Gateway Lodge

The only thing this restaurant can do is make a great drink! Went for a celebration with 10 people and couldn’t be more disappointed! The service was wonderful, however the food is less than impressive! At the prices they are charging I would at least like the food cooked exquisitely, let’s just say overdone squash and raw potatoes! Sad when you only have a handful of dishes on the menu! Ok really, you only have about 8 entrees and you can’t cook them to perfection? Shame on you! Go back to culinary school and try again! I would absolutely positively NEVER refer anyone to this place! Save your money and eat at the Applebee’s in Clarion! I 100% guarantee you’ll get a better meal even if it’s a frozen entrée!

We have stayed in the cabins the past three years at the Gateway Lodge. It’s a great place to get away from the city and relax. Our main issue is the firewood is always wet. It sits in a pile on the porches uncovered. They won’t let you bring your own firewood. They say it’s because they don’t want foreign bugs brought in. That’s understandable, but it’s not relaxing when you are spending your entire weekend trying to keep your fireplace lit because the wood is wet.

Had an ok stay at this place. The staff is relatively new so asking for direction is like looking up places on the phone with non-​existing signal. It would be nice if the front desk provided a list with local restaurants, ATMs and local attractions and entertainment close by so that I didn’t have to rely on google and hundreds of little fliers to plan my gateway. The location is close to the park and the river so a few minute drive will let you enjoy your stay with a beer on your belly floating lazily down the river.
Staying in the suite provided me with a decently pleasant getaway, a/​c, bed, jettub and a small balcony, although I must say it is little close to the road so passing cars, trucks and motorcycles will let you know that even on your little away trip from civilization you are still not too far enough. Mind you the one thing I noticed is that the crowd that the lodge seems to be made for is older.
Having a voucher for dinner I didn’t know what to expect, usually people don’t want to give food away for free and I was open to having a nice dinner. Beginning from inattentive waitress that would disappear in the kitchen for what seemed like eternity, dinner was a huge letdown. But waiting for waitress was only a small letdown compared to waiting for your food, let me just say that taking reservations for dinner and then having the customers wait for close to an hour is unforgivable, I understand the cooking meals fresh from start takes time but there is only so much time that you want to wait. Hunter chicken with fresh vegetables and potatoes did not warrant the 28 $ price or whatever it was, I mean I could buy a small chick and let him grow up and then make a tasty dinner from him and it would still NOT cost probably as much as this was, especially when it didn’t have any great taste to it. Also the cracker crusted walleye lack of seasoning and a million little bones prevented my date from having positive experience. On the other hand the older group of customers in another room was having a better time than we did but that could have been the numerous drinks.
Did not try the free breakfast that was provided to us, I mean after having a huge letdown with the previous nights dinner I vowed to taste food from anywhere but there.
The lodge is pretty good priced when compared to the ones around it and that’s why we came there. I would stay there again but would suggest to eat somewhere else.

Came for a quick honeymoon in their jacuzzi suite.
Everything was phenomenal. Food, service, hospitality, the room, etc. Note that the kitchen is closed on Tuesdays for lunch and dinner. Wasn’t a problem for us, but could be for other people.
My wife and I were very impressed by our stay and we aren’t the kind of people who get impressed easily.
Will definitely be back. Check out their groupon for 50% off while it lasts. You’ll love this place.

We love this place a lot, great service, friendly staff. Food is high above par, gourmet breakfast and dinner. They have rooms with balconies that don’t have tv’s or rooms with tv’s that do not have balconies. We’ve stayed in both. The first time we had a TV room which kept us up late but we were entertained in our room. Now we have a balcony which only looks at some rocks so the view isn’t great but I like not having the distraction of a TV. We were able to spend more time talking with each other as well as others and we played some games together too.
They have a game room with a pool table and television for sharing. Hey also have plenty of board games and books to read. This place is a real escape from the stress of everyday work. We relax in front of the fireplace in the great room which has 3 large sofa couches and a great tea time at 4pm each day.
There is also a fireplace in each room if you want to cozy up in front of that. Each room also has a two person jacuzzi shaped like a heart which we love to relax in after dinner. This place is only 2 hours outside of Pittsburgh so the short drive makes it worth the stay. Summer is a better time to go with the horseback riding and lake activities. Winter is a slow month and many places are not open but we still come up here then just to get away. Love it here! Newly remodeled bar as well.

