After nearly 5 years we returned for our anniversary to find that not only has not much changed, in…read morefact, the services at the Marriott have been in decline. Everywhere that I go I have to clean my own chair and seats. This was a sign. First, everything is overpriced. If paying $700 per night wasn't enough, nearly every item on the resort is expensive in a way that does not map to its proportions. $18 for 3 oysters doesn't align with MP, $30 per child to jump on an inflatable raft on the lake, $150/hr jet ski rentals are just the tipping point. Look, I understand that the resort is for people who are privileged and certainly we are one of those people, but that doesn't mean I want to be raked over the coals for every little thing on the Resort. There was a time when everything was included, call me old fashioned, but what's included here? The service and attention to detail is greatly lacking and some staff informed us that it was their first day on the job. It was like pulling teeth to get information out of the front desk. Those failures of the staff are a direct result of poor leadership, and I think the lack of leadership is showing throughout the business as a whole. The spa was underwhelming as well, the two massage chairs (that are not cleaned between uses) and the Amazon 'reflexology' foot massage machine (which only does the right foot), accompanied by an oxygen concentrator that requires you to put on nasal cannula to inhale through some colored liquids for "relaxation" did not give me 5 Star vibes. I did however like the 18+ pool provided by the spa (despite the weeds growing up through the hardscaping), but do I think the whole thing is worth $100 day pass....I do not. The Avalanche Cold shower is to a cold plunge as a tomahawk is to a vegan hamburger, one is playing at being like the other but fails in all the ways that matter. We ate at the Chophouse, which was not bad, I recommend the short rib as it's been braised well. I had the lobster Thermidor as I am picky about steaks and how they are cooked. The lobster was underwhelming and was more of a canner than a mature east coast lobster. The spinach they served with it was overly bitter and should be dropped for the menu, it's not a 5 star vegetable. Use the lobster claws and shells to create a stock and use that to do a nice risotto with the Thermidor. I'm being overly picky but here is my last gripe. If you bring cutlery to a table, don't bring it in hand, use a plate with a napkin on it or a tray. Use oyster forks and small spoons where necessary. Do more. If you're charging $250 for a 50 ounce tomahawk. The service had to match those prices. If not, you cheapen the whole experience Marriott. 3 stars for the lake view.

Recently stayed here for a few days. Beautiful views and nice resort…read more Pros: - Food was quite good - Staff were welcoming and pretty friendly for the majority. - Outdoor whirlpool was really good / strong pressure and hot temps - Rooms are spacious and cleaning staff are helpful. Example: Will lay out your toiletries neatly on a towel in the bathroom lol - They have Kayak/ Canoe/ Paddle - I enjoyed kayaking around a little island in a group. They go fast though, so be prepared to go at it like an exercise session. It's not leisurely lol Cons: - Staying in the 2nd building is a bit of a trek if you need to go to the main building a lot. Unless l you rather be closer to the water and the Deck. They have golf carts to take you up to main building too but I think it's a bit of a wait sometimes? - Drinks were not great. Sodas are flat, cocktails are not that good and wines are $30 for a half glass. Beers are okay. - Never got a welcome cocktail but when I was leaving I just asked if I could have one and was asked a lot of questions for some reason so I just gave up. lol Overall, I would recommend as scenery is quite nice but there are a few spots they could improve on considering they are charging quite a lot per night during high season.

This is a nice cottage resort near Windermere up in the Muskoka area. Some of the cottages are more…read morerustic and some of the cottages are more updated and have a luxurious feel. The place itself is a cottage so it's not fancy by any means but there are plenty of amenities lots of pedal boats chaos canoes standup paddleboard's trampoline for children to play on a playground a large field picnic tables fire pits etc etc. You just have to remember to bring your own paper products soaps beddings and good. There is no restaurant or places to buy food in the near vicinity. It's probably a 15 minute drive or so to get to the nearest town. The cottages are very clean and tidy there was no bugs or anything besides the usual mosquitoes outside but even then we went in early spring so there weren't that many due to the cooler weather. A lot of people bring their own firewood but they do have firewood for sale by the barrel for 20 bucks if you need it. Overall we enjoyed our stay. It is about 20 minutes to Bracebridge.

