Drake Devonshire — Restaurant in Ontario

We went here on our Honeymoon. So to begin with our expectations were high . This is relevant as I will explain.

Website is not crystal clear on what exactly you are booking . Looking at it now it seems straightforward in hindsight . There is the main building...pretty well most photos you see, restaurant , lobby, rooms upstairs, beach etc Then there is the Motel . The motel is not far but its a block and half away across the main street of the town to get to. It's a nice art deco motel, but a motel nonetheless . I parked my vehicle in front of my door...yup a motel (The room is very nice though, very big, King Size Bed, full shower and nice living space overall.) So when we booked we just assumed we were booking at the main building . We were mistaken ! The Drake Devonshire is the really the spot to be. The Drake Motor Inn is down the road . When you check in you go to the main building...the Devonshire .

My point is we spent over $1600 for three nights for a fancy motel room. (The couple in the room right beside us made the same mistake but at least figure it out the night before they arrived .) When we realized this we were really disappointed . We had just driven over 5 hours in traffic and construction so driving back was not really option. We were close to cancelling though on the spot and leaving. Major disappointment .

So why am I giving this place a 4 Star not a 2 or 3 ?

Because of what transpired after the initial let down. The manager spoke with us , said he would give a Full refund no penalty and anything including somewhere else close by they would help. Front desk staff were excellent too.

The Staff overall with one or two exceptions were first rate everywhere . So kudos to them. The restaurant inside has great vibe, great service, great food , beautiful view . Little things too that really enhanced the trip. Coffee in the morning in the small little quaint room off from front desk along with fresh croissants . Fresh chocolate chip cookies in our room. Afternoon tea in a cup to take outside by the water, no charge . Front Desk booked two days at Sandbanks and provided Parks Canada Pass . For me this place gets a 4.0 rating is really my mark ...just can't give 5 stars because over $1600 to stay in a nice motel room not on the main site....We would not have booked. For that price book a Fairmount, Manoir Richelieu , 5 Star Hotel , beautiful .

Having said all this . We will be going back booking MAIN building ( Devonshire ) probably not high season as its way too pricey.

Nice on the water, nice little side stream with outdoor sauna we used along with ping pong table and some other games . Great area too, beautiful homes and countryside .

Once again kudos to staff . In the end we a really nice...

This was our 20th anniversary surprise, this year by my bride, and it was wonderful. She had booked at Christmas in an effort to confirm the only King bed at the Inn, but we ended up with room 103, which I would now refuse knowing how noisy the kitchen and staff room is immediately adjacent. All other rooms were positioned properly and no one we spoke to had any complaints about their rooms, but we could literally hear them moving around, so they likely had a hint of what anniversary things we were getting up to. Our issues were promptly and properly dealt with by the staff to the best that they could accommodate and I applaude them on being able to look after us. Cool room though with a partial lake view and view of the creek. Comfy bed and modern bathroom. Kitschy art fills the space, and most of Wellington for that matter. The town is trendy with a few neat shops to hang around and view, and Bloomington and Picton also offer the same schmaltzing around and enjoying the scenery. The waterfront is small pebbles so if you're wanting to enter and swim or cold plunge from the sauna, bring water shoes. The sauna is a cool outdoor set up, large and lovely just across the creek. FOOD...best part, besides the endless water views. Giant glass windows offer terrific dinning views of the lake. First night there we tried the Burrata that was a appy special and it was incredible. Should be a permanent. Old fashioned made the start work nicely. I saw a regular order the fish and chips without seeing a menu and I knew it would be great and it did not disappoint. The sticky toffee pudding was delish. Our server was excellent and comfortable in his work and entertaining. Breakfast was a delight as we had the place nearly empty and could hear ourselves think and watch the waves while drinking a perfectly put together latte. If you like scones and jam and creme fraise then omg, do it here. Breakfast huevos rancheros was so yummy and my bride loved her eggs benny. We had a lovely complimentary bottle of sparkling rose and it was enjoyed this afternoon with new friends in the games room. Super cool. For dinner we decided to stay at the Inn as we like being able to saunter back to our room. We had another great meal of perfectly cooked steak and chicken schnitzel, that was started off with a great cheese board of local treats. All in all, a wonderful spot to enjoy some special time with great views and mainly wonderful staff. Kiki and Damien required a special mention as they went out of their way to make our...

The brand is trying to be upscale hip and trendy and in someways it is. The decor is gorgeous, the art is interesting. It's even extended to the outside with their "art walk" and little interesting additions to the exterior areas. Our room and view was fabulous. I spent loads of time just sitting on our balcony, reading, watching swans swim around and listening to the birds chirp and watching the guy that does the art - do his thing in the garden. LOL

That's what stands out as top notch but the dining needs some improvement. First off all the staff need to be trained to know what's what. At my first breakfast the new waitress didn't know any answer to my questions about the menu. She tried and was great, it wasn't her fault, it was the training. I asked for my bread to be sent back and re-toasted because it wasn't at all, it was warmed maybe. It came back exactly as it was the first time! The butter was un-spreadable because it was cold. I was told they have no peanut butter or honey, only jam for toast. What? No peanut butter? No almond butter for an upscale, hip place?

I was told coffee and scones would be available at 7am. There was coffee, no scones. I asked later if there were scones now and the nice guy at the desk got one for me. The next day no coffee, no scones. When I asked the staff told me it was a new idea and they would check to see. They got me coffee - no scone. ??

The food in general is overpriced for what it is. Again, trying to be upscale so the price is high but the food isn't great. Personally I'd rather a nice plate of "regular" food for a decent price and I think that would fit the place nicely without taking away from their trendy, hip style. We went to eat at other restaurants for the duration of our stay. Creekside Cafe - amazing food, some unique things - great price! The last night we came back for desert. The waitress really made up for the other stuff, she was great. The cherry pie was served cold with a scoop of ice cream smaller than a golf ball. Maybe it's just personal opinion but I like pie hot WITH an actual portion of Ice cream. It was great once they warmed it. They drizzled a lovely fruit syrup, added small grapes and a mint leaf. That's nice but just give me good, warm pie and then the rest is extra but if you don't do the basics right then the other stuff is meaningless.

Just know if you stay here, there is not much to do unless you want to just relax, go to wineries and drive to small towns. If that's your jam...