We had a relaxing family stay at the Calabogie Lodge Resort. With a 2bdrm 2 bath unit with full kitchen facilities overlooking the kids playground and small beach it was perfect!

My 4yr described it as Hawaii and it only took us a little over an hour by car to get there! The beach and lake were great for summer swimming especially with little ones. The resort is a little run down in some rooms, but not terribly so. It is rustic and comfortable and has all the required amenities.

Free canoe, paddle boat and kayak use. Free bikes to use for all ages. Salt water in door pool, games room and kids play area.

Golf is close by as are hiking, biking and quad trails.

Bring your food, but liquor store is a 2 min walk. They also have a convenience store if needed.

A few restaurants nearby, which are good. Did not try the restaurant on site.

Calabogie Lodge(not to be confused with Calabogie Peaks) has an excellent location on the lake and there are no "bad views" Amenities are good with indoor saltwater pool and hot tub along with a small fitness centre, games room and onsite restaurant(open Wed-Sun, dinner only.)

Units themselves need some work- all the basic facilites are there including flat screen TV and dishwasher and laundry facilites, however beds need to be updated(king would be nice) and more easy chairs are needed in living area(1 bedroom sleeps 4 but only has comfortable seating for 3 in the living area). The circlular staircases in some units are difficult to manouver(and ours was loose).

Calabogie itself is a small town and somewhat isolated(Renfrew- the closest town of any size is about 35-40 minutes away) but local Calabogie grocery is very well stocked and the home baking at the store is amazing. Polly 's L'il Shanty restaurant is signicantly overpriced for the quality

Traveling from New York with my husband and just under two year old , Calabogie was an easy drive. We were allowed to check into our two bedroom two bath unit early which is always appreciated for nap time. The resort is small, well kept and clean. Check-in was easy. We all liked the indoor salt water pool and my son enjoyed the play area and small beach. These were the only activites we used due to my son's age but there were bikes and every type of small watercraft for use. They also had a meet and greet and activities for children on the weekend. The unit was very spacious and clean. Washer and dryer in unit was a plus. Full sized kitchen, small deck,balcony, gas fire place, flatscreen tv and jacuzzi in large upstairs bath. Bedrooms were large with plenty of storage. Gas a charcoal grills are located through out the grounds. There was also free wi-fi. We didn't use the game room but it looked great for a rainy day....there was even a seperated gated area for babies. We also didn't eat at the on-site restaurant since we cooked in or were out traveling. Groceries were bought on a trip to Renfrew and at the nearby mart. We took several day trips. Once we walked around downtown Renfrew and had lunch. We also took a drive south and ended up in Perth which was a very nice town to explore, many places to eat. On our way there we stopped at a large Amish store for shopping and food. There was also a large store directly across the street but I have forgotten the names. We spent a long day in Ottawa. We toured the Byward market and saw Parliment. I urge all to take the amphibious bus tour. It was very informative way to appreciate the city. We also took a day to go to Storyland, which is great for small children. The resort is sort of out of the way but I didn't think the drives were took were bad, but then again I love to drive.

I was surprised to find no one had written a review for Calabogie Lodge yet here on Tripadvisor. So here it is! We just returned from an approx. week long stay at Calabogie. It was our first time at this resort (an RCI Gold Crown Property) and it took us roughly 4 hours (give or take depending on weather) to get there from Toronto. We were booked into 2 x 1 BR condos at the resort and wasn't sure what to expect. We did call ahead to see if they could put the 2 rooms side by side, which they did.

