Recently Updated: River Lodge at the Base of Massanutten Mountain

• Rest, relaxation and the simple life in a gorgeous location : priceless!

  Rest, relaxation and the simple life in a gorgeous location : priceless!

  • Guest Sue1951 (Washington DC)
  • Date of stay 07/04/13
  • Review Submitted 07/09/13
  Looking for a place to spend a few days leading the simple life off the beaten track? This is the place for you! Just spent the July 4 weekend in this rustic cottage away from my professional humdrum life in Washington DC. The location is just lovely on the edge of the river - beautiful, peaceful and quiet. A good lunch, coffee and comp wifi can be found in the Woodstock Café in the heart of town which is just a few minutes drive away. The owner lives close by and is very helpful but not intrusive. Found it very hard to leave to return to my "real life" in DC! Already planning to return in the Fall to enjoy another season on the river.

  Recommended for: Romantic getaway, age 55+.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Great Escape with endless possibilities!

  Great Escape with endless possibilities!

  • Guest laura w.
  • Date of stay 06/21/13
  • Review Submitted 06/24/13
  This river lodge reminded me of a rental I stayed in at the beach once with similar rustic charm. The A-fram lodge was very tidy and the owner was accessible, offering several great suggestions for things to do in town and in the area. I have recommended this place to several friends and relatives. There is air conditioning for extreme summer temperatures and a woodstove for cooler fall temperatures, cozy bedroom downstairs and an upstairs loft area and bedroom with multiple sleep accommodations. Perfect for family or singles. The close proximity to the waterfront allows for easy access to aquatic activities. The river behind the house is the deepest, widest part of the Shenandoah North Fork so it resembles a lake. The property is located at the base of the mountain perfect for my early morning hike to the lookout tower at the top of the mountain. I spotted 2 bald eagles flying by on that rare occasion and the views from the tower were like flying in an airplane allowing me to have an aerial view of several bends of the Shenandoah river below - the breathtaking view alone was well worth the hike! Another really fun thing to do right on the premises at night was to build a bon fire in the stone and dirt pit near the creek next to the lodge. We roasted marshmallows and told tales as the sound of crickets provided us with background nature music to this magical evening! My friends fell in love with the solitude and our imaginations ran wild of this being an ideal place for creative activities such as writing or hosting art lessons, painting or craft parties, weddings or family reunions, the possibilities were endless! A classic place to escape and reunite with nature became the description we all agreed that city dwellers like us desired to make our own summer or fall traditional annual mecca! We also enjoyed going to the summer music festival and listening to some classic musicians entertain under the stars near Bryce Mountain. There were so many fun things to do nearby like visiting local vineyards or wineries, quaint shops, golfing for the boys and the summertime valley league college baseball events, that we decided we would have to make more frequent visits to cover all that this Shenandoah county part of the valley has to offer. You will fall in love with it too! Highly recommend this place!!!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• Wonderful country retreat

  Wonderful country retreat

  • Guest Mary from Maplewood (United States)
  • Date of stay 06/08/12
  • Review Submitted 05/29/13
  I spent the weekend at this river lodge in Woodstock along with four high school friends. The kitchen was well equipped, the beds comfortable and the atmosphere quiet and peaceful. We hiked to the top of Massanutten Mountain -- a good workout, but well worth it when we saw the views of the valley from above. The lodge is close to the river, which was dreamily quiet and beautiful. We took a short cruise on the river our first night, which started off our trip on just the right note. The owners live close by and made us feel welcomed and comfortable. They know the area well and pointed out restaurants, shopping and even music events that were within close proximity. Given that it is in the countryside and near a river, you will need bug spray at night. I've spent loads of summers in Virginia, West Virginia, California and Maine and that's par for the course. The trade-off is that the night sounds of insects and wildlife create a beautiful lullaby that most city folks never hear. The dawn chorus was a welcome awakening after all those workdays waking up to a radio clock alarm. The lodge is homey, ideally located and comfortable. It's not a Laura Ashley B & B, but rather more like the kinds of lodges many of us grew up with -- a little more funky than flamboyant. Still, the kitchen and bath were clean and well maintained. It's a great place to let your hair down and tune your inner rhythms back to nature.

