Hidden Valley Resort, an Ascend Collection Resort — Hotel in District Municipality of Muskoka

Issues we faced: Hidden resort fees, should have expected but did add an additional amount onto the bill NO ELEVATOR: we did not know this and we have two young children under (1/4) so we use a stroller and wagon for our items. When checking in, the woman told me the elevator was all the way down the hall. We unloaded our kids and stuff to find out we couldn’t access the family suite on the third floor with the stroller or wagon. We carried them up and left our items at the stairs then my boyfriend retrieved our stuff. This is something that should be advertised more for families and accessibility purposes. We had the 2 Queen Bed/Sofa/Lakeview with the door that separates the living room and bedroom. Room 334. Our bathroom was so dirty, that we actually showered in our swimming pool shoes. They had pink mold between almost all of the tiles. The shower drain does NOT stay on and my son cut his foot because it shifted two inches and he tripped, ripping his big toe when we were first checking out the shower area. The shower also has a shelf in it, ours was filled with the old garbage from the last guests. The shampoo/conditioner/body wash that comes in the shower was also empty, luckily I always bring my own. Toilet area is its own area, which is cool for multiple people but the door will open even if locked – when the outside door is opened to the hall. Air pressure? Also, the corner had a weird hole in the roof that my boyfriend joked had a camera and I couldn’t stop overthinking. The wood floors are separating in the bathroom area of 334 which is a tripping hazard for little kid toes. Hotel was very rundown/showing its age. This is a secondary issue and is to be expected but I was surprised that the literal roof was peeling thick layers of paint. Very gross carpets, I would not want my 1 year old to walk as she falls often and they were very sticky. Many parents sit in the bar/restaurant area and allow their kids to run around the hallways. If you have younger children like us that go to bed around 7/8pm – the noise can be quite loud. The bar advertises a bar menu online but when we were there on a Saturday, I went down at 8:30pm to order a spinach dip off the dinner menu (which closes at 9 for the bar menu) but was told the kitchen was closed. While my boyfriend watched the kids I decided I’d have a drink then let him come down for one, but was surprised that last call came by 9pm. For the price you pay for a resort we paid almost $350 for the night, it’s sad that you can’t even have a later night snack to bring to your room after the kids go to bed.

Things we enjoyed: The pool, hot tub, and sauna area were very nice and well maintained. This was the MAIN reason we booked other than having the family suite which allowed us to have a separate living room for mom/dad time after the kids went to bed. The Linen was all clean and did not smell at all (towels/sheets/facecloths). Bed was very comfy and very good heat control systems. The staff were wonderful, I believe Lawrence was the one who mainly helped us. The reality of our issues is that on a fully booked weekend, later in the night, there is no one who could truly have fixed the issues we faced with our room. Although we will never return, we do acknowledge that all the staff we did interact with were all very lovely and helpful. They also are not there to be babysitters for bad parents, so we don’t blame them for the children running around late into the evening on a hockey tournament weekend. Location was amazing for anyone who wants to ski/snowboard. Parking was very easy. We were able to access Arrowhead Provincial Park easily for the skating as well.

Overall, I think the owners need to put more funding and accountability into this resort. Their unique swimming area is SO worth it but the other issues are not. The staff are the faces that deal with the unhappy opinions of customers when it’s not something they can...

Issues we faced: Hidden resort fees, should have expected but did add an additional amount onto the bill NO ELEVATOR: we did not know this and we have two young children under (1/4) so we use a stroller and wagon for our items. When checking in, the woman told me the elevator was all the way down the hall. We unloaded our kids and stuff to find out we couldn’t access the family suite on the third floor with the stroller or wagon. We carried them up and left our items at the stairs then my boyfriend retrieved our stuff. This is something that should be advertised more for families and accessibility purposes. We had the 2 Queen Bed/Sofa/Lakeview with the door that separates the living room and bedroom. Room 334. Our bathroom was so dirty, that we actually showered in our swimming pool shoes. They had pink mold between almost all of the tiles. The shower drain does NOT stay on and my son cut his foot because it shifted two inches and he tripped, ripping his big toe when we were first checking out the shower area. The shower also has a shelf in it, ours was filled with the old garbage from the last guests. The shampoo/conditioner/body wash that comes in the shower was also empty, luckily I always bring my own. Toilet area is its own area, which is cool for multiple people but the door will open even if locked – when the outside door is opened to the hall. Air pressure? Also, the corner had a weird hole in the roof that my boyfriend joked had a camera and I couldn’t stop overthinking. The wood floors are separating in the bathroom area of 334 which is a tripping hazard for little kid toes. Hotel was very rundown/showing its age. This is a secondary issue and is to be expected but I was surprised that the literal roof was peeling thick layers of paint. Very gross carpets, I would not want my 1 year old to walk as she falls often and they were very sticky. Many parents sit in the bar/restaurant area and allow their kids to run around the hallways. If you have younger children like us that go to bed around 7/8pm – the noise can be quite loud. The bar advertises a bar menu online but when we were there on a Saturday, I went down at 8:30pm to order a spinach dip off the dinner menu (which closes at 9 for the bar menu) but was told the kitchen was closed. While my boyfriend watched the kids I decided I’d have a drink then let him come down for one, but was surprised that last call came by 9pm. For the price you pay for a resort we paid almost $350 for the night, it’s sad that you can’t even have a later night snack to bring to your room after the kids go to bed.

