The Observatory is run by the Algonquin Students' Association. I've been here once before for an…read moreevent where they had Perez Hilton come in, talk on stage, and sign autographs. A bunch of wooden chairs were set up facing the stage, and Perez gossiped about celebrities for an hour or so, told us how he got to be a famous blogger, answered some questions, signed t-shirts, and dropped as many F-bombs as he possibly could. The bouncers were a little too serious for the nature of the event and the guest of honour. You'd think that they'd lighten up a little considering it was Perez Hilton talking and not a concert or anything, but at least they made sure to keep everything safe and fight-free. Food and alcohol are offered at the Observatory. They are fully licensed and offer Starbucks coffee and a decent selection of sandwiches, salads, pizza, pub-fare, and breakfast, all for affordable prices. For those of you that are Algonquin College students, you can use your meal plan here. They also have couches, TVs, and pool tables if you want to hang out and/or study. It's also available for private rentals when it's not being used for other events. To contact the Observatory directly, here is their information via the website: Paul Norman, The Observatory Manager (613) 727-4723 ext. 5327 or by e-mail at normanp1@algonquincollege.com

I've eaten here three times now, and maybe it's the oil they use to cook their food or something…read moreelse but every time I've stopped by the observatory for food I've been sick right after. I usually get their chicken strips with fries, and it NEVER sits well with me. Sure, they taste good, but after twenty minutes I'm running to the washroom to toss it back up. A friend of mine has had their wrap and quesadillas and even she agrees that there's just something about the food that doesn't sit right in one's stomach. Overall, it's a really nice restaurant space - the fireplace is a nice, cozy touch. The food, however, leaves a bit to be desired. Prices are decent though, and they accept student meal plan, which is why I'm not giving them 1 star out of five.

friendly accommodating and creative staff in a beautiful modern venue. ability to bring food for…read morethe occasion and make some themes according to your needs. great experience here, affordable and highly recommended, Sandra K

We had my daughter's 10th birthday party here in September and she loved it. The wow factor was…read moregreat, everyone loved it. It felt like renting out a club, the girls were very excited. Karaoke is the main draw of course, but the room is also set up great for parties with lots of couches and areas to set up for doing presents and games and stuff. The staff was super accommodating and let the girls use the microphones to do play mafia and call bingo as well. Great spot, hidden gem, highly recommend if you're out of ideas for a birthday party!

This is my first time visiting this hotel. My friend and I didn't stay here but we came to check…read moreout their patio & lovely river view. We enjoyed our visit and will return again for sure . Thank you for having us.

Had a 3 day stay here on business. Decided to watch some of Game 7 of the World Series at the bar…read more Greeted enthusiastically by Megan the bartender and had a few pints with a co-worker. Friendly regulars and awesome service from Megan made it an enjoyable evening. If they had HD television it would have been even better.

Friends who golf tell me this is a good course. Personally, I'm more interested in the food. They…read morehave a nice clubhouse, decent menu, good bar and nobody is there most of the time. If you are driving around Barrhaven or Manotick and want a nice break on a patio beside a fountain, check out Stonebridge. Nobody will check to make sure you just played 18 holes on their course before they serve you. In the winter, they freeze the fountain/pool into a skating rink for a family skate brunch thing.

For me, one of the best. Always well maintained. Very challenging course with some very interesting…read moreholes. Usually a good pace of play.

Marshall's can't manage the tee times, course is overpriced, carts are dirty and beat up, and the…read morefood sucks and is expensive

Played here recently for the first time in a while. Course was in decent shape, with a few rough…read moregreens. Tight course, target golf on most holes.

TL;DR/The Short Version: I'm not a golfer. This review is…read morefor the grounds, clubhouse and the meal I had there as part of a special event. Nice looking golf course. The food was good. The Long Version: The Hylands Golf Club is a golf club by the Ottawa airport. Membership is open to everyone, but it is known as a military golf club. Military insignia and military memorabilia can be found throughout the golf club. Military personnel also pay the cheapest memberships, followed by civilians working in Defence, RCMP and Coast Guards. All others have the highest membership rates. I'm not a golfer and am not a member, but I was there for a special event (military related). I briefly toured the grounds and they looked nice, but I spent most of my time in the clubhouse. There's a bar and kitchen there. I had dinner there and it was fantastic. We started with the Bistro Salad, which was a mixed greens salad with onions, dried cranberries and feta cheese. The vinaigrette was light and slightly sweet. We had beef tenderloin as our main and it was tender and flavourful. It was accompanied by roasted potatoes, carrots and asparagus. The gravy was delicious. The dessert was a cheesecake with a raspberry sauce. It was a bit too sweet and too rich for my liking, but overall still good. Service was courteous, but I never got my tea, and I feel like we were maybe a bit of a larger group than they are used to. We were about 100 people. There is free parking on-site, which is paved (I mention this because although I haven't been to many golf clubs, most that I've been to have unpaved parking lots, which is a pain when you're attending a formal event and wearing heels, lol). I think Hylands Golf Club would be a nice place to have a smallish reception or party. Review #116 (2025)

Ottawa is so lucky to have this facility. Located in the Riverside area near Billings Bridge it's…read moregot an unreal amount of stuff happening at all times of the year. Under their umbrella, there's a ton of fitness centres and wellness programs (like the Nepean Tennis Club!) under their "lifefit" heading. I had my first experience here in a summer camp when I was young, and then at a volleyball camp as a teen. As an adult, I appreciate all the clubs and sport leagues available. They also do training courses like CPR and First Aid, and have specialty classes like Fine Art which is cool. Their facility is a big one, and there's a ton to learn and see, so take your time and soak it all in. I'm a big advocate of checking out their website to see what might be of interest to your fine self. You can get an individual or family membership, and there's a lot of options, so if you get confused, maybe go in for a chat. The FieldHouse Bar and Grill is also a part of the centre and serves up breakfast, lunch dinner and snacks and drinks. There's also a sports shop that sells fitness gear like clothing, tennis rackets and they offer restringing which is helpful. They also have banquet and special event services as well as a massage and physiotherapy clinic! If you're looking to get active or make some new friends, this is an awesome place to check out. Also great for kids - they have a massive summer program!

I've never used the sports facilities here, but I really enjoy this location for conferences and…read moremeetings. They have multiple rooms that can be used for a number of different events. The lobby is nice and welcoming and the signage is very helpful to get the guests to where they need to be in the building. The food the catering staff creates is top quality and their event staff must be on point as I've never attended an event where anything went wrong from the venue's perspective. They recently added a temporary extension off the front. I'm not sure what this building houses. It includes an enclosed walkway from the main building to the new temporary building. That walkway is a bit awkwardly placed and makes cab drop-offs and pick-ups somewhat difficult. It's not possible to see the full driveway and getting passed the temporary walkway is a bit of a squeeze in order to get to the cab drop-off/pick-up. But with all new things come a few bumps, so I'm sure they'll figure this out quickly.