I am not even sure how to start this review, except to say that the bed & breakfast is not as advertised. The Canada Select sign still shows 4 1/2 stars, despite the fact that this B & B has been sold to new owners. (BTW, Canada Select no longer rates properties in BC, Canada – I know, I contacted them.) We were greeted at the front door by a 10-year-old girl who called her father. They took us downstairs to our room and just handed us the key. There was no check in with us to see how things were and other than the email telling me there should be green tea and milk we never heard from them and we never did learn their names or meet the wife, assuming there is one. The only time we saw the dad after ‘check in’ was when he sat on a lawn chair in the driveway listening to music. He didn’t even say hello. We did know they were home though, as we heard chairs sliding, cupboards banging & piano practice going on upstairs all day long, starting at 7am.

It would seem that the website is what the old owners set up and much has changed since then. Our suite was so different from what was on the website that I actually asked if it was correct, if this was the suite we had reserved. I was told yes. Please see the attached photos for the difference as well as to indicate some of the “decorations“ that the new owners have added to what was once “lake house” décor.

The entire place is full of fake flowers, and leaves, and statuary – dolphins, rabbits, angels, eagles, flamingos, peacocks, fish, pumpkins and more adorn every surface inside and outside of the property. In addition, the quiet, dark solitude of our room facing the lake was ruined by a plugged-in, 6 foot tall Christmas reindeer proudly displayed and turned on until 11:30 at night. To be fair, the reindeer matched the Christmas tree and full-sized snowman that were still displayed in the common room (yes, in August). Multiple strands of lights - including Christmas lights - flash and blink outside of the home by the dock and patio space, all of which detract from the peace and quiet you might expect when staying at a lake house. One set of flashing lights on the patio of the unit below us went all night long, which meant we had to close our drapes and could not enjoy the beautiful moonlight we thought we would get to look at reflecting off the lake.

Our four-poster bed, as advertised on the website, was not there. It was an old wooden monstrosity and the duvet was replaced by a cheap, thin blanket…no cover, no bedspread, just the blanket. The mattress was comfortable enough but I had to remake it as the bottom sheet had not been properly fitted and kept coming off the corner. This is not just a personal aesthetic choice thing – we all have to deal with that – it’s like staying in grandma’s garage sale, and grandma’s been shopping at the dollar store. It’s certainly not what’s expected for $300 per night.

Food and beverage are another thing. Every B&B I’ve stayed in has a common area with a few supplies – tea bags, coffee, milk/cream/creamer, sugar and such. This one had a tin of Foldgers coffee, no milk or cream and not a tea bag in sight. There was no brita filter for water, no bottles in the room and no water glasses. I emailed (because we hadn’t been given a number to call) to ask for milk to go with my tea in the morning because I don’t drink coffee (my husband does). Our breakfast arrived with each of us getting a full mug of green tea and a full mug of milk. Yuck. We were able to make coffee in the room, but there was no cream provided and no coffee scoop to load the coffee maker, the filters for which were the wrong size as well. Breakfast the first day, I cannot even describe… Take a look at the pictures below. The best I can say is that it was an onion omelet with a frozen waffle dropped into the middle of it topped with syrup, sliced strawberries, kiwis and jam, and the shocking part, if you can believe it, was the sliced hotdog they had in the omelette! A hotdog!!! The whole thing was inedible. There was no juice. No napkins. No spoons to stir anything. The second day’s meal was marginally better with it being 2 sunny side up eggs (rubbery) and a stale, cold croissant. No butter. No jam. The same green tea & milk. The same dry half slices of cucumber. We had hoped that where the new owners lacked in their sense of decorating they would make it up in culinary skill. Nope. Not even close.

Be careful outside, as there seem to be random pieces of plastic grass, installed over walkways and stairs and deck space, none of which is nailed down or properly installed, making it a tripping hazard. The dock itself is wobbly, but the big issue is that the ladder coming out of the lake is so slippery with algae that you cannot stand on it. I was very grateful that I put my feet in first to test it, because if I had turned around to climb backwards into the lake like I was going to do, I surely would’ve slipped off and broken my leg. And on the topic of safety, you will notice in one of the photos, there is a fake flower-topped lamp plugged in and placed on the side of the soaker tub. I don’t know where someone got the idea that having an electric lamp on the bathtub is a good or in any way meets safety standards.

Do yourself a favor, spend your money elsewhere. You can get a room at a motel for far less than the $300 a night we spent, and get a better breakfast and more access to information about the local area. These folks will not be in business for long, and it is a shame, because the original owners had such a beautiful property and provided such a wonderful service. It is all gone now.

Unfortunately we need to post an unfavorable review of this B&B. As seen on other posts as well, the pictures do not accurately reflect the property. The suite we stayed in was very cluttered with different furniture and decorations. The ceiling was low which made it feel smaller with also a small bathroom. There was little proactive assistance to support the amenities advertised. There was no choice for breakfast - food allergies were considered only. Each suite was served the same food and what was served was substandard. The lake view had the highway and a U-storage building on the far side. We left early and stayed elsewhere and were not given any compensation from the owner. They argued against our points which also highlighted the poor customer service. Would not recommend

Unfortunately we are going to have to leave a one star review as we were not satisfied with our stay for the following reasons:

The pictures posted on their website DO NOT MATCH the interior decorations and furniture. Since the pictures have been posted changes have been made and the room is much more cluttered with decorations that do not fit the atmosphere associated with a lake house. There is also a massive LED Christmas reindeer (it’s July) directly outside the window that stays on throughout the night. We like having moonlight in our room and this was made impossible by the Christmas beacon directly outside our window.

Secondly, the overall cleanliness and hygiene is lacking at best. Mold can be found in multiple locations within the shower. There are old used bars of soap and old gross liquid soap provided to guests. The bathtub jets are coated in gross black residue, this was only discovered once the jets were turned on and shot chunks of brown and black sludge into the bathwater.

Thirdly, the beds are very uncomfortable. It felt as though I was lying in a hammock, as a stomach and side sleeper, sleeping was difficult and caused me to wake up with back pain both mornings.

Finally and most importantly, the owners of the B&B live directly above our room with extremely thin floors. They were playing loud music and stomping around till after 10pm making a romantic night with my partner impossible. To make it even worse they resumed stomping around a little after 6am waking both us up when we wanted nothing more than to sleep in.

Due to these circumstances I cannot and will not recommend this B&B. I recommend looking elsewhere when deciding on a place to stay.