When I first wrote about the Comfort Inn on Bowes Street in Parry Sound it was decades ago for a travel guide I wrote called “George's Georgian Bay”. I had not stayed there, then, but it was recommended. Flash forward to August, 2023, and my wife Nancy and I were staying for two nights at this Comfort Inn thanks to an easy-to-use booking on-line involving Choice Hotels Canada. McDonald's restaurant, just off the highway on Bowes Street, is the landmark to use for finding this Comfort Inn and I shall get back to that in this review which aims to give you a lot of information. We arrived a few hours ahead of check-in time of 3 p.m., and were greeted by a cheerful employee, Dawn, at the reception counter. We wanted to make our presence known and then carry on to spend part of the day at nearby Killbear Provincial Park. “No problem!” enthused Dawn, noting that she would do the paperwork and we could pick up the keys later. We came back to the Comfort Inn mid-evening, Dawn was busy with other customers and another cheerful staff member, Brianna, assisted us and sent us to a room on the second floor; Room 229. The room was well equipped with a mini-fridge, a microwave, an excellent television, a coffee maker (with coffee and tea in small packages), and an iron and ironing board in a cupboard. The view across the parking lot toward McDonald's turned out to be an interesting thing. There were all manner of vehicles coming and going including one emblazoned with “sea lamprey control” lettering and another from Morrow's Plumbing. For a while a huge Bud Light truck was parked there and later a transport driver pulled into the out lane and had to reverse his huge rig 100 yards, or so, back to a turning space at an adjacent Shell station. We found the room and its bathroom as spotlessly clean as we found the downstairs reception and entrance areas. But our room was very cool and a wall-mounted heating-cooling unit was blasting cold air. I tried turning a dial on a control panel and that did not help. I pressed an off button and the unit went quiet without any air blasting from it. That left me looking for an “on” button, which I could not see. I pressed other buttons and nothing happened. While Nancy waited in the room, I hiked back to the reception area and minutes later a helpful Brianna was pressing buttons on the heating-cooling unit. There was no hesitation about helping and within minutes Brianna's “magic touch” had the unit working, but at the level we desired. During our stay, we were to find that any employee we encountered was friendly and helpful. So top marks to them for that and what seemed to be a teamwork effort! A recommendation: If you have mobility challenges, ask for a main-floor room when booking. They have two levels at this Comfort Inn, which has 60 rooms, and second-floor rooms are accessible only by stairs. I did not see an elevator and am pretty sure they don't have one. This Comfort Inn, I learned, was built in 1962. Things were clean and comfortable and very nice once I learned how to use the heating-cooling unit! The view from our window was to the south and looked across an incoming driveway and a large parking area on the other side of which is a McDonald's. Believe me, you can go for lunch, or dinner, to McDonald's but for breakfast you and your taste buds will find a friend in Parry who was running this inn's breakfast buffet on our first morning there. The breakfast nook operates from 6 a.m., until 9 a.m., and breakfast is included in the price of your room charge. This breakfast buffet ranks among the best, if not the best, of such self-serve breakfast nooks in our experience which has taken us to breakfast buffets in hotels between Ottawa and Kincardine, Ontario. With this Comfort Inn completely full during our time there, we thought that there would be little left for us at the breakfast buffet when we arrived there at 8:15 a.m. Earlier that morning, they had been very busy with early risers ( a lot of workers book at this hotel). To our pleasant surprise, when this retired couple arrived for breakfast there was a full selection, including hot goodies, from which we could choose. That included bacon and sausages, omelettes (little ones folded in half), hash-browns and a selection of muffins, or cereal, as well as orange juice, or apple juice. Across from one wall where the aforementioned breakfast items were offered, they had a coffee machine, and if you wanted it, you could get tea. Overseeing the breakfast buffet was Parry who was quick to answer questions and help. Soon we were feeling more like family, than hotel guests. Fortunately, I did not need his assistance with one of those “flip-over” waffle makers. They had two choices in batter... cinnamon, or original... to which, minutes later, you could add syrup toppnig to the cooked waffle. It was easy and tasty! On our second morning at the breakfast buffet, a young lady was on duty and she had made bacon in two ways. The first was regular, cooked but not crispy. The second was crispy. The latter was my favourite and I do not know if that offering was by design, or default. No matter, the young lady did a fine job, following in Parry's footsteps, and it – we discovered – was her first day on the job. On our second morning, Sandra was on the front desk and she was as helpful as Dawn the day before.Also helpful was a newly-installed wall unit which offered information about local attractions such as the Island Queen cruiseboat and Bearly Used Books. Now, back to finding the Comfort Inn when you turn off the highway and head west along Bowes Street. It's just a short distance to a traffic light and from there if you look upward to the right you can see the Comfort Inn about a block away. Getting there takes a bit of concentration. McDonald's is easy to see on your right as you head west. It's on a rise of land which blocks your view of the Comfort Inn. We first drove past the entrance to the Comfort Inn and turned right (north) at a traffic light where there was a Shell station at the corner. If you carried on to the north, you can find a Wal-Mart and other stores and restaurants. In fact, in that area, there are other stores and restaurants and this Comfort Inn is only minutes of a drive to the downtown and waterfront area. We doubled back to get ourselves driving west on Bowes Street, but this time we turned right (north) at the end of the McDonald's property where there is a small sign for this restaurant's drive-through and, above it, signs for the Comfort Inn and McDonald's. Those signs have been newly-installed, I was told when I asked about it. What made me ask was that these aforementioned signs are not illuminated at night. In fact, the western-most drive-through sign was dark too. If illumination of those signs is planned, that's a good thing for both businesses. If it's not planned to illuminate those signs, it's short-sighted on the corporate's front and a shame because it helps one find the Comfort Inn. A hint: When you turn right off Bowes Street, just at the west end of McDonald's hill/property, you will see a small sign on the far side of the parking lot (to the north) which is for the Comfort Inn. Adjacent to that sign is their driveway and you have to follow it on the south side of the hotel to get to the reception area at the east end of the hotel. On another topic, something you don't see often in a small hotel is a dedicated area for a business centre. This Comfort Inn has a business centre on the main floor close to the reception area. There, in addition to a lone computer for guests to use, I noticed a bulletin board on which were letters from a local Rotary Club and a local hospital foundation. The letters were thanks for support this Comfort Inn has given to these local groups. In other words, this business is a community contributor in addition to being an excellent place at which to stay. I have been at larger, more-modern hotels at which the staff did not make one nearly as welcome.…