Things we enjoyed: The pool, hot tub, and sauna area were very nice and well maintained. This was the MAIN reason we booked other than having the family suite which allowed us to have a separate living room for mom/dad time after the kids went to bed. The Linen was all clean and did not smell at all (towels/sheets/facecloths). The staff were wonderful, I believe Lawrence was the one who mainly helped us. The reality of our issues is that on a fully booked weekend, later in the night, there is no one who could truly have fixed the issues we faced with our room. Although we will never return, we do acknowledge that all the staff we did interact with were all very lovely and helpful. They also are not there to be babysitters for bad parents, so we don’t blame them for the children running around late into the evening on a hockey tournament weekend.

Overall, I think the owners need to put more funding and accountability into this resort. Their unique swimming area is SO worth it but the other issues are not. The staff are the faces that deal with the unhappy opinions of customers when it’s not something they can...

We wanted a last minute family trip and picked this area. The hotel had availability and was on the cheaper end over a few others so we went with it.....and this hotel is definitely a get what you pay for kinda deal.

It's very dated, which isn't the end of the world, but you can tell they aren't even updating or fixing even the most basic of things. Upkeep seems about bare minimum, and cleanliness is questionable.

Seriously hotel, if you just have a handyman fix a few things every day it'll go a long way....astethetics matter.

I can't fault the room cleaning staff either as they seemed to do a good job and topped us up with clean towels, made beds, etc.

The room we got was lake facing and nice, and a big size, although for some reason we were one of the few rooms without a balcony (which would have been nice to be able to sit out on).

The room itself was massive; it looked like they took two rooms and made it into one, but that also made it a bit awkward. But overall for a bigger family there was space to stretch out so it was all good.

The doors/walls are also paper thin so prepare to hear everything.

We booked five people in but they only started us with 3 towels. What's up with that? We asked for more and the room service guy promptly brought some so all good. He was pleasant.

The pull-out couch also was horrible to sleep on. Prepare yourself to sleep on metal springs. You'll need to ask them to bring up extra linens if you plan to use it as well.

Pool towels also need to be claimed at the front desk and promptly returned, or else risk getting charged for them.

The outdoor pool looked kinda unkept, but the weather was meh and it was too cold to go in, so could be why(?).... although the indoor poor smelled funky and was mildewy and gross, so I'm just thinking they are both always pretty grimmy. Ymmv.

The sandy beach area looked nice enough however the weather was bleh when we were there unfortunately.

It's also a trek to walk down from the hotel, and a cardio workout walking back up, so prepare for some fitness and you better be ok with steps!

The tennis/basketball courts for some reason close at 6pm...which was dumb as there was a ton of light out still, plus the courts have lighting, so I don't get it. We had to pressure the front desk about getting tennis rackets and they finally relented. They lock everything down for some reason! Just be accommodating to guests already!! We just wanted to play tennis past 6pm!!

The tennis courts are chewed up though, pretty rough, but we still had fun.

Also, they will pretty much charge you extra if you even think of taking a towel, chair, or rip the art off the wall. There is a handbook with the charges. Made me a bit paranoid actually as I didn't want to get hit with phantom charges when we left (luckily we didn't).

If it had been nicer weather and we got to take advantage of some of the other amenities like the beach and water we prob would have had a bit more fun here so I can see why the mixed reviews of some people enjoying it here. It was also nice that they had a few outdoor fire pits and chairs to gather around if so inclined.

Overall we prob wouldn't go back...