Reviews of Black Hills Vacations (Travel Agency)

Walter Bauer

Nothing like the black hills!

Linda Haught

Love the Black Hills and Deadwood/Lead area! A great place to visit and kick up your heals!!

Gent David

Very friendly people. The room was very comfortable, breakfast was good, the valet guys were accommodating, just an all around good experience. We will stay here the next time we go to Deadwood.

Jarrod Lewis

I booked my 75 Sturgis Rally throughout Black Hill Vacations 10 months before the rally, I have a motorhome and wanted a RV park they booked me with the Broken Spoke Saloon. I paid around $1200.00 for the entire rally, it was to include full hookups, water, 50 amp electric and they would pump your sewer. I drove 1350 miles in two days to get there, we got there Sat. night around 11pm to check in, it took them three and a half hours to get us parked and there were six motorhomes in front of us to be parked!!!!! Well the two guys on the golf cart driving around trying to find us a place to park with full hookups and there was none so we ended up parking way out back with no hookups, then they told us that they overbook and just let people park anywhere they wanted. Then they told us were trying to get some generators going for us to plug into, what a joke, if I wanted to listen to a generator i would of paid for dry camping!!!!!! And then if you needed water or you sewer pumped you had to wait at you RV for them to give you any services......I came there to ride my motorcycle not to sit around and wait for them.... If i wanted that I could of camped at Wal-Mart for free. And now after dealing with Black Hill Vacations and the Broken Spoke Saloon (which will not return any calls or emails) for almost 6 months I have not got anywhere. They have my money and that is all they care about, you thin they would at least do a little something. Do not us Black Hill Vacations or stay at the Broken Spoke they are both a scam and a rip off. DO NOT USE Jarrod Lewis

TDub L.

While making reservations, our agent, K. Mack, did a great job. She is so detail-oriented and had everything in place for our day-to-day activities/tours. She is very personable! Our kids loved the Mt. Rushmore National Monument. Of course, my wife and I did too.

The Leonard Family

I planned a late winter holiday and their website was easy to navigate. Advance booking allowed us not to worry and made for a great family experience.

A Google User

3 or 4 rating based on unit. Rating lowered because of on site manager. Would be 0 or 1 considering only his interpersonal skills. This property is small condos. Local management group rents the units. Located at base of Terry Peak ski area. Paved access except for the last ¼ mile. Quiet/good views. Indoor pool/hot tub. Unit (B-4) basically a hotel room with an added small living area with a pullout sofa and a kitchenette. Rustic pine theme. Furniture carpet & flooring are in good shape. Good TV signal/channel variety. 2 flat screen TVs. Bedroom & living room have wall mounted electrical fireplace units for extra heat & ambiance. No air conditioning. Altitude & mountain breezes keep room comfortable with windows open. Good water pressure & heat. No dishwasher. Cellular signal 2 bars a bit slow on internet. Few minor deficiencies with unit. Picture in the bedroom had come loose from the wall & it had just been leaned in a corner. One of the switches on the 3 lamp post next to the bed was not functional. One of the pulls on the dresser drawers had fallen off & was thrown into one of the drawers. The bed was not real comfortable but clean & acceptable for a few nights’ stay. Bathroom is compact but useable & appears a bit dated. Remodeling it would help the overall impression of the unit. The lock on the entrance door worked but unless the door was FIRMLY closed it could be opened by just pushing on it without turning the knob. The fact that these easily rectified smaller items were there gave the overall impression that routine maintenance of the unit was a ways down the list. The fridge was set so cold that it solidly froze everything. Found that out 1st morning when we went to cook breakfast. Turned the fridge setting warmer & ate out instead. The 2nd morning we found that the unit did not have enough of the basics. No frying pan & only one fork. Tenants are to wash dishes & remove garbage prior to departure. Management obviously does not monitor this well and we found utensils & dishes to be considerably less than clean. Things were just stuffed in the cupboards randomly. Wanted to make breakfast so I located the property attendant (Jason) & he explained that items in the unit were at the discretion of the owner (hard to believe that there wouldn’t be a frying pan since there were spatulas) but he offered to let me use one of his frying pans. I decided just to eat out again & declined his offer. While still talking with him I then brought up the dirty dishes & lack of silverware. I suggested that the cleaning people may want to verify that dishes are clean and put away neatly as part of the unit check. He suddenly became very defensive to the point of aggressive. He pointedly “informed” me that he had plenty of other things to do besides follow up on what was supposed to have been done by tenants. Rather than taking my comments as an area that needed attention, he went into a mini-rant about how I was getting the best price around for a property. In other words, if I wanted an entirely clean unit, go someplace else & pay more or just be happy with what I had. I interpreted his attitude as showing lack of concern for guests & lack of responsibility to the unit owners. I told him I wasn't looking for excuses but just making him aware of items to consider for improvement in his efforts. I then walked away to keep the encounter from escalating further. We decided to skip breakfast in the room the final morning as well since I didn’t want to approach Jason again to borrow a frying pan. Turns out it wouldn’t have mattered because as we packed to leave we found that the items we’d brought with us were damaged beyond hope due to the initial freezing and we had to discard them. I had stayed at this property once a few years ago in a different unit & had no problems. The property itself is a fair value for those with a smaller budget, but the on-site management is in need of some serious scrutiny. Maybe he was just having a bad day, or maybe good help is hard to find, but I won’t be going back again to find out.

