There are reunions, and there are family reunions. We had family members that were planning to gather from the America's -- yes, North America, and selected beautiful Ontario, CA (not Cali). Let me start by saying the resort and their people are wonderful. This is a rustic little city with a quaint atmosphere with serene views as far as the eye can see. The cottages and boathouse are nested away a beautiful shoreline that incases Lake Simcoe. Here's where we met Andrew; an amazing chef at the Briars that would give Emerald and Bobby Flay a run for the money. Andrew created a fabulous dinner with an amazing presentation, phenomenal service; enough to challenge the best NY restaurants! Pay homage to a great chef, before he is sought out by the big restaurant owners of Ontario, New York or abroad, and disappears from this little non descript hideaway. Cheers to the Briars for holding on to this amazing talent. read more

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Dirty, rundown. Terrible service. Overpriced limited food menu. Uneatable meal, small portions. Ruined our family birthday celebration. Do not waste your money. read more

Once again, this place has disappointed me. The food is disgusting and the accommodations are just as bad. The only redeeming part of the Briers was the spa until a few years ago, now it is just as bad. My grandson has on two occasions bought me gift certificates for the spa. Every time I called to make an appointment (on at least for different occasions) they did not have the staff to accommodate my request to have a massage and facial on the same day. Their inability to keep staff made my request fir the same day service impossible. After the fourth phone call I requested that they refund the amount of the gift certificates, which the former manager agreed to but failed to follow through. Now they are refusing to honor their former managers promise stating that I can use the gift certificates for food or to stay there. NO I will not do either. I honestly am thinking that I will give these certificates to homeless people as they do need a place to sleep and eat and that's about all the Briers is good for. I repeat do not even visit this place. read more

The Spa was wonderful. The resort staff were friendly. The resort is in an entire need of renovations. Stained toilet in the room, shower squealed, headboard not attached to the bed frame. Rotting wood around the windows. Peeling paint. Dead bugs around a lamp that were never cleaned up the entire time I was there. Old and dated furniture. Outdoor pool not open. Not accessible for people with physical disabilities. Lots of stairs. Food was average but overpriced. Indoor pool was cold and the showers were not clean in the pool area. Too bad. I was so looking forward to my stay and I was disappointed. read more

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Here is a copy of the email sent to The Briars following our stay. I have received no response over 1 week later. If you are considering booking at this "resort" I would caution you not to believe the 4 and 5-star reviews. The hotel is dingy, dirty and overpriced. Hello My family has wonderful memories of spending two magical Christmases at your resort in the 1980s. The luxurious and impeccably clean facilities made a lasting impression on us. However, we recently booked a golf trip at The Briars and have been disappointed in several aspects. Upon check-in, we were assigned a room on the second floor without being informed that an elevator was available. We had several bags and had to carry them up the stairs without any assistance, which was quite inconvenient. The room was called a "Lakeview Room," but I suggest renaming it to a "Lakeside" room because there was no view of the lake at all, unless perhaps during the winter when the trees have no leaves. The hotel's cleanliness was also not up to standard, which made the situation worse. I will include photos at the end of this email for your reference. The coffee cup in the room was too dirty to use, and the refrigerator was stained and dirty inside. Additionally, the shower was covered in soap scum, and we didn't feel comfortable using it. Throughout our stay, there were sacks of dirty laundry left on chairs in the hallway. This is not only unsightly but also unsanitary. Furthermore, there is no holder for the toilet paper, so people using it will just put it back on the counter, contaminating the entire surface. We decided to skip having toast for breakfast because the toaster was in a disgusting state. I regret not taking a photo to show how bad it was. We originally booked a room with a meal plan, but when we arrived, our reservation did not include the meal plan. I have attached the notes my husband took during the booking call. Unfortunately, we did not receive a confirmation email. Upon arrival, we were informed that the meal plan would cost over $100 more than what we were originally quoted ($226 versus $381 at check-in). After staying for one night, we realized that the meal plan was not advantageous for us, as we are not big eaters and would not be able to eat enough to justify the cost. We asked the front desk to remove the meal plan, but they refused. To add to our surprise, the current night's stay would cost $545 due to it being the Thursday before a long weekend, which was not communicated to us during booking or check-in. The front desk staff became aggressive when we questioned the $545 charge. Due to the staff's behaviour, we decided to cancel the remainder of our stay and departed. We are disappointed with the amount of money we spent during our stay. We were quoted $226 over the phone, but our final bill for one night with dinner and breakfast amounted to over $470. This did not even include golf. There appeared to be significant confusion at the front desk regarding booking and pricing. We had repetitive conversations about golf vouchers and meals and received conflicting information both at the time of the telephone booking and during check-in and check-out. We wanted to address these concerns directly with you before considering posting a negative review, and I await your prompt response. read more

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Yesterday my wife and I decided to escape for the afternoon and drive up to the Briars for a drink and a snack. A place we have enjoyed going to many times in the past. I phoned to make sure they were open and was told certainly but I needed to make a reservation. I did so. We drove up (80 kilometres in the rain) arrived at the appointed time entered the bar/lounge and were told bluntly and rudely "We're closed. The system is down and won't be up for at least 2 hours. " We sat ourselves down just to catch our breath and decide what to do. There were several staff walking around who appeared more intent on avoiding the gruff odious jerk who turned out to be the manager of the lounge than talking to us. Finally, a very pleasant young fellow came over and offered us a complimentary drink for our troubles. Meanwhile a family of four including a young child came in and we had to witness the annoyed manager tell the woman "I cant get you any food for at least 3 hours so please leave". With a small hungry child and no place near to go you can imagine her reaction. Good for you girl! I've got a flash for the Briars - if your electronic bar management system crashes but there is still a cook in the building, the stove still works and there is fresh food in the refrigerator THEN YOU ARE NOT CLOSED! If you want the people of Southern Ontario to think of you as a luxury resort then you are going to have to start acting like one. You people have learned quickly how to charge prices like a high end establishment you just haven't learned how to be one. Save your money everyone. The Briars is no longer the top notch resort you may remember from the past. read more

