Skyline Lodge

My Mom and I joined my daughters for a short birthday trip to Highlands. We had a wonderful dinner at the Oak Restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed the rolls with osemary butter and tarimisu for dessert. This was my second time staying here and I will stay again

My wife and I have stayed here many times. The staff is always very pleasant and accommodating. The lodge is an interesting, historic, Prairie-style design that we love. It is tucked-away in mountains next to a stream that looks and sounds beautiful, with truly amazing sunset views. The quality of the furnishings should be elevated, and the paint in the rooms touched up thought. And the restaurant, which has always been fabulous (and a reason by itself to stay here) was disappointing. It has become very popular and although the steak may be the best I’ve found anywhere (no hyperbole), there were other issues. The worst was forgetting to prepare the special dessert that I ordered well in advance for my wife’s birthday. Instead they brought her a slice of cake from the kitchen with a small plastic “happy birthday” medallion on it. (And my wife hates cake). Overall, I know it’s difficult for any business to consistently achieve excellence. But you have to keep trying. And especially with the restaurant, it seems like they may be resting on past laurels.

Highly recommend the Skyline Lodge. It's clean, quiet, and so stylish. My room was well appointed and I loved the heated floor tile in the bathroom. The hotel's setting outside of the town of Highlands is a huge plus. It's such a serene setting.

After receiving cute emails asking for special requests before our stay, we had high hopes that SL would be a special place. Unfortunately, it did not meet our expectations and we won't be coming back. The woman greeting us at check-in in the afternoon on 10/18 was unpleasant and unwelcoming. As a result, our stay began with a negative impression. Our lower level room was dark with poor lighting, poor sound insulation, uncomfortable mattress and huge pillows, and a tiny bathroom with no fan and a shower door that would not stay closed. The water never got very hot and the floor was flooded due to the open shower door. By the way, none of the special requests made in response to the cute emails and texts that we received were honored. The requests were not difficult to fulfill as they included requests for shower caps and cotton balls in the bathroom. When I realized that no one had paid attention to my responses to the emails, I went back to the unpleasant woman at reception to get what I needed, since only very basic amenities are supplied in the bathroom (no shower caps or vanity kits). During the chilly evenings, the guests were socializing in the courtyard where only a couple of the heaters were lit. Everyone gathered in a small area of the courtyard, which had many additional unlit heaters. Guests finally requested that mangement light more of the heaters as it became increasingly uncomfortable dealing with the dropping temperature. This is one example of the way that management missed the mark by not attending to a detail as small as lighting the heaters during the cool fall evenings.

Skyline is our go to weekend escape and never disappoints. Relaxed boutique hotel with a great upscale restaurant and sprinkle a few bears in there. The staff is friendly and accommodating and the rooms are clean and comfortable. Great place to chill on a mountain ridge .

We were very happy with the staff and our room. Oak Steakhouse was great! The hotel is well a good option for people who want a rural cabin feel, but in a hotel/motel setting. I feel that some of the negative reviews may be from people who were expecting a more luxury type/all inclusive stay. The Skyline Lodge is clean and well equipped, but is a small,more rustic mountain feel. It was a great location to drive to downtown Highlands, Cashiers, and hiking trails.

Where do I start? Oh, yes, lipstick on bovines. These old buildings have had a cheap remodel with the cheapest of materials. The bathrooms/showers are suffocatingly small with poor ventilation. The hotel is so concerned about the thin walls they supply ear plugs and a sound machine in each room. You just can't make this stuff up! Lighting is dim and there is very little privacy. For example, the room curtain covering the outer walkway window does not close sufficiently. It is so bad that if you are standing by the sink or coming out of the shower at the moment someone walks by, well... they will see you in all of your glory! Outside stairs are not to code and the rise on the steps varies from 3 inches to 9. Be careful! If you want views, be prepared to search for a vantage point. We paid extra for a Ridgetop room and the heavy powerlines were just gorgeous! The buildings just beyond the hotel are creepy and they are using a tennis court for employee parking. I will end on a positive: the bed was very comfortable, the towels were soft, and the bathroom floors are heated. Don't be fooled; that does not make up for the outrageous cost and lack of privacy.

The best part is that the Oak Steakhouse is on property, and the Oak Steakhouse is outstanding. Our room was a good size and the balcony allowed us to feel like we were camping in the trees, but in a luxury accommodation. I do feel that it is unfortunate that the Oak Steakhouse does not open for breakfast for the Skyline Lodge guests.

I was incredibly disappointed with my stay at Skyline. This hotel is marketed as a four star hotel with prices to match. However, nothing about my experience was four stars. When I first entered the room, there were bugs crawling on the ceiling and wall and also smushed on the ceiling where previous occupants had killed them. There were also bugs consistently in the toilet and in the sink. I raised this issue with the front desk twice, but I was told that there was nothing they could do, except potentially set out some traps. And, when I was sitting on the patio at night, I saw a mouse run across the deck two feet away from me. In addition, the shower door was missing, so water went everywhere when someone took a shower. The only redeeming quality about this hotel is the restaurant attached - all of my meals at Oak Steakhouse were delicious. Skip the stay but definitely visit the restaurant.