HUGE resort that can handle convention/tournament sized events and gatherings. Many areas have outdated decor, but it looks like they are slowing updating. We've stayed here several times and in different areas of the resort. Each time we had a nice view of the lake. And our room had a fireplace, nice little fridge and a microwave. I have a difficult time paying these resort prices when the decor is so outdated, and some of the older style cabins have a musty smell. There are many stairs everywhere, and I only saw one elevator for the entire resort so accessibility is not the best. I don't enjoy the food here, but there are a few good restaurants nearby. Don't forget to make reservations for large groups though. They updated the Bear Trap Bar since last year and it looks much better now, but the drink prices were also raised to reflect that. Overall, I don't choose to stay here unless it's with a very large group (like a basketball tournament) and the entire team wants to stay together.
Mark L.
This is not a place to stay if your on a motorcycle. There was storms coming in and we parked our bike under the covered front entrance out of the way so it didn't effect any other vehicles from loading or unloading. The security guy Stanley L was very rude and threatened to have our bike towed. Let's just say this guy should not be in customer service maybe emptying garbage cans could be a better job for him. Unfortunately we were planning on staying longer but will never go back. So to all our brothers and sisters on motorcycles find a different place to stay or maybe they can find a different job for Stanley L.
Patty Z.
Oh my gosh. Lots of elevations and steps. The people who work here are not overly friendly if you can find any. Not all of the restaurants are open but of course you don't know that until you climb up and down a thousand steps. It would be nice if there were more elevators or at least markings for them. The rooms are out dated need new bedding nothing comfortable about the site. If your not goi g to have places to eat open then have plates and utensils in the room. There is no housekeeping so as a vacation for the price not at all worth it. The location on the lake is great but there is not enough fox space boats and the entire place needs updating. The manager at Irma's was wonderful and her staff kind. The food was good but there was no where else to eat anything of substance.
brettsB691NQ
Had wings and they were overpriced, tiny and burned. Took over 1hr 20 mins to get our food. There wasn’t even meat on the wings.
Sarah Elness
Friendly staff. The drinks were good and so was the pizza!
Vennela Oruganti
Food and drinks are very yummy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
MrMrs B.
BE WARNED!!!!! Craguns new management has lost it. His ego must be the issue. He is charging five star pricing for two star accommodations. Ex; Cabin 103 is so old that it actually is sinking and leaning towards the lake. You have to walk off balance while in there. Mold smell is very powerful. It is a $150 a night room. The new manager is charging $400 a night for it. The whole Cragun's is very much overrated by its advertising misbeliefs. Go to Maddens instead. Far far better accommodations for that price or less.
Michael H.
This was my fourth stay at Cragun's. Three of my stays were for the MRPA annual conference the past ten years. It seems to work well for our state conference with over 300 people. The rooms were recently renovated and nice since my last visit. All of my rooms have been large with nice amenities and comfortable beds. Each room has a fireplace. The meals were good and staff very friendly. The resort has many recreation facilities with a large indoor pool. I can't believe they just added three pickleball courts and the beach is nice. Great location great views from all rooms.
Erin Fraser
Great pours. Good drink selection. Great food! Unbeatable prices especially for poolside.
Erin Carrie
Great pours. Good drink selection. Great food! Unbeatable prices especially for poolside.
