During late September, head north to Pequot Lakes to find leaves changing, breathtaking lake drives, and simple stillness in the area. It was my first time to Pequot Lakes and I was incredibly impressed with its beauty and quietness during this time of year. I had the pleasure of staying at the incredible Point Retreats Rentals during my trip and it was one to remember!
This property usually operates as a retreat center for private wellness groups, general healthy-lifestyle events or continuing medical education events for healthcare practitioners- doctors, nurses, etc. However this year, they are allowing people to enjoy this beautiful haven and it’s healthy amenities with private and short term rentals without the having to attend a public gathering!
Visitors can customize their stay with a la carte products or services to enhance their stay! Here’s an example of rental and la carte options for The Point! Whether you’re looking to explore the area or simply get away to relax and recharge, The Point will be the best home base. Aside from the extraordinary cabins, they amenities they have onsite are endless and really encompass the goal of being an all inclusive wellness location. Read on below about we relaxed at The Point and some of our favorite features!
Arriving late on Thursday night we checked in with Jamie at the Main lodge. Located all the way at the end of the road, the property sits on a peninsula bordering 3 different lakes! When you walk into the main lodge you are greeted with a beautiful antler chandelier and a grand entrance. Once inside you will see the indigenous inspired decor as this land was once inhabited by the Dakota and Objibwe Tribes. One unique feature is that there are actually excavated burial mounds located on the property in between the main lodge and middle cabin. When you walk through the house you will find incredible art and artifacts paying homage.
We spent most of our time in the main living room, snuggling by the fire and watching sports or movies! The wood fireplace really brought the ambiance to the next level and The Point had plenty of wood on hand so we were constantly in a state of coziness! The rest of the time was spent downstairs using all of their fun games! Eric definitely beat me in ping pong, pool, and darts every time, but hey it was still fun!
Since we were staying on a Friday as well, we had some remote work that needed to be done and they had a perfect office space for us to use as well. Minor details, but the wifi was strong and worked great for us! They do offer it in 2 of the cabins so you can be as “plugged” in as you want to be. 🙂
Waking up every morning and walking out to the deck and listening to the sounds of nature was absolutely magical. The deck off the main bedroom brought you to each of the beaches, depending which one you wanted to go to. Hang a left and you will follow the lanterns down to the boat house, which houses everything you need for a fun day on the water. It then brings you out to the dock where you will see the array of water craft rentals you also have the option to add on! They also have stand up paddle boards & kayaks for your use for free. There is a bonfire pit on the beach set up along with four Adirondack chairs for your leisurely use. Take a walk though the trees and around the pond and you will come to another set of stairs that leads you to another beach (my personal favorite) that sits on Lower Whitefish Lake. There’s another bonfire pit, private dock, and more chairs! There is also a great view of another island in the distance where it is said that it is home to multiple burial grounds that have been untouched. You are not allowed to go onto this island!
While sitting by the lake was enough to soothe the soul, throughout the weekend I was able to use all their wellness amenities as well, starting with the state of the art gym in the main lodge’s garage. Bench press, kettlebells, ropes, TRX, you name it, they have it! The mural inside was made to represent their partnership with Chuck Runyon- founder of Anytime fitness. It’s also heated for easy use in the wintertime too, but it was fun to open up the garage doors for some fresh fall air!
Inside the main lodge and inside the Clamshell Cabin are 2 infrared saunas for use. The one inside the main lodge is perfect for a solo user and is easy to use! Just flip the 3 switches on and let it warm up for a few mins then I popped in for 10-15 mins sessions through the weekend. It was great to relieve some stress, sweat out the toxins and it actually helped with some of my chronic pain I have! However, located outside behind the Clamshell Cabin, is probably my favorite thing on the property and that is the dry sauna. I let it heat about for about an hour and then I popped in, poured some water over the rocks to start the steam! This to me is the most relaxing way to sauna! This is also nice for guests because, since it is outdoors, any cabin you rent, will have access to the outdoor sauna!
Another great amenity of the property is the professionally equipped kitchen. When I travel I love to try local places to eat, but here, it was just to perfect that I couldn’t not cook in the kitchen! I ended up bringing a bunch of groceries with as well as stopping at the local co-op in town to grab some more things and ended up making several meals at the cabin. Everything you might ever need to cook an adventurous meal – they have it! If you really want to treat yourself during an extended stay, you have the opportunity to hire a professional chef and let them do all the cooking for you! (I mean that’s a dream, right?)
Now, you’re probably wondering about how they handle cleaning procedures, especially now with COVID precautions. Christa, founder of The Point, is a nurse and former hospital administrator who no longer works in patient care. With her education and experience working in hospital and clinic settings for 20 years, The Point leadership has become very familiar with infectious diseases precautions around airborne, droplet, and contact contagions. Christa has been leading the cleaning initiatives and protocols with the cleaning staff and while this continues they will also be following all the guidelines set and updated by CDC and MDH.
They have bulked up their cleaning practices to ensure visitors don’t find themselves wondering “are they actually being careful?” Below is what they promise (gathered directly from their staff):
- UV & Ozone sanitation lights run between all private group rentals (in gyms, bedrooms, and bathrooms)
- Hospital grade disinfectant spray and wipes.
- Hand sanitizer will be available in all cabins.
- Gloves, face shields, and masks have been provided to our cleaning crew.
- Sheets will be laundering in high temperatures. We will be rotating multiple sets of clean sheets, so no clean sheets or pillow cases are used back to back (there will be a minimum of 1 week where sheets will be laundered and in a bag before being used for the next guest).
- Given we have 3 separate cabins, it becomes much easier for your groups to maintain the distance they desire.
- They also have many outdoor gathering spaces, which research has shown carries very low risk of transmitting the COVID virus, along with most viruses.
- They may do more cleaning than the above, yet these are some additional steps we want to make note of to ease your mind. If it’s good enough for your clinic it’s good enough for us.
- Bonus: They have had an Infection Disease Doctor visit the location since the pandemic, and are proud to have been applauded by her for their efforts.
Now I have convinced you enough to book a stay? 😉 I have been talking about this place non stop since my stay there and I can’t help thinking of my next trip up there! This place would be such a great place for family rentals – especially during the holidays! Take advantage while they are doing customizable rentals or if you’re up for it, check out one of the amazing retreats they offer!
If you have any additional questions about my stay at The Point, feel free to reach out directly to me at hello@lizannelately.com and I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have!