Joi Grieg

What a delight! I met agent Jena Hofer on the chat facility and she responded quickly and ably. Since it was quite a bit of booking, we arranged to talk by phone. She was a wealth of knowledge and highly creative at ensuring our group planned a great experience. She found discounts for us, made wonderful suggestions, a number of which didn't involve an admission fee. I happily recommend Jena!

Dawn Smith

We used this travel agency and they took all the stress from me. I highly recommend this company for everything was taken care of to a T. Couldn’t have done it without them ! Thank you Elizabeth !

David Derrough

Would never use again. The woman that took my reservation for a scenic cave tour at Jewel Cave got the wrong date, spelled my last name wrong and got my wrong address. I drove 40 miles, 80 miles round trip to go to these caves. My day was ruined. The National Park could not do anything about it and because there was no cell service I couldn't call Black Hills Vacations. I made the mistake of not checking my e-mail to confirm the date, but how does a customer service representative make so many mistakes, especially the date of my reservation? So I called to complain, and the person I talked to, did not apologize. She said the customer rep couldn't hear me, but we both heard each other fine. I just asked for a refund because I couldn't make the long drive again, which she then said refunds couldn't be made on reservations. After talking to her supervisor, she called back 45 minutes later to tell me a refund would be made, but still didn't apologize for their mistake or for ruining my day.

Jennifer Yarnell

Long post but if want to know rather to visit or not please read. Arriving at Custer Gulch campground we initially were very happy with the clean site and lovely surroundings. We are experienced campers and were okay with the lack of amenities. It was storming our first day there and hailed fiercely. We came back to our RV vents busted and water coming into our bed and kitchen areas. All who own RVs understand ‘things happen’ and you adapt. My husband who has had a Mitral valve transplant in his heart ( on blood thinners) asked the older man working there if he could borrow a ladder to temporarily fix the problem. He was told No. it was an insurance liability to lend him a ladder. All stores selling ladders in town were closed so he backed up as close as he could to our slide out and had to climb up on it and then onto the wet slick roof to stop the rain coming in. We thought this was Rude and were releaved when he completed without an accident. We went on with our vacation. We are rock lovers and went to extensive care to rent ATV and have the local adventure professionals show where it was legal to travel and collect rocks. Small 2 seater ATV not a lot of collecting but got a few pretty ones. We left them sitting in front of our RV. The next morning we get news that my husbands mother has passed. He was understandably shaken. He went out for a strole around the park to clear his thoughts. Returning to the elderly park workers wife sitting in front of our RV sucking her teeth in disgust. He asked what she wanted and she proceeded to accuse of stealing rocks from their RV Park. My husband nicely explained that these were not taken from any area illegal to so and she sucks her teeth again and says well no way of telling (calling him a liar). We packed up and I told the other set of attendants what had happened. They apologized but it in no way makes up for the unfriendliness and inhospitable behavior of the older attendees. Not a friendly campground. No amenities. Electricity out every time you leave and return. Lousy camping experience! Plenty of nicer campgrounds in this area. Avoid this one they obviously do not enjoy their job as hosts!

Brad Bumgardner

Good dealings in arranging our trip to the Black Hills. Helped us with a room block for several nights and was always fast to reply to questions or concerns. We would use them again.

Bertalan Varga

I booked a guided tour with Black Hill Vacation, which they canceled 3 days prior to the tour. They didn't offer any other tour option, costumer service didn't respond to my emails.

Richard Perez

We worked with Black Hills Vacation and found Susan to be incredibly knowledgeable about the options in the area and she was helpful in sorting through the best plans bases on our interests. She even helped us avoid some miscalculations in drive time and planning as we sorted through a few of the options we were exploring. I'd highly recommend working with BHV and Susan!

Bethany King

I called for information, but when the lady learned I wasn't going to book a hotel with her, she became short/rude and got off the phone with me as quick as she could.

Mark Springer

I asked the ladies at BHV for guidance on a bicycle trip through the Black Hills, and they told me where the great views were, what roads to avoid, they found me good places to stay, they saved me money, and I recommend them highly.

Rhonda Olson

This company is really awesome. Very helpful and so full of knowledge of the Black Hills. If your planning a trip to the hills you need to call Black Hills Vacations. They will help you plan the best vacation you and your family can have. Also when in Deadwood stop in and say hello.

Doris Hauge

We had an AWFUL experience trying to book activities through BHV. Their website stated to book by 6/1 for various BOGO deals. My husband and I set aside time on 6/1 to get this completed, and then spent 2 1/2 hours working through our itinerary and booking activities. When we tried to complete our purchase the site wouldn't allow it. We called support and were told that the offers expired 5/31, and that they would no longer honor them, even though ALL the deals we were booking were still active on their site. The "manager" we spoke to was very abrupt, said it was a tech issue, "Sorry, bye", and hung up on me. We will NEVER count on their site again for information.

Holly Calhoun

When scheduling my vacation, I didn't know what to expect however, Susan with Black Hills Central Reservations, took care of everything and assured me that I would have a great time! Well I did just that, had the best time you could ask for. From the Hotel in Deadwood, the PBR, Mt Rushmore, Sturgis and off to the Full Throttle Saloon and the mountain views, what a time I had. Not to mention the hospitality of the town folks in general. It was one of the best vacations I have ever had. Thank you Black Hills Vacations and Susan Johnson for planning such a great time!! Holly Calhoun Bartow, FL

Bonnie Bjork

Black Hills Vacations found the perfect rental for me and my husband. We had a great time biking the Mickelson Trail and hiking the beautiful autumn scenery in the Black Hills. They found us a great location near to everything we wanted to do and great restaurant recommendations. They were courteous and helpful. Thanks for helping us with a great vacation.