Walnut Beach Resort — Hotel in Osoyoos

We were very excited to visit Osoyoos since this was our first time, and heard such wonderful things about the area. We were looking forward to our stay at Walnut Beach, especially where it is situated on the waterfront. Although, much to our disappointment, our excitement came to an abrupt halt when we arrived at the hotel, an experience which was poor to say the least. The Front of House staff member who ‘greeted’ us did very little to welcome our family, with minimal eye contact and a lacklustre tone. We were provided with minimal information about the hotel and its facilities, which was very little help to us due to our unfamiliarity. To make matters worse, the information that was given to us was later found to be inaccurate when clarified by a senior staff member, verifying that not only did the staff member lack customer service etiquette, but basic knowledge about the general features of the hotel. The staff member appeared somewhat disinterested, which ultimately left a sour taste from the very beginning and tainted our overall experience at Walnut Beach. ||Inside the suite[s] in which we stayed were clean and well maintained. Utensils were easily located and fully functional. The utility area that included a washing machine and dryer was an added convenience which we were initially unaware of, but yet, pleasantly surprised. The view of waterfront was lovely and the general aesthetic of the suite was pleasing. We were unable to say the same for the condition of the balcony area which appeared to have not been cleaned/maintained for some time. In spite of the insects and flies that consume the outside area, we felt there was no excuse for not ensuring that the external as well as internal conditions of the rooms were nearing consistent, especially when classed as a four-star hotel. ||Despite the cleanliness and overall aesthetics of the suite which we felt were positive, we were compromised heavily by the disturbances experienced throughout our stay, which was cut short due to the ongoing issues we faced from the first day/night. The noises from the room above were loud and excessive to the point that we could hear the noises over the tv. Our sleep was disturbed, our children awoken during the night and we were essentially forced out of the room during the day to get away from the sound of chaos above us. After speaking with management, we suggested to be moved to another room, but due to limited availability, there was only one available on the same side of the hotel. Yet, to our dismay, this did not solve the problem. In fact, the noise in the second room was even worse. We were told that rooms had been renovated, and one of the changes was that carpets had been replaced with wooden/laminate flooring, hence why the noises in rooms were intensified. We were told that there was nothing more that could be done. ||Unfortunately for us and other guests, we couldn’t achieve any peace or comfort even at the poolside due to maintenance work taking place at the time, which we were not notified about. The sounds of metal being cut was not exactly the soundtrack we expected on what was anticipated to be a restful and tranquil break. ||One of the most astonishing occurrences that needed to be mentioned, was during a conversation in the main restaurant with senior management concerning our issues. A bar/restaurant staff member was heard burping so loudly behind us as we spoke, to the point that it paused the conversation. At one point, it was assumed that the senior management would apologise on their behalf, or even address it there and then, but nothing was done. The fact that this sort of thing can take place in front of guests is beyond me, and nothing that I have ever experienced in any of the four/five-star hotels I have stayed in the past or recent times, in different parts of the world.||Since we felt there was no further possibility of a solution to our problems, we decided to conclude our week-long stay at day number three. ||Walnut Beach could have been that place, that place we could have returned to each year, but it fell significantly short due to a multitude of preventable errors....

One of the nicer hotels in the area. Overpriced, but considering everything in the area is overpriced, this hotel is a good balance of quality and price if you're willing to shell out a little extra for a nicer, cleaner hotel with more amenities. It's not next to the main street with restaurants in Osoyoos, but given Osoyoos is quite small it was only a short 5 minute drive to get to all the restaurants.

The building is on the old side, as most buildings in Osoyoos seem to be. However, you can tell the hotel strategically renewed specific things to make the hotel feel more comfortable on the whole (the room doors, shower wall tiles, kitchen appliances, bed linens, and blinds). Although the hotel is older, the room was very clean and had no smells.

The bathroom was clean, though I did notice a bit of residue on the walls of the tub. It looked like it could have used a little extra attention during cleaning, but it was not bad at all. The towels were all very clean. The edges of a couple of the towels were frayed, but this didn't bother me much as it was very clean. There was some dust in the filter on the back of the hair dryer that could've used a cleaning, but this tends to be the case in hotels below a certain price point.

The bed linens were very clean. The mattress was too soft though, and all the pillows were quite high, so unfortunately you end up sleeping with a hunched back. The pullout bed was clean and ready to use, but very squeaky. If you use it, expect to hear squeaks when the person sleeping on the pullout bed moves around at night.

The thermostat was hard to control. There was only on/auto/off for the fan, and cool/heat/off for the mode. It took some time to find the right combination of settings to be comfortable. The fan was very loud when it turned on, to the point of being frightening for a fairly heavy sleeper in the middle of the night, so I ended up setting the fan to always be on.

The furniture was not particularly new or luxurious, but it was clean and I spent most of my time outside of the room, so I wasn't really bothered by it.

The hotel has an outdoor heated pool, 2 outdoor hot tubs, and a small private beach with lounge chairs. The pool and 1 of the hot tubs were open during my stay. The pool was well heated and was very comfortable, even in the 10 degree weather. I had 1 meal in the restaurant. As expected, it was overpriced, but it was surprisingly delicious. The watersports sadly hadn't opened yet for the season, but it seemed to...

Our stay is for four nights. Room was clean and comfortable, great for family.

Pricey, though, for zero room service, had to ask for an iron and ironing board, and go down and get it, same for extra blankets. Had to go get toilet paper and clean towels and take out our garbage and recycling. Perhaps there should be a reduced rate for not receiving this type of service during Covid times?

Although the hotel is very attractive, the lay out is confusing and beyond awkward. Upon arrival and entering from the street, I walked into what I thought was a lobby but was actually the parking level. After orienting myself for a few moments I realized I had to either take the elevator or staircase to the second floor, also called the main floor, to get to reception. There were no signs to direct me. Staff, however, once I figured out where to go, were super friendly and helpful.

The general layout is confusing and strange - walking to the beach or pool requires a walk through a small door and through the restaurant or down the hallway past first floor hotel rooms, then down a narrow hallway opening up to a walkway beside the restaurant patio. Entering the restaurant feels like you are going in a back door - not a proper entrance.

Our server for two nights, Patrick, was truly an excellent waiter, however they were dreadfully short staffed the one night and he was just running to make sure everyone was taken care of. The kitchen made our appetizers to be ready at the same time as our meals, so we didn't get to enjoy the appetizer. Food quality was below average, and the menu very basic, almost like pub fare. I had the vegetarian linguine that was incredibly rich but flavorless. I asked for salt and pepper and managed to add enough flavour with the salt to get it down. The tuna bowl at our table was overcooked and tough. Drinks sounded so pretty and appetizing on the menu but all came out tart and relatively less enjoyable than anywhere else this trip Definitely sub-par food for the higher-end price. I can cook better at home, which is disappointing, lol!

We did have high expectations...staying at another high end resort in this beautiful little town in the past had made us realize how good it could be here in Osoyoos and we were definitely disappointed with Walnut Beach. It could be SO GOOD with just a few tweaks...staff is excellent which is half the battle. Menu should be better and Covid inconveniences should reduce the...