Facilites are excellent and accommodation in the main building first class following renovation. The only downside is the lack of fine dining since the main restaurant was burnt down a few years ago. The lakeside Boathouse Restaurant is OK but mainly casual and for me uninspiring fare. Service is efficient and staff attentive. Somewhat expensive but reflective of the resort and its generally well-heeled clientele. The Chalet/Condominium style accommodation, not that we experienced it, has catering facilities. This would be advantageous for many as nearby Gravenhurst offers limited and unexciting dining and Bracebridge much the same. During our stay it was mainly large families and the beach areas were lively and crowded, although guests had the option of three pools in the complex.. The attached golf course is renowned and highly regarded in the golfing community and not for high handicappers. Again, another expensive aspect of this resort. However, If you are not budget conscious and enjoy spectacular views and lake activities it should easily provide a satisfactory break or vacation for every age group. read more

This is one of our favorite places to come. Every year for the last 5 years we've come to visit Taboo. The hotel itself is modern and beautiful. The beds are absolutely incredible leading to the best sleeps ever! We've stayed in both resort view and lakeview rooms and love them all the same. The staff go out of their way to make your stay great from recommendations for dinner to going above and beyond! They heard we had recently got engaged so when we arrived there was a lovely note from the staff saying congratulations. One year we came up for thanksgiving which was a couple of days after my husband's birthday and when we got to our room there was a lovely happy birthday card and a bottle of wine which we enjoyed while watching the sunset. The golf course was lovely. It was perfect for both our levels, challenging but fun. They space out tee times so you really feel like you are the only ones on the course. We always have a great time at Taboo and we'll keep coming back! :D read more

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Taboo Golf - Golf Course is in great shape. Beautiful scenery with nice fairways, firm greens that are pretty fast. Bunkers were inconsistent with many being hard and wet. However it did rain two days prior. The downside was the clubhouse. Terrible service. They treated us as if it was a privilege for us to be here. Not as a paying customer. No one was in the Pro Shop to greet us, we waited 10 minutes or more before someone arrived. We came on a promotion with Wooden Sticks. It included a Hamburger before or after the round. We ordered a side salad and drink also, willing to pay the extra cost. Four times different staff interrupted the lady we were giving the order too, saying "it isn't included!" What a difference in customer service between the two courses. Wooden Sticks was all about creating an enjoyable experience for the customer. Taboo couldn't do any less or care about the customer. Too bad Taboo Staff ruined an enjoyable round of golf on a beautiful sunny day. For this promotion I'd rather play Wooden Sticks twice then to come play Taboo again. Management called to apologize for mistreatment after writing a complaint. Satisfied with them rectifying this matter. Lesson learned. Never accept misconduct from staff. Paying customers should expect service. read more

We had a great time at Taboo! I booked a one night stay during their June promo to celebrate my fiance's birthday and our engagement. Upon check in, they had left two cards on the bed to congratulate us; a small gesture which we appreciated. The room was beautiful, spacious, clean, and comfortable. There are 3 heated outdoor pools; the closest one to the resort has a big patio with furniture and a view of the lake. Plenty of chairs by the pools with umbrellas. Beach towels are also available at the concierge and the rec center. You can also go biking, kayaking, and canoeing which is all included in the price. There are other activities available - we took the evening pantoon boat ride which was great! Our guide was very knowledgeable about area. He gave us a good tour of the lake and shared stories about the many cottages around the area. There are a few hiking trails across the street. You can get a map from the staff and the trails are pretty easy to follow. The shortest one was around an hour (note: we are NOT hikers so it might not take you as long). Nice and secluded and easy to follow - great for beginners like us! Unfortunately the resort suffered a fire so a section of the resort was blocked off for construction. There was only one restaurant - The Boathouse, and the food was AMAZING. We loved everything that we ordered and went back the next day for lunch. If I live in the area, I would go back just for the restaurant. The staff was helpful and friendly. Free wifi all across the resort. Free parking. Great view. Everything was wonderful! All in all, we had a great time and will definitely be back again! read more

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We were two couples celebrating our anniversaries. A bottle of wine, some local beer and a beautiful sunset set the mood for a perfect evening. The service was fantastic. Our meal choices included beef tenderloin, striploin and salmon. Each meal was cooked to perfection. Penny, our server, was exceptional. Thanks for a great evening! read more

