Lakeside Inn on Lake Dora

Hotel

Elegant place for Sunday brunch in a nice dining room with white linens. Eggs Benedict were prepared perfectly with a choice of home fries or grits, (fresh fruit would have been nice like another place serves). My Baby had eggs, bacon home fries and mini pancakes. Very relaxing with big windows looking out over the lawn and garden gazebo, average price for Mount Dora.

Florida’s most historic hotel (134 years) where noted dignitaries like President Calvin Coolidge and his former First Lady stayed for a month. Located in the heart of Mount Dora’s historic district. If you like history and antiques, then you must book your stay. You will not be disappointed.

Beautiful place for a wedding reception! Food and service was great. BUT, just a word of caution… be careful if you have an open bar. You may be charged for more than you planned… and they won't work with you on it! We were charged for more than our guests actually consumed!

We absolutely loved it here, the staff was wonderful and the grounds perfect! Sitting on the Lakeshore and watching the sunset was incredible. Highly recommend staying here. We will definitely be coming back… soon.

Very Nice getaway in Mt. Dora. Old ground makes this grand hotel even more better. No disappointment in the big rooms either! And to look at the spectacular sunset from pool area near the water made even my teenagers get off of their cellphones to view. Book here today!

Had a reservation for 1130am. They sat us outside. I am hot natured and wasn't pleased about that. No need to ask for a different table however because I heard 3 other parties want to sit somewhere differently and they were told no. The food was okay. Service was okay other than the guy had to be told 3 times to bring out a pink champagne and finally when he did it was a grapefruit martini. Not sure if it was that drink or the cheesecake but I suddenly got super hot and felt sick. I actually ended up in the bathroom vomiting up the cheesecake. One couple was so upset about the seating and the way the managers handled it they actually checked out of the hotel and left. No the best run buffet for a restaurant where it isn't there first rodeo.

When you step into the atmosphere, you can see and feel the history behind it. It sits with a great view of a lake. Private pool. And the bar area is great. Food is exquisite. Beautiful place!

Very historic place. Wonderfully view of Lake Dora. The atmosphere was very welcoming and with great food at the inn as well as the kindness of the staff and other guest a place I'd certainly return. Only walking distance into the active downtown Mount Dora and a experience most making of a great vacation.

Thoroughly enjoyed our visit. All the employees were friendly and helpful. Service was excellent. Facilities are clean but very old. Musty smells due old carpeting and buildings in the rooms. Great town, beautiful dining, plenty to see.

Let's start with the furniture and decor. The mattress on the bed must be from 1883 because it's hard as a rock. The decor is tacky dorm room at best. This place could be quaint if they fired their decorator and put furniture in the rooms that matched. I mean ugly rattan chairs with cherry end tables. What the hell were you thinking. In all honesty for over $200 a night it's way not worth it. Don't plan to stay here again.

The dining room was nice. It was quiet and neat. The service was good and the server was cheerful. The meal however, left a lot to be desired. My wife got salmon, and it was cooked to a dry little chunk. I had beef tips? My guess they were stew meat. There was a sauce over the rice. A lot of sauce!, and it was overpowering. I think if they had a good chef they would get a lot more business.

Recently we (2) ate in the restaurant when they were offering a buffet. Imagine our surprise when the bill came and a 20% tip was on the bill which came to $8.90. When we asked why 20% was applied when it clearly said on the bill that would be applied for a party of 6 waitress stated that was the policy. Called and left message for the manager the next day to ask about policy and call was never returned. Will not be eating here again since $8.90 is extremely high for someone to fill my glass (boyfriend refilled his tea at the bar) and take away dishes. Check tipping policy ahead of time!

This quaint property is a perfect place to stay if you wish to explore Mt. Dora and experience its history. The rooms are outfitted with historic photos and antique furniture. The restaurant and bar on premises are fairly priced and the serving staff is always pleasant. I'd recommend this inn for a company retreat or personal relaxation time, both are appropriate occasions.

