Rangeley Lake Resort

I’ve been to time shares all over New England & honestly I wouldn’t return to this place.
The cabins are absolutely beautiful, however it doesn’t make up for what this place lacks (that other time shares all include).
Wood — Vermont, New Hampshire, the Berkshires, etc. Every time share I’ve visted that offers a fire place gives you unlimited wood, all you have to do is walk a few feet to fetch your own wood. This place, they only allow you to burn Durafame logs, they give you 1 complimentary log, but the rest, you have to either purchase from them, or purchase them from a grocery store. Duraflame logs aren’t cheap & only burn for a couple hours.
Do it yourself! — Any other time share I’ve visited, about ½ way through your stay, the staff would ask if you needed anything, more toilet paper, clean towels, etc. This place, I asked the front desk if we could have any extra toilet paper, they handed me 2 rolls. I also asked if they had any little creamers (since they offered coffee in the main lodge when we arrived) the woman told me they weren’t allowed to give those away for free, and directed me to the nearest supermarket. Since there is a note in the cabin telling you please do not wash any of their sheets, they send their laundary out to a facility to have it cleaned, I asked the front desk if we could get some clean towels, which they responded, you have a washer & dryer in your cabin, you can wash them. Also, you have to drive all your trash up to the main cabin, dump your garbage & recycles in the labeled bins. Ok… so basically, they want you to do everything yourself… yet, they have no problem leaving an envelope in the room asking for a gratuity for their cleaning staff. This did NOT feel like a vacation. I thought that «do it yourself» attitude was very offputting & insulting.
Town — The «town» if you want to call it that, were a handful of restaurants, 2 small gift shops and a bunch of small little shops all which were hardly ever open and a couple gas stations, and the IGA — a very small supermarket (not sure how often produce is delivered there, but half the fruits & vegetables were wilted & not fresh). I asked if there was a Fish store, but was told there is not, the seafood is at the IGA (the seafood section was tiny, if you want seafood, you pretty much have to visit their frozen food isle). We were in the mood for something baked, pie, cake… so we visited the bakery, which was nothing more than a few muffins, some homemade fruit bars and a couple other items, the town «Bakery» is nothing more than a sandwich shop. There really isn’t anything in this town, so if you come here, come for the peace & quiet, cause that’s pretty much all there is around there.

My husband and I visited Rangeley Lake Resort in late October 2013. We used our interval international timeshare swap and we’re so glad we did. The resort is amazing. We stayed in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath log cabin with fireplace, direct tv and wi-​fi. This resort is dog friendly so we were able to bring our beagle with us and she had a great time too. The cabin was exceptionally clean and well equipped. The grocery store was across the street from the resort and downtown was a short drive down the road. There are so many hiking trails and mountains close by and the resort overlooks Rangeley Lake. It was a great place to stay and relax and we plan to go back next year.

The cabins here are beautiful, but if you want my honest advise, stay away from time shares. They’re a giant money suck pit. I do however enjoy and look forward to the time I get to spend here with my family every summer. So there’s that.

Get in your car and drive. When you think you’re there, you’re only half way. Then the air gets cold. The roads empty of cars. Gas stations become few and far between. Drive through Farmington and you’ve only got an hour and one half left. Come over the top of the hill and on your left is Rangeley Lake Resort and Rangeley Lake itself. Continue down the hill and the town center of Rangeley appears. A large inn, a couple bars, a few restaurants, an outdoor gear shop, a bakery, a bagel spot, gas station and that’s about it. Somehow it seems as if there should be couple horses tied up to the railing in front of the inn.
Back up the hill and turn into the main office lodge to check in. Pop out the credit card for incidentals, go over the binder of cabin instructions, be shown your cabin on a map and ask until what time the pool, sauna and hot tub, plural, are open — 9:00 pm. We were met with extremely pleasant and accommodating front desk service that was laid back yet professional.
Get back in the car, drive to your cabin and proceed up the porch into the log cabin style residence. It’s cold, negative 10 degrees Fahrenheit when we arrive. Open the door and you are in the cozy living room complete with television, comfortable leather couch (also sleeps two comfortably if unexpected guests arrive), a couple lounge chairs and the fireplace. The living room opens into the kitchen to the rear, fully stocked with all cooking amenities (no food, just utensils, bowls, pans, cups, etc). A dishwasher, microwave and oven are ready to cook your chili.
The three bed room cabin has one master suite with a full bathroom upstairs and two bedrooms and another full bath on first floor and sleeps six comfortably or eight using the pull out couch. Very comfortable beds and warm blankets and lounge areas make this a wintertime haven. By early evening Friday night, temperatures were hovering near twenty below zero Fahrenheit with no wind — see picture. This was when we fired up the dura-​flame log only fireplace to take any chill out of the air.
The rooms are all large with plenty of space for lots of out door gear — skis, boots, fishing poles, snowboards, whatever you may have brought. Rangeley lake has activities for everyone — snow-​mobiling, skiing, cross-​country skiing, hiking, and fishing. The village is small and friendly. Rangeley Lake Resort is directly in between Saddleback and the lake. The cabins are well situated a short walk from the town center on a hill overlooking the lake. The drive is well worth the time it takes to get you on the mountain or on the lake.