Quarterdeck Resort’s stylish revamp is part of a boutique wave in Minnesota lake country

Quarterdeck Resort on Gull Lake has embraced the sleek aesthetic of tiny vacation homes — clean lines, black exteriors with honey-toned wood, floor-to-ceiling windows — and scaled it way up in a striking expansion that immerses guests in the north woods setting.

Called Woodsmoke Cabins, the resort’s new two- and three-bedroom homes boast spacious open kitchens, gas fireplaces, walk-in showers and extras such as pingpong or pool tables. They’re adding a fresh feel to what may be Minnesota’s most popular lake for vacationers, with some of its largest and most storied resorts.

Founded in 1957, Quarterdeck was among the smaller Gull Lake resorts, catering to about 100 guests with 18 lodge rooms that featured balconies and patios overlooking the water. The resort expanded to include two five-bedroom lake homes. Then in 2022, Leisure Hotels & Resorts President Jamie Tatge and developer Sanford Hoff purchased the property.

“We changed the look and vibe of the whole place,” said Tatge, whose company is based in the Brainerd Lakes area but works with hotels and resorts across the country.

Besides the 16 Woodsmoke Cabins, three four-bedroom cabins were just completed, and there are 10 five-bedroom “lakeview lofts” and cabins. The homes accommodate up to 14 guests with amenities such as a rooftop bar with a gas fire pit, grilling station and tables that seat 10, great rooms and gourmet kitchen, and lower-level family room and game room.

The homes and cabins have private owners but are rented to guests for much of the year, a model that many resorts use.

Quarterdeck’s upgrades might signal other changes on the way at Minnesota’s lake resorts. Some of Leisure‘s other clients in the state include Duluth’s Pier B Resort Hotel, which they created from the ground up, Cove Point Lodge in Beaver Bay and the adjacent North Shore Camping Co.

They also are working on plans for Cragun’s Resort, one of Gull Lake‘s venerable destinations with its sprawling lodge and cabins known for dark wood and teal alpine accents. It had been in the Cragun family since it transferred to a local investment group led by Tatge this spring.

It can take up to a year to get a feel for each resort or hotel and to figure out what can elevate and revamp it while working to retain its character, Tatge explained.

 “We really focus on the independent resort and hotel space,” he said.

In between Quarterdeck’s lodge, homes and cabins, guests can play pickleball, let kids loose on the playground or head to QD Social, where there‘s a year-round outdoor pool, large hot tub and 20-person sauna.

With the surrounding concrete heated in the winter to keep it clear of snow and ice, the four-season pool has proven popular, Tatge said. It also provides a nice cool-off after a steamy sauna session with generous windows facing both the pool and the lake.

Inside QD Social, a bar made from a reclaimed boat serves drinks, slushies, pizza and snacks (a repurposed Chris-Craft boat also serves as the main lodge‘s registration desk). Guests can use the workout room, lounge by the fireplace, or cave to their competitive nature with board games, darts, two lanes of Skee Ball, and tabletop shuffleboard.

A trio of pinball machines glow enticingly, blinking with miniature worlds of nostalgia. Dr. No beckons with the James Bond theme music, a tiny Soviet missile and sleek getaway car. Hot Wheels rumbles like cars gunning their engines after quarters are plunked into the slot. And Jurassic Park’s dinosaur flippers trigger a 3-D T-Rex that swivels its head and roars menacingly.

What claims to be the world’s largest Pac-Man arcade screen, at 108 inches, grabs attention — but without the sensory overkill of full-blown arcades. QD Social hits more like a family rec room on steroids, begging rival generations to bring quarters and get their game on.

The main lodge, once white with a coastal flair, has also been painted black on the outside. Rooms sleep two to six people with fireplaces, microwaves, refrigerators and some basic dishes. Several have Jacuzzis. Our older lodge room still needed minor updates, such as outlets that weren’t working or a running toilet, but a sign at check-in asked guests for understanding as they continue to finish projects to improve the resort experience.

The lodge‘s best part? The view with windows and glass balcony doors facing the shore of Gull Lake and Quarterdeck’s beach.

Guests wanting to explore can rent bikes and scooters for Gull Lake trails, rent a pontoon boat and get golf discounts at Cragun’s Legacy courses. Quarterdeck sits 20 minutes from Brainerd’s retail hub along Hwy. 371 and is just around the bend from the Ski Gull recreation area and the Brainerd Zip Line Tour. It’s another 10 miles around the north end of the lake to reach Nisswa’s bustling boutiques and eateries and the Paul Bunyan State Trail.

Locals and guests from other lodges also boat up for meals and music at the Quarterdeck Grill, which is on the lodge‘s lower level and spills onto the patio with light green umbrellas. The menu focuses on fast-casual, although live music nights ramp up in the summer and invite people to linger.

Appetizers range from giant pretzels with queso to a Thai chicken flatbread with jalapenos, peanut sauce and cashews, while entrees include walleye and salads, burgers and the chef’s daily hot dish such as tater tot or chicken pesto tortellini. The pastry chef’s light cheesecakes, elegantly presented with marbled sauces and creamy whips (one salted caramel brownie, the other a raspberry red velvet), offered the sweetest surprise.

Vacationers seeking a contemplative getaway quietly canoodling in nature might prefer a smaller resort. People craving multiple golf courses and dining choices might prefer larger ones.

But those focused on kicking back and loosening up with a gathering in a hot tub, burgers and cold drinks on patios, and challenging a spouse or sibling to old-school arcade games to a backdrop of Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.,” can find their fit at Quarterdeck.

During dinner on a Sunday night in May with few patrons at the lodge restaurant, a young boy and girl headed to the empty stage. The boy introduced his sister, who hopped up and performed a dance with a “Live Music” sign illuminated behind her. Within a few minutes, she coaxed her dad to join her. He stepped up and guided her through a few twirls.

That seemed to sum up the resort’s focus. If you didn’t bring your family or friends along, you might leave wishing you had.

Lisa Meyers McClintick (@minnelisa) has written travel features for the Star Tribune since 2001. She‘s the author of “Day Trips From the Twin Cities” (Globe-Pequot Press).