Beautiful location and all, but that's where the positive experience stopped for me. I requested a wake-up call and they forgot about it. (I was the keynote speaker for a major event at their resort. Had I been speaking early in the morning, this could have been disastrous.) I'm assuming they never even realized they missed it, because no mention was made of it and no apology offered. Room service charged me $28 for a $20 breakfast. If there's a delivery fee, it's not listed on the menu, and when I asked the server if there were any additional fees added to the cost of the room service meal, she said she didn't think so but would call me to confirm. She never did. This wouldn't have been too bad, had they gotten my meal right. Instead of a full breakfast (toast, hashbrowns, tomato, as described in the menu) I got two eggs and a bagel. Not at all what I ordered. When I called back to ask if I could get what I ordered, the server said "Well, he told me that you only ordered the bagel and eggs." Defensiveness is never a good sign. The coffee was okay but the sugar packets were ROCK SOLID (with nothing provided like a spoon to stir it with). I didn't even know sugar could become that form. It made me concerned that if they're not even rotating the sugar packets well enough, what other mysteries lurk in my meal. So I decided I'd better not tempt fate, and didn't eat the rest of it. $28 down the tubes. I was going to mention the sugar when I spoke to the server, but she had already hung up on me. She did, though, bring me a comicly large plate of the missing items. The room itself was nice with a beautiful view and a small but well-appointed bathroom. Just don't plan on getting any work done because their wireless Internet didn't work. I checked on three different devices. I rebooted all three first. When I called the front desk, the best they could offer was "Well, it SHOULD work." No offer to have someone come up and check, no phone number to tech support, and they didn't even tell me there was in fact a hard-wired Internet connection hidden in the room -- something I only found out quite late into the evening by accident. And then, to add insult to injury, when the housekeeping lady was at the door (to her credit, she did knock and wait) and I told her I'd be out of the room in about a half-hour, she turned her back on me right away and mumbled "Okay." Or it might have been "Thanks." Whatever it was, it felt pretty dismissive. :-( Finally, when I checked out, I was told "Oh we've already checked you out." Never was asked if my stay was okay or anything. Worse, never gave me a chance to review my bill. I still have no idea what they charged me. (I called the following day and, indeed, the room service charge stayed as it was. No adjustment, no explanation for the nearly twice-as-much-as-the-menu price.) In short, if you're coming to admire the view, play golf, and stay outdoors, this is probably a great place. But if you plan on doing anything inside your actual room -- ordering food, surfing the web, etc. -- pick somewhere else. UPDATE: A week later, after I left the URL of this review on their in-room "How did we do" comment card, still haven't heard a peep from the resort. Lousy. :-( UPDATE: It's now been a month. Left a note weeks ago on their Facebook page which they don't appear to monitor. Rest assured, if you have any problems with this resort, they don't seem to care. read more

My wife and I just had our wedding at Taboo. Obviously beautiful location on Lake Muskoka and some great staff, but that's about all the positives I have to say. The management at Taboo need to re-think their approach to customer service. On so many occasions I was given information that was simply incorrect and not checked for accuracy. They billed me close to $2000 for a 'barge with fireworks', which I never ordered and told them the first time it was an error. Well there it was being taken off my credit card even after this notice was given. My address was incorrect easily 5-6 times on documents and there were numerous other items where clearly no one was reviewing what was being put in front of me as the client. They nickle and dime for every bit of revenue, which is frustrating when you're spending a crazy amount of money for an event there. $550 for a bridal suite with 1980s decor? $8 for a domestic beer and $7 for an espresso? I understand they are in an expensive location and have to make a margin, but some of these charges were just silly. I think the front line staff work very hard and love what they do, so a star for them and a star for the amazing location. But no stars for how we were treated and for a lack of attention to detail by management. read more

Hidden in Muskoka is an outstanding resort called Taboo, which brings you great golf, great food and spa. Looking for a getaway with a few close friends, girlfriends, boyfriends? I highly recommend this Resort. Playing golf on a course designed by Mike Weir, why not? You might have a chance to run into to him. We met his brother while on the course. Breakfast @ Elements, outstanding. So many items to choose. I just picked the "all you can eat" breakfast to make it simple.. haha Dinner @ Elements, again outstanading. Fresh ingredients, Menu is always changing to represent the freshest market ingredients at that time. If you're lucky to go there and see Bison steak with fois gras, YOU must get it!! When you go, reserve a table early I highly recommend asking for window seating. I'm speechless with the scenery while eating a nice quiet dinner, bottle of wine and good company. The spa, I didn't have a chance to experience but, from what our friends that went told us "it was soothing, relaxing and just what they needed" Tips: pay the extra for valet parking (add note: you'll be impressed. For any of you that read this review and end up going. I want to know if you noticed) If I get a chance I will return. read more

