Sir Sam's Inn & Spa

Have to say I’m a little disappointed. Comes across as a 5 star resort for the price but not comparable to other places. The lake and surrounding area is beautiful. The Inn, however, is dated, but comfortable, needs a refresh. We stayed for 2 nights and paid for the meal plan, which includes breakfast and dinner. When you go for meal , the price is indicated on the bill, taxes, tip and alcohol are extra. The total amount is shown so that you tip on the complete meal. Breakfast is $30 per person. Dinner is $85 per person. The dinner includes a protein plus seasonal vegetables and potatoes. The vegetable was brussel sprouts that were undercooked and bland. It was the same for both nights. I had the salmon which was also almost raw. My husband had a flank steak which was a special for the evening and it also had no flavour. The menu online indicated an elk appetizer and Oscar filet mignonwhich was not on the menu when we arrived. We did not do any spa services. A highlight was the spa pool which was very nice. Saturday night there was a “band” playing until 10 p.m. only one other couple was there dancing, we played pool. The outdoor pool was closed. At checkout there was a charge on our bill that I didn’t recognize and upon further investigation found out that it belonged to another room. Had I not questioned it we would’ve been charged. They did remove it from our bill, no problem. I imagine it is a busy place in winter with the ski lift walking distance from the Inn.

Really not worth the money spent. The room was ok but needs a lot of TLC. We could write our name in the dust on the headboard. The bathroom had lots of grouting and caulking that was either moldy or missing. The bathroom mirror was rusting from the other side leaving marks and streaks. The room was freezing with no indication of how to warm it up. I saw reviews that people loved the fact that the room had a wood fireplace but you are responsible for hauling it to the room. Before we booked the room, I had looked at the published static Dinner Menu and relished the fact that they offered a Filet Mignon. First night we went for dinner, no Filet available. When I asked for more information I was told they ran out the previous night. Second night for dinner, told they still do not have Filet and have run out of Chicken as well. This is unacceptable for a place charging this kind of money! How many years of data do you have to base your grocery order on? WOW!

This resort could be lovely, but it is so run down and in need of major updating. The water feature was pretty nice and very relaxing. The food was ok. However, the room was dirty and not cleaned very well - we could see hairs and dust everywhere. The matress sagged so much, my back hurt. We will not be returning. It is a shame to let that place just fall into such disrepair.

Very friendly and accommodating staff. The food was first rate with a varied menu for breakfast and dinner. Lovely old inn setting with lots of fireplaces and comfortable lounge spots. General manager Chris was very professional and helpful. The facility does need a little updating but that really didn't impact how our stay turned out. We did the dogsledding package which was fantastic.

We have been to Sir Sam’s 4 times this year and enjoy its comfort and charm. The natural setting of the Haliburton Highlands and Eagle Lake is beautiful. The lake swimming and canoeing is great. The indoor pool is a one of a kind delight. We usually get the breakfast plan as they are hearty, well cooked meals. The staff are always friendly and attentive. We hope to return in future years.

Celebrating our 20th anniversary, we decided to take a couples weekend getaway. A week before our booked weekend, we received notification that due to staffing issues, the dining room would be closed. After much consideration, we decided that we would still go, even though the closest restaurants were at least 20 minutes away. Our reservation was modified to exclude the food portion. The Inn is old, and it shows. Where in parts this is considered charming, in other areas it's dated and even neglect. Charming was the main floor common areas in the main building. Dated/neglected was the bathroom (mildew buildup on tile grout in bathroom, dated jacuzzi tub), dirty verandah furniture and a worn out/frayed verandah carpet). It seems this hotel is suffering from financial hardship, as there was not much guest consideration at all. I understand there were many cancellations at the news of the restaurant closure, however the guests that did still show up deserved a guest experience that lives up to the 'luxury' standard this hotel seems to market for itself. They still could have offered a continental breakfast - coffee, tea juice, fruit, pastries in the bar/lounge. A crackling fire burning in the big living room fireplace would have added to the ambiance - morning and evening. Having the sauna at the ready while the spa is open as opposed to asking guests to tell the front desk they wanted to use the sauna, 20 minutes in advance. And enough kindling, DRY firewood and Firestarter would be helpful. The spa pool was okay, water was warm and features were working, unike previous reviews. Staff were friendly enough, but certainly not at the luxury standard. Would we return? Perhaps if they did a major update and if they made the guest experience their focus.

