Lakeside Inn

There were four of us. It was terrible! The soda machines were all broken, there was not a bottle of water for sale. They «ran out» !! The blond bartender was RUDE and very unprofessional. We will never go back there again. Nor will you be recommended!!!

Our negative experience started from check in where we were greeted by a not so friendly staff member who told us we couldn’t go to our room yet because it was 2:45 and not 3pm. She then told us she would call us when our room was ready but never did.
We make it to our room after walking around town only to find that our room only sleeps 3 people. When we booked the room over the phone with the Inn they assured us that the king size suite slept 4 adults. Only to discover the room only had a king size bed and one futon (not comfortable for 2 people). So fine we call for a cot or something and they rudely reply they don’t do that… Great thanks so much for trying to find a solution. Ugh.
Rooms were musty and old, with some weird old quilts on the bed. We called for more linens which took an hour and what they brought was another creepy old quilt.
In a nutshell, beautiful grounds, horrible customer service and outdated musty rooms.

This review is about my WEDDING experience at Lakeside Inn. This by no means does not take away from my experience eating here regularly and staying in the room on any other occasion. Lakeside Inn is a beautiful place. With a breathtaking sunset on the lake and awesome accommodations.
I booked Lakeside Inn as a my wedding venue for 2015. I started with the
Wedding Coordinator Stacey. After going over everything with Stacey that Lakeside Inn had to offer for me such as a 1-​night stay for my guest, a room for me to get ready in (for free), my dog being allowed to stay in my room after ceremony (in a cage), & the beautiful lakefront property I booked them as my wedding venue at a high cost.
Half way through the year I was informed that my wedding coordinator would be leaving Lakeside Inn and that I would be meeting with a new girl named Shannon. Off the bat things quickly went from good to bad. Shannon informed me she would not hold up the offer that Stacey gave us allowing me the Donnally room for free for me to get ready in. After much discussion we ended up just paying the fee to have the room.
Now I am weeks away from my wedding. I am called by many of my guest that they were told they have to pay for two nights even though they will only be staying for one. I called Shannon to discuss the matter as I was told by Stacey that my guest could have 1-​night stay back when I booked the venue. She told me that she could not honor that and that Stacey would do a lot of things that weren’t right… I asked if possible to just have my bridesmaid and groomsmen have the 1-​night stay and she said she will see what she could do and get back to me… After leaving several voicemails and emails waiting for her response she told me she would call me and never did. She then blamed the phones being out at the hotel as her excuse for not calling or emailing me (Even though she has a cell phone she could call me on). So after not hearing back, me and my mother went down to Lakeside Inn to talk to her in person. She came out of her office straight away with an attitude as if we were bothering her. As we talked to her about what we were promised with Stacey she stood there with a snood look on her face tapping her foot as if she was annoyed with us. She then said there is nothing she or us can do about it.
We then reached out to Kim Chamber who was very delightful. She let us know that our wedding fell on a very busy weekend & that she could at least give our wedding party the 1-​night stay offer. We were pleased.
Wedding Day: Now nothing went as planned not due to Lakeside Inn but from mother nature. It rained that day and evening and seeing that I was getting married outside it put a damper on my wedding plans. Shannon was very good at running around and making sure my venders got set up & things stayed organized. Due to the rain we decided to try and hold out as long as possible so we started cocktail hour before the ceremony which was a great idea from Shannon. After much thought and talking to my husband on the phone we decided to just get married in the rain. Right about then is when the rain lightened up. Shannon was told to please run down and wipe off the seats so my guest could sit while we got everyone together and start the ceremony asap. As she was down wiping the seats one of my guest over heard her say. «This bride is such a bitch» because I wanted her to have the seats dry for my guest to sit. My guest told me she then proceeded over to her and told her that it is my day and I’m the bride and this is her job to make things run smoothly.
The reception was great except that it was a lot shorter the planed due to the time push back cause of rain. Due to time being pushed from rain the reception was shorter then normal when I asked Shannon if we could go 1 more hour till 11pm she told me NO and proceeded to break down everything.
The food was excellent except we had on our contract with Shannon no sweet potatos and we had sweet potato served. We also asked Shannon to inform me when the open bar tab hit $ 2,000. She told my mom half way through that it had hit $ 3,000 and then came back 15 min later and said oh sorry we miscalculated and you haven’t gone over $ 2,000 yet. I was never informed and later never informed when it did hit $ 2,000. The father of the groom ended up with the bill and it was $ 3,000 by the end of the night.
There were several other altercation with Shannon during my reception and ceremony but because Unilocal only allows so many words this is all I will leave.
Overall Lakeside Inn is a beautiful place. I will say my experiences with the wedding Coordinator Shannon was not as pleasant.
I would not recommend this venue for your wedding due to the wedding coordinator herself she ruined my entire experience in planning a wedding and was very unprofessional at points. I work in the hospitality an event management industry and her attitude is very uncalled for and very unprofessional.

