Voyagaire Lodge & Houseboats

We rented a 6 to 8 person houseboat (Sportcruiser 440)for our crew of 6 adults and teens for our 6 day Voyageurs adventure. The overall room and sleeping arrangements were fine for us as was the kitchen. Tons of 16- 25 " fish, mostly Northern Pike, some Walleye and Bass- we didn't even fish that much. Staff was great, very efficient and nice loading and unloading all our gear from vehicle to boat. Their [Dillon's] orientation, training, and safety talk about the lakes and the boat were thorough and concise. Fantastic wild land, very few people, we had a great week

The food and the rooms are great. Eating in the restaurant is not a good experience. The service is not very good. There is little management and structure to how it is run. We wait and wait for a server almost every time in the restaurant. The food is very good but is expensive , they are very nice and friendly but needs better management. The dock staff is very good. Jason does a good job managing the docks. I've been coming here over 20 years but not sure we will stay here next year.

Had a great time here. Definitely under staffed. Almost self service. House boat was awesome great family adventure! Fishing was good but don't expect to be catching big fish. Average walleyes are 11 inches this year.

Rented a houseboat and they were great. Staff and especially the dock crew were top notch. The boat we had was well maintained, very clean and perfect for our trip.

I would be very cautious before booking a boat with them: I recently did and when I arrived the boat had mechanical issues. Was told multiple times it was fixed and it wasn’t. My family didn’t feel comfortable on the boat after waiting hours to have it fixed. We told the staff we didn’t feel comfortable and was told that they didn’t blame us. They now refuse to refund over $11,000. I rarely write reviews. Trust me……BE AWARE.

We had an amazing Voyagers experience with a Voyagaire house boat rental. We rented a 36 ft Suncruiser houseboat (50 hp) with a 17' Pro Sportman Tow Behind (40hp). We arrived, pulled our car up to the dock, and they loaded all of our gear (which was a lot) onto the boat and briefed us on everything. If you have a little boating experience, these house boats and tow behinds are cake. They're both electric start and auto choke. Starting was easy and reliable and the engines run smooth. The house boat's top speed will be around 6.5 knots, and the 40hp tow behind will reach about 11 loaded down with 5 or 6 people - a bit faster if you're solo. Use these speeds for planning - as the lakes are very large and can take a long time to traverse! The range on the house boat is really good - we had no problem with range. We were able to get all the way out to the Ash River visitor center and explore a few islands on just 33 gallons of fuel. The house boat was clean and well maintained - everything worked pretty well. There is a generator onboard that is also simple to start and run. It powers all the other accessories onboard. The only drawback here is that we ran out of fuel for the thing. There's a 40 gallon genny tank and a 20 gallon you can switch to and we ran through both somehow, even though we ran it less than recommended. There is potable water on board, and the sink and shower uses lake water (which must be filtered, because it seemed pretty clean other than the smell). There's a water heater that works well. They also have a cooler and a propane grill, which were handy. I can't speak to the beds, as we camped out every night - but they looked fine. We were able to do some fishing, camping, hiking, and exploring while out in the park. This is an amazing way to experience everything!

Overcharged for room. Tried to settle it but Scott the manager lost his temper ,accused me of lying and hung up on me. Scott definitely should not be managing anything to do with dealing with the public,serious anger issues.i understand now why everyone says to avoid the place since change of ownership.

Wow-We had the best time! Voyagaire was AMAZING! They loaded all our gear onto our boat, the boats were roomy and well maintained. Kitchens were great (we rented 2 boats for our family reunion) and the beds were all comfortable. They came right away if you had any issues at all. The Concierge service was great-sodas, ice, marshmallows -Whatever you needed, they brought it to you! They were seriously the best and we had a wonderful trip! We'd do it again in a heartbeat!

We had dinner at the restaurant and were very disappointed. I ordered the walleye which was terrific but the potatoes and carrots were cold. Service was slow and poor!