Pros: Staff is extremely friendly, grounds and building are beautiful, suites are nice (jacuzzi, fireplace and balcony were an awesome touch), the Aveda Spa massages are excellent, and the food is SUPERB!
Cons: the cleaning of rooms could be more thorough (when we arrived there was dried urine under the toilet seat, a crushed Coors Light case in one of the nightstand draws, a bottle cap near the fireplace, and a dead stink bug that was missed during vaccuming). Also, the walls are EXTREMELY THIN. Whether its your neighbors next door talking, coughing, getting busy, or in our case SNORING their ass off all night, you’ll hear it so bring earplugs if you want a good nights sleep.
Overall: I spent over $ 800 for three days/​two nights here (package that included couples massage and dinner one night) and drove five hours from NJ to get there. While it was a nice experience, I personally will not be coming back. If they ever renovate, they should soundproof the room walls. I’ve stayed at Holiday Inns for business and had a more peaceful sleep. Lastly, they are overpriced.

We had very high hopes for the Gateway lodge from looking at the website and seeing some of the reviews. We rented a suite for my birthday which the woman we spoke to boasted a Jacuzzi, fireplace and balcony with a beautiful view of the woods. The small suite was very nice but in fact had no balcony or Jacuzzi. Instead of a Jacuzzi, there was a hot tub with jets which would have been fine if there would have been enough hot water to fill it to actually enjoy since it did not have a built-​in heater. A hot tub filled halfway with somewhat warm water is anything but romantic. The fireplace was nice but a gas fireplace doesn’t give any warmth if it doesn’t have a blower and due to the fact that there wasn’t any heat in our suite on a 34° night really didn’t do us any good. As for The restaurant, the female bartender was very knowledgeable and fantastic at her job but unfortunately that’s where it ended. The waiter that we ended up with was horrible, we had finished our drinks before our meal was finished but our waiter never asked us the whole time if we would like a refresher on drinks We would have asked him if we would have ever have seen him again throughout our meal. There was only about eight tables that were filled in the restaurant with around 3 to 4 servers so I’m not quite sure where he went off to. The food was mediocre at best but very highly priced. We love cooks forest and will definitely go back again but we will never again stay at the Gateway lodge. For $ 280 a night we expected a little more.
There is nowhere on their website for a customer to leave a review. Believe me, there is a reason for that!

Ended up having to go to the hospital after checking in. We missed breakfast, dinner, and massages that we had scheduled and they refused to refund any part of our stay because we checked in before going to the hospital. The alcohol policy is stupid and the fact that they automatically charge you a tip for their wait staff and house keeping is really bizarre, tipping should not be automatically included it should be based on the quality of service. Make sure you get travel insurance if staying here.

We stayed here for 3 nights on a mini-​honeymoon and had a great time. Our suite was spacious and comfortable, and it was lovely to relax in the whirlpool tub. The waitstaff and hotel staff also all did a great job. The lodge has numerous public areas with comfy lounging furniture, a pool table, and afternoon tea. Also, we had an excellent dinner with some delicious wines one night.
So why 4 and not 5 stars?
1) The included gratuity. Breakfast is included with your stay here, but there is a $ 10/​day fee that is listed as a gratuity for housekeeping and waitstaff. That’s less money than I want to tip for the quality of service I receive, so I end up double tipping (because I also feel weird leaving a tiny tip to make up the difference, because I don’t want the waiter to think I would only tip them $ 2). If it was $ 15 a day, I wouldn’t have felt the need to tip extra, and if there was no fee, there would have been no ambiguity. $ 10 is a precisely incorrect figure.
2) The alcohol policy. The lodge was reasonable with us and allowed us to drink our own alcohol in our room when we asked about it. But they basically made an exception for us because we just got married and didn’t have a large group with us: I would be so angry if I came here with my friends or my big Italian family, and we couldn’t have beers on our balcony!

