We enjoyed a mostly lovely getaway in Ucluelet, after purchasing a 3 night getaway from a coworker…read morewho was unable to take advantage of a voucher she won in a radio contest.
The space itself was lovely; nestled in a quiet, wooded area. Seeing the deer everywhere was quite a treat. The little cottages were like tiny homes; nicely equipped with a full kitchen, a jetted bathtub & soft hot tub on the front porch. The spiral staircase was darling and the loft bed comfortable. Loved the cute little loft balcony, as well. The BBQ, while nice & clean, didn't seem to heat up very well, though.
Unfortunately, despite the great accommodations, due to our check-in/check-out experience, we will likely not stay here again.
RE: Check-In
On our way up to Reef Point, we called the office to ensure there would be someone to check us in, as we were worried we wouldn't make it there in time before the front desk closed at 7. We were told that if the office was closed, we'd be able to locate our keys & a letter, explaining our check-in. We found that a bit peculiar but thankfully made it before they closed at 7.
When we arrived, however, no one was at the front desk and it took about 5-7 minutes for someone to come back; despite calling the front desk phone a couple times, in the hopes that someone would hear it and come.
RE: Check-Out
We understood that check out time was 11am; however, part of the rules at Reef Point is to ensure the garbage/recycling was gathered and dishes were cleaned and put away. We appreciated this & happily complied. However, this left us in a bit of a rush to get ourselves cleaned up & out the door. We finished up our cleaning & packing exactly at 11 and my partner decided to have a quick shower while I took one last dip in the hot tub as I waited for him.
At 11:20, an employee came by and fairly bluntly asked us when we would be leaving because paraphrasing, "Check out is at 11 and my housecleaning team needs to clean the room and is waiting for you. We have another reservation checking in today." When I explained we had simply been cleaning, were packed up and would only need another 5-10 minutes as my partner was just showering, she firmly gave us "no more than 10 minutes", as if she didn't believe us. She left and as we loaded up our car, we noticed her and 2 other staff eyeballing us. Waiting for us, I suppose.
Upon checking out, we were told once again that "check out time is 11" and to "remember for next time". To be reminded repeatedly in the span of 10 minutes certainly didn't make us feel like welcomed guests.
We concede that we went over the check out time. However, in our defense, hotels are rarely stringent on 11am check outs, nor do they expect guests to clean at all. Considering how relaxed they were over check-in, we didn't think it would be too much of an issue to be 30min over especially since we spent that time cleaning our space instead of enjoying it. Check-In time is 4pm. Certainly enough time to clean for the next reservation.
We were quite put off by this strict policy and brusque treatment over it. Whether this treatment was because we were perceived as a "freebie" stay (since I used the aforementioned prize voucher) or if this is just standard service for them...We certainly didn't leave feeling like there would be a "next time".