It is a beautiful hotel, well kept, good attention, super room, I loved it.

Very nice, despite a lot of heat it's wonderful and well laid back.

Alot of history here, and have a formal venue as well, restaurant/bar area, and spots down on the circular dock overlooking a lake. Great place for a wedding, drink, or bite.

To-Do estate perfect Annette located and decorated.

Historic hotel in the heart of Mt. Dora. It is a bit pricy for the room size and amnenties. Service is good and the grounds are well kept.

Lakeside inn atmosphere was nice. It's a quiet, nice rustic piece of historical Americana, but unfortunately that's where the nice review of this place ends. Room: was small, old and smelled of chlorine. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the fact that they clean the room but it's not want I want the first impression to be when walking into a room. Also for $100 a night I would expect a little more. There were also these little black pellets that kept on appearing in the sink and toliet. The most likely candidate for this was termites. Not the biggest problem but on the bed we found two spiders hiding out between the sheets. Staff: maintenance and wait staff were excellent but bring any complaints up to management and reception and you will have trouble. I was informed prior that a late check out was possible but once I asked I was told I was mistaken. After realizing this I figured I'll just have to pay for another night without staying another night. Then during the reception (I went for a wedding) I was informed that I needed to pack up my belongings because my room was already booked for the next night. I went to reception and explained my situation and was agrued with over semantics on what I said to the previous receptionist over late check in. The minimum I wanted was a polite; "I'm sorry sir, but the rules of the hotel are _______. " What I got was a rude lady that was frankly unhelpful and borderline accused me of trying to con the hotel for an extra few hours.

Had my wedding luncheon at the lakeside inn on Saturday. I do NOT suggest anyone do the same. Service was poor and food was even worse! Below is an email I sent describing the day word for word after the event coordinator Stacey tried to argue with me telling me she doesn't know what I expected. Friday 5/27 at about 9pm my daughter and I showed up to decorate the room. We discussed the tables would be set out and I would put my linen on them, they were already set with white linen. I removed and folded those and handed them to the front desk. Saturday 5/28 (wedding day) — we left the chapel at 1:45pm early than expected therefor I called the lakeside inn and asked for the wine and chips to be brought out and was told they already were. 2pm rolls around and my guests arrive to NOTHING to drink or snack on even though I called prior, so they headed to the bar to grab some drinks and paid for those drinks themselves. Finally my mother went to the front desk as we were down by the lake with the photographer and asked for everything to be brought out, they finally did so around 2:20pm. At this time we stopped up to grab a drink and check on our guests before proceeding to take more photos by the train. When we got there I could see the kids were hyper and asked the banquet manager if she was able to serve earlier than expected she said absolutely it would take 15 mins to make and serve, I said great go ahead.

Stayed 1 week ago at the Lakeside Inn. Our experience started out good but ended bad. The check in went well for us but other family members had to wait and were told they would get a call when their room was ready and that never happened. Blueberry Fest and a motorcycle event as well as a wedding were happening in town and on site. I presume the same weekend of the unsastisfied bride with the 3 am disturbances. We also experienced the 2 and 3 am disturbances of loud guests running through the halls and fighting. On the 23rd, we went to the restaurant to have breakfast and waited 1 hour for food after we seated ourselves, told the bar area and porch were full, "go in the other room". Never ate there again during our stay. We checked out early Monday morning and I chose to use a debit card, which I did not use to make the reservation. As of Friday, my card has been charged twice. I have called twice to get this rectified and was told I would get a call back from the manager in an hour. 8 hours later, still waiting. I have read reviews here and seems other people have had this happen. Probably won't stay here again. Management doesn't seem to mind that someone double charges people for no reason.