Took advantage of a Living Social deal — $ 299 for a weekend in a deluxe suite with jacuzzi tub & gas fireplace in room, plus a nice bottle of local wine. Had we been able to go midweek, would have been $ 199. reservation went smoothly & had no problems with the coupon/​deal.
The room was gorgeous, not to mention clean. The wine was a semi-​sweet blend from a local winery (unfortunately we did not have time to check out that particular winery, but I liked the wine enough that I will seek it out: Red bandana Rebel Red.) The fireplace really is mostly for show — didn’t throw off much heat. Of course, the weekend we went it was about 5 degrees, so…
There’s a stunning Great Room with an enormous wood burning fireplace, and several cozy seating areas around it. They have complimentary coffee & pastry there each morning, coffee/​soda with fresh fruit afternoons and wine & cheese in the evenings — nice touch. There’s a nice billiards room as well, but the fireplace there doesn’t currently work (I’m big on fire — can you tell?!) «Spa» only offers massages — add some fancy facials and mani/​pedis please.
Bar was closed for renovations (BOOOO!!!) but the staff were very accomodating — anywhere you were at the lodge, they would ask if you wanted them to bring you something from the bar (YAAAAAYYYY!!!) Worked out fine for us.
Had dinner Friday evening & all food was of good quality. Probably one of the only fine dining options in that area (from what I could determine when researching.) But I wasn’t blown away — nothing really unique. My 1 minor complaint is that everything seemed over-​seasoned by a specific seasoning that I couldn’t put my finger on — sage? A spice I don’t use often, that’s for sure. Overpowered the scallop appie; I also noticed it was on the potatoes @ breakfast. Breakfasts were good but not much to choose from — 5 or 6 dishes. Service was fabulous both evening & mornings.
Since we went «off season» most things in the area are closed (shops, farms, etc.) We did hit an antique shop, a souvenier joint, a bar/​restaurant, Deer Creek Winery. Went for a walk in the woods near the lodge; could have gone skiing or snowshoeing in Cook Forest but had to leave early Sunday morning so we simply ran out of time.
I would go back, but I would not pay full price (which is around $ 200−250/night.) Also, I would go in early Fall to be able to enjoy what the surrounding area has to offer.

My husband and I love The Gateway Lodge! It is so beautiful and peaceful there! It’s a place to just BE! It’s such a wonderful escape from everything. After leaving we just dream of the day we can come back! We have shared and will continue to share our wonderful experience. Also the staff and customer service is exceptional!!!
Sincerely
Angela and Frank McAleavey

We chose to stay in the historic rooms, rather than in the newer rooms that are larger and more modern.
Our room was quite small/​cozy and had a small/​cozy bath. Our room, and almost all of the lodge, is without television, telephones (or cell phone reception), internet, radio, or newspapers!
Frankly, I thought I was going to die for the first six hours! Then, the absence of the trappings of immediate-​access communications became blissful and I hated to leave.
My wife made the arrangements, and had I known ahead of time, I probably would have objected. In her wisdom, she did not disclose this absence of technology, and it turned out to be perfect.
It was a marvelous time of reading (on paper!), playing board games and hiking. Most of the surrounding area has spotty cell phone coverage.
The locale is fantastic for hiking, biking, fishing, etc.
One evening we went to a local amateur community theater that was delightful.
The food at the lodge (breakfast and dinner) was excellent and plentiful. Breakfast was hearty and included in the room price. Dinner was moderately expensive, but worth it. The chef uses plenty of local produce and is very creative in his dishes.
All of the staff was exceedingly friendly and gracious.
I cannot wait to return there. When we return, we will stay in the historic rooms again instead of the larger and fancier suites. The rustic nature of the room, the cozy size, the hospitality, was all like a big warm therapeutic hug!