We had such a great stay here! We had a nice room with our own balcony that had a great view of the lake. The room was clean and very spacious. We brought our dog so the room with the balcony was perfect! She was also allowed on their deck so we could take her if we wanted to dine at the restaurant. The food was great! Everything we ordered for breakfast lunch and dinner was delicious. The last night we stayed, we ordered a pizza and ate it on our balcony and it was delicious, made with quality ingredients! The people that work at Voyagaire couldn't be friendlier. They made us (and our pooch) feel so welcome. We can't wait to come back!

Very scammy. They push real hard to use their "hospitality service" but fail to disclose that the fee is $80 regardless of what they bring you (which of course you must also pay for) and how far from base you are. Also, we think they overcharged us for the gas we used because we did not travel very far from base and yet still ran out of gas. They likely did not top off our tanks when we left. The houseboats are old and pretty run down. The owner is very rude and just doesn't seem to care about customers. We also didn't appreciate the pushy young Christian pastor that works in the office. It was quite unprofessional (and arrogant) for him to work in his own religious beliefs in the trivia night questions. Again, this is a reflection of the shoddy management. However, our fishing guide, Aiden, was excellent! We really had fun with him and caught a lot walleye. I highly recommend him.

First, I'd like to say how wonderful the staff at both the lodge and the marina are. They are friendly and very kind and helpful. The food is really good and the bloody Mary's are delish! Second, we had this trip planned for well over a year with people coming from Ohio and California for this "luxury cruising at it's best". We rented the largest houseboat in the fleet, the Isabelle. The cost before flights, food and alcohol for a week was over $7000 dollars. We were to have a/c, a hot tub and a safe vessel to navigate. Instead we got a run down, way past her prime, dangerous derelict of a houseboat. Steering was almost completely gone. A really nice guy named Blackhawk worked on it for over an hour and said "it's a little better". A/C could not handle the 110° heat in the main galley which is entirely glass. There was suppose to be curtains but they were gone and never replaced. We had to throw the hot tub cover over the glass top to provide shade inside and used towels and blankets duct taped to the windows as curtains. In the bunk rooms it was at least 120°. Most screens on windows were torn allowing tons of mosquitoes and flies in. The hot tub didn't work even after my husband was instructed to "just touch these two wires together". No button just wires. The gas stove top leaked gas when not turned to a wonkie position and the wall heaters sparked when turned on. We lost over $100 in meat because the 2 "full size" refrigerators were NOT full size and food had to be stored in coolers. The upper deck was so hot you couldn't walk in it barefooted. The outdoor carpet had been scraped off and never replaced. In conclusion, two of our guests left after only 2 days and the rest if us came in a day early due to the condition of the houseboat. We did make our grievances known to the managers. We requested half off the price of the houseboat. They would only agree to 30%. Better than nothing but I'm still very disappointed as are my friends and relatives that traveled great distances to enjoy what Voyagaire advertised. It was nothing like they (Voyagaire) claims. Which is too bad. If they put some work into the boats they'd have a really great thing going. The Crane Gang

Clean rooms and grounds at a reasonable price. Friendly service. Solid food. Boats, kayaks and canoes available for rent from helpful staff. Conveniently located on Crane Lake, with boat access to the Kettle Falls, Ash River and the boundary waters. Bingo night is fun for the whole family. We enjoyed our stay and would come back if we are ever on this side of the country again. No complaints.

