I bought the Groupon for the Monte Carlo Inn in Oakville back in the spring and thought we'd finally use it for a fun staycation date night with my husband.

The Groupon was $129 and included room, 3 course dinner at Pomodoro Restaurant and a bottle of wine (taxes and gratuity extra).

So our Wednesday night date featured a smooth check in, room as shown on the Groupon with jacuzzi tub and a warm bottle of house white which was from Kittling Ridge (not too bad!) but no cork screw. So we obtained a corkscrew and some ice to add to our wine and chatted until we got hungry.

We brought a nice bottle of wine with us and were planning on bringing it to dinner (since the "restaurant" is really just a room in the hotel) but were told by Tom, our waiter, that no outside wine is allowed. Understanding this rule we ordered the most tolerable $27 bottle of pinot grigio we could find on the wine list. The wine arrived, while our water glasses remained empty for another 15 minutes. Tom poured our glasses 2/3 full and set the bottle on the table. Some time later, he took our food orders - antipasto plate and calamari to start, and spicy sausage penne and seafood fettucine for our mains. Starters arrived in a timely manner and the calamari portion was HUGE, easily enough for a main course. When the mains arrived, they were even HUGER! It was ok pasta and ok sauce, generous serving of mussels and shrimp. We were getting thirsty and hadn't seen Tom in some time, so I went and refilled our waters at the bar. He said he could do it when I got up there and I said this was easier. Our second trip to the bar to refill our water revealed that Tom was doing a crossword puzzle while sitting on a chair. Desserts were eventually ordered and arrived. I felt like a coffee so my husband went and interrupted Tom's crosswording again to request some. At the end of it all...get this! Tom asked if we would like to open OUR bottle of wine now! Ha ha ha ha. Good thing the $9.03 gratuity was included in our room fees because he certainly didn't receive one from us.

Ended the evening with a nice jacuzzi bath and a good laugh about it all. Monte Carlo Inn Oakville is fine, Pomodoro is atrocious, and the breakfast was very substandard (toast, jam packages, cereal, coffee, whole apples). Enjoy!