Kandahar Lodge at Whitefish Mountain Resort

The Kandahar lodge is rustic and cozy and is just 7 miles from downtown Whitefish. It’s approximately 32 miles from Glacier National Park, and it’s an ideal location for launching to various areas. The hotel is just plain gorgeous and has a world class restaurant on location as well as a bar. Rooms are super clean and spacious. Each and every staff member is highly knowledgeable and super courteous. I have personally stayed at this hotel several times over the years and have never been disappointed. If you are looking for a world class hotel, look no further. Try it and you’ll love it. Highly recommended!

Loved this cozy Lodge. Hot tub and sauna were clean, beds and pillows comfy, kind staff, breakfast options were good and restaurant is yummy. 7 miles from town and 45 minutes to West Glacier entrance. Hanging by the fire as a family at night was the best! *Lots of stairs so be prepared*

Lovely lodge. Fantastic location. Nice outdoor sitting area. Very comfortable room. Friendly staff. Surrounded by walking trails. Beautiful overlook a short drive away. Very fun and walkable downtown real close by and a nice beach to watch the sunset.

The lodge and grounds look so cozy, and I did wall around the lower level to see the period decorated lobby and a nice breakfast are; but I basically was there for the amazing Buchanan's restaurant with both inside and outside seating. Many wonderful food choices, some of which were something I never had before, like the lambshank and root vegetables in a designated sauce. It was exquisite and such a generous portion that I was unable to eat it all and the balsamic mushrooms were to die for. Wines, beer and cocktails were available including virgin cocktails.

Our room wasn’t anything fancy but considering we used points, I didn’t expect much. Here’s the thing, the beds are super comfortable and we slept great the two nights we were there. The breakfast was great for a day of hiking. Loved the large lobby and fireplace. I did wish there was an outdoor seating area and more of a view. However, we are staying somewhere like that tonight for a hefty penny and no breakfast so I would say the value here is worth it.

We had 3 night vacation stay as couple in Kandahar Lodge during July. Lovely setting, the friendliest staff, generally quiet. Highly recommend. Would return. ~1hr from West Glacier Nat Park/

We had a great stay at the Kandahar Lodge. The beds were incredibly comfortable, the bar staff was excellent, and the location was beautiful. I had emailed the lodge a few times before our stay to ask questions and responses were very quick and helpful. If you are looking for a a cozy lodge, this is your place!

Amazing place!! Staff was super friendly and it was a beautiful place to stay! The views were amazing and the crackling fireplace put this lodge on the top of my list to visit. The restaurant was amazing and I highly recommend the bison burger to eat!

I cannot emphasize enough how much I enjoyed my time at Kandahar Lodge, my family wanted to go up to ski and we had never been to Whitefish mountain before. We stayed at Kandahar two nights and I found the beds to be some of the best I have ever slept in at a hotel. The kindness of the staff was unmatched and they catered all of our needs as a large group. I do not ski so I spent a lot of time in the Lodge itself and they put out little snacks and a hot chocolate bar for the people who were sitting in the communal area. Kandahar has tons of little nooks and crannies to explore and I was more than satisfied with my stay there. Not to mention the bagel bar and wellness center which includes a hot tub and steam room. If you have a family that likes to ski or spend time sitting by the fire watching the snow fall. Kandahar Lodge is the place for you.

This review is for The Snug. The cafe was closed. I was looking for a drink. The lodge front desk said the bartender would be right back. We waited. Someone walked by several times to serve tables. That person said nothing to us. I waited 10-15 minutes and left. Hopefully your experience will be better. There is a nice fireplace across from the bar. That was nice to look at while waiting.

What a great spot Skins ski out pretty much really excited that I found this place. It's moderately priced with amazing people working. I found it on Priceline, but called the hotel, and they gave me the same deal but so much more. I spoke with Max when I got to the hotel he was ready for me. Got me in a room help me with parking and even try to help with my EV. He was great but not the only from the van driver to the whole staff everybody here really friendly makes extra effort. The rooms are OK. It's a ski lodge. Nothing special but the people location no doubt I'm definitely coming back. I will say the lobby is inviting always a fire going comfy chairs and get Internet.

