Lodge at Pine Cove — Hotel in French River

Google does not allow an owner's response reviews. So please excuse me but we have a review on google from a Marina Laporte about our Thanksgiving dinner and I want to clarify a few things that she said in her review.

We have had a Thanksgiving potluck dinner for 15 years at the lodge and it is really great fun and there is tonnes of food for everyone.

To respond to Marina's review - We cooked four turkeys and had lots of turkey left over and it sat on the servery for a long time after everyone had finished and many came and got more. Marina came and asked me at about 6.45pm when we would sit down for dinner - the dinner was billed for a start at 6pm and we sat down at 7.15pm. She told me her 2 year old was hungry. I replied to her that we would sit down shortly and that as the meal was a potluck ($25.00/head - we supply the venue, labour, turkey, mash, veg, coffee and some desserts - it is a 16 hour day for the staff and myself). Dinner starts when everybody has arrived and had a drink. I certainly was not rude to Marina - I love being an innkeeper and built the lodge and have run it for sixteen years. Had Marina asked for a separate plate of food for her child we would have been more than happy to oblige - she did not or perhaps thought of bringing her child a snack to keep the baby comfortable. Marina was given all the instructions about the Thanksgiving dinner before her arrival and it seems from her comments that she decided not to bring anything for the potluck, so if she did pay $40.00 for dinner ( we charge extra for those not bringing anything, because we want everyone to bring something even if only a salad and that way the potluck works) it was still a bargin - the food was absolutely wonderful. Perhaps she did not get enough turkey - most plates were so full on the first round that there was no room to put much turkey on them. I served the turkey, mash, gravy, cranberry sauce but there was tonnes of turkey left over. Not sure what Marina expected for a potluck $25 dinner but we all had a lot of fun and the staff and myself worked very hard to make sure it worked well which it has done for years - 90 people came this year with a lot of locals who have heard about the event. We all eat at a giant table, lots of conversation, drinks at the bar and a good time for people not at home for Thanksgiving. It is a really festive occasion. We decorate the lodge with leaves, pumpkins etc. Marina was also aware (given info before she arrived and when she arrived) that there was another option for dinner that night. We would have delivered a BBQ dinner in a hamper to her cottage at anytime she wanted for $30.00 per person - it is a good dinner complete with starter and dessert. I am sorry she felt the way she did but a Thanksgiving Potluck is an event that is made up of; part the lodge/part the people who bring the potluck. We cannot stop what is a wonderful hour get together before dinner, for a mother who did not tell us, in advance, that her two year old needs feeding exactly at 6pm and who does not bring anything herself to the potluck. When we had Thanksgiving dinners at home as a child we often had family guests and there was always a get together before we actually sat down. As far as making $2300 in one night, I suggest that Marina first deduct the costs of eight staff who worked between 8 and 12 hours to prepare, set-up the tables, clean-up all the dishes, the cost of four turkeys, 40 lbs of mash, bowls of gravy, cranberry sauce, chocolate cake and pans of roasted vegetables. Not to mention the venue itself with two big fires going in stone fireplaces, linens and good china at every place setting - it is beautiful and all for $25/head? This is not a money making event, far from it. It originated from desire to get together for Thanksgiving when we were first building the lodge by the then guests and cottagers on the bay. I wonder where Marina goes for a $25.00 dinner that is better than this because I think it would be impossible to find? Signed, Frustrated...

My wife and I have been going to the Lodge at Pine Cove regularly for over ten years. It's a collection of luxurious cedar cottages and a main lodge on the French River, near North Bay, and in French River Provincial Park. We started by going as a couple in one of their studio cabins. We now rent a two-bedroom cabin overlooking the cove with our kids.||Canoeing and kayaking are so convenient with the included boats, paddles and life jackets. There are many hiking trails around the property. We have many great memories of playing cards or reading on the screen-in porch too. We have caught many fish just off the dock or with a fishing guide.||We like open water swimming in the cove, and there is a floating dock that my kids like to swim to. Our usual cabin faces the cove and gives us a good view of the docks and cove.||After all the outdoor activities in and around backcountry French River provincial park, it's nice not to have to set up a tent at the end of the day. Instead, you can take a bath in a copper tub and sleep in a really comfortable king bed.||We can spend hours tending the fire - either the wood stove or the firepit on the beach. They provide all the chopped wood and kindling.||We used to go backcountry camping, but coming here has all the experiences but none of the chores.||For meals, you have a fully stocked kitchen so you can make your meals or BBQ, which is especially great if there are dietary restrictions. There is also a restaurant where you can go for a sit-down meal, get takeout, or buy bbq meats for your grill. And the breakfast basket delivery is a fantastic thing to find on your porch every morning!||Blueberry season is mid-July, and these wild blueberries are delicious. It is an incredible experience to paddle up to one of the islands and eat all you want.||There is Starlink for wifi at the Lodge, but you won't get a signal for wifi or cell at the cabin. This slightly off-the-grid feel has been amazing for reconnecting with the family. The kids have about 30 minutes of withdrawal and then they start playing games and using their imaginations for the rest of the trip. ||At night you can easily see the Milky Way, and one of our best memories of the French River was seeing the lunar eclipse in May 2022.||Recently we went to Five Fingers Rapids by boat and did the natural water slide there - my kids...

We absolutely loved our mini honeymoon stay at Pine Cove. We arrived early at our check-in but immediately was given access to our cabin! We spent the chilly afternoon sitting on the porch, sharing a glass of wine and enjoying the indoor wood burning stove. As the weather warmed up we went for a quick paddle to enjoy the sunset and the cove otters. Breakfast was amazing! I can not stress that enough, it was perfectly paired with the readily available Cream of the Earth tea! I could not stop raving about all the locally made shampoo/condition, lotion & hand soap. Our favourite part of our stay was our boat cruise with Alex! We adored learning about the land/trees/soil/rock/animals, watershed, colonization, etc. It was such an unforgettable history lesson, really reminding us where we came from! Also, we were not expecting such a spectacular view of the Five Finger Rapids at the turn around point! We wrapped up our second evening with restaurant made smash burgers, 10/10 would recommend! Our only complaint was when we asked two separate staff members specifics about the onsite trails and asked "which one is your favourite with the best view?", neither staff member had ever walked any of the trails. Therefore, could not give us any details on terrain, lookouts, wildlife, etc. We ended up doing a couple trails but it wasn't until after speaking to Alex on our last day that he informed us of the resident "momma moose". We wish we had of known that fun/exciting fact prior to heading out into the bush, just so we could keep an extra close eye out for our furry kind friend!

All in all, it was an amazing stay! Only thing I regret is not booking a longer stay in the cabin and not buying the handmade shampoo & conditioner! Thank you Alex for the unforgettable memory!

PS- After the staff found out we were celebrating our mini honey moon, we were shocked and thrilled to find a congratulatory bottle of wine waiting for us in our cabin after our boat cruise! Thank you so...