Susan B.

My husband and I stayed at Sir Sam Inn and Spa last weekend as we had a package for the WinterDance Dog Sled Tour.
Our room was not up to a good standard. On entering the room it was very hot so we had to open the windows and turn down the heating. The pillows were lumpy but the bed was ok. The bathroom was terrible with a big crack in the bath panel not even taped up so that when you get in the bath you have to be careful so as not to cut yourself on the jagged edge. The bathroom taps kept running even when turned off. It’s a joke when there’s a sign on the side of the sink about conserving water. The bath itself had not been cleaned properly as there were hairs still in it.
There was no kindling for the fire and the wood in the cupboard was damp.
At night there were loud noises making it quite impossible to get a good nights sleep.
The evening meals were quite good except the chef put the same dollops of purée on every single meal whether it was chicken, steak or salmon. Service was good for the evening meals. Breakfast was good on our first morning but service was very slow and even slower on the morning we left.
We had a drink in the bar on the first day but the server did not know how to do a mimosa. The lack of knowledge to her work was evident. The seating area in the bar was in bad condition with buckets near tables catching water dripping through the ceiling and the furniture was like they came out of a junk shop.
We would not recommend this hotel to anyone and will not be staying here again.

Lelaina P.

Our entire stay at Sir Sam's was wretchedly disappointing.
Upon first arrival, we received two keys for the door of our suite, which was located outside of the main building. Neither key worked. I walked back to the building, and was given another key, which the desk person wasn't sure would work, either. Luckily, it did.

The building we were in was quite rundown on the outside, but I hoped the inside would better. It was not. The suite was ramshackle, with rusted electric baseboards, grungy walls, and the smell of cigarette smoke. The bathtub had been clad in wood boards at some point in an effort to spruce it up, and those boards were waterlogged and moulding. Everywhere we looked, there was evidence of DIY reno's, all very poorly done. In the kitchenette we found a melted spatula and a disgusting cutting board that was split in several places, so I would strongly recommend you bring your own kitchenwares if you plan on cooking.

The water tasted weird and was brown, so we decided to ask at the bar for bottled water. Alas, evidently the entire facility was devoid of water save for one single small bottle. In the evening, we began to hear a persistent electrical alarm beeping, and this continued the entire night; I believe it was a UV water filter or similar, but we couldn't find it to silence it.

The smell of smoke in the suite was strong enough to keep us up all night. I don't know if the neighbour was smoking, or if the suite always smells like that, but it was also very musty so I assume the latter. I also was disgusted to find that the linens were stained with what appeared to be old blood or coffee.

At this point you may be wondering why we didn't leave. We were in need of the kitchenette, for one. Secondly, you really are in the middle of nowhere up here--so there isn't really another hotel you can hop over to. Thankfully we were only staying one day so we did our best to get through it. We lay in bed and stared up at the remnants of the smoke detector, which at some point had been unceremoniously dismantled.

I did try to reach out to the front desk for support that evening, but no one answered the phone despite several calls. The next morning I emailed them, but have received no response.

For those who are thinking they may stay in the main building with more success, I suggest you consider carefully. When I was in there, I noticed that the indoor pool was causing a lot of pool smell and extremely moist air. In fact, the front door glass was 'sweating' with the humidity. I doubt I'd have had a healthy and safe sleep in the main building, either.

If you're going to stay in Haliburton, I think it's wiser to search out another option.

Diana

Great stay at Sir Sam's Inn for 2 days. We enjoyed the warm salted pool and sauna. The pool area was clean and relaxing. Our room and bathroom were also clean. We loved the fireplace. Fire starter was provided. Friendly staff, we forgot our phone charging block and they were kind enough to provide us with one. The massage was wonderful, one of the best! I like how the service and dinner was charged to the room. What a great birthday getaway!

Justin M.

Great little spot for rest and relaxation. Didn’t get a chance to really enjoy the entire place. But, the bar area is really nice. Restaurant is small but very nice. We had breakfast both mornings. Was very good. No complaints. The room was a decent size. Huge jet tub big enough for two. Real fireplace with lots of wood just outside the room. Only negative things about the entire trip would be hearing the elephants above us stomping around the entire weekend and parking was slim due to the snow and peoples lack of knowledge on parking. But both of those things aren’t the Inns fault in my opinion. I recommend this spot to anyone in need of some peace and serenity. Or just time alone with your significant othe.

Jenn R.

We really wanted to like this place. All the staff we met were kind and there's obviously a very sentimental history here. We just felt like considering the price, we didn't get what we expected. The dinner was good but limited options for a stay of several nights, and there were inconsistencies like not being told the features. On one night it took an hour to get our food and nothing was done to make up for it. The web site makes it look like breakfast has lots of choice but we had the same 4 items in a buffet all 3 mornings. The decor is dated but we could handle that if things weren't also run down- extremely low water pressure, tub very marked and faucet leaking, ripped rug in lounge area, that kind of thing. We've stayed at this type of resort before with breakfast and dinner packages, and we were looking forward to celebrating our anniversary at Sir Sam's... Unfortunately we cannot recommend this place based on our experience.

Dave L.

We reserved the Glen Eagles Suite based on the website photos and were very disappointed, as both bedrooms were on the second floor (web photo shows bedroom on main floor), the room had a very musty smell and the oven was filthy!
We couldn't stay there because of the stairs and were provided a room (Lakelands #4) in the main lodge (but no kitchenette available) with one queen bed. We were given a price discount for our troubles, but this room wasn't great either.
The fireplace had not been cleaned at all and ashes were on the floor. Bathtub wasn't clean and sofa had an old stain and was probably older than me. Bed was comfortable but not a king.
We like the location but probably won't return. Management needs to upgrade a some minor things things if they want to attract return customers.
The staff were very pleasant, otherwise this rating would be one star.
Very disappointing.

Judy W.

Excellent mini get away! The staff were excellent! The tour by Chelsea included all the facilities, various guest rooms and she answered all of our questions. We arrived an hour early our room was ready. A large suite including table, couch area, fire place, jacuzzi tub, king bed, clean and with a great view. A plate of appetizers with champagne were left for us. Great touch! Our meals were included in the package and the first meal was good. Tracey was our server, she was exceptional! Professional, very friendly, went beyond to answer any questions and to make sure our meal as well as our stay was the best. Tracey a jack of all trades, booked our massages, came to assist us in our room, at the front desk as well as the tavern area. She helped with the right beer choices and anything additional she went out of her way to ensure we had answers and what we needed. Our second meal was excellent! She made sure that any adjustments were made accordingly to suit our our tastes. The chef did an excellent job! Breakfast was a big hit too. Again staff amazing. We enjoyed ping pong, pool, shuffle board, foosball and a walk on the lake. We had a great experience in the spa pool. It could have been a little warmer perhaps and unfortunately the sauna at the time was not available but we were reimbursed for that.
I would highly recommend having a massage by Anca. The hot stone massage was amazing. Can't say enough about the staff, we would like to thank all the staff at Sir Sam's and especially Tracey for making our stay feel like home.

Will D.

I wanted to give this place a much better rating based on the willingness of staff to help and their warm service. The setting is lovely - nice waterfront, access to kayaks and other amenities, and the water spa is a wonderful experience. However, the dining room is overpriced and the food quality is less than average. Breakfast is served with McCain tater tots and the waffles were so poorly prepared that they took them menu that morning. Dinner was somewhat better, but portion sizes and quality are inadequate. The views are lovely but the rooms are outdated and the beds are not comfortable. I would pass on any meal plans and reserve dinner once to see if it suits your taste.