Viamede Resort — Hotel in North Kawartha

We came here based on the online description of the resort and amenities; which made it all sound like a higher-end experience, rather than a more "rustic cottage at the lake" experience. Unfortunately, it is much closer to the latter, than the former... and we were rooting hard for the higher-end experience. The rates are not inexpensive, sadly the facilities and elements of the service do not coincide with the pricing threshold. Our experience - so far: Driving up, we noticed that a lot of the property seemed really overgrown and unkept. As we approached the main building to park, we were about 10 feet away from the side of a building on which the paint was seriously flaking off, and, looked horrible. Not a great first impression. The main building itself seemed better cared-for, however, kind of cast a shabby-chic appearance, rather than high-end resort grandeur; awnings dirty, weeds in the sidewalk... etc... When we enterd the foyer, I accidentally walked right past the check-in desk, which, in fact, were a couple of desks/tables as opposed to a typical hotel check-in counter. That was ok, but, there was nobody there... for over 30 miutes. Other people were waiting too. This afforded us the time to look around. I was excited - at first glance - to see a very large aquarium (big fan) in the lobby... until I saw the sorry state of it. It was grossly over-grown with algae, and, cast an evil smell. I suppose they were going for a "native" look with native species, and, overall appearance, but, that does not explain the lack of hygiene in the tank. Finally, someone arrived - Kayleigh I believe was the name... one of the managers. Although it was around 2:30pm, our room was not ready yet. Again, ok, that can happen at any hotel, and, if their check-in time was 3pm (unsure), totally "within bounds." The really irksome thing was waiting 30 minutes for someone to arrive to tell us this. We later learned that Kayleigh had not been at the desk because several new piglets had escaped from the on-site farm, and, "all hands" had been called to round them up. We were told we were free to make use of the facilities while we waited - great. We decided to go to lunch at the Boathouse. As soon as we walked in, I commented to my wife that I knew I recognized this place from somewhere. A quick Google search revealed that I had seen it on Retaurant Makeover, as a subject restaurant about 12 years back. The decor of the interior of the restaurant was ok - dated about 12 years I guess. And, the decks surrounding were generous in size, with gorgeous views of the lake, however, the decks themselves - one older part and one newer part - had never seen a lick of stain or paint, and seemed to be fading into grey... perhaps somewhat like the rest of the property... The staff were all very pleasant, mostly seeming to be teenagers or perhaps early twentties. All wore smiles and, seemed eager to please, but, the impression we were forming was that there was nobody really in charge. We waited about 40 minutes for a burger and fries, a poutine, and, a fruit salad. The fruit salad consisted of one piece of canteloupe, one piece of honeydew, two half-strawberries, one of which was rotten on one side, and, about 6 grapes. The other food was fine, but... no condiments came on or with the burger (we were told you need to request condiments when ordering), and, we got no cutlery, ketchup, or napkins with which to eat the food, before the waitress ran off. My wife had to chase after her to ask for these items. As other people have said, the cottages are about what you would expect from someone's slightly aged and run-down family cottage... a few spiderwebs in the corners, and, "almost clean" inside. Beds and linens were comfy. Tiny TV. No phone. Slow internet - may be the best available out in the woods though. We had asked for a unit with an oven/stove to do some of our own cooking. We got a fridge, and, strangely, a frying pan... but no stove top. There was an old BBQ on the rickety porch; which was seriously rusting inside &...

The cottage we stayed in was very nice, definitely could use some updating but clean and comfy none the less. We had to ask for shampoo/body wash and coffee for the room but that was provided with no issue. We also enjoyed a canoe ride one afternoon. We liked that the resort was dog friendly.

Where our experience was less than stellar was with the service. It’s not for the lack of trying by staff, many of the staff work really hard (Jessie and Madelyn in particular) and try to make up for what’s lacking but it is clear that the Management prefers to run their staff ragged.