Nice place for quiet and relaxing. Be aware there are NO DINING options nearby. You must go back to the town of Whitefish.

Lovely ski lodge right at the base of Big mountain! We only stayed here for one night and wish we got to spend more time here. They're taking the proper COVID precautions and offered one of the best continental breakfasts I've seen during the pandemic. The spread was delightful, coffee was fresh and if you time it just right, you can catch a stunning sunrise while you eat outside. Be sure you pack light, no elevator so you have to walk up the stairs with luggage and the staff is more then willing to help with your bags if you need it. Could not have asked for a better experience!

Great Ambiance, Clean, Cozy, Great Service Awesome staff! We got checked in pretty late and the guy at the desk was really friendly and even helped with the bags when he saw I was limping a bit after tearing my knee the day before again... This place has a great lobby and fireplace with couches area. Everything has that cozy log cabin feel to it... I liked it. We had a nice stay here and I feel some yelpers have judged this place a bit harshly. When I review the Hilton I use standards appropriate for my $350-$550 a night stay and those expectations. When I get a great deal on something around $100-$200 range per night I say thank you and appreciate things even more. That being said, this place was clean, staff was polite, everything was actually really great! I slept like a baby after a good feeding, a happy bath and tight snugging into the blankets! Hot Tub: The hot tub was the perfect temperature! It needed a cleaning since there were some leaves floating around, but nothing bad anyway... Parking Lot: So this is the one thing that does need some attention... The parking lot could use some stairs instead of climbing up the dirt hill as if we are all out in the woods... It would be an inexpensive way to avoid someone getting hurt and just appear more professional.

Quaint ski lodge located very close to the mountain. Loft hotel room was good. Stairs are tight and kinda scary, but this is how most loft rooms in the world are, staff very friendly and helpful. Huckleberry Moscow mule was the best I've ever had. Try it, you'll like it. There is no elevator at the Kandahar. By the time you walk up from the parking lot, then the drive, then the 4 flights up to the 3rd floor, you start to question your life choices! Once the blood returned to my head, the Kandahar seemed to make more sense. Good small non chain hotel.

Spent a night here while exploring Glacier National Park. Overall - a nice lodge and good location. Very cozy and beautiful lobby with couches, fireplace, and vintage wooden furniture. The downside - dated rooms, no elevator or luggage helpers, poor sound insulation, Wi-Fi signal was low, clogged sink in the room, small parking lot in front of the lodge (there's an additional "raw" parking lot on the gravel across the road), and while it said the kitchen was closing at 9:30pm I couldn't place an order for dinner at 9:05pm. The nearest restaurant was a few miles away and driving back to town wasn't anywhere desirable after a long day. Considering the price of the room and the overall experience, I just can't give it more than 2 stars. It fell short of expectations and I hope the situation will improve in the future. Last but not least, the ladies serving breakfast were great - friendly and fun to talk to.

Beautiful and peaceful stay. Hiking trails close by and friendly, personal service. Paul, Lilly (masseuse) and the managers were all very kind and welcoming. Boutique style lodge with great historical features.

Great rustic place to stay to give a cozy, quaint mountain experience! The staff was very kind, accommodating, and incredibly helpful. Do be aware that there is no elevator and that the rooms are a bit dated, but overall it's a great place to stay when visiting Whitefish/Glacier National Park! Also, shout out to the bartender for his incredible hospitality & kindness!