I just did a quick weekend getaway here over the 4th of July. Craguns was the only resort on Gull Lake with open rooms when we booked last minute and now I know why. As many have mentioned, it is BADLY in need of updates. It's dated, and not in a kitschy, nostalgic way. The carpets are dingy and dusty and gross looking. Lots of smells throughout the building and in our room and none of them could be described as "good" or "clean". Our room was shabby and the beds were very uncomfortable. Decks need cleaning and staining - lots of chipping paint and debris, just very weathered. Worst for me was the general maintenance and upkeep of the property. Throughout the entire time we were there there was a large bag of garbage plus dirty towels and bed linens strewn in the hallway outside our room. Like, just laying on the floor being ignored. And they sat there unmoved for three days making it painfully obvious that not a single staff member wandered through our hall, let alone cleaned it during the entire holiday weekend. Trashes all over the property we're overflowing and never got emptied. There was a table on one of the decks overlooking the lake that had pizza boxes, empty cups, napkins, and general trash that sat dirty like that for two straight days - every time we walked by it on our way to the main lodge it became more sad and comical that it was still sitting there untouched. It just all made it seem like a place where the staff/owners have completely given up. So much just seemed in disrepair. We rented kayaks one day and those were great. The next day we rented bikes and I had to try literally 5 different bikes to find one with air in the tires, working gear shifters, and seats that were adjustable. We walked through the indoor pool area several times a day to get to and from our room and there were several arcade games that had out of order signs on them. For a whole morning the hot tub had a bunch of closed signs on it. The food was also disappointing. We had breakfast at the dining room and it was sad - really just straight up bland, beige cafeteria food. We did go to Irma's Kitchen one night for dinner based on high recommendations from staff and other guests. That food was definitely better though the service there was awkward and slow. We ordered drinks which we saw someone make and then watched the drinks sit at the server station waiting to be delivered to us for a solid 10 minutes. We ordered an appetizer and two entrees and after a long wait we got everything at the same time - not hugely offensive but when you're trying to have a nice meal with a couple courses it just felt like thoughtless service. And the restaurant was fairly empty. I could forgive a lot of this if they had been super busy, but there were maybe 5 or 6 other tables in the whole place. The food itself did taste good. We had the walleye cakes appetizer, pot roast, and chicken. All three were tasty and satisfying and even with the average service this was still probably the highlight of our stay. To give credit where credit is due, the outdoor areas and beaches were nice here. Lots of lounge chairs and Adirondack chairs, nice sandy beaches with lots of activities going on. The lake access and views were great. And we really enjoyed the kayaking and walks around the property. I've stayed at Grand View which is a really beautiful and well kept resort on Gull Lake, and this trip we rode our (barely functioning) bikes through Maddens, another similar resort but with pristine grounds and what looked like a lot more operational amenities - knowing that exists and then staying at Craguns I just feel sad for Craguns and sad for myself that I had chosen so wrong in places to stay in the area. In the right hands and with some updates and additional staff and lots of staff training (assuming they're experiencing the same shortage as the rest of the service industry), this could be a pretty awesome place. But as is, it's just disappointing and a little depressing. We stayed in the main lodge...maybe
Jackie L.
First of all, they should tell you that if you stay in the lakeside rooms there is only one elevator at the very end of the building and if you are on the third floor, you will be dragging your luggage all the way up the stairs. Our room was not clean, there was dirt on the bathroom floor and dead mosquitos on the tub. They say they have several restaurants, but they are not always open. So we decided to get the shuttle and go to their restaurant about a mile down the road. The shuttle took a half hour to pick us up, and they DID NOT HAVE A SHUTTLE FOR THE WAY BACK!!! We went to play Bingo with our kids one night, and it started a half hour late and they didn't even offer small prizes. The setting is beautiful, but the place is sadly rundown. Our room and many other rooms needed paint. Disappointing at best!!!
Teresa L.
My sister in law discovered this place and have been making it an annual family tradition. This time we were invited. A great place to get together with the family - especially the kids. They have hotel rooms and cabins available. I recommend getting the rec pass, which is a $25-35 wristband for you do a lot of fun activities. The food can be pricey (Irma Kitchen) and so my family ate out in Nisswa and Baxter. The food at the Carbana Cafe, located in the indoor pool isn't bad. My niece recommends the kids pina colada smoothie. They offer a decent breakfast buffet that is from 7:30am-10:00am. My niece and nephew did a lot of swimming in the indoor pool (and bring your own pool toys), swam in a lake by the beach, roasted marshmallow / s'mores. (Bring your own kit or you can by one for $17, not including the roasting sticks.) My father rented the pontoon for 4 hours ($350), which was fun. As for me, I did canoe, kayak, paddle board, trolley horse riding, and tye dye t-shirt making. The only downside was the bed was uncomfortable leaving me with a achy back. My husband was tossing and turning at night. No daily room service due to COVID. Otherwise we would come back.
Lisa D.
We have been coming up here for many years. Looking forward to the future. It's gorgeous.
