Boulder Bear Motor Lodge

I had been hoping to get "Up North" again after missing the chance last year. I have friends in the area and a family connection to towns nearby that I have been researching. A friend recommended trying the Boulder Bear Motor Lodge again as she books guest speakers for her group there. I agree that it is a great place to stay and the owner Sam and his family are so welcoming and go out of their way to make you feel at home. I had to stay an extra day because of the floods in Milwaukee and Sam went out of his way to accomodate me. The day I left I had a dead battery and had called for service but Sam and some kind folks that were guests got me sorted out and on my way. I will absolutely be back!

This is a charming family-run motel. We decided at the last minute to stay in Boulder Junction instead of Minocqua and called here for a room. The owner was so accommodating - we were only booking for one night over the weekend and he said he would only charge our card once we arrived. Big, clean rooms and wonderful owners. There is a small “speakeasy” that serves beer and appetizers overlooking a huge yard area where we saw deer. We didn’t try it but it looked cozy. The whole place was charming and a short walk to the tiny Main St of Boulder Junction, where there is an excellent coffee shop and a beer hall, ice cream place and some art and antique shops. Would definitely return.

I would recommend against staying at this place. I called with a question and was given abrupt answers with a nasty tone. I asked to speak to someone more pleasant and was told there was no one. I asked for the manager or owner and was told he was it. I asked if he was always so rude to potential customers and he replied, "Stay somewhere else." Definitely not in the "hospitality " business.

This is the most welcoming hotel we have ever stayed at. The hotel was very clean and accommodating. The staff made you feel like part of family. The atmosphere could not be more comfortable and relaxing.

I can’t say enough about how happy I stayed here. Everything was immaculate. Sam and family were great hosts. I believe they genuinely care about their customers and their business. I would not hesitate for a second staying with them again!

I didn't actually get to stay at this lodge. I made a reservation and when I arrived, after a long day's travel, and as I checked in I was interrogated by the desk clerk (who turned out to be the owner's son) about a lot of irrelevemt things such as how did I get there, he didn't see me drive in, what was I doing there, etc. Of course, he couldn't see the lobby unless he was standing at the reception desk, which he was not when I walked in after parking my car, but I didn't even mention this as I just wanted to check in and get to my room. These questions were posed while the clerk initially began to process my reservation. I asked him to stop the questioning while I checked in, he had my reservation card, and at that moment all he did was cancel my reservation while I was standing there by tearing up the reservation card and depositing it in the trash under the front desk. There were no harsh words or raised voices, he just cancelled the reservation and said I should leave as I was not going to be staying there and all because I asked him to stop interrogating me, a simple request. I returned the next morning to report the incident (I had to stay in another city as this was late on Friday night of the Labor Day weekend), and was met with hostility when the owner, Sam Patel was at the desk. He said his son was just trying to make me feel comfortable upon arrival, but the son didn't, and thus I asked him to stop the interrogating questions. With no further conversation, as noted, the son cancelled my reservation. Sam was disinterested (as many parents might be) about his son's behavior and dismissed me as, I guess, some sort of fool. This is not a friendly place to stay, and Mr. Patel, as the new owner (I've been staying at this motel for more than 20 years when I'm in the area) was simply rude and didn't want to hear any complaints about his son. The son's behavior inconvenienced me significantly--but that's another story.