I've been here about six times over the last ten years with friends. It's a nice place to come to relax for the weekend and have some spa treatments (there is a spa onsite). Your meals are included and they are good. There is a dance on Saturday nights with DJ Dave spinning the tunes. DJ Dave is an old dude and has been here for years. When I'm here, it's mostly women so he should be playing lots and lots of fun songs. He kind of does this but then will play a bunch of slow songs in a row for the handful of couples which brings down the energy of the place. The nature walk with Diana Rowney is interesting as you'll learn a lot about the property, the area and the owners. The top of the tower is my favourite spot on the property ... check it out! read more

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I give one star because the main reason I go to a 'Spa and Resort' is to get good sleep and enjoy the quality of the resort. The bed was deplorable - about 30 years old. My back is hurting from the body lumps and I hardly got any sleep because every time my partner would move the whole bed would shake. The room was so dated - actually gross. The place is run down, although the staff try to maintain it as best they can. Mr. Lu (lives in China) bought it in 2017 and obviously paid way too much. The place needs millions of dollars in renovations and updates. Food was good, but restaurant tables and chairs are from the 1970's. The previous owner obviously milked it and then sold it for a very high price. read more

Decided to take a break from the city, and head north to stay at this Lake Simcoe resort for a couple nights. I recommend booking a room in their historic Manor House, as this is the best part of the rambling hotel (the new additions do not look that nice). Each morning, it was lovely to get up early, stroll around their lovely gardens, and then go for nice long walks along the lake shore on Hedge Road. There are many historic homes to admire, and the road leads to the charming St. George's Anglican Church. Just beyond the church lies Sibbald Point Provincial Park, another beautiful spot to walk around the get some fresh air, before walking back to the inn. As a day trip from the inn, we decided to visited friends at the magical Tinkl Gallery, located just outside the town of Uxbridge. (Depending on the season, one can join the Uxbridge Studio Tour.) On the way back home, we took a bit of a detour to Sharon, Ontario, in order to visit the impressive Sharon Temple, an architectural masterpiece, and a National Historic Site of Canada. All in all, this was a wonderful road trip. I recommend using The Briars as your base to explore more of Lake Simcoe, and the surrounding region. read more

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When we walked in we were greeted. But we were not given any instructions on where to go. We went to have lunch the food was good. Over priced but good. Then we went to the pool. There was nothing in the change rooms no soap, no robes, no towels. We later found out that we could have gone to the spa to get our robes. The water in the pool was freezing! It also had a weird smell inside the pool area. The shower in the pool was covered with algae which was disgusting. The building is outdated inside and could use a facelift. We went down for our spa treatment and the spa area was really nice and cozy! Our masseuses Natalia and Maria were great! We really enjoyed our massage. Would we come back here again? Yes but only for the massage. The facilities themselves need some work. It also would have been nice for the front desk to let people know (when applicable) where to get robes/towels. read more

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The photos posted on here have a some discrepancy. As the actual place looks better than the photos posted. Anyways, my first time here and it was a great experience. It's not too far of a drive and the beautiful weather we had during the Thanksgiving weekend was simply amazing! We checked in around 530-6 and dinner reservations were for 645. once we checked into our room. It was clean and tidy. Beds were good. Room was good size. Dinner: the food was probably the one thing i took my star off,.not to par in terms of taste, presentation and etc.. Loved the campfire at night...nice to sit around with a hot chocolate... All in all, we got a good deal for Thanksgiving weekend.. will come back if pricing is good again... read more

WOW! The total culinary experience. Fabulous setting, excellent staff and service and food I would have ordered again and again.

I didn't stay here, but I had a lovely time at the day spa. Dayle was fantastic and gave a great massage. It was very relaxing and it's set in a beautiful place! read more

interesting and quiet place to stay for a couple to 4 days max. if weather is ok. nice rooms, likely much better during sunny warm spring and summer when you can golf or go swim in the lake. food is ok, service very inconsistent depending on your server or waiter, and pretty slow on purpose as there is not a lot to do around anyhow. a daily menu item would be great as you will eat there several times and rapidly get bored with the menu. candlelight pool at night is really a nice idea (at daytime the pool really looks like an old highway style hotel pool...). book spa way way in advance if you are interested... way way way... a week before minimum! read more

The grounds are very picturesque but the facilities are rundown. The lobby smells musty, and paint is peeling off everywhere. The pool area is dated as well. Considering its reputation, the burger was a frozen pattie and was likely mixed with pork as the beef didn't taste right. This place has the potential to be beautiful again but it requires some investment. read more

My wife and family from the Netherlands enjoyed a wonderful day on the grounds and the dining experience was exceptional. We plan to return for the Christmas Holidays and spend some quality time at this lovely resort. read more

Amazing food, amazing top notch service and great scenery. I recently went there with my husband for a two night stay and every single staff member was highly professional and courteous. We enjoyed the historical tour, and the sleigh ride. We also had a couple's massage at the spa which had complimentary tea and a great relaxation room. Highly recommend a visit!!!!! read more

An older resort with lots of charm. The rooms are nice. The food is fantastic. We've been there many times and always look forward to returning. read more