Cal L.
Our family suite was so old and worn out. Very disappointed for the price you pay. Lots of activities available though.
HUGE resort that can handle convention/tournament sized events and gatherings. Many areas have outdated decor, but it looks like they are slowing updating. We've stayed here several times and in different areas of the resort. Each time we had a nice view of the lake. And our room had a fireplace, nice little fridge and a microwave. I have a difficult time paying these resort prices when the decor is so outdated, and some of the older style cabins have a musty smell. There are many stairs everywhere, and I only saw one elevator for the entire resort so accessibility is not the best. I don't enjoy the food here, but there are a few good restaurants nearby. Don't forget to make reservations for large groups though. They updated the Bear Trap Bar since last year and it looks much better now, but the drink prices were also raised to reflect that. Overall, I don't choose to stay here unless it's with a very large group (like a basketball tournament) and the entire team wants to stay together.
This is not a place to stay if your on a motorcycle. There was storms coming in and we parked our bike under the covered front entrance out of the way so it didn't effect any other vehicles from loading or unloading. The security guy Stanley L was very rude and threatened to have our bike towed. Let's just say this guy should not be in customer service maybe emptying garbage cans could be a better job for him. Unfortunately we were planning on staying longer but will never go back. So to all our brothers and sisters on motorcycles find a different place to stay or maybe they can find a different job for Stanley L.
Oh my gosh. Lots of elevations and steps. The people who work here are not overly friendly if you can find any. Not all of the restaurants are open but of course you don't know that until you climb up and down a thousand steps. It would be nice if there were more elevators or at least markings for them. The rooms are out dated need new bedding nothing comfortable about the site. If your not goi g to have places to eat open then have plates and utensils in the room. There is no housekeeping so as a vacation for the price not at all worth it. The location on the lake is great but there is not enough fox space boats and the entire place needs updating. The manager at Irma's was wonderful and her staff kind. The food was good but there was no where else to eat anything of substance.
Had wings and they were overpriced, tiny and burned. Took over 1hr 20 mins to get our food. There wasn’t even meat on the wings.
Friendly staff. The drinks were good and so was the pizza!
Food and drinks are very yummy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
BE WARNED!!!!! Craguns new management has lost it. His ego must be the issue. He is charging five star pricing for two star accommodations. Ex; Cabin 103 is so old that it actually is sinking and leaning towards the lake. You have to walk off balance while in there. Mold smell is very powerful. It is a $150 a night room. The new manager is charging $400 a night for it. The whole Cragun's is very much overrated by its advertising misbeliefs. Go to Maddens instead. Far far better accommodations for that price or less.
This was my fourth stay at Cragun's. Three of my stays were for the MRPA annual conference the past ten years. It seems to work well for our state conference with over 300 people. The rooms were recently renovated and nice since my last visit. All of my rooms have been large with nice amenities and comfortable beds. Each room has a fireplace. The meals were good and staff very friendly. The resort has many recreation facilities with a large indoor pool. I can't believe they just added three pickleball courts and the beach is nice. Great location great views from all rooms.
Great pours. Good drink selection. Great food! Unbeatable prices especially for poolside.
Great pours. Good drink selection. Great food! Unbeatable prices especially for poolside.
