Willows On the River

This is a rental condo. There was a letter on the kitchen counter stating that guests have to gather up the trash and wash the dishes, and other things. There was no housekeeping service but I think you can ask them to come up to make the bed and clean the room; the staff told me that they don’t want to just come in without our permission.
I was on the second floor with a majestic, serene view of Lake Pepin/​the Mississippi River. This location at the end of town on a peninsula provides for the long, picturesque waterfront sightline toward the eastern end of the lake.
My suite had one bedroom, a living room with a gas fireplace and a little balcony where I read my book during daylight. The views out the windows of the living room and bedroom were very soothing. There was a full kitchen where you can cook meals, and a bathroom with a big bathtub. The restaurant is closed. The pool area downstairs has a musty smell. The deck downstairs has tables and BBQ.
The Pearl of the Lake docks there. You can walk to the marina on the other side of town in about 20 minutes. I hear that the lake freezes in winter and you can walk out onto it. But I think that July is the finest time of year to come here to get away from the heat, breathe the fresh air, watch the bald eagles and many other species of birds, and just relax.

First of all, when I made reservations I went off of what you see on their website. They show a picture of a building right on the water but shoved us into an apartment blocks down from where this place was at. Huge disappointment. What we ended up staying in was an apartment and lacked that ‘vacation’ feeling as one other reviewer mentioned. We only had a view of the lake while on the deck which didn’t have a grill either. There is nothing ‘villa’ about this, it’s just a glorified apartment in an apartment building which consisted mostly of retirees. Bedding was beyond horrible, pillows flat, cheap bedding and blankets, old and small TV’s with remotes that don’t work. Be careful when making reservations here because what you think you are paying for may not be what you are going to get at all. Although there were nice people in the building, past that I have nothing to say.
I have stayed in much more impressive condos in Duluth on the water and had that vacation feeling for way less money. Restaurant is closed for business in the main building so you loose that as an option too. Lack of parking too, lots seem way to small if you pull in their with a vehicle and boat good luck! Signs everywhere stating no smoking within a hundred feet of the building, since when did they also own the streets and highway running by this apartment building? So you can’t use your deck for cooking on a grill or having a cigar with your wine/​beer in the evenings, you can’t get down to the water, you can’t watch TV, no computer or Wi-​Fi, you can’t park your vehicle and boat, no fine dining near by. To many rules and to many things lacking, really just ruined our vacation. Actually I was going to give the place 2 stars, I think I will take one away for not being forthcoming during the reservation process. They should have told us this was an apartment complex and not on the water and limited use of our decks. Although the place is clean– I will give them that. Whoever takes care of the place does a great job! That said, this place is for someone looking for a place to live, not a vacation!!!

The worst customer service ever! Incredible rude staff, the place wasn’t that clean, cheap plastic patio furniture, a hole in the love seat, the «beach» is nasty and good luck not hurting yourself walking down to it. Wow what a waste of a vacation!

Beautiful view of Lake Pepin, lots of room in 2 br condo. Cooked a chicken dinner in kitchen with no problem. When missing an ingredient, was even able to walk downstairs to restaurant and gather what I was missing. Very comfy beds, so didn’t get my «hotel-​toss-​and-​turn» problem. Flat screen tv in each bedroom as well as living room. Dimmer switches on all the lights (even bathrooms). All-​around clean, homey, and luxury.

The best part about the Willows is the view– each room overlooks Lake Pepin, and it almost feels like you’re standing over the lake from the windows.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed my stay– the 2 bedroom condo can totally sleep 8 comfortably. The place was clean and had nice amenities (full kitchen, huge closets).
The reason I give the Willows only 3 stars is that the condo I stayed in felt like a condo and not a hotel. It lacks a certain something that makes you feel like you’re on vacation. That may be a benefit for some who want to feel ‘at home.’ But I’d rather feel like I’m being treated on vacation.