Oak Island Resort & Conference Centre — Hotel in Western Shore

Recently stayed at the Oak Island Resort on July 28-29th 2021. Before our check-in day, I called and spoke to the receptionist who ensured me that when I was booking online that your newly renovated rooms would not have carpet. That being said, we booked a two-queen bed oceanview room. When we arrived I asked the receptionist if our room had carpet. She answered no, and said the rooms had been renovated. When we got to our room (435) it seemed we had been very misled. Our room was not an oceanview as we had one small window in the corner where a bed was pushed up against it, making it difficulty for us to get to the window. Once we opened the curtains to enjoy the view we noticed how dirty the windows were with lots of dirt and dust buildup, including dead bugs. We were also very disappointed that despite our room being updated with the fixtures and a beautiful bathroom, the floors were still carpet and stained in certain areas causing it to look scummy. We decided that we should put our names down to reserve the indoor and outdoor pool as per Covid restrictions. We absolutely loved the outdoor pool, it was very clean and relaxing. However, this was not the case for the indoor pool. The indoor pool was so murky that once we got in we couldn’t even see our own legs. We immediately jumped out and showered and went back outdoors to a much cleaner pool to enjoy. It seemed when we spoke to others in the pool they also felt that the outdoor pool was better even if it was really chilly out as they didn’t feel comfortable swimming in the indoor pool. Later, we booked a dinner reservation for 8pm. We showed up a few minutes before 8pm and we were shown to a lovely outdoor table with a stunning view. Our server, whom we didn’t catch her name, was lovely. Our food experience was the complete opposite and was the worst service we’ve had in some time. The menu we received was not the same as what was listed online. When we asked about it, we were told the menu had changed 3 times so far this season and the kitchen can’t get it together. We were very upset about this as the online menu was something that attracted us to stay at your resort. When we ordered food & drinks, it took over 50 minutes for our drinks to arrive and an additional 40 minutes four our food to arrive. This was totally unacceptable; normally, we would have walked out but unfortunately with the resort being distant from other food establishments we were forced to stay or not eat for the evening. The waitress was running off her feet serving our table on top of 3 tables of 8 and 2 tables of 3 people. That is 30+ people for one server, which isn’t fair to her. This is poor people management and is unacceptable. Our overall experience was a let down, we hope this isn’t the normal “warm Nova Scotia welcome” you offer all guests. We are very disappointed and will not be recommending your resort...

I wish I could give 0 stars... I do not know where to begin. My sister had her wedding here and don't get me wrong her wedding was beautiful and her day was perfect... no thanks to Oak Island. They double booked the spot where she was supposed to get married (with the built-in arbor) and had to move her to a different area (with an arbor that Oak Island had). However, the day before the wedding, we found out that that spot was ALSO booked out... so we had to find our own spot. Days before the wedding my sister called to make sure she would have an arbor... Oak Island emailed back and said "oh yeah the arbor was stolen". If she had not emailed them asking about the arbor, they simply would have not told her this crucial information. We booked out chalets and were told "I don't know" when we asked what time check-in was. So the bride had to call the day of to try to find out check-in time. When she called they told her she did not have a chalet booked. So essentially, the bride and groom would have no where to stay. They eventually found their booking confirmation. However, when they arrived at Oak Island they were told AGAIN that they did not have a chalet booked. Finally, they found their confirmation, however Oak Island had booked out the wrong chalets then what they were told. In addition two people who attended the wedding have Celiac Disease (gluten-free). Bride and Groom were told there would be specific gluten-free plates for these people. There were NOT gluten-free plates prepared and they had to go to the buffet. They were told the fish was gluten-free and ate it. We later found out the fish was NOT gluten free. If you are short staffed, then simply do not book so many weddings. If you can't provide good service for that many weddings then maybe rethink somethings. Quality over quantity. We are understanding people and would not be so upset if the staff had been understanding of OUR concerns. We had a beautiful wedding, the area itself was gorgeous and the food was amazing. I would not recommend Oak Island for a wedding or event... unless they makes some...

TLDR; Do not stay here.

Where do I begin… my partner and I were torn between Whitepoint and Oak Island Resort for our long anticipated getaway. We ended up choosing the latter due to slightly better pricing, and hearing positive things from friends and family. Despite this, we have nothing positive to say.

We arrived mid afternoon on Friday. Pulling up, we couldn’t help but notice how shoddy the outside appeared to be. It looked more akin to a motel than a resort getaway. We brushed appearances aside, hoping the interior would make up for it - and at first glance, it did!

The lounge area & bar were nice, and had us excited to see our room. We had booked the Ocean View King Suite, so we were expecting a more upscale hotel room with a nice view - especially considering the price. To say we were underwhelmed is putting it nicely. The room was fine, but that’s about as much as we can say. Nothing about the room helped us justify the price.

We had also upgraded our stay to include the Cozy Up bundle. This was ~$50 extra, and came with 2 mugs, hot chocolate, Baileys, and 2 continental breakfast boxes. These breakfast boxes were possibly the biggest offence of our stay. Price wise, these alone made up $30 of our upgrade. Included were deli ham & cheese slices, a cold hard-boiled egg, a breakfast bar (which we both to found be inedible) as well as a yogurt cup (one you would buy at any grocery store) with easily the most bland granola we have ever eaten. I would guess that box must’ve cost $4 separately, but we were charged $15 each.

The views and outdoor areas were quite lovely, but everything else felt like a scam. For something labelled as a resort and spa, there was no typical spa services available, and nothing felt resort-like.

All in all, we paid $460 for a 2 night stay and were extremely disappointed. For those thinking of planning a vacation here, I would strongly suggest taking your money elsewhere. Oak Island Resort and Spa appears to be using COVID as an excuse to profit off of minimal effort. Simply not...