Stayed here Aug 1-Aug 4, 2018 Pros: 1. Close to the ski resort. You can walk to it. So if you snowboard or ski in the winter or mountain bike in the summer, it's pretty convenient. 2. Expensive restaurant on the first floor if you're into fine dining. Cons: 1. Oddly no wheelchair ramp. I thought the ADA was a federal law? 2. No elevator so you'll have to carry your suitcases up the stairs 3. Breakfast is very average. No cook making eggs for you, just some cereal, instant oatmeal, bread, jams, muffins, bananas, and juice set out. 3. I stayed in room 213. The ceiling above me squeaks like crazy. Unfortunately, the guest above me walked around at all hours of the night and morning. Ugghh. Brought this to the attention of the front desk the first night and he offered to move me up to the third floor so no one would be above me for a $250 upcharge. Seriously? After flying all day, with a 4 hour layover, I didn't want to argue and just went back to the room to sleep as best I could. I'll post a video of the squeaking. Do not stay in this room unless you are deaf. 4. Ate at the Snug Bar that's on the first floor. The food was 3 star, but they used a lot of oil to cook the veggies and meat I had. The dessert was a thai tea cream brûlée. Never had one and it was pretty good. Unfortunately, 2 hours later I got food poisoning and was up to 3am in the bathroom. Ugghhh. Food didn't taste spoiled or anything, but I guess something was bad. 5. Eateries within walking distance are limited to 2, both at the ski resort. Base camps menu is extremely limited, and the deck pub is better but still not that great. The grocery store is also extremely limited selection and expensive. This lodge is far from Glacier Park. If that is your destination, there are closer alternatives, I'm staying at an airbnb now at Columbia Falls that is much closer. I then stayed at one of the lodges inside the park. Glacier is a large park, so driving in and then back out to sleep is a terrible idea. So, if you don't stay in room 213, don't eat at the Snug Bar, and don't plan to go to Glacier, then this place might be okay. However, the cons far outweigh the pros at this place so I would avoid.

We stayed at Kandahar Lodge in late July 2016. It's a lovely lodge with recently remodeled & well-appointed rooms. The bed was a positively luxurious and the rest of the furnishings were nice -- comfy leather chair, sofa, dining table & 4 chairs. The kitchen area was well-stocked... they even had a tea kettle. Housekeeping was excellent. The landscaped grounds are gorgeous in the summer. Flowers, fountains, Adirondack chairs for relaxing outside. There is a nice, free continental breakfast (toast, bagels, english muffins, muffins, cold cuts, sliced cheese, yogurt, fresh fruit, instant oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, coffee, tea, juice). Have breakfast outside and enjoy the flowers and nice view. The morning/daytime staff is very friendly and accommodating. (I believe his name was Mark.) Now for the caveats... 1) NO ELEVATOR If you have mobility problems, even minor ones, this is not a good place to stay. There is NO elevator so unless you are on the first floor, you'll be walking up multiple flights of stairs. The seating area in the lobby is 'sunken' so it also requires going down a few stair steps. 2) PARKING There are only 9 parking places at the lodge. If you are not lucky enough to get one of those spaces (& odds are you will not), you have to park across the street. It's quite a steep walk up the driveway from the parking lot. Of course, you could park temporarily by the front door and schlep your luggage inside, up a few flights of stairs (if you're not lucky enough to stay on the first floor), then come back down the stairs & out to your car. Drive your car down to the lower parking lot, get out of your car, cross the street, walk up the hill and tackle those stairs to your room yet again. For some, not a problem. For others, it might be too much so be forewarned. 3) NO WIFI (despite claims to the contrary) We were not able to connect to the hotel wifi in our room or in the lobby. Major inconvenience for us because we have to conduct business even while we are on vacation. I talked to several other guests and overheard two conversations at the front desk - everyone had the same complaint we did so I know it wasn't just us (our devices, our room, etc.). Apparently, no one was able to connect to wifi. One employee admitted they had been "having problems since March" (our visit was in July). Lots of perfectly good excuses -- they have been working on it, they will eventually be connected to fiber optic, doing everything they can, etc... all of which is FINE... as long as the hotel doesn't advertise that they have free wifi when in fact, THEY DON'T. So, if no elevator, no wifi, & a long walk to the parking lot is not a problem for you, this is a GREAT hotel.

