Spruce Hill Resort & Spa — Hotel in Area G (Lac La Hache/108 Mile Ranch)

Where do I even start with this review... I was at the resort last weekend for my best friends wedding. When we arrived we were all told we had to wait until 3:00 to get into our rooms because they were being cleaned, which was fine, but when we got to our chalet we found a dirty pan in the sink and dirty counters. there were 2 empty beer cans in one of the drawers, one bed had a spoon in it, and another had a used Kleenex under the covers. The bathtub had a bunch of bugs in it, and the knob for the shower fell off in our hands when we went to use it. Another guest had a blood smear on his bed. The majority of our rooms were not actually clean. Some of the group went out for lunch and not one single person actually received the correct food that they had ordered. One person received a quesadilla instead of a chicken Caesar wrap, one person received some sort of sandwich with egg and mushroom instead of a clubhouse. Then when we went to the ballroom to set up the decorations we were told that half of the tablecloths were in the wash and that they would put those on the tables later that night as well as put the chair covers on all of the chairs. Then after awhile the manager admitted that they actually didn’t have enough round black tablecloths to cover all of the tables, and she could use white ones instead on some of the tables, which would have looked ridiculous, so we said no and instead asked her to fold some of the long black tablecloths for the remaining tables. The next morning (the day of the wedding) the brides parents stopped in to check on the tables and discovered that nobody had actually put on the chair covers or table cloths on the night before like they were supposed to, so we had to scramble to get them all done ourselves... That night at the reception it became very clear they had no idea how to host a large group. When the head table went up to get food we had to uncover all of the food ourselves, as well as rearrange it so that it made more sense. The meat for the pulled pork sandwiches was at the very beginning and the buns at the very end. Not to mention they had approx 20 buns out for sandwiches for about 120 people, and the food had hardly any flavour... one of the bartenders barely spoke English so it took quite a few tries before you actually got the drink you wanted. Somehow I ended up with a $48 bar tab for 2 drinks. They ran out of smaller bills to give change. The bridal party ended up having to clear glasses from tables because the bar was running low on glasses and no one was clearing them. Anytime we went to the manager with an issue or a complaint you could tell she really didn’t care, she just kept shrugging and telling us to write it all down or talk to the owner, and that there was nothing she could do... This resort has so much potential, the ballroom was beautiful, the rooms that were renovated were very nice, it’s just very obvious that they need a lot more staff that actually knows what they’re doing. There was one lady with shorter blonde hair that tried really hard to help as much as she could to make things perfect, maybe she should be put in charge of large events, or even just give her the manager position, she definitely cares about the guests more than the actual manager does... I would only recommend this resort if you want to clean your own room, eat bad food, and do all of the work for your event yourself, even though you’ve paid them to take care of everything. So many things went wrong that we couldn’t really do anything other than just laugh by the end of it. It was such a joke. DO NOT book an...

UPDTAED

See below for original review.

After my experience, I reached out to interior health in inquire about a few of the other reviews I've seen and the closure of the pool and hot tub(homemade signs said pool and hot tub closed yet owner said we could use them), closure of the food services (we were offered breakfast), and a boil water advisory (I did not see any signage to this affect, nor were we told about it).

I have since come to learn that the pool and hot tubs have all been ordered closed by Interior Health and no bather are permitted, even though the owner told us we could use the facilities and even have us towels to use them. He had said that a complimentary breakfast was offered, against the order to not serve food in any capacity to guest or the public, and that there was an additional boil water advisory that were we not made aware of at any point during the short time where were there.

I cannot stress this enough. DO NOT STAY HERE! This place should not be in operations with the breaches that we experienced while were were there.

ORIGINAL REVIEW

Extremely Unsafe Hotel — Serious Safety Concerns at Spruce Hills Resort & Spa

I don’t even know where to begin with how shockingly bad this “resort” was. My son and I checked in around 7:00 PM, and we were so concerned for our safety that we left by 10:30 PM — and drove several hours home rather than stay another minute.

Let’s start with the property itself: broken windows (including the front reception), garbage piles everywhere, derelict vehicles sitting abandoned with weeds growing around them, and generally run-down and neglected grounds that look like no one has cared for them in years.

Inside? Dated room with dim lighting, old and questionable electrical wiring, and paper-thin security. The shared balcony gave open access to other rooms. The beds? Easily some of the most uncomfortable I’ve ever tried to sleep in.

But none of that compared to what happened later.

Around 10:15 PM, while my son and I were in our beds SLEEPING, someone unlocked our door from the outside. The deadbolt had been disengaged — by someone using another key to our room — and the door was partially opened before being caught by the secondary latch. The person outside simply said “sorry” and walked away. I had locked the deadbolt myself earlier, so this wasn’t an accidental housekeeping error — someone was given access to my occupied room.

At that point, I packed my son up and we left immediately. Even then, the owner had blocked my vehicle with his truck and I had to confront him directly just to be able to leave. His response? Apologies and promises to "make it right next time." There won’t be a next time. Ever.

To add to this: when I first checked in, another guest (or possibly someone living on the property — it's impossible to tell) was loudly screaming profanities outside, which is always great when you’re traveling with a child.

In my many years of travel, I have never felt this unsafe at a hotel or resort — anywhere. This place should not be operating in its current condition.

AVOIDE AT ALL COSTS!!!!!!!

There is absolutely nothing “resort” about Spruce Hills...

It’s all about expectations. The web site promises a “fabulous” experience, complete with Dining Room, Spa, Horseback Riding, hiking trails and luxury. The photos show the resort in a spectacular setting in its full glory. Unfortunately, the reality is very different. |The setting is indeed spectacular, but it is clearly run down from its glory days. It started with a long bumpy gravel driveway which at the very least needs to be graded. Half of the parking area is taken up by what are clearly old wrecks, discarded mattresses and other “interesting” items. The dining room is completely closed so there was no dinner for us. (we had to drive into 100-Mile House for dinner). The riding stable had not seen a horse in at least five years and was overgrown. We found no evidence of the promised spa or gym. Any hiking trails looked to be overgrown. The indoor pool and hot tub area were open and the water looked clean, but it suffered from a lack of ventilation, and the humid stuffy air inside put us off of an anticipated soak. In addition, an Interior Health notice on the door did little to encourage us to partake in a swim. |On the plus side, our room with King bed was clean and comfortable with lots of hot water for the shower. We had a balcony (shared) that offered a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains. The spectacular view was somewhat spoiled by the morning sun glistening off the discarded multi-colored pieces of plastic playground scattered in the field below. It was very quiet, and we did enjoy a good night’s sleep. A few details like a stubborn deadbolt lock on the entry door and a bathroom door that wouldn’t close stick in our memories. |The promised breakfast in the morning consisted of a bunch of carbs (toast and muffins) so we passed on it and drove on to the delicacy of a Tim Horton’s breakfast in 100 Mile House. |This Resort has clearly seen better days. It has good bones and could be wonderful again, but that will take a little bit of effort to achieve. The expectations set up by the web site were not matched at all by the reality. We won’t be back...