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Waterloo · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels near Lost Island Waterpark

Stefan Bauer

Stefan Bauer The American west

Updated 1 September 2026 · 19 Waterloo hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Waterloo, out of the 19 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.3 down to 4.

All five are within 5.7 km of Lost Island Waterpark.

Waterloo / Lost Island KOA Resort

Highest rated of the five

Waterloo / Lost Island KOA Resort

★★★★★4.3 from 865 reviews

Waterloo / Lost Island KOA Resort comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.3 from 865 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is found under poi.

19 hotels in Waterloo qualified for this list and five made it. Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Waterloo Cedar Falls is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze

Check rates Read more

All five, ranked

  1. Waterloo / Lost Island KOA Resort1

    Waterloo / Lost Island KOA Resort

    ★★★★★4.3 from 865 reviews

    800 m from Lost Island Waterpark, about a 10 minute walk

    • Kid friendly

    Check rates Read more

  2. Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Waterloo Cedar Falls2

    Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Waterloo Cedar Falls

    ★★★★★4.3 from 668 reviews

    2.1 km from Lost Island Waterpark

    • Pool
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

  3. Hampton Inn Waterloo Cedar Valley3

    Hampton Inn Waterloo Cedar Valley

    ★★★★★4.2 from 659 reviews

    2.3 km from Lost Island Waterpark

    • Pool
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly

    Check rates Read more

  4. Comfort Inn & Suites Waterloo - Cedar Falls4

    Comfort Inn & Suites Waterloo - Cedar Falls

    ★★★★★4 from 543 reviews

    2.4 km from Lost Island Waterpark

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly

    Check rates Read more

  5. The Historic Weis Mansion B&B5

    The Historic Weis Mansion B&B

    ★★★★★5 from 70 reviews

    5.7 km from Lost Island Waterpark

    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

How this list was put together

19 Waterloo hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating first and on how close they are to Lost Island Waterpark second, then took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Stefan Bauer

Stefan Bauer The American west

Chases total solar eclipses. Seven of them on four continents, from Wyoming to a fishing town in Chile. Banks days off through the on-call rota and books the trips years ahead, because eclipse dates do not move.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.