My family and I spent 3 wonderful nights at the Shamrock Lodge. It was an incredible and relaxing…read morevacation. It's easy to tell why many of the families there keep coming back year after year. The staff were extremely friendly and accommodating. They made my wife dairy free dishes from scratch when she didn't feel like some of the other options and cooked up grilled cheese sandwiches for my kids for lunch when they didn't want their chicken wrap. The owner personally introduced my wife to the kids club counsellors so that she was more comfortable leaving them in the mornings to play. This went a long way in helping both of us relax. Besides the good food, great staff and amazing views. The other guests were so welcoming and friendly. Our daughters made friends instantly and we felt very comfortable letting them run around and play with everyone. It's a great culture that Shamrock Lodge has cultivated. With magicians, tubing, water skiing, canoes, kayaks, fireworks, and more. Shamrock Lodge really went above and beyond to always have something to do and look forward to. The only criticism, and its a big one, is that the rooms are not air conditioned. There was a portable air conditioner in the room but it was barely functional and the room was way too hot all the time. It was brutal and really took away from our enjoyment of the vacation. They really need to invest in proper air conditioning for the rooms.

On the edge of one of the most pristine of the Muskoka Lakes, Shamrock Lodge is one of the most…read moreenjoyable places we have ever stayed at. A full service hotel with all 3 meals included, this getaway also provides immaculately clean rooms and thoughtfully kept grounds. It is family owned and the owners and staff have a clear love for both the land and the patrons. The staff were a delight - very friendly and ready to provide anything needed. There is a clean pool and sauna in the main lodge, and if you want to swim but aren't a pool person, not to worry because the lodge backs onto a gorgeously clean lake. A variety of watercraft such as canoes, stand up paddle boards, kayaks and paddle boats are available for patrons to borrow at any time. Motorized watercraft are also available for an hourly rental fee. We would, and plan to, return here.

They've renovated the Main Lodge and they are renovating the other places too. We were in King Room…read moreof the main lodge. The views were good but the balcony was not clean. The chairs and railing was full of dust. View from Living Room was very beautiful but from the balcony the view was ok since the trees are in full bloom so it covered the whole lake view. I liked the king bed... slept in peace. But you can hear noises from other rooms. I was able to hear snoring of a man who was staying just beside our room. The views from downstairs are really stunning. But yes the Muskoka chairs they have beside the lake were not clean at all. Spiders were all over the chair and they made webs. If you want to sit then you have clean it by yourself. They have adventure area which I liked the most. But the problem is their check in time. The check in time is 4 pm but usually it's 3 pm. When we reached the resort we got the keys after signing a paper and when we got the the room it was not opening because of the updated lock. Our room was on 3rd floor so my husband had to go to the reception area to get a person for opening the door. They already told us before that if we will break something or do something then they'll charge us for that so we were careful with the lock and not pressing it harder but turns out you to press it harder while opening the door. While doing this it was 5:15 pm... and while settling in and watching the views of Muskoka lake it was 8:15 pm when we found the adventure area and decided to play table tennis the receptionist guy told us that we have to return the table tennis stuff before 9 pm. When we saw our watch it was already 8:30 pm... so we played just for 20 minutes. We were there just for 1 night because we were celebrating our 5th Anniversary so I guess to do all the stuffs you have to stay at least 2 nights. The main issue was shower water was cold as ice while the water of washbasin was cold as well as warm. So washbasin was fine but if you have to take shower then you cannot. Thank god we were there just for one night and came back home the next afternoon. While booking the lady told me that golf is complimentary but upon reaching she told us that they don't have stuff of golf if we want to play then we can go to some other golf course which was nearby. And since it was not "the season" so you cannot do any water sport too! So basically we drove 3 hours from Toronto just to see the lake! And now after writing all the points I'm thinking that May season is good to visit Clevelands House Resort because after May the rates are too high which is not worthy for this place.