The weekend we stayed found the resort to be sold out with many of the guests there for a wedding. This was the biggest issue. The wedding. The resort should have been closed to additional customers as the staff were focused on the wedding guests only. Everyone else was treated like an after thought.

When we arrived, we asked about our food choices. We had really wanted to eat at Mount Julian but were informed that unfortunately, the restaurant was closed for one night and the other night was booked solid. In both of our calls to Viamede prior to our stay, we were never informed that reservations were required at Mount Julian. Instead, we had to eat off of a pub menu for our entire stay.

While the food at both1885 and the Boathouse were great, the menu which was the same at both, was limited.

On our first night, we were told “I’m sorry” numerous times by staff as we asked for simple things during our meal like a Corona or after dinner liquor or whiskey. All that was available was domestic beer. This was due in part to the transition between their summer season and the fall season. We were told that many of the supplies were still down in the boathouse. Our server was also the only one in the dining room. She was running around trying to serve 8-10 tables while other staff were taking care of a BBQ for the wedding guests. She was so busy we had to get our own water and tea. Cleanliness was also an issue in both the boathouse and 1885. In 1885, it was very evident that the floors in the sunroom are rarely swept (i.e: the petrified sweet potato fry on the floor remained there from the time we arrived until we left). Dirty glasses were also left out from the wedding the night before. The boathouse was cleaner but still when we arrived right at opening, there was a chicken wing bone on the floor that had to have been there since the day before.

The in room information book also mentions that the “pantry” in 1885 is stocked with snacks and beverages 24/7. This is so far from the truth. We had to inquire about the snacks and the beverages were limited to coffee (which was empty on many of the occasions we went to get it), tea, luke warm juice and an ancient cappuccino machine.

We spoke to the Manager many times during our stay and though he tried to be nice, really he was just skilled in saying no in numerous ways.

What it all boils down to is attention to detail. Viamede has so much potential but it is clear that they are cutting corners...

We booked a two night stay so that we could check out the cottages, for possible rental next season. We moved into our lake view suite with kitchenette.

Our 'lake view' was completely blocked by a large tree. Even if the tree had been removed, we would have only had a lovely view of the back of the main building. Definitely not as advertised.

The 'kitchenette' consisted of a small bar area, with a tiny sink and only cold water. There was a bar fridge, a small and old microwave, and the tiniest coffee maker I've ever seen. There were no dishes of any kind.

We tried to talk to the owner, Ben, about this, but he really didn't listen. He was ready for a fight, even though we didn't give him one.

We returned to our room and decided to check some email. We were unable to get a working internet connection. Again, definitely not as advertised.

We decided to check the television and see what we could find. Alas, there is also no cable or satellite. They do provide DVD's if you want them.

I decided to check out the hot tub. I filled it, and when I turned it on, it was so loud the floor shook. It was actually painful. I gave up and shut it down.

When we eventually went to bed, our king bed sagged in the middle.

Next morning, we went for a surprisingly very good breakfast. We spoke to another gentleman about the internet, and he told us that we were free to come down to the main building any time and use it there. Not useful, but that morning we sat in the main area of the building and tried to check the news. The wifi was no better there. Still no connection.

We spent some time watching a pair of men working on the green pea soup in the pool. It looked pretty gruesome.

That day we looked in on some of the cabins. They were uniformly filthy. No sensible person would cook on the stoves.

Lately, we've looked at some of the reviews here. The responses from Ben seem to all be crying the blues about COVID as an excuse.

Here's our summary. We booked based on lake view. There was none, contrary to the advertising. Not a COVID issue.

We expected internet, as advertised, but there was none. Maybe they've cut back due to COVID, but it's not acceptable to advertise something that is nonexistent.

Perhaps the overall condition of the entire facility is partially due to COVID, but it really appears that things have been going downhill for some time. It's too bad. It's a lovely location.

The owner's attitude is terrible. He has no concept of active listening, or any kind of listening, really. I can't imagine booking a cottage, convention, or heaven forbid a wedding, and having to deal with him in case of any issues.

Viamede may have been something back in the day, but now it is...