Hotel Review – Raintree Resort, Wisconsin Dells
We went to Wisconsin Dells this week for three days, a sort of last-minute trip that we didn’t plan in advance, after we had cancelled a longer six-day trip that we were just too tired for. So at the last minute (last Friday) I searched online for "last minute wisconsin dells" and two resorts came up – the Raintree and Christmas Village. Christmas Village is a timeshare, and several reviews mentioned that they hard-sell you on timeshares while you’re there, so I looked into the Raintree.
We approached the hotel with mild trepidation. Most of the reviews were outstanding, but one or two mentioned how old and worn out this resort is, and the Raintree management sometimes answered those reviews with "Just wait until Fall 2007, we’re planning a major renovation!" Well, that doesn’t help me now, but on the other hand, they were offering rooms the week of July 4th, at the last minute, for $125 per night for two beds plus a foldout queen. For reference, you can’t really stay at a cheap Wis Dell on-strip motel for this price, and this hotel has an indoor/outdoor "waterpark" (more on that later).
The hotel is indeed worn and aged, but it’s clean and it’s smallish indoor waterpark is actually bigger than some we’ve seen (like the New Concord). Our room was clean and stayed clean throughout our stay, and all the amenities worked.
We made our way to the waterpark, and although it’s certainly not going to compete with Kalahari or Mount Olympus, it is a nice indoor waterpark with plenty to do for the younger kids (10 and under). There are five or six toddler-sized slides and two bigger slides (our ten year old was fine on them, and then got bored iwth them after a couple of trips). It also has a water basketball area, a zero depth pool, things that spray and dump water at you everywhere, and one of those lilipad-like things that you try to balance your way across the pool.
The outdoor pool was basically the same. Great decor, well themed, and all the sprayers and water activities were in working order. Oh, and there are two whirlpools for those of you (like me) who spend time relaxing – one indoor and one outdoor. The indoor park has a snack bar adjacent, and the outdoor park has a small bar that they sell things like Mike’s Hard Lemonaide out of ice buckets.
Overall, our stay was great and everyone at Raintree provided exactly what we expected for our $125 a night. Despite several bad reviews on hotel review sites, I would recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a discount stay in an expensive resort town, as long as you don’t mind threadbare carpets and old furniture.