Terrible experience. Our room was so musty and moldy that my daughter lost her voice and I had a headache the whole time. I paid for a suite which was a joke, it was a Jack & Jill style room with a creepy second room with a nasty futon. Nothing has been updated, the linens are old and dirty, the windows are painted shut, the plumbing shakes and barely works, the tub is filthy and chipped. The grounds are nice. That is all the hotel has going for it. The room keys are regular key style which is to be expected, not electronic, but there is no security. Anyone could enter any of the guest buildings at any time without a key.

The Lakeside Inn needs to step up its game if it will have any return customers.
First, I used to love this place. I have recommended it to many friends and have stayed her about 6 times, the last being 10 years ago. Instead of getting better, it has sunk so low that a cheap Motel 6 would be a better value. Our suite looked nothing like the photo and was not a true suite but a jack and jill type room with a bathroom in between. Our first impression was a dark, dank, dusty and musty smelling room. The air conditioner in the bedroom was necessary to freshen the air; it leaked and carpet in the closet was soaked. Our pillows were as flat as pancakes, the beds were average but the top sheet on both while clean had the remnants of stains. No shelves in the bathroom, no place to put anything. As for that «suite» sitting room. It was depressing and felt dirty. We wouldnt sit on the couch and ended not gong into that room. Carpeting in both rooms looked dirty and stained. No freshing of toiletries the second day even when obvious we had used them. As for service, when we mentioned this to the front desk, the person just shrugged and acted uninterested. Her response? «Well, crap.» Really? this is how you respond to a customer? $ 179, what a rip… we got a AAA discount to $ 140 but still too much. Too many options. Only plus is the view is great and the restaurant was nice. I travel a lot and have never been so disappointed in a once much loved place. With hotels concentrating on pillows and fine linen, no excuse. I get it is an historic place and old but other places also have shown a place can be historic and comfortable.

Such a quaint and charming little place. I went for brunch and sat on the terrace. The view is absolutely spectacular and that alone is worth the trek out to Mount Dora. They have a wonderful mimosa special for brunch, it is $ 6 for a single mimosa or $ 7 for bottomless mimosas… the bottomless choice was a no brainer.
They have a serious Yellow Jacket issue on the terrace. We were constantly being bothered by them which meant I spent the entire brunch in and out of my seat running away from the threat of being stung. We had 3 yellow jackets go for a swim in our mimosas (thank goodness we went with the bottomless). The service staff was entirely unfazed by this.
The food was decent. I ordered a chicken caesar salad and my recommendation is that anyone getting a salad get dressing on the side here. The salad was absolutely swimming in dressing, and coming from someone that likes a heavy pour of dressing that says a lot. I took one bite and couldn’t handle it. I ended up only eating the chicken and croutons and no one asked if something was wrong as they took away my full plate of salad. I was still hungry when I left, which was disappointing. Everyone else in my group was happy with their meals so I assuming I had a one off experience.
The staff was friendly and given the stunning view, I will return. I will just not get a salad on my next visit.