My husband and I just returned from a honeymoon weekend and despite some of the other reviews, we were thoroughly impressed. The staff was amazing! Very helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly. We want to personally thank Jacki (Front Desk), Dustin and Cheyanne (Waitstaff). They really went above and beyond.
Our room was exactly what we expected; cozy, rustic, and romantic. The rest of the lodge was very well maintained and had a very homey feel.
The restaurant was wonderful. I was surprised at first that we had to «sign up» for our breakfast seating time a day in advance, but appreciated that there was never a wait and it never felt over crowded. The food was delicious! We tried a little of everything throughout the weekend and never had a bad meal! The gingerbread waffle was especially good for breakfast, and the steak cooked perfectly.
We had a couples massage in the spa. The therapist were amazing!
We are already looking forward to our next visit!

We just got home from a weekend at GLCIR&S in Cooks Forest. The area is absolutely gorgeous. The lodge is really cool. There is a section that was the original and was built in 1930-​ish they offer tours or tell you to go look around. The bedrooms are upstairs (in the original structure) and you can look into the ones that are not occupied. They are above the restaurant.
We booked a suite. The room was spacious, clean and had a nice patio. The bed was quite uncomfortable and had feather pillows and blankets (I’m allergic) and they were too warm. There is no AC but it cools off a bit at night & I took my own fan. It would have been nice to have a light blanket as an option. And it would be nice if they provided fans as well. Mainly to drown out noise. If we go back we will either rent a cabin or get a second level room. The «neighbors» above and beside us obviously did not realize the walls are not that sound proof. And they woke us up many times at all hours of the night! I did ask the front desk to let the ones above us know that there are people below them & they must have said something because the next night they SLAMMED the doors and stomped, dropped items etc. for about 10 mins… It sounded like it was being done on purpose. Some people are just rude… maybe they will read this review and know I am talking about them ;)
Ok back to the lodge. There is a pool table room, cool! There is a «spa» they ONLY do massage, a pedicure or facial would have been great. The restaurant ONLY serves breakfast and dinner. They advertise «breakfast daily» like it is INCLUDED in the room charge. But at check out there will be an added $ 20 for «breakfast and gratuities»?? WTF is that about? We only ate breakfast ONE day and it was not so great. I asked for fruit instead of meat with my scrambled eggs. The eggs were scrambled in bacon grease. ugh…I was pretty ill that morning. Dinner selection was pretty good. They have a homemade ranch that was delicious, but ask for it on the side! The portions were HUGE! Unless you can put away lots of food you should share an entrée, it’s a $ 5 up charge. You still get a full salad and full sides, they just split the meat. Try the portobella fries! We did get a $ 75 voucher towards dinner so decided to use it on the 5 course «taste of the wilds» menu. WAY too much food! And honestly you are better off ordering what you like. It was not anything that was not already on the menu just BIGGER portions. I felt like I wasted so much food but it was not even possible to eat all of that. The mushroom soup was delicious! The filet was really good too as was the Salmon (again the portions were entirely too big)
The staff was friendly. The waiter staff especially **shout out to Jason, Dustin and Cheyanne**
We wanted to spend a day driving to Niagra Falls and when I asked the front desk ladies they said it was 5 – 6 hours from them! Ugh, that made us re-​think the trip. However, when I put it in my gpd it was 3 hours away! So if you have never been drive the 3 hours and go! We left at 7 am and we stopped in Erie PA on the way back for lunch then got back to the lodge by 6pm!
I kind of felt like they did not want us to leave the area! Hotel California ‘you can check in but you can never leave’ lol.
They also don’t want you to bring you own adult beverages… not that it’s a license issue, they just want you to buy theirs. Threaten to «fine» $ 100 if you are «caught» with «outside» alcohol… I’m sorry but if I wanted to bring some wine from home to enjoy on my patio I would have! Just sayin ;) Another Unilocal review said the threatened to search her room for it!
No TV’s in the rooms (which was fine) No internet service. They offer a wifi password but it never worked for me. We were cool with that but I would think kids would not do well there! There was a small fridge in the room, No microwave to reheat the leftovers you WILL have :(and NO coffee pot in the room, which would have been nice.
All in all it was a nice place. It is about 5 hours from us so we probably would not go back to that particular resort. But if we were back in the area we might choose to stay in the «town» area. Other than the noise from the other guests and the uncomfortable bed it was a fun getaway~ I wish we would have checked out some of the cabins in the area… that would be an option if you like to sleep all night ;) ;)
** Have to edit this today. I got an email after I posted this review stating they had «charged an additional $ 68 to my card» «they made a mistake»!! I’m sorry but is that normal? So YOU screwed up and did not charge us ENOUGH… suck it up and move on. How dare you add an extra charge to my card after I leave… I called and asked what it was for and all she said was they did not charge us enough… Well, at $ 992 bucks for 3 nights I think you made plenty. But whatever, live and learn. My husband had talked about riding back up on his bike and staying in one of the original rooms… NOT

