StLiMi H.
Yelp
For our summer vacation this year (July/Aug), our family of three decided on a stay-cation and did a bunch of Escape Rooms in Ottawa. We completed 15 "escapes" in 10 days, and had a blast! While discussing our vacation with family/friends, I was asked to rank the rooms in terms of which were our favourites; this is difficulty as each "room" had different elements that were cool or unique. I'll review them chronologically and try my best not to give too many details that will spoil the fun of the puzzles/room. (The overall ranking was based on the gestalt of atmosphere, puzzle quality and fun factor. The lower the number the more we liked it. eg. Rank 1 out of 15, means this was our favourite. Rank 15 of 15, means this was our least favourite.)
Escape Manor Hintonburg - The Tomb - (5 stars)
This was the fifth escape room we did on vacation. This room was amazing! It was very open & the decor/set dressing was very realistic. It looked like it could have been off the movie set of the Raiders of the Lost Ark! The room was well lit. The puzzles were varied and of good quality. There was only one puzzle in the room that we could have used 1 more person, but we managed with just the three of us. This room would be suitable for families with children, young and old. I'd even consider taking out-of-town visitors to this one again just to soak in the atmosphere! It is definitely one of our favourite rooms in Ottawa. Our team of three managed to complete the room with 11 minutes to spare. Rank 1 out of 15.
Escape Manor Hintonburg - The Gallery (5 stars)
This was the sixth escape room we did on vacation. The room was large and had the feel of a real art gallery. It started off dark, but the lights were turned on within a few minutes. The last secret room was a bit dark as well, and I didn't quite get a good look at it as we were racing to complete the final challenges before time ran out. I would say that this would be a family friendly room and that kids as young as 7 or 8 could help out a bit. There was one puzzle we particularly enjoyed because it got everyone involved. Our team of three managed to complete the room with about 8.5 minutes to spare. Rank 3 out of 15.
Escape Manor Hintonburg - Psycho (5 stars)
This was the seventh escape room we did on vacation. I had originally ruled out doing this room based on its title, however, because The Tomb and the The Gallery set dressings were so amazing, we decided to try the other two rooms at the Hintonburg location on a second day. This room was very bright and wide open. I liked the balance of the physical and mental/problem-solving puzzles in the room. This room is family friendly, but I'm not sure if young kids would be entertained for 45 minutes by it. Our team of three managed to complete the room with about 8 minutes to spare. Rank 9 out of 15.
(Aside: Thanks to Martin @ Hintonburg who recommended that we try this room. He was right, we did enjoy the challenge of the puzzles in this room!)
Escape Manor Hintonburg - The Extraction (1 star)
This was the eighth escape room we did on vacation. We were very disappointed with the quality of this room. It did not match the standards of the other rooms at this location. It was very dark. The flashlights provided were insufficient lighting especially since they dimmed during the experience as the batteries died. The mechanism for getting from one part of the room to the other room did not work well/smoothly. It was very claustrophobic and uncomfortable; it felt like an unpadded coffin. The mechanical puzzles were rather finicky, and the directional lock was sticky and didn't open despite having the correct combination entered three times! (The lock had to be pried open!) If this had been our first escape room attempted at Escape Manor, we probably wouldn't have done any others offered at this location. I would not recommend this room for families with young children, anyone who dislikes the dark or is claustrophobic. That having been said, the last puzzle was very cool, and we appreciated being allowed to complete it. There is always great satisfaction in finishing a puzzle and seeing how everything fits together. Our team of three did not escape the room within the 45 minute limit. Rank 15 out of 15.