Mountain Retreat Resort, a VRI Resort

We enjoyed our stay at Mountain Retreat. It is beautiful property. We found plenty of things to do in this remote area. There are a lot of steps. The units need updated. The unit we had was quite large. The staff is wonderful.

The facility is a bit too far from the national parks. It is okay if people just want to lounge around and play golf, but not for active travelers. The unit we got, was old. Had smell of old/humidity, which took 3 days to make it bearable, after keeping the windows open. Worn out furniture and broken blinds.

My sister and I really enjoyed our cabin/room. The people at the front desk were nice, friendly and accommodating to our last minute changes. Our place was very well maintained. They even had turned on the air conditioning for us before we arrived which was awesome. The location is amazing, the trees were stunning. We would gladly stay there again!

This was our 2nd stay here, and at the same time of year but 4 years later. I will start by saying the staff was super friendly and helpful but the issues we ran into were due to those who pay the bills not reinvesting into upkeep of the unit and not running the amenities at full capacity. We stayed in Unit #9, as we did 4 years ago, and the run down issues from 4 years ago were still present. The carpet is shredded down the middle of the living room and it turned our feet black (now and 4 years ago.) The vinyl in the kitchen and bathrooms were also dirty. It did have all the basic amenities and in good weather, the outside dining area next to the rushing creek is a real plus. Issues we had also included dust accumulated in windows, every other light bulb in vanity was burned out and they were using ancient incandescent bulbs! The hot water was gone by the time a second person went to shower/bathe as well. I'm hoping/guessing they give their own vacation owners better units while the RCI members get the same run down unit. I do understand this is a mountain environment so some dirt is to be expected but this unit had likely not been rented in awhile and should've been re-cleaned. The grounds are great, and while I don't golf, I can see how nice this place would be for a golfer. We used the hot tub and pool three times and one morning the hot tub was colder than the pool. The sauna and exercise room were not open, which was the case 4 years ago. Guessing they shut these off during lower use times to save money. The game room and common areas were nice. We really enjoyed the area but will most likely stay elsewhere next time. We skied Bear Valley, visit the Angel's Camp Museum and Columbia for unique gold country experiences and visited Murphy's down the road. Big Trees was closed this time due to massive amounts of snow but it's right up the road. We took a 2 day trip to Yosemite as well. RCI only offered a 7 day block for us to book which was too many days for this one place. 4-5 days would've been just right.

Kids really enjoyed staying at Mountain Retreat. The 2BR/2BA was cozy and spacious with unlimited shampoo, conditioner, and soap provided. The front desk and maintenance staff were so friendly and helpful. Loved the warm swimming pool & jacuzzi, shooting pool and especially the foosball! We also did sledding, snow play, and hiked to see sequoia trees at the Calaveras Big Trees State Park. We visited Columbia State Historic Park which is an old gold mining town, so much fun! We even managed to squeeze in snow boarding 2Xs during the week. All rated the trip a 9/10! We plan to come back!!

Pros. Not crowded unit away from other guests Very large unit Good service and friendly staff Clean Quiet setting Plentiful provisions and we'll appointed kitchen Rec room With a pool table and movies and books Grounds well kept Friendly staff Free parking Responsive to requests They agreed to refund our resort fee because because the hot tub wasn't working. Bed and pillows comfortable Nice deck with trees and squirrel Beautiful location in California mountains Cons Decor! The furniture was literally 40 years old according to staff. Narrow stairs In the unit. Poor cell service Hot tub not working Outside spaces not perfectly clean- cobwebs

Stay was nice there are a lot of activities in the area. Town of Murphy's has a lot of things to do and see people in all the places we were at were very accommodating and friendly. Restraunt's we ate at where very good. Night life in the Murphys was a blast good music great beers.

Great location. Close to town and right across the street from a beautiful golf course. Beds are very comfortable with plenty of towels and kitchen is adequately stocked. We stayed in Unit 2 and the main door entrance was closed off due to porch unsafe due to rot but we were still able to enter through the bedrooms. Would definitely stay again!

My family had a great time here. The Space is quite large and it feels very private. Everything worked well. There were some issues re heat (too hot upstairs/cooler downstairs) and the handles for the hot water were temperamental. My kids enjoyed the clubhouse and pool, I enjoyed the sauna. The pool area could use a small table in the bathroom to help with getting ready to and from the pool. They also provide sled for free to use which was awesome. We had a really good time here. Made better by the help we were provided by the staff. They were so kind and helpful. We definitely want to come back.