Very pretty area (Whitefish Mountain) but I probably would not stay here again. My experience was that the Kandahar is terribly under-staffed, so be prepared to hump your own luggage up and down stairs...no elevator. The "snug bar" is an understatement it's more than snug, (12) people may be at peak capacity. Up-side, the continental breakfast is decent and better than most we have experienced. Great location for accessing the chair and gondola lifts up or down. Keep in mind the season "may" dictate the staffing levels. So my opinion based on my experience is Kandahar is good but not great.

Very nice boutique hotel we stayed in for four nights on our vacation to Glacier National Park. There is a nice lobby to hang out in, I did that on our last night while waiting to use the free washer and dryer. There is a nice man in the mornings that mans the front desk, and takes care of the free breakfast. A guest told us about Huckleberries, and we went to pick some after breakfast. The hotel is nice in the summer, but I can't imagine it in the winter. It's located in a ski area, you can ski from the slopes to the hotel! This area gets a tremendous amount of snow in the winter and there's probably only five months of warm weather here. We visited the hot tub and steam room; my son was excited about that. I enjoyed peaceful morning breakfasts, and cold beers in the lobby. We shopped in nearby Whitefish, and are pretty satisfied with the hotel, but it's doubtful that we'll travel this way again. Kandahar Lodge was a nice experience on our vacation this summer!

Love this place! Ski-in/out and the classic Montana log him look. It's got everything you need for a vacay. The hot tub and steam room were crucial to us after a hard days skiing. Not to mention the heated boot room and ski room. Drinks at the bar and amazing dinner at the cafe are right downstairs

If you like to stay at a beautiful on mountain resort with some of the nicest staff to help make your trip top notch then this place is for you. The food that is served there nothing less then fine dining at a great price at the restaurant or bar. I would travel 2000 miles back there without hesitation for another great experience . Not to mention the skiing is amazing 100ft away from room

I cannot say enough great things about this place. Unfortunately, we were only there a few days and didn't get to experience everything they had to offer--but, our time there was nothing short than fantastic. 5 stars all the way. The rooms were clean, the lodge is beautiful and well kept, the staff is knowledgeable, friendly and ready to help in any way that they can. I will also have to comment on one of the other reviewers complaints: I am really surprised that ANYONE would come to this rustic, mountain lodge and complain that there are no elevators--we would have been super surprised if there WAS elevators. We picked this place because it was in the mountains, because it was a lodge, because it was old fashioned and slightly rustic--we loved it!!

Anything on top of a mountain in Montana is fabulous! This is a very rustic lodge about .5miles from the slopes. Keep in mind .5 uphill is MT is a ways. Thank goodness it was all downhill after sitting in Mogel's drinking Moose Drool beer! There is no elevator. That was quite a drag. A very heavy, big drag. The staff was nice, there were two computers set up for Internet use, there were unlocked lockers for your ski's and boards. Not too much else to talk about. The hot tub was right outside our upstairs room, so every night after walking to and fro from the slopes after drinking the best beer of my life, the hot tub was fabulous. I think my next trip is going to be a wee bit closer to the slopes.

Very nice place for skiing and family friendly Nice and clean Good ability to ski in and out of resort Only down fall is there is no elevator Restaurant not to kid friendily More fine Dining Always a fire going downstairs Games for family Cute bar Friendily crew Available shuttle Close to village Would stay there again

Drove up to Kandahar Lodge to show visitors . Was in Oct and very quiet. The fireplace was on and it was pretty. We walked around and then just stood in front of the check in to look at brochures. A man came out and we said hello. He was very unfriendly and rude. We commented on all the buildings and new construction going on. He didn't even reply so we just left.