I went to Cleveland's House on an October weekend for a bachelor party…read more It was low season and so we pretty much had the whole resort to ourselves. There were 14 of us and we were able to book The Manor house in its entirety. The resort had numerous facilities to accommodate activities such as golf, basketball, volleyball, tennis, badminton, shuffle board, croquet, soccer, football, mini golf... the list goes on... There was a pro shop where you could take out sports equipment for free. They didn't require us to sign anything out and let us keep the equipment overnight... perhaps that is why they have such a meager selection: there were only 3 tennis and 2 badminton rackets, one basketball... how does this place function during peak season? There was baseball equipment - lots of left and right handed gloves but 2 bases were missing. The staffer at the pro shop wasn't interested in talking to us... focused on her Macbook instead. The hours they were open were from 8am-4pm but frequently they would close earlier without letting us know. We complained and the front desk staff helped us with accessing the pro shop. Staff, in general, were still fairly nice... they allowed us to play 9 rounds of golf twice for the price of one round. Free rentals and golf carts! It rained over the weekend so it made it difficult to engage in many activities since courts were outside. The pool and hot tub were both closed for the weekend.

The Rosseau is a beautiful resort, set on top of hill overlooking Lake Rosseau. There has been a…read moregreat deal of attention put toward ensuring that guests have a true Muskoka experience - including a small fire pit (with a live smoldering fire) right near the entrance. The rooms are top notch as are the balconies. No expense was spared on the resort or rooms. The reason why I did not give them 5 stars is because of service and a few small things that need to be rectified. 1. The staff is young and very eager to please, but the lack of experience definitely shows. As a result, we wasted a few hours waiting for a charter boat on a Saturday due to the marina's scheduling mix ups and lack of communication. This was very frustrating, and even though it was not our fault, we needed to escalate the issue before it was eventually resolved to my satisfaction - which was even more upsetting. 2. There are 4 restaurants on site, however the room service menu only has 3 options for a dinner main entree (steak, fish, chicken)? Why the wedding menu? In the end, I had to physically visit the restaurants, ask for a copy of their menu, return to my room with the menus and order what I wanted. Why not just add these items to the In room dining menu? Anyway, the food was always promptly delivered and set up with a white table cloth and fresh cut local flowers! (a lot of attention to detail). I guess that's why there is an included 18% gratuity for room service. Again, not huge issues - but those are the two reasons why I did not give 5 stars. That being said - I will definitely return and have highly recommended this resort to my family and friends!

Great view (get the lake view if you can), great food (large portions) & great hospitality!!read more

Had a wonderful staycation at this Muskoka resort. The hot tub, cold plunge and barrel sauna was a…read moregreat way to relax and the complimentary breakfast was delicious. The resort is dog friendly which is a bonus. You're able to use the facilities before check in as well. There's a lot more water activities to do in the summer if you go during that time, even during the winter there was a pool table, lawn games and kids activities in the great hall for everyone. Reasonably priced as well! Would love to come back any day.

My wife surprised me with an overnight stay on Valentine's Day and WOW! Neither of us had been…read morebefore so weren't 100% sure what to expect, but we're going to remember this forever. The staff, decor, amenities, service, food, room, and general ambiance were unparalleled. Windermere House has to be the most gorgeous lakeside resort in Southern Ontario and one of the best in the world. Like walking through your best dream. Thanks to the whole team. Absolutely worth it. We'll be back as soon as possible.

I appreciated the weathered feel of the inn. It is like stepping back to the 1940's or 50's. It…read morecertainly has its charms, but it is not a dining destination, and even guests may well do better going elsewhere to eat. Bluntly: this resort is understaffed, under-maintained, and the staff who are there absorb resentment from guests that should be directed toward management. Our breakfast took 45 minutes to arrive, but there was only a single waiter. During our dinner, a family gave up and vented at another perfectly competent staff member. There were only two servers for a full dining room. The quality of the food was poor, and the prices sky-high. One suspects there are substitutions. Our fish terrine was three slices of salmon that looked like rollmops, on lettuce. Our filets of pickerel and trout were good, but served with what tasted like parboiled rice, three desiccated spears of a asparagus (inedible; I tried), one carrot split in half and a few green beans. This was $40. A glass of reconstituted orange juice was $4. The chef's resume on the inn's website is stellar, so I cannot help but suspect budgets are factor. Perhaps this is for some a pleasant throwback to Muskoka past. I found it a cynical money grab.

Been goinng here for yeArs and it seems it's always getting better love the employees love the…read moregrounds and especially love the food the rooms are really pretty specially if you stay on the water side the fireplaces are so cozy and the fishing is legendary if you ever get a chance to visit sherwood you will not be disappointed it's so relaxing and peaceful winter and summEr hospitality is compared to 5 class service