Very quiet and peaceful. Edith, the massage therapist at The Woods Spa was fantastic, THANK YOU!
The food was excellent also, dinner and breakfast. Loved the homemade s’mores dessert!
Only negative we saw, in our opinion, was decorations needed some updating. And Wi-​fi didn’t work well.

So I finally took that winter road trip that I have been thinking about and we chose Gateway Lodge for our little relaxing getaway. I didn’t know what to think since there were not a large number of reviews for this place but they had an excellent website so I figured what they heck. After extensive searching this was the place and we took advantage of a deal they had on their website for the winter season that was called Weekdays in the Wild or something to that affect. It was 3 nights on, obviously a weeknight, and it included a massage at the spa an $ 85 value all for $ 399 + tax.
Initially I was impressed by the place as we drove up, it has a real nice rustic log cabin type feel. We arrived around 3pm and attempted to check in and we were told we were not allowed to check in, so we decided to go for a hike in the nearby Cooks Forest. Surprisingly enough our hike only lasted about 45 minutes so we returned at precisely 4pm and the lady at the front desk said that we were the last guests to check in. Makes no sense to me, I can’t explain it in words but essentially she was able to turnover a whole lodge in an hour. I guess the rooms might be pretty specific to the guests??? Sort of irritated but it does say a 4pm check in, so whatever. The thing that really almost made me leave was that they had said that there was $ 30 gratuity that would be added to the bill for breakfast and cleaning staff. That was nowhere included in the fine print or stated to me over the phone. If it was only me I would have drove back to Pittsburgh based on principle. But I’m trying to have a relaxing time and rest assured the folks at breakfast would probably done better on tips by me, if it wasn’t included.
The suite we had was pretty nice in that it had a jacuzzi, grrrrr… A nice bathroom, fridge, and a «private» balcony. Ahh the balcony, granted it was winter, so I wouldn’t be using it, is far from private. And not really much of a view of anything. The thing I thought funny was that they stated that there was no outside alcohol allowed, what is this the dorms? They say they’ll fine $ 100 you if they catch you with outside booze in your room. Very ridiculous. The room also had a gas fireplace which was nice but the rooms are on a central building heating and cooling system and it was way to warm for me when sleeping at night. The bed was very uncomfortable.
The best thing about this place was their restaurant and the service in the joint was very good. The food quality was right up there with a 4.5 star joint and the serving sizes were fairly large to boot. After our first dinner my lady and I actually shared entrees the other two nights. I highly recommend that because they simply split the main item and still give you a full veg and a starch serving for only an additional $ 5. The wine and beer selection were pretty good, but the little slightly uncomfortable pub they have closes down so early you almost have to bring your own hooch.
As far as the cleaning service goes, they didn’t do anything that was above and beyond in my opinion to warrant the prepaid gratuity. Probably by no fault of their own but there was never anything «extra» done in the rooms and we came back one day after noon and our room still wasn’t clean.
I also thought that the ladies at the front desk need to get a little bit better informed with some of the surrounding area because they really were tight lipped about anything to go see and do around the area, especially when it came to dining. I was able to find some decent places for lunch but by no help of theirs.
The Spa was essentially a massage therapist studio with some products for sale. The massage was excellent I have nothing but 5 stars on that but when asked if I could get the little lady a facial or pedi, I was shocked to find out that
they don’t do that stuff here because they didn’t have anyone who was certified.
I still think this place could easily be 4 stars without the petty crap and lack of staffing. I will definitely be back to cooks forest sooner than the Gateway lodge. I was hoping to find a place I could rely on for an easy getaway I’ll comeback eventually but the small things really do add up.

