurant there Would stay again
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022
Response from Lodge Manager on 3 Apr 2022
Thank you Lisa! We look forward to hosting you again as well!

10/10 Excellent

Meiru

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022
Response from Lodge Manager on 3 Apr 2022
Thanks for the stars, Meiru! Hope to see you again!

6/10 Okay

George

Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Room appeared to need an update. Curtains but no blinds on the patio slider window. Wi-Fi cut out multiple times during second night of stay.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2022
Response from Lodge Manager on 3 Apr 2022
Thank you for your review, George! We're working on getting sheer drapes for those sliders to allow light and privacy, and sorry about the wifi!

10/10 Excellent

Inaki

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location and friendly competent staff
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2022
Response from Lodge Manager on 3 Apr 2022
Thank you Inaki! Hope to host you again soon!

8/10 Good

Tung

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2022

8/10 Good

Leslie

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Luis

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfortable cozy cabin like feeling
Our stay was very cozy with a view of the river. Comfortable and close to amenities. Felt like being in a cabin in the middle of the woods. I highly recommend and I will be using this spot more often. Can’t beat the pricing either the sound proofing wasn’t great since it’s right next to the highway but there was not enough traffic coming through for it to be an issue
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022
Response from Lodge Manager on 3 Apr 2022
Thanks so much for your review! We look forward to hosting you again some time, and hopefully away from the road noise :)

10/10 Excellent

Tate

Travelled with family, Travelled with pets
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The front desk people (Danielle) was very helpful and extremely pleasant. Thank you for all your help. My brother and I had a very fun memorable trip!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
the room is very small, but the price is very reasonable given the location.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2022
Response from Lodge Manager on 18 Jan 2022
Thanks for the 10 out of 10! Hoping to host you in a larger room next time :)

6/10 Okay

Laura

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities
Love the River Ranch bar and restaurant but rooms need an update. Bed was crazy bouncy and bathroom outdated by 20 years. Very clean though. Breakfast is grab and go because "covid" even though restaurant is packed for dinner. Cost cutting like this is getting old. Beautiful spot on the river that would benefit from a little attention.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2021
Response from Lodge Manager on 5 Jan 2022
Thanks for the feedback Laura. We're updating the rooms a bit at a time as we can, but in the restaurant we're still dealing with staffing issues and cannot provide a full continental breakfast without staffing the kitchen 15 straight hours to also provide lunch/dinner, but we're doing the best we can! Hoping to host you again some time! Stay well!

10/10 Excellent

Anya

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Independent Old Fashioned Lodge
Wonderful Hotel with absolutely amazing management. The restaurant was so good and beautiful, we can't wait to come back!
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2021
Response from Lodge Manager on 5 Jan 2022
Thank you Anya! We love hosting you and look forward to seeing you again! Happy new year!

2/10 Terrible

Heidi

Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2021

8/10 Good

Kurt

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
great staff
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2021
Response from Lodge Manager on 29 Dec 2021
Thanks so much! Hoping to host you again soon!

10/10 Excellent

Brian

Travelled with group
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff was very nice and accommodating.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2021
Response from Lodge Manager on 29 Dec 2021
Thanks so much for staying with us! We hope to host you again soon!

10/10 Excellent

William

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I had a great time at River Ranch
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2021
Response from Lodge Manager on 29 Dec 2021
Thanks so much for staying with us! We hope to host you again soon!

10/10 Excellent

Steve

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
They where very nice we felt welcome so thank you I well go back again
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2021
Response from Lodge Manager on 29 Dec 2021
Thanks so much for staying with us! We hope to host you again soon!

8/10 Good

Stuart

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The River view and the park and walk along the river are spectacular!
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2021
Response from Lodge Manager on 8 Dec 2021
Thanks so much for staying with us! We hope to host you again soon!

8/10 Good

Kathleen

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nostalgic return to this iconic lodge. The unique location on the Truckee River provides great relation. They staff are delightful and the food is very good. Sadly no breakfast.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2021
Response from Lodge Manager on 8 Dec 2021
Thanks so much for staying with us and for the nice review! We only offer breakfast during peak season, sorry about that! Hoping to host you again some time!

10/10 Excellent

Rayna

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Love it!
My favorite when we're in the area. Love the location, the property, the rooms, the staff... Just all around great place to stay.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021
Response from Lodge Manager on 12 Oct 2021
Thank you so much, Rayna! We look forward to the next time we get to host you!

8/10 Good

Therese

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Balcony outside the room overlooking the river is wonderful. Would have been nice to have little frig and microwave in the room, but not that big of a deal. Dinner prices in the restaurant were high. Everyone was very nice and helpful. Happy place!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021
Response from Lodge Manager on 12 Oct 2021
Thanks Therese! For future reference, some of our rooms now offer a mini fridge but our building cannot maintain microwave surges :/ Hoping to host you again!

8/10 Good

Christina

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful, unique setting. Loved sitting on balcony watching the river. Older property.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021
Response from Lodge Manager on 12 Oct 2021
Thanks Christina! Hoping to host you again some time!

6/10 Okay

Patric

Travelled with family
Disliked: Amenities
some of the rooms were needing a lot of repair and upgrading.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Lodge Manager on 12 Oct 2021
Thanks for the review, Patric. We're working on our rooms one at a time- hoping to have you in more of an upgraded room next time :)

8/10 Good

Gail White

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021