This place needs lots of improvement and updating! The hotel room was pretty and up to date, we enjoyed the showers and views, from our water view. The bike trail is fun and challenging, didn't play golf.. The games are uncared for and so are the tennis courts- the court we played on was in terrible condition with large cracks! 3 pools, heated and clean, but very small and shallow- with either children or seniors. The beach was nice because they offer lounge chairs- but the water is knee deep the whole way! No swimming here either. NO Spa!!! No jacuzzi or hit tubs! Was very disappointed since its in their name- we were not warned that the main building had a fire and the spa service were no longer offered! The boat and season rentals were ridiculously Over priced at approx $200 an hour plus. The restaur at wasn't very good. Terribly small menu, low end service and dirty tables. However, Good views of the lake. And they make a good omelette in the morning- for $18 or so... They better!!! Not much to do. Boring. The staff; is ok but most, needs more training. Will never return or recommend to anyone. Money lost. We of course made the best of it and enjoyed it best we could. But it was not an anniversary trip to remember as we had hoped it would be! We wish we were notified of the lack of entertainment and their recent 'accident' . read more

I won't be returning and couldn't understand the fuss over the location. Enjoyed having the hissing racoon at my window all night - no help from the hotel staff at 3:00 am. read more

This review is based on our dining experience on Saturday, June 14th 2015. My fiancé, my parents, his parents and my brother and his fiancée all met to have dinner at Taboo. We are getting married next March and wanted to check out the venue a bit more and see how the food was. I'll start with areas that caused me to not give 5 stars: 1. we arrived at 6 for our reservation of 8 people. We had asked to sit by the window when we made our reso and when the hostess went to seat us at a centre of dining room table we requested to move. She have a bit of attitude "well everyone wants to sit at the window". The restaurant was empty at the time and since we are going to be buying dinner for 100 people next March I decided I wanted to push it a bit. Between my future MiL and I we were able to get moved and the maître d was very accommodating. I chalk it up to the hostess being a bit of a snob 2. portion sizes were very small, relative to the price. The food was delicious (see below) but I would have wanted more for what we paid ($45 for two pieces of a rack of lamb and a bit of risotto?!) 3. my dad ordered the beef tenderloin as medium rare and it came well done. I really don't understand how restaurants still mess up steak that bad. By the time he got his meal we were all pretty much done our meals 4. one of their payment machines was a bit messed up and caused us to spend about an extra 15 min or so to get my future Fil's bill straightened out The good: 1. after getting over the snobby waitress, he remainder of the service was fantastic. Our waitress Rachel was very accommodating and pleasant, especially to my mom who has a lot of food allergies 2. food was delicious!!! I had a salad to start and the feature meal of rack of lamb with mushroom risotto. Wish the portion was larger. At the same time I hate when the portions are too large...it's a fine line! Creme brûlée dessert was perfect 3. the view was unreal. It is one thing that helped solidify our decision to book at taboo. The most gorgeous view of the lake ever! We can't wait for our tasting and our wedding! Definitely check this place out f you want a fine dining experience. read more

Taboo - Feature menu: rack of lamb with mushroom risotto - Hotels Near Me - Gravenhurst, Ontario

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I just came for a one night stay on the Monday after the long weekend with my boyfriend. After reading some mixed reviews, my expectations were certainly exceeded. The hotel room was very modern, bright and spacious. There are outdoor pools, beach with lounge chairs, waterfront where you can rent canoes, kayaks, etc., tennis court, biking trails, golf course, and a restaurant overlooking the waterfront. The property is very beautiful and well-maintained. We went waterskiing and ate dinner and brunch at the restaurant. We had a very enjoyable night away. The resort seemed very empty (it was a Monday after the long weekend) but I would have enjoyed the experience a bit more if there was a bit more life. I felt a bit out of place, noticing many young families, which could have been the nature of when we went to the resort. I would definitely come back but would consider a weekend so the resort feels a bit more lively! read more