Overall it’s a pleasant place to stay with the rustic lodge feel. The luxury suites are nice, the scenery is unbeatable and the food was terrific. I’d say I was disappointed in the housekeeping — they made the bed but didn’t leave new towels or remove our empty, dirty wine glasses from the night before. We did come for the spa and the relaxation but a couple updated books, board games in the great room would have been nice or organized activities for the guests. We went in the winter and all local shops and activities are closed for the season.
Though the food was fantastic, it was a bit overpriced with limited choices.
I’d definitely recommend it, though, if you’re looking for relaxation and quiet.

Love this place. We make it a couple of times a year.

I stayed here for a wedding weekend and while the company was excellent, the service of the lodge and what they did for us was less than awesome.
The entire lodge was booked with wedding guests. We all had to sign something that says they will fine us $ 100.00 if they catch us with our own alcohol. Fine they want us to buy from their bar, and then they close the bar at 9 p.m. on a Friday night?! What did they expect people to do but go running to the liquor store! They were all pissy because the bride and groom wanted to hold their rehearsal dinner there as well, the Gateway would not set up a cash bar. They said it HAD to be an open bar (for $ 32 per person!), so they held their rehearsal dinner elsewhere. Everyone went to the rehearsal dinner. The whole hotel went to that rehearsal dinner so the Gateway had no one to serve for dinner. What do you expect when you don’t work with people.
That evening, we were warned (after the bar had closed for the evening (I had ordered a drink at the bar before they closed for the record), that everyone with a red solo cup would be fined the $ 100.00. The lawyer in me was outraged. You can’t do that. Not everyone with a red solo cup had alcohol. So they threatened that if they found in in our rooms they would fine us. The Groom’s father (whose other son also happens to be an attorney), asked if they were threatening to go through our personal belongings. I believe the answer to that was «we have done it before». Well, he let them know that there were attorneys present and that they didn’t have the right. They backed off a little at that point and called the bartender back.
That kind of fight shouldn’t happen. You have a lodge booked FULL of people who are there to party. It’s a wedding! We all know each other! Why would you close the bar at 9 p.m.?! That doesn’t make any business sense. The next day I had to actually ask to have my room cleaned. When we got back from the wedding around 5 p.m., it still hadn’t been cleaned. In my opinion that is pretty unacceptable. While I adhere to the towels on the floor should be washed, towels hung up I will use again, I did need new towels as we had been there for a few days.
The only other complaint that I have is that there was supposed to be WIFI in the great room and it went out on day 2. Despite my requests it was never fixed. After all that, when I checked out I found out that while I had been stressing over leaving the waitresses a tip at breakfast every morning (even going out of my way to chase one down when I had forgotten the first day,) because our breakfasts were included in our stay thank you to the Bride and Groom, there was a charge for Breakfast Gratuities. While I still would have left the waitress a tip, it would have been nice for anyone to let us know that gratuity charges would be tacked on to the end regardless.
All in all, the Gateway is BEAUTIFUL, but is poorly managed.

Classic rustic lodge in the heart of Cook’s Forest in Northwest Central Pennsylvania. Fine food in the in-​house restaurant, featuring a 2010 Wine Spectator Award-​Winning wine list. The «great room» features leathers sofas, and a stone fireplace with a crackling fire. Great place to unwind and relax. In-​house spa offers massage and other treatments. Innkeeper Deb and her staff are friendly and accommodating. Wi-​fi in the common areas but not in the rooms. Rustic cabins also available on the grounds. Recommend it highly.