Restaurantji Recommends
I just did a quick weekend getaway here over the 4th of July. Craguns was the only resort on Gull Lake with open rooms when we booked last minute and now I know why. As many have mentioned, it is BADLY in need of updates. It's dated, and not in a kitschy, nostalgic way. The carpets are dingy and dusty and gross looking. Lots of smells throughout the building and in our room and none of them could be described as "good" or "clean". Our room was shabby and the beds were very uncomfortable. Decks need cleaning and staining - lots of chipping paint and debris, just very weathered. Worst for me was the general maintenance and upkeep of the property. Throughout the entire time we were there there was a large bag of garbage plus dirty towels and bed linens strewn in the hallway outside our room. Like, just laying on the floor being ignored. And they sat there unmoved for three days making it painfully obvious that not a single staff member wandered through our hall, let alone cleaned it during the entire holiday weekend. Trashes all over the property we're overflowing and never got emptied. There was a table on one of the decks overlooking the lake that had pizza boxes, empty cups, napkins, and general trash that sat dirty like that for two straight days - every time we walked by it on our way to the main lodge it became more sad and comical that it was still sitting there untouched. It just all made it seem like a place where the staff/owners have completely given up. So much just seemed in disrepair. We rented kayaks one day and those were great. The next day we rented bikes and I had to try literally 5 different bikes to find one with air in the tires, working gear shifters, and seats that were adjustable. We walked through the indoor pool area several times a day to get to and from our room and there were several arcade games that had out of order signs on them. For a whole morning the hot tub had a bunch of closed signs on it. The food was also disappointing. We had breakfast at the dining room and it was sad - really just straight up bland, beige cafeteria food. We did go to Irma's Kitchen one night for dinner based on high recommendations from staff and other guests. That food was definitely better though the service there was awkward and slow. We ordered drinks which we saw someone make and then watched the drinks sit at the server station waiting to be delivered to us for a solid 10 minutes. We ordered an appetizer and two entrees and after a long wait we got everything at the same time - not hugely offensive but when you're trying to have a nice meal with a couple courses it just felt like thoughtless service. And the restaurant was fairly empty. I could forgive a lot of this if they had been super busy, but there were maybe 5 or 6 other tables in the whole place. The food itself did taste good. We had the walleye cakes appetizer, pot roast, and chicken. All three were tasty and satisfying and even with the average service this was still probably the highlight of our stay. To give credit where credit is due, the outdoor areas and beaches were nice here. Lots of lounge chairs and Adirondack chairs, nice sandy beaches with lots of activities going on. The lake access and views were great. And we really enjoyed the kayaking and walks around the property. I've stayed at Grand View which is a really beautiful and well kept resort on Gull Lake, and this trip we rode our (barely functioning) bikes through Maddens, another similar resort but with pristine grounds and what looked like a lot more operational amenities - knowing that exists and then staying at Craguns I just feel sad for Craguns and sad for myself that I had chosen so wrong in places to stay in the area. In the right hands and with some updates and additional staff and lots of staff training (assuming they're experiencing the same shortage as the rest of the service industry), this could be a pretty awesome place. But as is, it's just disappointing and a little depressing. We stayed in the main lodge...maybe
First of all, they should tell you that if you stay in the lakeside rooms there is only one elevator at the very end of the building and if you are on the third floor, you will be dragging your luggage all the way up the stairs. Our room was not clean, there was dirt on the bathroom floor and dead mosquitos on the tub. They say they have several restaurants, but they are not always open. So we decided to get the shuttle and go to their restaurant about a mile down the road. The shuttle took a half hour to pick us up, and they DID NOT HAVE A SHUTTLE FOR THE WAY BACK!!! We went to play Bingo with our kids one night, and it started a half hour late and they didn't even offer small prizes. The setting is beautiful, but the place is sadly rundown. Our room and many other rooms needed paint. Disappointing at best!!!
My sister in law discovered this place and have been making it an annual family tradition. This time we were invited. A great place to get together with the family - especially the kids. They have hotel rooms and cabins available. I recommend getting the rec pass, which is a $25-35 wristband for you do a lot of fun activities. The food can be pricey (Irma Kitchen) and so my family ate out in Nisswa and Baxter. The food at the Carbana Cafe, located in the indoor pool isn't bad. My niece recommends the kids pina colada smoothie. They offer a decent breakfast buffet that is from 7:30am-10:00am. My niece and nephew did a lot of swimming in the indoor pool (and bring your own pool toys), swam in a lake by the beach, roasted marshmallow / s'mores. (Bring your own kit or you can by one for $17, not including the roasting sticks.) My father rented the pontoon for 4 hours ($350), which was fun. As for me, I did canoe, kayak, paddle board, trolley horse riding, and tye dye t-shirt making. The only downside was the bed was uncomfortable leaving me with a achy back. My husband was tossing and turning at night. No daily room service due to COVID. Otherwise we would come back.
We have been coming up here for many years. Looking forward to the future. It's gorgeous.
Our family suite was so old and worn out. Very disappointed for the price you pay. Lots of activities available though.