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I went to the Boathouse Grill at Taboo last night for dinner. We called earlier in the day and were told we wouldn't need a reservation and that we could show up whenever. Upon arriving, we asked if we could sit outside and were told that there would be a short wait but that we could have a drink at the bar in the meantime. After waiting at the empty bar for 15 minutes and seeing several waitresses come in, make drinks, and leave without acknowledging us, we had to grab someone's attention and ask if we could order. She unapologetically told us that no, we cold not order drinks, because they were understaffed and no one was tending the bar. Thankfully, our table was ready a few minutes later. We were given menus and left alone for another 15 minutes. We asked the hostess (who was also bussing tables) if there was anyone assigned to wait our table and she looked surprised that no one had served us. 10 minutes later, still no one. We walked out. TLDR: unbelievably understaffed and those that were working (with the exception of the hostess) were very rude. Not worth your time. read more

Just got back after a two night stay at Taboo. Taboo is a more intimate resort compared to Deerhurst or Blue Mountain. If you want a serene and relaxed environment, you'd love it here. We loved our lake view, corner room that has a modern, minimalist decor. Fireplace made the place cozy and its handy to dry some clothes too. Dinner at Elements was a bit pricey for the quality. The sumptuous Lobster Ravioli (appetizer), the fresh bread and the lobster amuse bouche raised our expectations for the entree (arctic char and veal) and the dessert, which turned out to be average. We did cross country skiing and snowshoeing around the frozen golf course. Some suggestions: Enforce having a separate trail for snowshoeing and skiing. Have a proper walkway to go to the rec centre. The staff is very good. Always friendly and helpful. Barry Wark at reception was extra helpful and was delightful to deal with. Overall, we loved our stay here and will definitely return in the summer or sooner. read more

This is a winter review. Not sure about summer yet. Just spent three nights at the resort. Service was 99% perfect. Drinks were endless, food was exactly as ordered. The room was everything we needed and it was quiet. Snowshoeing and cross country skiing was beautiful. Visited Bracebridge one afternoon which was cheap but nice. read more

Went for 2 days with my husband for a golfing trip. Room was great with lake view. Good food at Element. Golf is outstanding. But my positive comments will stop there. EXTREMELY pricy for what you get. The first morning we ordered room service breakfast because 1: we wanted a light breakfast 2: we wanted to enjoy the lake view and didn't want to rush to our tee time. Well...we received our cereals with no milk, coffee that tasted nothing.... Pastries that were very bad and basic,orange juice that tasted like canned orange juice....we were suppose to get butter and preserve and got none of that...overall bad breakfast for $35.00 We had a glass of wine with our dinner, pricy???? I have never had a glass of wine that pricy $16 for a glass of wine??? even in Paris Champs Élysées I didn't not pay that much....My husband had a local re wine and paid the same price!!!!! They would like to think that their service is a 5 stars service, but they are absolutely not a 5 stars service. And to top it off, when you check out, there is a $15.per day charge for the Internet and other pool and canoe activities whether you used them or not... It was never mentioned anywhere about this charge.. We don't mind paying, we travelled all around the word, but we need and like to feel that you have something for what you pay for.... TABOO doesn't have it. Good for golf, the golf and service of the golf is very very nice. read more

The hotel is not that bad, but the boat house restaurant beside it is one of the worst places I've ever eaten, I'll explain why. First off, the actual hotel rooms aren't bad, and for what you're paying it's worth it. The pool is freezing cold unfortunately (this was in summer btw) and I'm not sure why, but it's decently sized. Without the boathouse restaurant, I would give it 3 or 3.5 out of 5, but the boathouse restaurant is part of the taboo resort, and it has pretty disgusting food, which we WAITED 40 MINUTES FOR along with the 25 minutes of waiting just for them to TAKE OUR ORDER. Absolutely terrible service and food. read more

The rooms as previously reviewed are outstanding...what hasn't been getting the buzz but should is the outstanding food at the Boathouse Restaurant...I had the Lamb which was cooked to perfection and my husband had the duck and raved about it! Plus what a view!!! read more

Pretty disappointed in the service. Restaurant had burnt down and as a result the boathouse was being used as the main restaurant. From what we are told this is outsourced to a 3rd party from in town. For the money, you'd think a brand like taboo would ensure this 3rd party wasn't being run by a bunch of 19 year old college kids. The food itself was awful, probably the worst resort food I've ever had (and that includes going to Cuba). It seems to me Taboo doesn't really care what these reviews say bc they are mostly poor. Golf was good, I will give them that. read more