If you've ever seen Hot Tub Time Machine then you should stay here....and I mean that in the best way possible. I notice that no one has done a review for this hotel in quite awhile so let me update you... Keep in mind we visited in June on our way to Glacier, not during ski season. The hotel is at base camp up the mountain from Whitefish. Driving up the road gives you some great views of town, the lake and wildlife (deer!). We arrived and were greeted by a very nice man who explained everything we needed to know about the hotel including the fact there was no elevator, there was free wifi, and the location of the outdoor hot tub (Amazing!!) We stayed in the Garrett room which is a small but less expensive room than the others. I was surprised at the fact that it still had plenty of room for the two of us and the bed was very comfortable! The bathroom shower was a stall shower but there was good water pressure so I was happy. The bar was humming at night and it is nice that you can take our drinks out into the lobby - which was quite large with a fireplace, multiple couches and comfy leather chairs. We heard the restaurant was great but decided to eat in town. If we come back through this way I would totally consider staying here again.

Need lots of improvements!!!! The rooms were not cleaned enough, the beds were not made multiple times, the walls are thin-- I could here the neighbors baby crying. I stayed on the 3rd floor and there is no elevator in the place, so if you have many bags and/or heavy bags be warned. Also driving up to the place after a night on the town is interesting due to lack of light on the road and possible wildlife jumping out onto the street.

Wow. Beautiful lodge and location. We were wowed by the lobby's old world, elegant ambience. Our studio room was large, well furnished in comfortable, overstuffed furniture and the bed very comfortable. Kitchenette stocked with what we needed. Greatly appreciated resort's 10pm quiet policy - they insist you call them if it's not. We woke up shortly after 10 to loud talking next door and called, and they were up and the room next door was quiet in minutes. Disappointed no elevator because we were on 2nd floor and traveling with a child we had a lot to carry. While they do have continental bkfst which is great, we were disappointed it wasn't anything hot - mostly pre-packaged, to go. We would return but request a first floor room.

We stayed here early Sept, 2014. Beautiful old hotel. The woodwork is warm, and so is the fireplace that is opposite the front desk. The bed has to be one of the best I've ever slept on. Room was very clean, sofa was comfortable, and the carpeting looked brand new. The hot tub was perfect, with a clear windshield and view to the sky. The only drawbacks were the parking (if you didn't catch one of the 8 or 10 spots near the entrance, you had to park across the street in a dirt lot), the fact that there was no elevator, and no connecting walkway from one wing of the hotel to the other except thru the lobby area. We were on the 2nd floor of one wing and the hot tub was on the other wing, also on second floor. So it was a jaunt down the stairs, across the lobby, up the stairs, outside for 10 feet and then into the section of the hotel with showers and the hot tub and sauna. No biggie, but if you stay here, bring your own bathrobe. The HVAC unit made the room very comfortable, but it was a bit on the loud side. The continental breakfast was adequate: you had a choice of hardboiled eggs, yogurt, oatmeal, juices, muffins, bagels & cream cheese, apples and bananas. Plus coffee. The price was excellent - we got it thru hotels.com

A great solo hike up the Danny On trail on the morning before our departure, and a lovely soak in the huge and empty hot tub, redeemed this stay for us. However, if you are traveling in May/June, be aware that the Whitefish Mountain Resort is all-but-closed at this time. Turns out a "ski and summer" resort is just that - closed down in spring! We had hoped to take a chair lift to the summit - no luck there. And we had hoped to dine in the renowned Cafe Kandahar - that was closed too, along with all the other retail facilities and restaurants of the village. Sadly the booking sites made no mention that this was "off-season" nor what that meant. It would be nice if there was some kind of a warning and an appropriate price-drop too. Keep enough spring in your step to be able to get onto the bed at the end of the day - it must have been 3-4 feet high and you have to climb up or leap up onto it. The staff was attentive (helped carry my luggage upstairs for me) and the continental breakfast was indeed included. WiFi was free and didn't require a password.