To start, I would like to say that I just got married here and the wedding was amazing thanks to the coordinator, Shannon. She did a terrific job. Unfortunately, the rest of our experience at the inn was extremely disappointing. During the wedding, a few of my guests, including my mother-in-law, visited the bar. The woman at the bar was very rude to them and appeared to be prejudiced against them due to their lack of U. S. Citizenship. She was so rude that one of the other guests had to go and complain to a manager on the spot. When my groom and I got to the room, we found it unimpressive and small. We were told it was one of the bigger rooms, yet my parents had a room nearly twice the size of ours. On top of that, there was a rowdy group of people making tons of noise right outside our room and, at 3 IN THE MORNING, burst into our room through the outside door that the housekeeper had left unlocked! In the room were some wicker chairs which we say in and immediately got splinters from. The next morning we checked out. A bit later we saw the charge from the inn and it had an extra charge on it. No one notified us of the charge and we had to call the inn to find out what it was for. Turns out, our dog was starting in one of the rooms we payed for and apparently there was urine on the bed and floor, even though our dog NEVER has accidents and he is a CORGI who can barely get up on a couch, much less a bed.

Lakeside Inn in Mt. Dora, Florida is perfectly situated on the shore of Lake Dora, offering the most idyllic views of the lake and town. Although we have not actually spent the night at the Inn, we often take visitors there because it really is a beautiful place and has quite a history. When President Coolidge left office, he and his wife spent two months there. My sisters and I spent the afternoon sitting on the front porch of the Inn, enjoying an excellent lunch, when suddenly we heard a train whistle in the distance. We were thrilled to see the Orange Blossom Cannonball pull up to the train station adjacent to the Inn. Running from Tavares to Mt. Dora, the old "movie" train has been the star in films such as 3:10 to Yuma and The Blue and the Grey. My sister and I jumped up and ran to get pictures. She even got on the train and had a look around. There is a lot to see in Mt. Dora and the Lakeside Inn offers the best views, especially at sunset.

We had dinner and drinks at the Lakeside Inn restaurant bar. We enjoyed it thoroughly Food, Service, Drinks all fantastic. Great atmosphere, interesting history and location in Mount Dota.

Although is far from downtown, but in-store business, also it is possible and also a lot of Parking spaces.

Everyone was very nice and accommodating. Very disappointed on the rooms. They were not what I originally booked. I booked online and it messed it up after getting the wrong date. Called fixed it and they took the liberty of putting me in another room, other than what b I originally booked. Cold water, no hot water. Breakfast was cold. Lunch and dinner was good.

I have never been treated so rudely ever. As someone from the hospitality industry I have the utmost respect for those working on a holiday. We were seated at a dirty table after the rudeness at the hostess stand. Reservations made 30 days prior. There is no excuse. $50 a head… we left!

I love this Inn … I grew up in Mount Dora and now that I live elsewhere this is by far my favorite place to stay when I am in the area overnight. My most recent visit was problematic in the way I booked my reservation (my error entirely), but Sabrina on the reservations desk worked diligently to straighten things our for me and went above & beyond in ensuring my visit was A-one even though a wedding was going on at the time and madness was all around. The room in the Terrace was fabulous, and I cannot say enough good about the customer service. Definitely my go to place in beautiful Mount Dora!

The restaurant at Lakeside Inn has amazing food. I highly recommend the pesto pasta dish. Everyone else in my group enjoyed their meals too. The service was very friendly but my glass of water was empty more of the time than I would have liked. Lovely atmosphere, great piano player.

We sat on the bar side. Great selection of drinks, nice pub atmosphere with live piano music. Friendly wait staff. Food was excellent with large enough portions to take some home. I had the beef brisket and it was cooked perfectly. Would go again.

Beautiful historical hotel. Very sweet staff! One of the best parts of our visit was our server Jill! She's awesome ask for her! Food was fantastic!

