The Cobblestone Manor — Restaurant in Town of Cardston

Quaint property. Ivan had a few jokes and was friendly. The best thing...they DO allow dogs. We did not eat there so we cannot comment on that. We actually did not stay here either. We left after about an hour. Insert our declaration that we LOVE supporting small businesses and are proud Albertans, but this was ultimately so disappointing. ||||So here is our experience... We unloaded and thought we’d do a quick wipe of high contact surfaces with lysol wipes to give us piece of mind for our stay in light of being Covid Concerned. So light switches, door knobs, remote, taps. I’m not sure the place has even been cleaned. The bathroom faucets were speckled in toothpaste spit and soap, hair in the sink, all our lysol wipes were filthy, the main entrance screen door handle was filthy. I didn't just wipe light fixture switches, but ended up wiping the whole plates because they were disgusting. We tried to over look this as we had had a long wonderful day in Waterton and were tired and in need of a good rest. What put me over the edge was a used bar of soap by the bathroom sink for our use. A tiny used hotel bar of soap? For my fiancé it was lifting the toilet seat to have a pee and it was covered in pee and poop splashes. Obviously not cleaned between guest stays, and built up over time. And that was after he wiped the shower floor with a lysol wipe as we were starting to feel uncomfortable about even getting ourselves clean. The wipe was disgusting. Not to mention the brown stuff smeared all around the bathroom door handle he started wiping...at this point we looked at each other and said this is not worth us even thinking about getting into the bed and packed up and left. We did turn back the bedding and I am sure, but not certain clean sheets were on the bed, but the duvet cover on the bed has probably not been laundered in many moons. We can overlook outdated bedding, decor, furniture, stained carpets (which is why they probably allow dogs) but cleanliness let alone during a pandemic is something that should not be overlooked by the business owner in this industry. We did phone after we left (unfortunately a 3 hour dive home) to inform Ivan of our departure and why. There was no answer. We phoned back today and discussed this with him. He said he thought we decided to leave early when we did not show up for breakfast and hung on to his surprise that we were the first people to ever bring their own wipes. To some it might be weird, but to us it’s a small precautionary measure to bring us comfort. I never thought we would leave a place cleaner than we found it...and not even stay there. Ivan indicated he was not sure who cleaned it but he had been informed it was ready for the next guests and that he had processed the full charge on credit card this morning, but would refund 50%. He also informed us it would only be partial because he could have rented it to others that called later last night looking for a room. Interesting he answered their call but not ours. That’s fine Ivan, keep the $75 and your welcome for the cleaning that we did. ||||In any event, do I love quaint, small home based businesses...yes. Do I expect a basic level of cleanliness...yes. Let alone EXTRA and precautionary measures businesses should be taking and following to give clients peace of mind during this time. Not leaving them thinking about whether they are going to gets warts or not from the dirty...

