My husband, two adult daughters and myself had the absolute pleasure of staying at Tonglen Lake Lodge. I wondered if it would live up to the good reviews, and would it be worth the cost. Not only did it live up to the reviews, it exceeded my expectations. From the point we arrived three hours before check—in and were met with a warm welcome by Erika, ( we arrived early to meet our Traverse Alaska guide Vicki) to when we left, we were made to feel welcomed as if we were welcomed warmly into their own homes. Jake and Erika asked if we wanted pastries, cookies, or anything else, and when we demurred (after our four plus hour drive from Anchorage) said it was all included, even if we were early. Our daughters were grateful to be able to get fresh scones and muffins as well as specialty coffees. This was typical of our entire stay. The dinners were amazing. We consider ourselves foodies, and what we had to eat each meal was exceptional. Carlie and Laura at dinner service were attentive. Dana, who works with Jake in the kitchen, shared how she made an exceptional roasted carrot over sun-dried tomato pesto with a whipped ricotta, Kendra in the morning made the coffee drinks to perfection. When we had a fly over Denali at night, they planned dinner around our timetable, letting us eat dessert after we returned. One of the evenings we went to the fire pit area and had s’mores. Other guests were there and joined us. It was a delightful shared experience. My daughter and I went out on the lake and paddle-boarded. Erika even let our daughters meet her shy pup. We stayed in a cabin, which was comfortable, and large enough for a king and double bed. I would have any of the people who work at Tonglen stay in our home as my guest, as they made me feel a welcome guest in their home. From when we arrived to when we left, it was exceptional. Would be stay again? Absolutely. Is it expensive, yes. It is worth it, without doubt. If you can afford it go. If it is a stretch, go. We have no regrets.

There are pros and cons of this place. Pros: Beautiful location. Rather remote, but the seclusion is lovely. It's only about 15 minutes to the entrance of Denali NP. The food was absolutely delicious - we loved it all. It was really nice to have snacks, baked goods, and coffee always available throughout the day. Staff was very nice. Cons: For over $1000 a night, there are some things that would be nice to have. A refrigerator and a microwave in the room would have been great value added. We understand that the owner is aiming for as much quiet as possible, so why not just make it an option? Leave the appliances unplugged unless someone wants to use them. The water STUNK. I am not particular about water - I'll drink from an airport tap, I don't care - but this water was so incredibly smelly that it was hard to ignore. You could even taste it when you were rinsing your mouth after brushing your teeth. Super, super disgusting rotten egg smell/taste. No wifi in the cabins. This is really inconvenient - I understand wanting people to unplug, but it's 2024. In order to stay connected in the world, even to family and friends, internet or cell service is needed. The cell service through Verizon is extremely poor - over the several days we spent there, I received less than 5 text messages and most were in the middle of the night. Their one bar of LTE was completely overloaded. There is no landline in the cabins for emergencies. There is wifi in the lodge, so there is complete capability to have wifi in the cabins. After I've spent over $1000 a night to stay in a lovely cabin with no refrigerator, no microwave, an advertised heated bathroom floor that didn't work, rotten egg water, and zero cell service or wifi, PLEASE don't ask me to tip your staff for doing counter work. That it so ridiculous that I could die. I'd recommend this lodge with caveats, but we would not return.

Excellent high end all inclusive Alaskan Lodge in an enchanting , quiet spot but only a few miles from Denali Park entrance. The staff were amazing , so welcoming and friendly. We had been warned in advance that there was no WiFi in the bedroom lodges in the grounds . Wi-Fi available in the main lodge. The bedroom lodges are traditional Alaskan , beautifully done , clean and comfortable with their own gas flame heaters a short walk from the main centre. 6-7 course dinners were excellent. The packed lunches were generally good. Breakfast could be improved. Need more fruit and more food overall than just 1 course before a day out. The addition of a buffet selection with cereals, fruit, yoghurt, toast etc. would make such a difference. Ok to keep the day before pre ordering for cooked main courses. Cookies and muffins , although very nice are not really a healthy option to fill up on after the small hot breakfasts. Beer , house wines & cocktails etc all included in the price. Premium wines available at additional cost. For the cost and high end level of this beautiful place they really need to do something about the water. We were warned at check-in that the locally sourced water was safe to drink but had a sulphur smell. I am not a fussy person but found this totally disgusting. There is no bottled water available. We ended up buying our own bottled water from the shops in Denali for drinking and brushing our teeth. In today’s world they really need to get a filtration system that removes the sulphur or if not possible provide bottled water in the rooms and main lodge. Providing a big water container in the main lodge with fruit added to try to mask the smell wasn’t effective for us. I always find tipping in the US stressful so found it helpful to have suggested amounts on our final invoice so could pay with my card.

I will share the pros and the cons of this lodge. My wife and I are seasoned travelers and have stayed at many luxury resorts in the United States. That said, we have a good sense of luxury vs. trying to be luxury and if you are getting value for your money. Pros: The rooms are clean. The location is secluded, so if you are looking for something not too busy this would work out well. The rooms and overall grounds have a rustic ambiance and provide a nice escape from the ordinary hotel room. The breakfast, lunch, and dinners are very good food and you don't want to miss them as it was in our opinion the best food in the Denali area. Cons: The cabins do not have WIFI. There is WIFI in the main lodge/lounge but you have to walk to it from the cabins to use it. Technically this problem can be solved, and requires some investment to fix this problem. The cabins we were in also did not have any coffee maker. There is a sign in the room to "dial 911" in an emergency, but given that cell phone service is very poor (we have Verizon), and there is no WIFI (so no WIFI calling), it is likely your call would go nowhere and you would have better luck opening the door, screaming, and hoping someone in one of the other cabins hears you and can help. Just from a safety perspective, they really should have WIFI reaching the cabins or at least put in actual phone lines so that you can call someone in an emergency. Our cabin also had a really bad rotten egg/sulfur smell coming from the water. If you poured a glass of water it smelled like rotten eggs. We drank bottled water and brushed our teeth with bottled water because we didn't know what that was. At night when you are eating dinner in the lodge they sometimes have talks and presentations. There was a slight bit of pressure to stay and watch them. As a simple example you will be eating dinner and then they will start their talk/presentation while you are eating. It kind of ruins the evening if you were looking to have a quiet/romantic evening with your partner/spouse in the lodge, and for those that feel awkward easily (I don't), you may feel awkward getting up and leaving when you are done with dinner but they are still in the middle of their presentation or talk. The owner should focus less on telling everyone how great they are with their talks, and more on guest services/hospitality/wifi. Have the talks out in one of the other buildings and those that want to go can go, and then this way there is no pressure and people can have a nice evening of dinner in the lodge without all the other stuff. In my view the price you are charged to stay at this resort does not justify the experience. I believe a few other reviews mentioned something similar. In addition to cost, at the end of your stay you are asked if you want to add a gratuity. The owner should not be looking to their guests for that, and instead should pay their staff more, especially given the high cost to stay here. So if you are looking for something more like a quiet lodge bed & breakfast in the woods with good food, then this is your place, but just be prepared for the high price, awkward dinners, no wifi in the cabins, poor cell coverage in the cabins, and the ask for the gratuity at the end.

We loved tonglen lake lodge :) tje cabins were cozy and spotlessly clean, the food was delicious - i am still thinking of a lemon tart they served, and the people were outstanding. Carly, Erika, Dana and Donna thank you for a wonderful time! Very important - there were puppies on the property!!