Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort — Restaurant in Area D (Lardeau Valley/Duncan Lake)

Super fun place. When we got there on Oct 28, 2023 it was crazy packed! Like - questioning if we wanted to be there packed. But it cleared out a lot once it closed to the general public and was open just for hotel guests.

We were always greeted with a smile by the friendly and very hosptibal staff (a+). I emailed with the staff a couple of times prior and had made note that we came up for my wifes birthday and again a+ service and kindness. I've traveled extensively and usually get some kind of bonus when traveling on special days - be it if they saw it on my travel profile or I say something. This was for my wife's 40th so I had high hopes but to no avail but that is totally okay and not expected. I just make note so that you know in case you too are traveling for a special reason.

The views are amazing! This is the primo spot! The pool is realitively clean but are beginning to show signs of wear and I wish the tunnel was a little better lit as i heard several people make mention that they accidentally sat on someone's lap or got stepped on. I also wish the tunnel could get scrubbed a few times a week by staff as it left a rusty stain all over all of us, but I suppose that's what you get from a cool natural attraction. One poor gal that wore white bikini bottoms looked like she messed herself. So be sure to wear suits that you don't care about. And bring water bottles to fill up with water while in the pools to stay hydrated. I consider myself a water snob and found the water from the filling station at the pool to be excellent!

We had a one bedroom suite 512 - which is one of the newer rooms that are across the parking lot from the pool (about 300 feet away to the building). The wind was blowing ever so slightly and the temp was about 22f/-7c making the walk to the room to be bitter cold. We picked these rooms because they look much nicer than the traditional rooms that have apparently been remodeled? But look a little dated. Though with them being attached and further from the road it may had been better but I wanted a separate sleep area from. A wind break wall to the west/lot side of the walkway to the newer rooms would be very helpful. The rooms were nice, clean, and comfortable - but we found ourselves wishing they had a microwave like pretty much any other western hotel. Or at least one in a central area like the ice machines are - as I know the staff got rid of microwaves due to it causing smells in the rooms (or at least this is what i found on other reviews). Both bathrooms in the suite were nice and clean. I intended to take some good pictures of them as there is unsufficent pictures and information on the website and other reviews so sorry it will remain as such. The master had a nice walk in shower and the main bathroom had a normal tub/shower combo. I was surprised to find that the master did not have a closet or luggage vallet but later found two in the closet by the front door in the mail living area (more like a large coat closet). The road noise was bothersome all night long. The road side doors and walls did not seem like they were commercial sound deadening but maybe more of a solid grade residential building material as I have traveled the world and been in busier/noisier areas and not been woken up so much by cars noises all night long. Also the door to the main living room was not very sound deadening and I could hear the squeek of the sofa-bed all night long every time my boys moved in their sleep even though I had the pocket doors and outter barn door closed (both). The beds were pretty comfy and the sheets quite nice. The kitchen area had a water boiler, kureg coffee/tea maker, dish towels, ice bucket and tongs, wine opener, and of course, a sink. Nothing else in all those drawers or cabinets which seemed a little odd.

All in all we had a wonderful time but for the cost of it all and for the noise we might choose to stay in Nelson next time so we can get a better night's rest. I still highly recommend for the cool...

I recently stayed with my family at the ainsworth hot springs hotel.

The front desk staff as well as the cleaning staff were very professional and helpful. Very kind people. Unfortunately that is where the positives ended.

The resort itself is described as family friendly but is not at all. There are absolutely no amenities besides the hot springs. There is not even a common area to sit if you are travelling with a larger group.

The hot springs itself is also nothing to write home about. The change room area is very dirty and not well maintained. The hot springs itself is the same.

During the day they don’t seem to cap the amount of day visitors at all to the point where every inch of the hot springs has a body in it. We were not able to go in the hot springs at all during the day because of how busy it was.

Also because of day visitors we would leave the hotel and do other activities during the day. When we returned there was absolutely no parking. They say they have designated areas for hotel guests but do not enforce it at all. Leaving hotel guests with no where to park.