Ok. The Inn is charming, with a 19 Century appeal.
We requested a floor room because of handicapped condition and minimal stairs
Unilocal gave me a 10% discount, yet as my brother made the reservation the hotel didn’t honor it. No problem.
We left our bags and went to see the lighting of thr Christmas tree. Afterward we went for dinner.
We came into our room 7517 and I noticed something on the carpet; it looked and was the size of a pecan.
A ROACH!!! I tried to grab her to bring her outside, but she escaped.
I’ve turned the bed upside down checking for bed bugs. I didn’t found any. Relief! Now, I’m afraid to go to sleep and that roach is loose in the room ans will crawl on the bed.
As the Sunrise approached on Sunday, I went to the deck to contemplate the beauty of the Sun. A felliw guest and I started talking. I told her about the bug. She commented it probably was a «Palmetto bug»?
We went to the front desk and told them.
After being away the whole day, we came in and I went into the bathroom to take a shower. I noticed a glob on the upper side of the tub by the faucets… A dead bug (was it the same one?) deep sight. Took a tissue and had to forcefully pried away from tub, it was squelched.
The tub needs refinishing. It has a rubber mat and sturdy hand rail.
The hotel is centrally located for Mt. Dora activities. It has spectacular Sunsets and lake access (beware if gators). It has a bar and restaurant.
Has WiFi, weak.
The main hotel dates from 1883. Our extension from 1928. This has a strong old smell when you enter ghe building. The rooms don’t smell like the hallways.
One plus for the hotel aside from location and views is the fact that the cleaning crew on the days we were there are hearing/​speech impaired personnel.

Meh. The views are amazing, the location is great… you can walk all around the historic area. Now, the hotel? eh. The rooms are on the small side (which, if you aren’t spending time in there, that should be fine), but zero anemities with the exception of an old-​school TV. We were in a group, and 2 of our friends had to switch rooms because of the moldy/​mildew-​y smell. The pipes groaned and shook if you didn’t turn the sink on right, and there was practically no hot water (the last 2 days there, I didn’t even use the cold water knob, and my shower was still luke-​warm). Our group only had breakfast there and that too was eh. But, i mean $ 10 for a bowl of oatmeal? Please. Would I stay here again? no. Would i recommend? no.

I like the quaintness of the inn and happy that it’s being renovated. The carpet in The Gables hall is probably 15+ years old. There’s no way to rinse shampoo from your hair with the shower head, and very difficult to rinse your body too. There’s no counter storage in the bathroom, but that’s so they can keep the old charm look with the pedestal sink. I’ll probably shop around before my next visit because I’d rather have a nice shower. Oh yea, there’s an art to flushing the toilet. The property is beautiful and it’s a great location that easy walking distance to local restaurants, etc.

This old and charming Inn has a great deal of history. Locate in front of the stunning Mt Dora Lake, this hotel is kept like if time has not passed by. Really enjoy visiting it.

Check in was easy and our room was in the building across the street.
Bizarre building lay out that creates
four (maybe five) SETS of steps,
of four or more step downs,
to get to your room. (see picture)
— not including the four or so step ups entering the front door!
Crazy chit for a hotel that most everyone will be toting and rolling suitcases.
Whoa, okay — this facility was built well before rolling suitcases (and elevators??) was conceived– I think? This surely is a newer facility than the check in building?
This is an immaculately kept property that one might expect some musty or odd odors due to age– but none noticed here on my visit.
Our room has an incredibly huge closet. The sitting room also has a huge closet –for all that luggage you had to traverse down (hopefully) all those steps.
Other than the a joining room’s plumbing noises, this was a nice quite stay– or was it because I didn’t get back to the room till 1:30 am? Whatever.
Flat screen TV in the sitting room and older tv in bedroom.
Pedestal sink in bathroom with no vanity but an inadequate 5″ deep shelf for the wife and me’s stuff.

This is a hidden gem and get little getaway. Floyd is one of the treasures there. Request him. He’s a lot of fun and gives exceptional service. He’s one of the best in the business.

First let me say that the grounds and the main lobby are beautiful! BUT… Our first night we were awake until 2 am because of 2 toddlers running back and forth in the rm above us. The next night was ok until 7:15 am then the mowing started outside of our window. Front desk assured us that they (the gardeners) wait until 9 am to mow but there was going to be a wedding there and we wondered if they mowed early for that event. And I will also tell you that you won’t find our rm in any of the photos on the website. The rm had a funny smell and the bathroom floor was dirty. Only one chair in our rm. When we had a peek at another rm we noticed that there were two chairs so the maid said she would bring us another chair. WELL she brought a straight back dining rm chair because as she said its the only chair I can find. Oh really. Our rm already had a mix of cast off furniture that I’m sure they couldn’t put in the rms on their website! We left the morning of the mowing at 8 am. We were going to try to stay an extra day but thought it better to just leave at this point. I have always wanted to stay the Lakeside Inn but now I’m over it. Its back to the Hampton Inn for us!