THEY ARE CARELESS WITH IMPORTANT THINGS! We do not recommend Voyagaire Houseboats! 3 reasons we will not return! 1- We were charged for a propeller we did not damage! Before going out on our houseboat, the deck-hand showed us the propeller blades that were a little rough around the edges but in good working condition. The deck-hand made written notes about the blades. We had a good 3-night trip, never hit rock, wood or debris and returned the boat in the same working condition. On returning, another deck-hand claimed we hit something and roughed up the propeller blades. So he charged us for 3 new blades. We had no pictures of the blades before the trip and we needed to get to church so we paid for the propeller and left. I wrote the owners the next day. They looked into the matter but will not show us the notes written on check-in and do not believe what we said about the blades. The owners concluded that "the props were in worse shape than when we left"; no proof/no pics, just their word against our word. I don't understand how the boat operated so well on our return trip if the propeller blades were in such "worse shape". Also Voyagaire does not print or send you a receipt after your trip. 2- The deck crew knowingly sent us out with a broken fuel gauge. When leaving a deck-hand told us the gas gauge was broken but we had nothing to worry about because we had 60 gallons in 2 separate fuel tanks. However, our motor died when the 20-gallon tank ran out of gas because we had no way of knowing that it was time to switch to the 40-gallon tank. We were left adrift in strong winds while trying to restart a finicky motor. The crew or owners were not much concerned about a broken fuel gauge but they were concerned about a propeller we didn't damage- they got $ from us for that. 3- The lake map on the boat is glued to a large board that can't be taken out on your smaller pull behind boat. We tried to buy another map at the office before we left but they were out. Plus most of the 'mooring' sites are unofficial (not built buy the park), difficult to find and in poorer condition. Voyagaire Houseboats can keep 2 stars because because they helped us print our houseboat park permit and the inside of the houseboat was decent enough. Years ago we used Rainy Lake Houseboats in International Falls and we had no problems that come close to the ones we described. 3 pieces of advice for future houseboat renters: 1st- go to Rainy Lake Houseboats also part of Voyageur National Park. 2nd- when you get to your houseboat take pictures of the motor, prop and anything off-kilter on your houseboat. 3rd- make sure you are provided with good maps that can be taken on your pull-along boat.

I think they have a good thing going here, but the houseboat we were on was haggard. I'll make this part short - our Sunseeker 540 was pricey. And old and smelly. It was not what we expected. The furnishings were heavily used (by families of dogs?) and only... tolerable. Outdated, worn, dingy. I was debating just pitching a tent when we reached land. We were excited about the hot tub and waterslide prior to seeing them, but then I resolved that a hottub filled with brown lakewater is not luxurious, and a run down the slide is not worth a bug-packed wedgie. When I'm at some sort of hospitality establishment, especially one that ain't cheap, I look around and assess how I would make it a more profitable business, and I couldn't help but think "You're doing it wrong" multiple times here. For example, the area boasts prime fishing conditions. Actually, when all you're doing is sailing from lake to lake, there's not much else to do but fish. But the main lodge does not have any bait available for purchase. And the lodge has a full kitchen and restaurant, however, they do not have any grab-and-go food, like sandwiches or prepared snacks/lunches, to take for the ride. Lucky for me I know how to fish and forage... and lucky that my boyfriend's mom packed the contents of their entire house (which only took her weeks of preparation...). However the service was great. The employees were all helpful and cheery. They were available on land or lake to offer assistance. They even provided on-boat entertainment like interactive trivia. Way to be cool humans, Voyagaire. Tip: Find the fly swatter on board and utilize it swiftly and profusely.

