The Vue, A Winter Getaway

Wisconsin Dells, Wi

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This past spring the names of these hotels were changed. The River Inn is now The Vue!

Last October I went for a quick visit to family and needed a place to stay overnight.  I went to Booking.com like I always do because they offer great rates and they have hotels all over the world.  The place I choose was the American Resort in Wisconsin Dells.  You just looked at the title for this blog post and said that is not right.  Well, long story short is I ended up at their sister property The River Inn.  The River Inn is located on the Wisconsin river just north of downtown Wisconsin Dells.

Here is what happened.  I had dinner plans with my twin sister.  She lives about 30 minutes south of the Wisconsin Dells.  She promised me lasagna and I could not resist.  She makes the best lasagna.  So, I drove down to her house (it is about three hours from me).  My plan was to have lunch with my brother and sister-in-law the next day.  They live north of the Wisconsin Dells.  Crazy, right, but I love my family and want to spend time with them whenever fits in our busy schedule. 

Originally, I was going to take my son to the airport in Milwaukee early that morning, but his plans got cancelled after I prepaid for the hotel.  Well, when I was at my sister’s house, I got a call from the hotel.  It turns out one of their staff was sick and there was no one to man the front desk at the American Resort.  So, they wanted to know if I wanted an upgrade to The River Inn for the same price I prepaid for the American Resort.  I said sure!

The River Inn is an upscale hotel. Probably one of the best hotel in the area. It was a very rainy day some of the storms were pretty bad. I found the hotel easily and entered the lobby and was greeted by a very friendly woman. Since I was prepaid check in was a breeze. She gave me a booklet filled with coupons to area attractions. Since it was October most of the attractions were closed. However, a few attractions are year round. One is the Rick Wilcox show at his Magic Theater. Another interesting attraction is the Wizard Quest and Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

If you are looking for fine dining look no further than The Vue, right in the hotel. https://www.dellsriverinn.com/the-vue/ They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

My room was on the fifth floor and it was street-side but it was very nice. I have stayed in some very nice hotels and a few Motel Six’s and this one ranks right up there with some of the big name hotels. Yet, unlike the Hilton or Hyatt, this one also includes free Wifi, a mircowave and mini fridge, along with a coffee maker. Since my sister gave me a breakfast burrito I was able to eat in my room in the morning to save money.

The beds were very comfortable and I enjoyed watching the big screen TV from them.

Because I was alone I felt more comfortable staying in my room rather than going down to the pool. I went down the next morning before I left and took pictures. They both look very inviting!

Out back of the hotel is a large deck and outdoor eating for The Vue restaurant. It overlooks the Wisconsin River and in the distance you can see the bridge which connects the downtown Wisconsin Dells to the rest of the town. I would have loved to stay here on a warmer day and enjoyed the view, but the air was still cool and damp and my brother and sister-in-law was expecting me. While I was walking around the outside of the hotel I discovered a surprise childhood memory.

As a child I attended camp at Dells Christian campgrounds (see https://northwoodsgirlblogging.com/dells-christian-campgrounds-my-memories/). Each year my church held a week of camp there. One year we went on the Upper Dells boat tour to see some of the land forms carved out of the rocks by the river. The tour makes three stops. And the boat we rode on was the Winnebago. I do not know why I remember the boats name after over 50 years have passed but I do. So it was a sweet surprise to see that boat still in operation.

I imagine the summer rates for the River Inn are very expensive and they are probably well booked. However, I stayed in October so the room was less than much cheaper hotels normally are even in non tourist towns. The sister hotel is a resort with a main building and cabins you can stay in. So, if you want a winter getaway which is still beautiful and quiet, click on the booking.com link below and look up the River Inn.

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Amazon link at the bottom of the page.