Briars Resort and Spa

The Briars is in a lovely location in the Jackson Point area of Georgina, ON. It is a historic property on lovely grounds. As an EV driver, I was glad that they have chargers. Staff were friendly and efficient. My room was very comfortable and clean. I would say that the property is dowdy and could use some updating. The bathrooms were functional, but could use updated fixtures. That said, I would stay again.

We took the pricey overnight pkg at The Briars -- dinner and breakfast $600+ for one night. It was a disappointment from the beginning. The ashtray overflowing with brown water and old cigarette butts on the balcony. Both sinks in the bathroom were clogged and we were told ..." that happens with old buildings". Next, we could not have our 3-course meal in the large dining room they said it was saved for weddings. There was no wedding that weekend. We were told instead to eat in the bar. The sole bartender had to make drinks and serve all the food so there was a lot of waiting. The dinner was a joke - overdone fish for me and meat covered with what tasted like tinned gloppy gravy for my husband. In the morning the bar was locked up, with no direction for the breakfast location, which was a buffet of slightly cold food, and no tea bags in another dining room without a server in sight. We stayed at The Briars five years earlier so we knew how good it once was, and left unsatisfied. When we got home we called about my husband's new phone charger and extra long cord left behind. The man from the front desk said yes they had it and would mail it with a cost to my credit card—no problem I said. A week and a half later I called and they said they sent it to the wrong address and it was returned. I again gave them my address and two weeks later still no charger. I called several more times and was promised return calls. Every week, a new person answered, made promises, and never called back. Recently, I left three messages for Danielle the front desk manager, and also for Serafina who said she would look into it and call me back. No one ever called back. It wasn't the money for the new charger, it was the complete bungling and lack of care that topped off this bad experience. The Briars was once a beautiful property, still charging 5-star prices, so I'm genuinely sorry to say buyer beware on this one.

This property is in such terrible disrepair it should be closed. We were loyal customers for 10 or more years but had not been back in 3 years because it was getting pretty tired. We thought we would check to see if any improvements had been made. It is so bad we didn’t go to our room. The staff were very nice about it.

The Briars was incredibly disappointing. It is such a shame to see what was once a high-end, luxury establishment deteriorate into mediocrity. I would not recommend The Briars to anyone who is planning to stay as guests for leisure/vacation/business. Rooms: We booked 2 Lakeview King rooms with included dinner and breakfast for 2 nights ($551 for Friday and $461 for Saturday. The rooms are dated and equivalent to motels I have stayed at along the highway. There is a difference between a vintage aesthetic designed to preserve history and old, poorly maintained, and grimey. The carpet was falling apart and had holes in areas. The shower walls and grout were disgusting. We walked by a room who had left their sheets out in the hallway with a note saying “Stained! Please replace.” Paint was peeling on walls and ceilings. The balcony was covered in thick cobwebs and the chairs/table had not been cleaned. The wine glasses required washing as they were filled with dust and a brown crust. The “lake view” is misleading as it just means the room is facing north towards the lake, but there is no actual view of the lake because it is obstructed by a long courtyard filled with trees. This was the case for at least 3 lake view rooms, which I only know because when we checked in, they gave my in-laws a key to a room that was already occupied by someone else by accident. Boats: The Briars advertises pontoon boat rides on their website, but none of the staff knew what we were talking about when we asked about it and showed them the webpage showing that it was being advertised for September 2nd and 16th, 2024. The map they provide also advertises boat cruises on Lady Simcoe (not sure if this is the same as the pontoon), but the staff told us it was not in operation due to “maintenance.” We were later on a walk and came across Lady Simcoe, covered and stored in a field. It looked like it had been sitting in the field for at least the entire summer. They do have kayaks and canoes for use, but we were actually not able to use them because they had not tested them apparently earlier in the season or before the long weekend. We tried to use them on Saturday at 4 PM, but they said they had to be tested for safety because 5 of their other boats had been stolen. This does not explain why the remaining boats (which were not brand new and hadn’t just been bought as replacements) hadn’t already been tested. After 2 hours, they still were not done and we had to head to dinner. The next day, the water was very rough so we did not get to use them in the end. Beaches: There are two areas marked as beaches on the map they provide, but only one qualified as a real beach. The “beach” across from the main building is a 2 meter-wide rocky cove for kayaks/canoes to put in, not really a beach. At that site, you will find the storage for the boats, a dock, and a small fire pit (you need to supply your own wood, lighter, etc). You can swim in this area as well. Unfortunately, they did

Overall, it was a good experience. They were very accomodating for our marathon weekend by having a special take out breakfast the morning of the race. The staff were friendly. The pool and hottub area was nice with a sauna. Dinner was very tasty. The resort is "tired" and many updates needed but they are working away at it. An increible historical building that needs a lot of maintenance!

A lovely experience.. Staff was attentive, warm and friendly .. the resort itself is a little dated yet overall charming.. would absolutely return for another visit!

Great wedding venue, but needs a paint brush and new carpets in certain areas.

Such a beautiful and historic property.

They double-charged my for my room not realizing I prepaid via *******. I was told I was going to get a refund but they charged me even more! Their accounting department is unreachable and they won’t return my emails.