Where to start. I'm not usually critical of places unless they're pretending to be something that they're not. I have happily stayed at low priced motels as well as top priced hotels, all delivering what they promise, but Sir Sam's doesn't. Once the dream resort of Bob and Noreen Bishop, Sir Sam's used to provide an excellent guest experience that was sustained by subsequent owners for decades, but having been purchased in 2021 by Doug Wilkinson and his family that is no longer the case. The buildings are shabby and not in a chique kind of way. I got the impression right from the start that the owners were trying to regain lost revenue during the pandemic. But you cannot expect your current guests to replace lost profit - you have to suck it up and write it off like other business had to. When booking this stay the front desk, staff didn't seem to share the same knowledge. I was hoping to book a spa package and add regular rate nights to extend the stay beyond 2 days. The reply email told me that I could only book for two days. For the life of me I can't see the logic with that reply, so I skipped the spa deal and booked non packaged nights instead. When arriving I was told that there would be a hold on my credit card for the full amount until we departed, when we could pay however we wished. Two days later I received a notification from my credit card company that they had actually charged the full amount instead of placing a hold and had also charged a $300 deposit when I checked in. The deposit was not mentioned at all, deposits are supposed to hold the room for an advance booking, since I was there, a deposit at that point just seems like a grab to boost cash flow. On arrival the gravel parking lot was pot holed and bumpy, no designated disabled parking and no smooth, safe surfaces. I was disappointed to see that no other efforts have been made to aid mobility for disabled and senior guests. There was not a ramp insight or other evidence of any AODA accommodations. It was as if Sir Sam's is completely exempt from compliance with Ontario accessiblity legistlation for physically impaired, emotionally, visually or any other kind of impaired/disabled guests. Ontario building code states that at least 10% of hotel rooms must be barrier free. The AODA legislation states that hotels must make their goods, services and facilitities accessible to customers with disabilities and their staff must be trained in how to interact with disabled customers. As a person who has worked extensive to install accommodations in health care and seniors facilities, it is easy to see that Sir Sam's doesn't care about disabled and senior guests, I saw several of them struggling to navigate the uneven terrain. I myself was surprised that my 'walk out' room was downstairs - there was no mention of this when I booked, I'm sure this presented problems for the walking cane reliant guest a few doors down from me. I love old architecture and enjoy the qui

Take note: photos online are not true to the accomodation. The buildings require major overhaul in all departments. The room was comfortable but in order to sit on the loveseat we had to have the room vacuumed as there was dog fur, and loads of the human variety. We still did not sit on it. Food is very tasty but limited vegetarian choices for dinner. In fact, there were two dishes that were vegetarian one tofu and the other pasta. No option for gluten free. Very surprising ! Breakfast was very good excellent fruit salad every morning along with ten other things! The lake and view makes the trip worthwhile! Looking out of our room we had a stand of trees then the lake!! Kayaks, paddle boarding boat tours, swimming pool; lots of toys and more inside pong and pool and a salt water pool! Bring snacks and your own alcohol as each beer is $10-12!! Cocktails are 12. Prices are over inflated. Not impressed overall.

I may have loved the old resort feel yet never stayed at a resort like this! We stayed here because it was close to the Wolf Forest. Booked this resort 8 months before going thinking I got a better price until we saw the charges for resort fees. Plenty of parking. We didn't stay on the resort during the day to use any amenities offered or eat at the restaurant. Didn't even have time to use the outdoor pool because we were off sightseeing daily. We stayed in Glen Eagle North which didn't mention no AC unit and it sure was muggy sleeping. They had a fan on the roof and a portable fan but that just wasn't enough. The bed was so comfy, used the indoor heated spa pool and watched the sunset every night at the water. It's a great place if you just want time to yourself and no kids!