Rooms
When we arrived, we were surprised to walk into the main bedroom right away. My initial reaction was this was it, just a studio apartment for the week. But then my husband quickly pointed out there were stairs leading downstairs, where we found the living room and small kitchen on the bottom floor. The stairs were extremely steep and a 'spiral" staircase. It was difficult for my daughter (3) to get down and for all of us to walk up and down in general. We decided to have my 1 year old son sleep in his playpen on the top floor, while my daughter, husband and I shared the sofa bed downstairs. At quick glance of the villas and other accommodation types at the resort, it looked like ours was probably the smallest and most basic. The villas for example, looked big and spacious. All in all though, we couldn't complain. For a 1 BR unit, space wise altogether it was quite big and it has everything we needed to be comfortable. Since my parents were staying in the 1BR unit next door, we just carried over a couple of chairs so that we could all eat together at dinner. You could exit each unit from the top floor or the bottom floor. The bottom floor led out to a small deck and overlooked the lake with its fishing huts scattered across it. Very nice view, very peaceful. Biggest complaint about the rooms itself is the paper thin walls and squeaky floor boards. They must have built the rooms with large pieces of wood spanning across all the units because when people are walking around in the unit next door, you can hear every foot step. Throughout the week it sounded like a family was trampling around upstairs in our own house! But actually it was footsteps from next door. My parents could hear my daughter talking through the walls!

Reception and Pool
In the main building you will find the main reception, pool, exercise room and games room. It was quite nice here. They have a large stuffed polar bear in the main lobby the kids seemed to like. They have a computer here you can use for free (15 min limit) or you can bring a laptop and get the password to use free wireless internet. The towel system is not so great - they charge you a dollar for a towel as a deposit but will give it back at the end. We just left our room key after I told them I didn't bring money. They can't even see you returning the towel (the basket is in the pool area) so not sure what the point is of that. Reception was always friendly and helpful. Didn't use the other facilities other than the pool, but looked fine and spacious. They have snowshoes you can rent for free (2 pairs) for a $150 deposit you get back. Skates you can rent for free, hockey sticks, movies for rent ($3). Pool is somewhat heated, hot tub is warm, they do have a sauna (didn't use it). Adult time at pool is from 8-1am I think and the rest of the day is free for all. We went every day, small pool but still fun.

Other Activities
We rented a fishing hut through "Jim" and his wife, nice couple that own a small store nearby. Caught a couple of pickerel (walleye) - you are not supposed to keep it if it is less than 40cm or something like that. Used to be because of the depleting population but heard that is no longer the case, but they won't change the law. Nonetheless, fun to try - only cost $20 for the day and they supply all the wood and everything you need to stay warm and fish all day. Ottawa is about an hour away and Calabogie Ski Resort can be seen from the rest as well!

Shopping Etc.
There are a couple of small town nearby. We only went to Renfrew - Walmart, No Frills and Tim Hortons there. We also went to Liquidation Mall and found some good deals. My son was sick while we ere up so we went to Renfrew Hospital to have him checked out. They were fast and great.

There is a small grocery store nearby of the resort within walking distance. Great deal on strawberries and chick legs (their weekly special) .. cheaper than if we bought it here in Toronto. Nice small store, so we went a couple of time. Great Calabogie Pizzeria that makes great pizzas within a short driving distance too.

Other things you will find is a playground for the kids, a gas BBQ we used to make steaks, skating rink on the ice (saw kids playing hockey right until the moon came out). Lots to do on site, peaceful, clean air, relaxing and fun. We would have loved to stay longer but March Break was coming to an end. We would definitely go back in the future, but maybe stay in a Villa and pay the extra for better accommodations - could not stand the squeaky floors. Anything you forget or they don't have, you can usually call front desk and borrow. Cleaning could be better - they charge for housekeeping (we are used to getting 1 free if you stay a week) and the first night I found an acrylic fingernail on the floor in plain view. Called and housekeeping brought me a vacuum cleaner to vacuum myself - they came back form it the next day. Couple of last things to mention, bring your own soap and shampoo, they do have a hairdryer and a bathmat, all baking pans can be borrowed from front desk, along with a s slow cooker and other cooking stuff you may need that is not already in the kitchen and biggest last thing to mention - they charge you per night (flat rate) for utilities! We have never had that before. We stayed 5 nights and it probably worked out to under $30 a room but still .. we've never had an RCI Gold Crown be so cheap they have to charge you a small rate per night for utilities. We were going to argue who was going to pay us for vacuuming the room - but they were so nice to us all week, we didn't bother. Despite all that it won't stop us from returning. I hope this review has been helpful. Remember we went in the winter 0 I know there are a whole bunch of more activities to do in the summer - ie a beach right on site. But we had a great winter vacation at Calabogie and look forward to returning one day. :-)