My boyfriend booked this getaway for my birthday weekend and some R&R. That’s exactly what we got. The room we stayed in was a lake view and a phenomenal view it was! It had floor to ceiling windows that allowed us to overlook the lake and pool area every minute we were in the room. When I first walked it, I drew back all the blinds and didn’t shut them until we left a few days later. By far the best view of all my hotel stays.
The bathroom was basic, as was the room, but who needs all the extra stuff when the property and town are so beautiful?! I actually liked the fact that the room maintained a lot of its historic feel and they didn’t modernize it completely.
We took the beaver plane ride with John as our pilot, which was a treat! Definitely worth the $ 50! He made us feel safe and was quite knowledgable about the area.
We ate dinner at the Irish bar adjoined to the main building. The food was delicious, the live music was appropriate, and the bar tender was really nice and helpful when we asked multiple questions about things to do around town. Shopping, food, entertainment are all within walking distance, so bring comfy shoes and leave all your worries at home. This place is the place to relax and go with the flow.
I would absolutely come back and refer my friends to visit. In fact, we’ve already started setting up another trip with 2 other couples for the summer!

My Visit to Historic Lakeside Inn For a Buffet Lunch
This historic Inn is right in the heart of historic Mount Dora, steps away from beautiful Lake Dora, the Orange Blossom Cannonball Train Depot and Seaplane, Segway and ecological Premier Boat Tours. The Inn built in 1883 is on the National; register of Historic Places. It is the oldest continuously operated hotel in Florida.
We were a group of seventeen ladies on a trip to Mount Dora for the Annual Arts Festival that included a buffet lunch at the Lakeside Inn. We arrived early for our reservation and were promptly escorted to our private dining room facing the front of the Inn. Our bright dining room was ready for us. The banquet-​sized white linen covered table was beautiful decorated with hunter green linen napkins and small vases of purple fresh flowers. Chairs were hunter green, too. One long wall was all picture windows letting in the views of the lawn and Lake Dora. Chandeliers with small hunter green shades completed the décor along with some framed art and a cabinet of small decorative objects. After everyone found a seat, we all hit the buffet.
There were only a few people before us on line so we moved fairly quickly. I wondered why there wasn’t any salad selection but I didn’t really miss it as there were plenty of other items on the buffet. There were: small warm rolls and butter, a Medley of Vegetables, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts, BBQ Chicken, Home-​style Macaroni & Cheese, Loaded Potato Salad, slices of Rosemary Roasted Leg of Lamb, Watermelon Slices and House-​made Warm Apple Cobbler. I filled my plates and returned to our dining room. The only negative about our buffet was that we had to cross the lobby to get to and from the buffet. It was a little bit of a walk balancing a dinner-​sized plate full of food and a smaller dessert plate through the busy lobby.
I had not given my beverage request before hitting the buffet, but I saw a pitcher of iced tea on the side board and headed for it. One of our servers saw me and immediately told me that she would pour it for me and bring it to my seat. The servers were right on top of everything, refilling our glasses, pouring our coffee, bringing extra napkins and clearing away our finished plates of food.
Everything I ate was delicious. We all had a wonderful time chatting, enjoying the beautiful view of Lake Dora and eating the delicious food. The Inn is a great place to eat even if the Arts Festival is not going on in town. As soon as we finished eating we all headed out to the festival searching for just the perfect piece of art to take home. I wished that I had time to sit on one of the white rocking chairs on the veranda, maybe another time. Tremain Tavern with its cozy club-​like atmosphere is a perfect place to unwind and enjoy a refreshing drink after the festival, I thought. There is live music there in the evenings.
Later my sister & I walked across the lawn to the Inn’s pier and out to the dock on Lake Dora. We passed the hotel, the pool, the small beach area and the swan paddle boats. There was a pretty gazebo filled with pink balloons so I just took a photo from a distance. The Premier Boat for the ecology tour was at the dock and later the seaplane pulled up. It was good to get away from the hustle and bustle and the crowds at the Arts Festival before heading back home after a fun filled day in Mount Dora. Check the Inn’s Website for other dining options for Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Lunch and Pre Fixe. There is also dining on the Veranda. Lighter fare is available at Tremain’s Tavern inside the Inn. Be sure to stop in at the Gatehouse Gift Galley across from the Inn for regional gift ideas and souvenirs of the Inn. The Inn has its own parking.