This houseboat trip was incredible! We rented the boat for 4 days in late Aug. We arrived the night before and stayed in the lodge. This small lodge and houseboat staff seriously had some of the best customer service I had ever seen. If you arrive the night before (recommend) and stay in the lodge they hold your cooler in a walk in fridge for you. The next morning you pull up your car and they unload everything out of it and place it in your boat. They walk through a whole orientation for you on navigating the area and the boat's mechanical systems. All houseboats come with a smaller boat they tow for emergencies. It's a law I think-anyways it comes with all the houseboats and is included with the price. We upgraded to a pontoon which I also recommend if you plan on taking kids. My wife who has never driven a boat was quickly trained on how to drive it by the staff. She loved it. The boat we rented was the sunseeker 540. It was an older boat with a few areas that needed attention (wall paper, paint etc.) But having known to expect this via other reviews we were ok with it. This is not a new boat nor is it super glamorous, so if you are a 5 star luxury queen then you best stay home and maybe look at booking a cruise. However although it was really basic it was very comfortable with all the necessary items to live in it for extended periods of time. Fridge, kitchen, living room, shower etc. Beds were also comfy. The boat comes with a nice size gas grill, hot tube jacuzzi on the deck, slide to the lake, oven, small TV DVD player, stereo with AUX input (speakers to inside or outside).It was all in good shape and working. Once you leave home base you're not on your own. They really hold your hand (if you need it) and patiently walk you through the process. They stay on board and help you drive the boat out (for a bit), get you oriented and then drive away on another boat when you feel good. They obviously won't stay the entire time but they do go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. As you start off on your trip you quickly see other houseboats around you. It becomes a little bit like a community pack with all the boats cruising with you(don't worry it's not to many) You can all communicate with each other. You give each other advice on what sites are available and what the conditions they see up ahead. Not to mention if you get lost you can follow another boat :) You can also radio home base for help, weather conditions etc. They maintain several bases throughout the area to get help to you immediately if you need it. They do provide you with huge detailed maps of the area with all the campsites they recommend. There are other notes from other visitors on the map that also help making a decision and places to avoid easy. Navigating the water ways can become a bit confusing at times but with the map and the boey system it's quite easy to understand as long as you pay attention. If you have a hard time navigating using maps maybe consider bringing a GPS device but make sure you know how to use it BEFORE you get there. Driving the boat takes up 100% of your attention and so you don't want to be fidgeting with something you don't know how to use while driving. I also recommend studying the maps before you get there. One last tip is have someone drive and navigate with you and double check each other. That seemed to work for us. The sites are easily found. They are sandy beaches. Some sites are better than others so finding the perfect one can be subjective. Soemtimes in smaller bays or tight spaces, my wife would take the pontoon boat and search for sites while I would hang back in calm waters and circle until she would say she found the "perfect one". I recommend finding one in a calm bay or cove and not exposed to wind. Some campsites have two beaches one facing one side and the other beach facing another side. We did preferred these. The lakes are swimable and are very clean. There are no jelly fish or sharks to worry about so that is a plus. No poisonous snakes just ticks and poison ivy to look out for. Although we were always gathering wood in thick brush and we found neither on us or the four kids in 5 days we were out there. We did however prespray our clothes with permetheren in advance. Home base also provides you with daily delivery service if you need it. You can order ice, beer, food items, and many other items by just picking up the radio. There is a small one time fee that was already included in your rental that pays for this service. It was great. We ran out of butter, hot dogs buns, beer and had them delivered over several days. The kids said they want to make this a yearly thing and I do have to agree it was really amazing. Also, some of the boats are getting upgraded every year so if you are lucky maybe you get one of these but know that even the older ones were comfortable. Like I said, it's nice to know they are trying to keep things top notch.

Scenery was beautiful, water was beautiful, staff was friendly. Boat had ALOT of issues for the price you pay. Bathroom stunk horrible from the moment we took off, the toilet doesn't seal or hold water to make a seal so it stunk the whole trip . we had to hold our breath and light a match each time we opened the door. The ladder to get up out of the water was sharp and you couldn't get up on it you had to crawl on the side. The map they give you mark spots which are not their, we spent a lot of time looking for a spot to set up for the night. Thank God we brought a fan because the ac didn't work it was hotter inside than out. No screens on the sliding doors for airflow. We all still had a wonderful time regardless, but we brought our parents and it wasn't as comfortable for them which I felt bad about.

We had the biggest boat on the lake and this meant we got stuck...twice. Both times the staff was friendly and immediately came out to help us! The hot tub and the slide were super fun! Yes, the hot tub used lake water which was fine by me at 100 degrees with great seating arrangements. The beds and bathrooms were comfortable and overall I had an amazing vacation with my friends!!