Quaint property. Ivan had a few jokes and was friendly. The best thing...they DO allow dogs. We did not eat there so we cannot comment on that. We actually did not stay here either. We left after about an hour. Insert our declaration that we LOVE supporting small businesses and are proud Albertans, but this was ultimately so disappointing. ||||So here is our experience... We unloaded and thought we’d do a quick wipe of high contact surfaces with lysol wipes to give us piece of mind for our stay in light of being Covid Concerned. So light switches, door knobs, remote, taps. I’m not sure the place has even been cleaned. The bathroom faucets were speckled in toothpaste spit and soap, hair in the sink, all our lysol wipes were filthy, the main entrance screen door handle was filthy. I didn't just wipe light fixture switches, but ended up wiping the whole plates because they were disgusting. We tried to over look this as we had had a long wonderful day in Waterton and were tired and in need of a good rest. What put me over the edge was a used bar of soap by the bathroom sink for our use. A tiny used hotel bar of soap? For my fiancé it was lifting the toilet seat to have a pee and it was covered in pee and poop splashes. Obviously not cleaned between guest stays, and built up over time. And that was after he wiped the shower floor with a lysol wipe as we were starting to feel uncomfortable about even getting ourselves clean. The wipe was disgusting. Not to mention the brown stuff smeared all around the bathroom door handle he started wiping...at this point we looked at each other and said this is not worth us even thinking about getting into the bed and packed up and left. We did turn back the bedding and I am sure, but not certain clean sheets were on the bed, but the duvet cover on the bed has probably not been laundered in many moons. We can overlook outdated bedding, decor, furniture, stained carpets (which is why they probably allow dogs) but cleanliness let alone during a pandemic is something that should not be overlooked by the business owner in this industry. We did phone after we left (unfortunately a 3 hour dive home) to inform Ivan of our departure and why. There was no answer. We phoned back today and discussed this with him. He said he thought we decided to leave early when we did not show up for breakfast and hung on to his surprise that we were the first people to ever bring their own wipes. To some it might be weird, but to us it’s a small precautionary measure to bring us comfort. I never thought we would leave a place cleaner than we found it...and not even stay there. Ivan indicated he was not sure who cleaned it but he had been informed it was ready for the next guests and that he had processed the full charge on credit card this morning, but would refund 50%. He also informed us it would only be partial because he could have rented it to others that called later last night looking for a room. Interesting he answered their call but not ours. That’s fine Ivan, keep the $75 and your welcome for the cleaning that we did. ||||In any event, do I love quaint, small home based businesses...yes. Do I expect a basic level of cleanliness...yes. Let alone EXTRA and precautionary measures businesses should be taking and following to give clients peace of mind during this time. Not leaving them thinking about whether they are going to gets warts or not from the dirty...

The Cobblestone Manor was a great bang for the buck but most importantly it was steeped in a rich history, great food and fantastic hosts in Ivan and his wife.

Our group was on a golf trip to the southern part of Alberta where most of us had never played before. When researching for an affordable place to stay, we stumbled upon the Cobblestone Manor in Cardston Alberta as we were going to play the Cardston golf course that day and needed accommodations for the evening.

We met Ivan before we went golfing that early afternoon and were able to check into our B & B. We had the lower part of the house and there were other folks that had the top floor. The B & B is pretty basic with 2 bedrooms in our unit, kitchen, living room, eating area and 2 full bathrooms. It could use a bit of new paint and a few updates but all in all it was clean, comfortable and a fantastic bargain.

As mentioned, the B & B itself was not the main attraction as you can stay anywhere and get similar amenities. It was the restaurant that was the main attraction. We were told by Ivan that there was an all you can eat dinner being served that evening containing all the things a tired group of guys getting off the golf course couldn't pass up like roast beef, mash potatoes, veggies, salads, soups and desserts just to name a few of the many items. We probably bankrupted poor Ivan and his wife as we did indulge and definitely took advantage of the great meal for $23.00.

One must remember that Cardston is a dry town meaning that there is no booze that is served. If that's not an issue for you, it's an amazing value. What you do get is an amazing host that will show you around the manor and give you a history lesson on all the intricacies of the place that was built in 1913 if I remember correctly by a master craftsman. The detail of every square foot of the place is amazing from the woodwork to the stone work. The passion of it's owners are without question as they regaled the sad story of it's original owner and how it came to be.

If you'd like something different and unique in your travels in a beautiful part of the country at a unbelievable value, you should really look into trying the Cobblestone Manor. Once again, temper your expectations as the B & B itself on the main floor that we stayed was modest and could use a few touch ups, but as mentioned it was clean, comfortable with lots of room and character. Thanks again to Ivan, his wife and staff for making our stay a fun and entertaining one. Finally, thanks for the awesome breakfast in the morning that came with the price built into our accommodations at the B & B.

Unfortunately I didn't remember to take pictures this time so I used ones posted on the internet from others that would have been far superior to mine anyways. So shout out to those that took these photos, they are all spectacular and I believe capture the essence...