During the times(morning and evening) when it was hotel guests only in the hot springs my kids were constantly scolded for simply swimming around rather then sitting on the edge of the pool like the adults which is apparently what is expected during those hours. My kids were going under and holding their breathe and coming back up and we’re told they were not to do that. My youngest who isn’t a strong swimmer was holding on to his brothers back and we were told that was not allowed. My oldest was simply swimming around in one corner of the pool and was told he was “splashing too much”. When I brought it up with management that I thought it was family friendly and my kids would be allowed to swim I was told the morning and evening hours were expected to be “quieter” and they would get complaints simply for kids being in the pool. Which is apparently what lend to the scolding. I felt it was unfair we were getting scolded simply because other guests didn’t like kids in the pool when this was suppose to be a family friendly place. They informed me it was more laid back during the day. So basically the only perk to staying at the resort which is the private swim times was not really friendly to kids.

The food at dinner time was good, the breakfast which is an extra fee is awful! I wouldn’t even want that for free and they charged $10 for kids and $15 for adults. Some of the restaurant staff was nice but the majority were very rude and acted as if you were ruining their day simply be being there. Jayleen was especially miserable and seemed to really hate her job and dealing with people at all. I was actually a little embarrassed watching her interact with customers so rudely.

Overall I would never return to this resort. There is really no benefit to staying at the hotel and it is very overpriced. It is definitely not welcoming to families which is a huge downfall for me. But even my mother in law who is in her 70s did not enjoy anything...

We are local and have been coming to the hot springs and the restaurant since moving to the area. We also typically make a trip every time we have guests come visit/ rent one of our properties. However our last few visits have been a bit disappointing. The pools have been overcrowded and not very clean. It seems like we all tend to get sick the day after visiting the hot springs. This has happened now after our last three visits. We’ve also spoken to several friends/families in the area who have experienced the same issues after visiting. One mentioned that the owners are actively logging uphill of the hot springs, not sure if there’s any correlation there?

What really made us decide to stop visiting was the service at the restaurant. Our last 2 visits at the restaurant had poor service not to mention their policy that groups of 6 or more are required to pay 20% gratuity is unreasonable. I totally get that bigger groups require more work from service staff but I used to manage a couple restaurants and I can certainly say that it seems like these folks are taking advantage of their clients. Most restaurants don’t charge a mandatory gratuity until the groups are 8 or more and typically 18%. We were a group of 4 adults and 2 children and after our last two experiences felt that it was unreasonable to force a 20% tip upon us, doesn’t leave much motivation for the service staff to work for their tip. we’ve already seen this when we came in larger groups our last two visits.

When we brought this up to the supervisor/manager she was pretty rude about it and said that all the restaurants in the area charge a 20% mandatory gratuity for groups of 6 or more (which is a lie and incorrect- of all the restaurants we’ve been to in Kaslo and Nelson, they are the only ones), she also said that the law allows them to enforce this mandatory gratuity (also a lie) and then she proceeded to tell us that if we didn’t like it we were free to eat anywhere else. Needless to say we all got up, left and enjoyed a nice dinner in Kaslo. You simply cannot treat your clients this way, it’s absolutely deplorable!

Before we left, we submitted our complaint with the receptionist, she said they were having a meeting later that day and she would bring up my complaint. She took my number and told me she would get back to me. It’s been a week now and we haven’t heard anything.

It’s unfortunate but we won’t be returning or bringing/recommending the hot springs/restaurant to any of our friends/family or frequent guests that rent our properties in the future. Quite disappointing.

Halcyon hot springs is a bit further but certainly worth the extra drive. We’ve never had any of these types of issues there.

On the plus side. The views are great, caves are unique and beautiful, and the food at the restaurant is typically top notch, although they’ve made some recent changes to their menu that weren’t so great. The hotel rooms are dated and nothing to write home about but the...