Our summer vacation on a Voyagaire houseboat was so much fun. Our family has many great memories. This was our second houseboat trip. We decided on vacationing with just our immediate family this year before they returned to high school and college; we discovered we had as much fun on this vacation as the first time with a big group of friends. We rebooked with Voyagaire as the staff and service is top notch. From the moment you arrive at the resort you are greeted with a friendly smile and exceptional service. The staff helps to load and unload belongings on the boat, educates everyone on the details of the boat, is available for any questions that may arise any time during your stay, provides daily hospitality services directly to your boat, serves "great food" in the restaurant, and soon they will have a new beautiful lodge to use year round. (Our family enjoys snowmobiling in Voyageurs Nation Park in the winter months). The beauty of Voyageurs Nation Park is extraordinary. The miles of forests, rock walls, coves, beautiful shorelines and the wildlife truly remind you that you are in God's country. Sitting in the hot tub at night watching the meteor showers, stars, and Northern lights while listening to the call of a loon is magical. Some of our favorite memories include sitting around the bonfire while eating smores, sharing stories, drinking coffee while watching the sun come up and the fog hang over the water, spending our days hiking, fishing, kayaking, reading, swimming, relaxing, and everyone enjoys playing Trivia with the other houseboat vacationers in the evening via the radio. The houseboat rental is somewhat spendy but we appreciate that we don't have to pay for parking at the airport or airfare for a family of five. If you have not tried a houseboat vacation we would recommend it. Our family would rate this a "five star" vacation, our experience with Voyagaire keeps us coming back. The Dahn's

A wonderful experience from beginning to end. Jim and Gretchen run a first class operation. The room was clean and comfortable. The building and grounds were spotless. The equipment was immaculate and well maintained. The food in the restaurant was excellent. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. We had a great time just hanging out at the bar talking with the staff and guests. This was definitely the best resort experience I have had cannot wait to do it again.

The service was beyond reproach. All staff were consistently friendly and helpful. I cannot say enough about how wonderful the experience was. Considering none of us had ever been on a houseboat, we had no problems. The staff explained everything thoroughly and were always available via radio. We loved the nightly trivia!

Front desk lady was grumpy the whole time. Sorry if you don't like your job ma'am - I'm here to rent the boat and give you money! If you're in the hospitality business you should be smiley and joyous. And it was both on check-in and check-out, the attitude was bad and unwavering. We rented what I think is their best boat, the "Grande Sole" and it was totally mediocre. I'm surprised others had better experiences.

Poor poor customer relations. Its a resort run like a funeral. Everyone looks unhappy- don't waste your money!!!

I generally don't take the time to provide reviews, but felt compelled to be sure to let everyone know that the service at Voyagaire was exemplary. Best family vacation I had in the past several years. We just got done with a 5-day trip on August 18, 2017. So here's our story... My family (myself, my wife and my 3 boys (16, 14 and 10)) rented a 440 Deluxe (the Virginia I) that very comfortably slept all 5 of us. The houseboat itself was in good condition and had everything that the website said it had (it's not luxurious, but if you're expecting luxury you shouldn't be going to the north woods). From the start, the staff were courteous and helpful and showed us how to use the boat and the tow behind fishing boat (tow behind is required by the coast guard) - they even took us out to a point in Crane Lake before they left us with the boat to be sure we were comfortable. From there we were on our own. There are a lot of marked houseboat camping sites across each of the lakes that you travel through. All of the sites that we stayed at were beautiful. We didn't stay in any location that wasn't picturesque in some way. The second site we stayed at is where I found out how wonderful the service really was. We had parked onto an island on the south side of Namakan (about a 4 or 5 hour houseboat drive from the lodge). While I was tying down the anchor ropes on the boat, I ended up getting stung by a few bees (there were ground hornets at this site that I must have disturbed). At the time I didn't know that I was allergic to bees, but shortly thereafter got hives all over my body, my face and lips started to swell up, and after a little while my tongue started to swell up, and started getting light-headed. By this time I was scared out of my mind considering that we were in the middle of nowhere, and worried that my throat was going to start swelling. This is where the Voyagaire service was truly amazing... We called onto the CB radios that all of the boats are equipped with and asked for help. Mike who works for Voyagaire and is stationed on Namakan for helping out Voyagiare houseboats was listening and was literally at my houseboat within about 3 minutes after we called for help. Mike came with some benadryl and hauled me back to the lodge - was about a 20 minute ride in his boat. Waiting for me at the dock was the resort owner/manager (Jim), an EMT and a couple other crew members who were there waiting to help me. Since the Voyagaire staff are constantly monitoring the radios, they heard us call for help and had called in an ambulance which got there about 10 minutes after I got to the dock. I took the ambulance to Cook Hospital (45-minute drive)) to be safe and got some meds to make the hives to go away and also got some epi-pens just in case. When I was discharged from the hospital a couple hours later, I was worried sick about how worried my wife and kids must have been. I found that Voyagaire had sent one of its staff to pick me up and he (Mike) was waiting for me at the hospital entrance when I got let out to bring me back to the resort. I was truly thankful, particularly since I didn't ask them to. Once we got back to the resort, Voyagaire had a boat and crew member (another Mike :-)) ready and waiting at the dock to bring me back out to my wife and kids. I was truly in awe of the service and their attention to me during the whole event. My family and I spent the next few days out on the boat (albeit a bit more cautious of bees for the remainder of the trip), and had an amazing time. We even found enough fish for a couple meals. When we checked out I was expecting to have some charges for the extra attention and trips back and forth, but there were none. This is certainly an establishment that cares about its customers. We also made our reservation for next summer before we left. Thank you Voyagaire!

