Dan C.
Yelp
They pretty much have it right. And when they don't, they fix it 'til it is. They don't really need this review (and I guess this lowers their average, sorry!) But there were too many moments of wanting to pinch myself that I needed to write'em up! I'll try to keep it brief.
I went for an overnight stay with my gf to celebrate her birthday using a coupon voucher. Yes, they do coupons, they also seem to have a relationship with spalotto.com; making things more affordable for those on a budget. To address that point, the pricetag does look steep -- and make no mistake, this isn't a value lodge -- but it's not as bad as it first appears. The pricetag includes four multi-course meals (breakfast, lunch, tea time & dinner), includes a hundred something credit for a spa service that's potentially re-imbursable by corporate health plans, credit for a wellness class, and unlimited use of their grounds (pools, tennis court + ball machine [seasonal], steam/sauna rooms), and unlimited drinks (coffee, tea & flavoured waters) and granola! Spoiler: Be sure to try their granola. Overall, you get what you pay for and thensome, making this an awesome value. Now, the details...
Facilities:
Stayed offsite at one of their houses (Eagle's Nest). Nice and clean, no issues with getting shuttle rides to/from the house when needed. Working fireplace, high ceilings, spacious rooms. They didn't have the room ready when we arrived, but that's likely because we got there before the official checkin time; despite that, they were still apologizing profusely for their tardiness. Their main house had beautiful views of Lake Ontario, so waiting for the room wasn't a problem. Trails across rolling hills would lead into some interesting forests & streams, we saw a woodpecker!
The steam rooms & pools that we tried were nice, clean, and functional (i.e. hot water was hot, not warm). Their piece-de-resistance was their Eucalyptus steam room: if there ever was such a thing as a healing chamber, this would be it, :P We could've stayed in there forever.
Food:
Their dining room has a wonderful view, they rotate our table location for every meal, giving everyone a chance to sit by the window. We were lucky enough to get the window seat during lunch, when there was the most light. One word: breathtaking!
While I'm not really one to know haute cuisine, I would consider their food haute cuisine. But you get filled up, like at a buffet, but with better food.
The sad and great thing about our stay, was that there was so little time to experience everything the spa offers for our overnight, that you sometimes end up being time-crunched. We ended up being a bit late for our breakfast & lunch times, but there was no problem getting us in and providing the full experience. We were worried we had to give up our lunch dessert to get to our couples massage on time, so when they matter-of-factly provided take-out containers for our dessert course that we didn't even start, they earned their gold stars, then and there.
People:
We were likely nowhere close to their worst patrons, but we likely weren't their easiest. Neither of us have stayed here overnight, so we were clueless on what to expect. There were plenty of questions, as well as demands, as this was supposed to be a surprise stay for my gf; so reservations, notifications, reward point allocations, all needed to be handled a bit different from normal. The staff handled it all gracefully; patient with every question, request, comment or backstory that we had throughout our stay.
It's crazy how the word "no" is seemingly missing from their vocabulary, or how they never learned to frown. But it's not like they're barbie & ken dolls: they talk like people (just really positive people), about their families, their experiences, etc. It sort of makes you think of sending them your resume...:P
Misc:
You can mostly tell from the way the business owner replies to the negative reviews they receive here (unlike others I've come across), that they're heavily invested, and truly committed, to making every customer experience a 5-star experience. In our situation, there were some issues with the communication of the deal package (what we initially received wasn't what was stated in the coupon details), leading to some extra payment. I sent in an email with some feedback, sent on a Sunday night (around 9pm) , and less than an hour later, a reply was received from the Operations Director (to be fair, the feedback was sent directly to him & others) that got the ball rolling towards a credit of that extra payment. The refund was nice, but the standout act was: who checks their work email at 9 pm on a Sunday AND replies back within the hour?!
There's a lot more, but I'm at my character limit. So in closing, kudos to this business for having the zenith of product, service and environment in the Spa industry. I look forward to coming back for your fifth star (i.e. consistency).