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, sightseeing, adventure seekers, pet owners, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Great house - great location and very affordable

  Great house - great location and very affordable

  • Guest Annie (Alexandria VA)
  • Date of stay 08/10/12
  • Review Submitted 05/28/13
  Some friends and I had a reunion of high school friends at Seven Bends Lodge and we had a great weekend in this secluded, clean and quiet lodge. It is also less than 100 feet from a quiet bend in the river for those that want a swim. It was easy to find and since we brought most of our food and drink, we didn't need much, except to catch up. The owner, who lives nearby, couldn't have been more helpful in giving us directions to places in town as well as to the fire tower we walked to one afternoon. I would definitely recommend this lodge and location for a get-away and plan to return myself this summer or fall!

  Recommended for: Age 55+, adventure seekers, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Great place to stay

  Great place to stay

  • Guest AMM (VA)
  • Date of stay 05/04/13
  • Review Submitted 05/28/13
  My girlfriends and I recently spent a weekend at this river lodge and had a fantastic time. The location was great for rest and relaxation. It is close to the old Town of Woodstock where there are lots of unique shops. You can find things there that you can't find anywhere else. Fishing, Hiking and canoeing are close by. This is a great place for family gatherings. There is a large backyard that looks over the river. I found it very clean inside and extremely cozy. I recommend this place for anyone who wants to get away from busy city life.

  Recommended for: Romantic getaway, families with teenagers, sightseeing, age 55+, adventure seekers, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Extremely Dirty, Unresponsive Owner

  Extremely Dirty, Unresponsive Owner

  • Guest NotAFan (Washington, D.C.)
  • Date of stay 10/20/12
  • Review Submitted 10/22/12
  I have traveled the world and have stayed in some seedy places before, but never in my life have I stayed in such an unsanitary place. On top of that, despite repeated attempts to get in touch with the owner, via phone and email, they never responded during or after our stay. Within an hour of our stay we tried to find other accommodations, but due to other events in the area, every hotel we called in a 40 mile radius was booked. I understand that bugs will seek heat and come inside, but we were greeted by thousands of dead and alive lady bugs, stink bugs, and wasps. The owner was aware of the bug problem, because they left a note with their number saying "huge gaps that allow the bugs in. There were so many dead insects ALL over, on the floor, on the furniture, windowsills, even the kitchen counters that I felt like I was in a Hitchcock movie. You could tell that that the house had not been cleaned before we arrived and possibly not even for a few weeks. Despite our best efforts to vacuum up the bugs ourselves, we didn't even make a small dent and before we knew it hundreds more accumulated. The bathroom was dirty - fecal matter in the toilet, crustiness on the sink. The kitchen was unusable because all of the bugs and the refrigerator was full of old and moldy products. It was also unsafe as without even touching, but just being in the kitchen, a door to one of the cabinets fell off and hit one of our guests in the head causing a bleeding scrap. Despite bringing our own sheets and towels, half of our party left with skin rashes. We are waiting for what our dermatologist tells us, but it looks like contact dermatitis caused by the unsanitary conditions. Additionally, I would like to point out that the steps to the loft are extremely steep and if you even chose to stay in such a dirty place, I can't imagine most people feeling comfortable climbing them, especially those who are older or have children. If would not recommend this house even to my biggest enemies. Our party is happy to send photos for documentation - both of the bugs and the skin rashes that occurred.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 9/12

Summer, Fall .. $149/night (weeknights) .. $169/night (weekends).
Spring ........ $129/night (weeknights) .. $149/night (weekends).
Winter ........ $ 89/night (weeknights) .. $109/night (weekends).

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.