I have visited Voyagaire on numerous occasions. The bar is 360 degrees which makes it almost impossible to have a bad view of the lake while you're enjoying a cocktail. Drinks are reasonably priced, as well as the food, which is served in hearty portions (the prime rib is a must). The guest rooms are very spacious and the daily maid service if fabulous. There is nothing like coming back from a long day of fishing to a made bed and fresh bath towels. The staff is so friendly and helpful. I'm looking forward to my next visit, just thinking about the prime rib has my mouth watering!

For anyone looking for a current review, see Kara D's review below. Although from a few years ago, she stated everything we would upon just having returned. Great, friendly staff. But run down, outdated houseboat. Definitely could have been cleaned much better before our boarding.

My kids and I just returned from a trip from this wonderful lodge. Really professionally run operation with a great staff. The room was big, clean and comfortable. The pontoon boat we rented for couple of days was new and ran great. The food in the lodge was delicious. My kids loved it! We will definitely be back.

This is by far our families favorite vacation! Our lives are so busy with 4 kids and this vacation brings a much needed break every time we go! In a very short period of time, we just forget about everything that cause stress in our lives. No TV, No cell phones, No computers.....We don't think about work, school, sports....We just live in the moment! Fishing, exploring islands, tanning, swimming, reading, relaxing, playing cards and board games, sitting by a fire and most of all enjoying the peace and quiet. We love going up to Kettle Falls. Namakan Lake is absolutely beautiful! I must admit, it seemed a little crazy when we went the first time and after a little instruction, they just sent us on our way. They give you maps and there is a buoy system to keep you on track. I would highly recommend binoculars! My sister "we call her mapquest" and her family come with us, which is great because she loves that sort of thing. We also tow our fishing boat behind, which comes in handy when looking for a place to stay for the day, as well as, fishing. The Voyagaire staff is absolutely amazing!!! We have had great experiences from making reservations, to the dock staff that helps load and unload and to the wonderful hospitality service we receive each day! I would highly recommend this vacation to everyone!

I was out with the owner today as he was busting his butt to get the Trail's ready for winter. If I could rate higher than five stars I would.

Just got back from a trip of a lifetime. If a houseboat isn't on your bucket list, it should be. Our. Family had the best vacation ever with Voyagaire Lodge & Houseboats. The scenery, service and staff were all perfect. What a way to "rough it" in the wilderness. This is a must do and with Voyageaire, you simply won't be disappointed. Get spoiled and enjoy the most beautiful part of Minnesota.

We just returned from 4 days at Voyagaire Lodge. This place was incredible! We have traveled all over the world, and the service at this resort rivals any five star hotel. It is a family run resort and everyone was always pleasant and willing to help with anything we wanted. The lodge is beautiful, with custom made log furniture for a great up-north feel. The rooms are large and well-appointed. Definitely a great place to relax and unwind. Very limited cell service, but free wifi and long distance calling. We could check in with the outside world as needed, but preferred to remain unplugged to enjoy the peace and quiet. Prices were very reasonable for the lodge rooms and restaurant. Food was excellent, portions were large. We highly recommend this resort.