It used to be great. Now it’s just run down and expensive. We had no hot water the 3 days we stayed. It was warm at most. The shower head needed to be replaced. The tub needed refinishing. No complementary breakfast or even a discount. The coffee was horrible. No microwaves or refrigerators in the rooms. The room doors were also paper thin and u could hear everyone walking by and see the bright hallway lights through it at night. It’s cute to look at and neat because it’s historic but it’s not what it used to be.

Great place to stay because you can walk to everything in the town. However, the hotel is very run down. It is definitely not an updated hotel, by any means! Breakfast was just MEH.
But if I ever go back to Mt. Dora I will stay here again.

Nice, spacious rooms and lovely lake view. The coupons for area restaurants are also a nice touch ($ 7 off breakfast at the adjacent restaurant). However, rooms don’t have usual amenities like coffee, irons and hair dryers, which is completely strange. When we tried to check in, we had to wait for this one guy to head over from his house across town. I’m guessing there’s a tiny staff here if they don’t have anyone on site at all times.
Still, we had a decent time. I’m just not sure it was worth the cost for three nights when there were so few amenities (and nearly NOTHING around the area).

For years I have wanted to attend the annual craft festival in Oct. in Mount Dora. I went online months ago and could not find a bed and breakfast with availability. When trying again, the Lakeside Inn came up first on my search. I went on their website and was intrigued by the history of the inn, even if it did not describe itself as a B&B. Surprisingly there was availability, so I booked a room for the weekend as did my sister-​in-​law. The location was beautiful, right in the heart of town and the views were breathtaking. If it weren’t for the festival I could’ve rocked on the porch all weekend.
The inn was just as described-​for the most part. The grounds were beautiful and the staff extremely friendly. We were disappointed that because of the festival, only buffet breakfast was served. No omelet statio. Choices were extremely limited. As a vegetarian, there was toast available and that’s about it. Both mornings I had to ask the waitress to at least find me a container of yogurt-​the 2^nd morning I needed to go through 3 people for a container of yogurt to be found. Barely any fruit available, and what was there seemed pre-​cut and packaged from a supermarket. No cereals, pastries, nothing. Not a do-​over. If we are ever in town again we’ll need to find another location for that meal.
The rooms themselves looked much cozier on their website. A bed, one nightstand, one wicker chair, a tall armoire that housed the tv and a tiny corner wicker shelf in the bathroom. Very ordinary and really no place to put anything. Most hotels are more comfortable. My husband and I had to charge our phones on the floor. I felt like I was in a boarding house (I’ve never actually stayed in one).
I would like to give the Lakeside Inn another chance and stay again-​I wonder if I just got a room that was missing furniture and stuff.

«Wow. Now THIS is Old Florida.» That was my first reaction upon driving onto the Lakeside Inn complex. It is immediately clear this is a piece of Grand Old Florida. Full of an old charm exemplified in a bygone era – this place still has it!
Mt. Dora itself is something of a village filled with a wide variety of shopping, dining, food, music, arts, crafts… And it seems there’s no shortage of stuff to check out. Lakeside Inn seems like a community anchor for Mt. Dora. This is a family hangout that welcomes the community on the whole to come play. You can hang-​out on the pier (or by the pool) with a cold beverage, maybe listen to a live band in the courtyard, do a little local-​shopping in the gift shop… While you’re there, take in the sunset, or maybe get married by the lake.
Lakeside Inn is on the historic register. They’ve been in continuous operation (under private ownership) for something close to 130 years. They’ve done a good job with preserving historical/​structural integrity. Service was spot-​on *flawless.* Staff is very friendly and they really do try to make sure you’re being taken care of. And the food we ate on the premises was superb. These folks can cook!
My only criticisms of Lakeside Inn: My room was kind-​of musty. I know, it’s Florida, and some of that is inescapable. I think an HVAC upgrade will help with some of that. And (historical integrity or not), it’s time for some new carpeting, which may greatly help with the mustiness issue. The banquet area is also in need of some TLC. I’m not sure the ceiling should be looking like it’s about to cave in, and it’s clear some of the rain gutters on the establishment aren’t doing their job.
But again, I found this place to be totally charming, and thanks to Lakeside Inn, I will be looking forward to my next Mt. Dora visit.