The lodge, staff, location, and food are all top class. This really reminded me of a Relais & Chateaux caliber property. Though much more intimate than a Sonara Resort, and a whole lot cheaper than Clayoquot Wilderness Resort.
Our family of nine ranging from 1 to 70 years old stayed here for four nights as a family getaway. Activities during the trip included: river rafting and kayaking, horseback riding, zip-lining into the river, and most unique of all--snorkeling down the river watching the fish go by. My almost 4 year old also spent about 45 minutes on a tractor with the owner clearing brush on the property--that's an activity you won't find in the brochure, but he had a ball.
So between these outdoor activities in a beautiful location along the river, the food in the lodge is amazing. This of course assumes you enjoy your food fresh, local, and made from scratch. All starts with the morning wake up call with a drink of your choice, a massive breakfast, "light" lunch, afternoon apps, and then a three course dinner.
Now throw in the fact you're on a friendly first name basis with everyone working there, and the service levels are top class. I'd brought my 1 year old her own fork, and at each meal said fork would have been washed and wrapped up in a napkin in front of a high chair at the table. Love this sort of attention to small details.
And should note that the service isn't in any way stuffy--it manages to be refined while being entirely casual. While lounging around the lodge they are all a delight to chat with.
At the end of the day, this place actually is great value when factoring in everything that is included in the room rate (from high quality food to airport transfers). Plus mileage award tickets from Vancouver to Smithers on Air Canada are also pretty available (our whole group traveled same flights on Aeroplan awards), so you can minimize the sting of that pricey flight.
The only bad thing I can say is I picked up a few more insect bites than I would have liked. But everyone else in the group put on some repellent and was just fine.
My only initial trepidation in booking was the lack of reviews online. But their website definitely accurately portrays the experience--and the photos are entirely representative (so I'm not adding any photos here). This is really perfect for a summer family getaway. They were amazing with my young kids, and we'll definitely return in the future.