Can't understand why all the negative reviews. I have been visiting the inn for the last five years and, yes, it's a little "shabby chic" but the management has been upgrading all the rooms steadily for years now. Don't forget what a huge undertaking this is for them — not only has the main building been upgraded and refurbished but also their three other buildings over the road. Sitting on the verandah on a rocking chair with a glass of wine nearby, watching the sun set over the lake beats any complaint about the rooms hands down! And the music scene in Mount Dora is outstanding — with surprises around every corner. Even if you're not into antiquing at Renningers, this town has it all if you know where to look.

I felt like I was back in time when America was more human. Really, this place is a rare jewel — it's magical and I can't wait till I can return again.

I was a part of a group that had lunch, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We loved the atmosphere and the service. The food was very good and reasonably priced. The waitress was excellent. The view from the restaurant and inn is excellent. There is outdoor seating as well. We haven't had an overnight experience here, but plan to stay at the Inn during next year's Mount Dora's Scottish Festival.

What a great weekend! My husband and I try to go to Mt. Dora every year. It's a great place with great restaurants and you do not have to use your car until you leave. We stay at different B&B's every year. This time we stayed at the Lakeside Inn, Lovely place. We checked in with Tangela, very nice and helpful lady. Our accommodations were fine. Room was spacious. Our first night Friday our room was next to the bridal suite. VERY noisy, did not sleep a wink. Saturday morning we had breakfast on the premises. Our server was Floyd, what a nice guy! Very happy individual. He made me forget about the lack of sleep. After breakfast I spoke with Kim Chambers at the front desk about the noisy night. She apologized and offered to change our room to another building. I took her up on it. We gathered our thing and moved with the help of Andy Shelb. Another very nice and helpful person. Saturday night was very pleasant and quiet. Sunday we had breakfast there again and were able to enjoy Floyd. We had a late check out and were able to sit on the front porch on the rocking chairs and rock while we enjoyed the beautiful view. At check out Sabrina was great and helped me search for available December dates. Mt. Dora is quite beautiful during the Christmas holidays. I will stay at the Lakeside Inn again.

Pros: the grounds and lobby are lovely. I really enjoyed the concerts and vendors on Saturday night, too. It's insanely close to the wonderful downtown area, which I spent nearly all my time in. Cons: the room itself was just not good. The AC was spotty and unreliable and difficult to figure out, so you'd go to bed cold and wake up sweating. The room was so small that after the beds, it literally only had room for one chair, the TV thing, and a tiny bit of walking room. I would understand the size of the room if it only had one bed, or if the price was significantly lower. But considering what we paid, the tiny room was ludicrous. I'm not sure if this is any different in the main building, but I had zero access to the Wi-Fi. It was so weak that my (new and perfectly functioning) phone could only connect to it for a couple seconds at a time. The beds were not very comfortable — again, only understandable at cheaper hotels. Summary: The price and discomfort are not worth the charming decor outside the rooms.

My wife and I got married at the Lakeside Inn due to its historic nature and the scenic view of Lake Dora. We were placed in the bridal suite, which would have been fine if not for the fact it had a southern/western exposure so the sun beat down on that room mercilessly making it very warm. Of course since it is a "historic" inn the a/c was weak to non-existent making for a very uncomfortable evening trying to sleep before our wedding the next morning (this took place in July). Wanted to go for a swim in the pool to cool off, but the pool water was cloudy and you couldn't see the bottom of the pool. Never a good sign, so we passed. The catering of the reception was nicely done, however, and the food and decorations were nice. All in all, an okay place but they need to pay more attention to details such as the pool and beef up the a/c in those rooms.

The pictures of rooms and what you get are two (2) different things. What they tell you and what you get are two (2) different things. Wi-Fi in your room — they say yes — but no it is not. Get a renovated room yes — but no you don't. Too much money for what you get. Otherwise it is nice. I just wish they were more honest about it.

Originally when I went to this hotel, I got lightheaded when I walked into the building. But ever since the place got refurbished, no more problems. Amazing quality, a little dingy if you do not consider it is like 200 years old. Otherwise, great work and great service.