Who Knew A Gas Station Hotel In Northern Minnesota Would Be So Nice?
A buddy and I recently went on a snowmobiling trip to the Lake Vermilion area in Northern Minnesota. We were looking for a place to stay, and we remembered this little place we've driven by for years that is tucked behind a gas station.
We weren't too concerned about how nice of a place it would be. To be honest, we didn't really expect much. It's connected to a gas station, and that's not something you see very often. We called to see if they had any available rooms for the weekend. I figured it would be a busy weekend because the trails have been fantastic up in that area, and there isn't a whole lot of winter weekends left.
The name of the place we'd driven by for years turned out to be The Vermilion Hotel. It's the first building on your right when you are driving north into Cook, Minnesota.
It took us several calls to reach someone and get a room booked. Once we got someone, all they had left was a suite, so we took it. With how cold the weekend turned out to be, this actually worked out in our favor.
The suite had two queen beds, a couch, a recliner, and a table with a couple of chairs. There was also a good-sized bathroom and another closet that was perfect for our snowmobile gear. Don't mind the unmade bed. I took the picture right before we checked out.
I snuck a peek at one of the regular rooms while housekeeping had the door open. They are smaller but still decent rooms that had two queen beds in them. They even have a little lobby with a fireplace.
It's nice that they also provide a public laundry area. They also have bags of ice in the freezer for you to use, and it was always stocked.
The beds were comfortable. The free WiFi had good internet speed. We even had DirectTV, which came in handy as it was -27 below on Saturday morning and we didn't get riding until the afternoon. They are also airconditioned in the summer.
I was pleasantly surprised at the bang for the buck we got with this hotel on vacation. If you are looking to book this for a snowmobile vacation it's a good choice. They have a large parking lot for your truck and trailer and they are right on the trail system.