Ok, before you read my review please note this was a guys getaway weekend and not a family vacation. I have posted several reviews of other hotels that my family and I have stayed at and my review might be vastly different if I was staying with my family. But please do read on!
As i wrote, this was a guys getaway weekend at the Bonnie View from Septemer 17-19. We got a good rate because there was a small wedding at the resort that same weekend. It also meant we were on our own for dinner Saturday night as the dining room was being used exclusively for the wedding. We knew this in advance and received a discount off the price.
Check In: We arrived early and were pleasantly greeted by Shelia at the reception desk. She said our room would not be ready for another 1-2 hours and recommended we sit by the lake or go into town for a bite to eat. We had a long drive so we just sat by the lake waiting for our other buddies to arrive and our room to be ready. It was really just pleasant sitting by the water enjoying the beautiful view in a quiet and serene locale, away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
The Rooms: When our rooms were ready we were pleasantly surprised to hear that they upgraded one of the rooms to a suite (originally we had booked one suite and one room in the main inn) with no additional charge. This was great as the suites are much larger. One suite was above the other but were very similiar. One had a jacuzzi tub but we didn't use it anyway.
The room itself is spacious and immaculately clean. The staff do a great job of keeping the rooms and the grounds exceptionally clean. The furniture is dated and carpet is older and probably needs replacing, but it was clean and not musty smelling like at some older resorts. The bed looked new and the mattress was firm and just right. The tv was small but they have satellite reception which was great so we could watch the football game!
The spacious bathroom was newly renovated with nice tiles and what looked to be a new sink and tub. The shower head was a bit low for taller fellows but it had a removable spray head which was a bonus.
Food: The dining was amazing.The dining room has a great view of the lake from every table. As I stated, we could not dine at the resort.on our first night because of the wedding. But Andrea (I hope that's right name!) was great at making recommendations nearby. Sheila had suggested a great Thai place but Andrea quickly called and found out they needed reservations and could not accomodate us til much later. She recommended another restaurant (one at a resort on the other side of the lake). We went there for dinner. My friends had hamburgers and I had a steak sandwich. The burgers were excellent and my steak sandwich was one of the best I've had. Though it wasn't the Bonnie View that served the food that night, I have to commend them for recommending a neighbouring resort's restaurant. That shows excelllent customer service.
We had breakfast on Sunday and Monday morning in the dining room. Again, excellent service and the menu had the usual eggs, pancakes and french toast. I had pancakes and french toast and they were both excellent. Tasted like home made. My friends had eggs and bacon and everyone enjoyed the breakfast. The dinner at Bonnie View on Sunday night was also outstanding. Dinner included an appetizer, entree and dessert. Some of the entree's were a little extra (like lobster) and some desserts as well. We all loved our appetizers (mine was a cheese ravioli like dish that was awesome) and for the entree my buddies all had the steak; I had the beef bourgion. My friends all raved about the steak, the potatoes and veggies. My beef dinner was very good but a little on the salty side for my taste. They had a large selection of desserts. We all chose something different and they were all delicious.
The food at the Bonnie View is outstanding as is the friendly attentive service.
The Staff: The Bonnie View is a small family run resort. I heard that the chef is the owner and his wife also works at the Bonnie View in the dining room and at the reception. Every one of the staff were courteous and genuinely friendly. At many hotels, you can tell that the staff is there to get paid and seem friendly. At the Bonnie View you can really tell that the owners and staff really want your stay to be great and enjoy what they do. Even the cleaning staff were great. When we went to breakfast and returned to our rooms they had quickly cleand the entire room and replaced the towels. We really appreciated that so we could go back to our room and change to enjoy the rest of the day at the inn.
Amenities: The only downside to the Bonnie View is the limited amenities. This is a very small family run Inn. If you are expecting the Ritz Carlton or Deerhurst Resort you will be disappointed. We also went in the off season (Labour Day weekend is generally the last full weekend of summer for resorts up north). So the small dockside restaurant was closed. But they had several small canoes, paddle boats, kayaks and two seadoos (for an extra fee) you could use. We took advantage of the watercraft and had a great time on the small calm lake.
Overall we had a great time at the Bonnie View. I would highly recommend It for a guys or gals weekend, romantic couple getaway or for the empty nester and older set that want a quiet resort experience. This is not a large resort with lots of amenities or kids activities. But we were also there in the off season so I don't know what kind of programs they run if any for the kids. There is a small beach but no pool. I don't think this is an ideal spot for families with small children. There doesn't seem to be much for them to do here.
But the food, the beautiful, tranquil setting and the friendly, attentive staff that go out of their way to make your stay more enjoyable make the Bonnie View a fantastic northern retreat that I would highly recommend.
Room Tip: Ask to upgrade to a lakeside or jacuzzi suite.
See more room tips
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
