Avalon Lavender Farm — Attraction in Mono

Response to Avalon: it is amazing to me that there is a sense of surprise when there are many other reviews like mine that say the same thing. Our family of 6, adults and children alike, felt the same about the lack of activities/things to do at the farm. You guys have so much potential to do better.

I love how you bring up one person telling you it was the best high tea ever, and how no food is ever left. We saw trays of food taken back. Scones untouched--multiple left half eaten on plates with comments of hardness/staleness. My family member made a comment as she saw platters of food being taken back as well. Make no mistake, we very much aware this is a farm experience. But if you read other reviews, SO many of us mention the overcrowded ,stuffed tables! It is up to you how you choose to continue, of course. The whole experience would have been much better, if there were only 4 people allowed per picnic table, versus the 8 you squish together. Listen to what the customers tell you! We want you to succeed, not fail!

I am always very honest with my reviews.

This review is two parts-- the farm itself is cute and it's nice to be able to cut your own lavender. However, beyond that, there really isn't much to do. The river walk was unimpressive. There are horses you can feed, and chickens running around. There is a barn that is extremely hot inside, with a bunch of inventory that did not look appealing to me. I feel like there is so much more that can be done on this farm. So much more potential! Also the parking was hell!! On our way in, two cars existed from the entrance side, almost causing an accident. It had a sign saying no entry and yet they drove in. On our way out, one car was blocking the driveway out! It was hard figuring out where to go to get out. Someone needs to be there to tell guests where to park exactly, and how to exit safely!

High tea-- I love high tea and have gone to many places before for it. What we experienced today was not it, I'm sorry. It is on picnic tables, and you're sitting neck to neck with people you do not know. It is beyond uncomfortable and way too close. They squished us so tightly together. You then share all the food with all 8 people at your table , which I absolutely hated. Because of where I was supposed to be seated, there was a beam from the table there which would have made me have to be touching a stranger man the entire time, I opted to skip a seat (they said that was fine, but you could tell the lady was not happy about it!!), but then this did not allow me to have direct conversation with my step mom at all because you felt like you couldn't say what you wanted to say, with all the other people listening and being way too close to you. I think seating people side to side would have been better, and not fitting as many people at the tables. It would have been incredibly nice and less anxiety-provoking to have more personal space, and have the ability to talk to the person you came with more privately. It felt like they were trying to cram as many high tea ticket prices as possible per table vs people that come in all shapes and sizes, who want to enjoy their time. The capacity for this high tea should have been half the people that were there. My step mom and I both said this was a one time experience only. Neither one of us would recommend it to others. The food was okay-- nothing amazing. Scones were rock hard. So many left untouched or half eaten, all around us. The cannoli, two thumbs down. The best was the salad.

Then, a man came around telling us not once but twice how we could sit for as long as we want, but they want us to enjoy the farm too, while listening all you can do...to us this implied the food was done, so we got up to leave. As we were walking out, they started serving carrot cake. So poorly organized!!! Neither one of us wanted to sit back down in those extremely comfortable seats (where I had to get out of with great effort by the way! Trying desperately not to kick the girl that was...

Bought tickets to their date night at sunset in the lavender fields. First it was misleading because upon booking I thought it was the price that I was booking for, but turned out that it was only a deposit. The day of the event it started raining. I had called to ask if the event was still going to happen and a gentleman on the phone said they were in the process of discussing it and that they had no back up plan. Called once again shortly after and was told to come and that the event was still going to go on. Arrived at the farm walked the fields and it was very disappointing. Not so many lavender, picnic tables were soaked, other cabanas were soaked. Owner of the property was very pushy and was telling me that many people had chosen to still eat in the rain. He handed food bags to people and sent them on their way to the wet fields. You could see disappointment on people’s faces but they had no courage to speak up. Owner also mentioned to people as he handed the food bags” sorry we usually set out the cutlery for you, but it’s rainin”. So you can’t set up the tables but it’s ok to eat in the rain! What a joke. Us and another couple asked for our money back and he was not to pleased about it. Oh yah there was another option for eating upstairs in their stuffy hot barn. I was not not going to pay $120 per person to eat in a barn. What a date night that would have been sitting so close to others! My impression was a picnic out in the field. Not a very well planned out event, owner shouldn’t have thought this better in the event of a rainy day. I would never come to this farm again. Owner seemed only interested in the fact that he had already purchased the food so we should just take it and eat it on the wet picnic tables.Those were his words. Me and my husband were not impressed. Too top it off just seconds after he returned our money, he told me that I had made the girl I spoke to on the phone cry. The phone call consisted of me asking her about the event since it was raining and to have someone call me back who had more information about it. My family was present as I spoke to that lady on that phone call and there was nothing said that would make anyone cry.

I'm adding on to this review after reading the comments the owner placed after my review.

To the owner of the farm: A few things, I do not appreciate your dishonesty. You at no point during that event did you tell your customers that they could pick and choose where they could sit. You yourself had assigned a wet picnic table to me(with an actual number on it) You told customers here is your table settings, we usually have it set for you but we couldn't because its raining! Your staff member told me on the phone that you did not have a back up plan! My reviews on other places have nothing to do with you, so bringing them up is very childish and immature. I was not rude to your daughter, I asked her questions about the event and had asked her to have someone call me back who had more information on the event. You had no interest in the concerns we had with the rain, all you cared for was that you had already paid for the meals you were serving that day. Those words were straight from your mouth. Oh I forgot to mention that considering it was a date night event why would you have a Yoga class happening in the fields at the same time?That seems like such an intimate date night dinner with your date with a Yoga class! What a joke!!I would never recommend anyone to your farm after my...

Had a terrible experience here at the high tea. My friend and I attended at $100 per person. On arrival, we were seated elbow to elbow with the people next to us and were very surprised to find the food was communal style with no dedicated trays per pair that had paid $100 each. It was very awkward to have to reach over people to scramble for whatever food was left. It was obvious they had oversold the event, and there was someone acting as a bouncer telling us to squeeze down and not let any newcomers take a seat - very tacky. The food itself was mediocre, and didn’t match the misleading menu they had posted prior. I’m very surprised it was provided by Piano Piano - stale, hard scones, one single sandwich (that claimed to have caviar, but did not), and some smoked salmon and bagels. One jug of tea and when it was done it was done, whether you got any or not. For $100. At the very end someone came around asking if anyone was gluten intolerant, and then provided a cup of lemon flavoured ice as dessert - no further accommodations were made at all so I’m not sure why they even bothered asking if anyone had dietary restrictions. The whole experience felt like a scam, and I likely won’t be going to Piano Piano again either after this. Not to mention Avalon is non-responsive to all emails and phone calls (their voicemail messaging says it’s still the Canada Day weekend).

Edited: in response to the owner, we arrived at the meal start time, and I’m not sure how your response at all addresses that you oversold and overcrowded the event, there wasn’t enough food nor tea for everyone who you collected $100 from, and the menu was misleading. The people beside us who arrived well before us were eating the exact same scraps we were. Disappointing response but I’m not surprised...