My partner and I decided to come here for a weekend getaway. The place is nothing like the pictures. On the first night, there were bugs in our room and we had to get moved to a different room. Then, my spa appointment was booked on the wrong day, so I was unable to use the only facility that I went to Briars for. The canoes were old and filled with bugs and the staff was not friendly whatsoever. Would not recommend and definitely will not be staying here again.

If you're considering this as a wedding venue, please don't risk your special day here. I was maid of honor for a wedding. The building to get ready in was SO hot, we were all sweating waiting for the ceremony. The staff were horrible, they treated many guests really poorly. They made us feel like we weren't "good enough" to be there. It was so unorganized and they did not care in any way to attempt to improve the situation.

Sadly, this resort, and I use the words 'resort' lightly, is a mere shell of its former glory, prior to it being taken over by a foreign investor within the last several years. When it was owned by the Sibbald family, it was a WONDERFUL place to go. The facilities (pool/whirlpool hot tub/sauna) were always operational and perfectly maintained. The beautiful grounds and gardens were impeccably manicured and pristine; the public rooms lovely...I could go on and on... The fact that the, once gorgeous, outdoor pool, with it's unique cedar hedge surroundings, now sits empty, as does the indoor pool/hot tub, etc., is sad indeed. The furniture in the public rooms and restaurants are in desperate need of update, as are the guest rooms. General, basic, maintenance is not being employed. For the price, the guests aren't getting much for their dollar. My husband and I stopped going after so many disappointments (pay for a 2 or 3 night get-away, only to find that the pools are always "closed for maintenance"). It's sad, because we really loved the place. I grieve what was. I'm giving it 1 star...and that 1 star is because The Briars still exists...and hasn't been turned into condos...yet.

The Briars Resort and Spa was the location for a wedding reception that we attended. As the weather was perfect, this reception was to be in a large tent on their immaculate kept grounds. The trees and flowers were well tended to and showed the care that their grounds staff lavished. The food and beverage for this event were excellent and managed by their Food and Beverage Manager David and his staff. I can say with all sincerity that he and his staff went above and beyond expectation. We would highly recommend this venue for anyone looking for a place to host their receptions, etc. P.S. We did not stay overnight at this resort, so cannot comment on the rooms.

Did a day visit to the spa with my best friend. What a wonderful time we had! Both Lisa and Shannon were spectacular. Such warm and friendly service. These ladies are true customer service professionals! Thank you! Hope to visit soon!

We are local residents that have always supported local businesses including the Briars Resort. For many years , mothers and Fathers Day , New Years and Christmas , business lunch’s , my wife and I recently went to have dinner at the Briars Resort and were met by an Briars employee and was told I quote “ if your not staying here you cannot have dinner or not even drinks at the Bar in the resort , and must leave the property right away ! This was told to us in front of the Guests as well ,The Exact Same thing happened to our Son and friends a month after. We asked if reservations can be made to have dinner, again the Briars employee said absolutely not . There was no weddings and not busy in the Resort . I called Bob Law Briars Resort Manager No help at all , he was not interested !

Stayed here on business. When I arrived, I found it quite difficult to find my way to the front desk. Further, carrying my bags up all of the floors to my room, and not being told there is an elevator or having any staff to assist was frustrating. The food was incredible. However, one day, we had a waiter approach and ask us to leave the table we were already seated and eating at, as it wasn’t an assigned table for dinner? A co-worker asked what the waiter meant, and the waiter rudely stated that we could only sit at tables that had glasses of water on them, and that any other tables without water were set for breakfast only. For a high-class environment, often referred to as ‘posh’, why is the waiter not only talking to guests like that, but adorning a bright blue head of hair? The room was a bit outdated… I don’t understand why the TV offers streaming platforms, but you are expected to put your own credentials in. The mattress cover was stained, with what looked like bl00d, and the entire room smelled of very old books and mold. Lastly the yellow centipede-type bugs all over the bathrooms and walls made my stomach turn. For the amount this place charges, I’m surprised that it doesn’t invest in bettering the environment.

We had a beautiful weekend staying at the Briars at the end of August, and are already hoping to go back in the fall. The private access beach was a highlight with a bonfire pit, chairs, access to the dock and ability to rent canoes or paddle boards. The in room fireplace made evening so cozy, and the breakfast was delicious! We recommend going early so you can sit near the bay window. Absolutely stunning views of the property ☺️

Went for a girls night and we’re greeted nicely by the staff. Room was what we expected. Very dated, but clean. What killed it for us was the food. We spent $75.00 on room service and wanted to enjoy a nice quiet dinner watching movies. We ordered: Mushroom Salad - the flavours were decent, but the mushrooms were doused in salt and balsamic glaze/reduction. Could have been a nice salad but had to down 3 glasses of water to get through it. Mushroom Risotto (we love mushrooms) - flavours again, were decent, but the rice wasn’t cooked through. It was super crunchy and could have used a few more minutes with a bit more broth/liquid. Three Cheese Agnolotti - no taste at all and was in an oily coagulated soup. The pine nuts were beyond their best before date and tasted rancid. Let front desk know when we were leaving and they took the feedback but there was no offer of any compensation for the not so great food. We ate most of the food, so weren’t expecting it to be refunded but there was no offer of anything, except they would pass the feedback on to the executive chef. That was disappointing. Service was great, grounds are lovely and if you have no expectations for the rooms, you won’t be disappointed there. If I ever visit again I’ll order Uber or get take out for half the price of what we paid for less than mediocre room service.

I arranged to bring my family to The Briars for the Father's Day BBQ, Blues & Beer! We had a great day! We sat under the Old Oak Tree, table was set with beautiful linens, music was great, conversation endless & the food was fantastic! My Dad had a great time! Thanks to all of you at Briars, I know it takes many hands to put something as great as this together. I hope we can do it again next year!

Wonderful experience. Very clean, food was fantastic, service was excellent. We have stayed here many times and The Briars is always the best choice. Thank you "Briars" for making our stay so wonderful!!!!

My girlfriend and I met 47 years and we celebrated at Briars , we had a wonderful and relaxing time would definitely go again! The beds were very comfortable, both if us have traveled throughout the years and I will say that a good mattress can make it break your stay!

This was a very beautiful place to stay at. The service and food were excellent. They offer different activities, including an excellent pool, hot tub and sauna. The only setbacks for some people could be that the rooms were small due to the fact that this is a historic building. There are plans to remedy this problem. The history behind the home and the grounds is fascinating.

A beautiful experience at Briars, I came for a group event, and it was amazing , rooms are smaller, but are very cozy. I had a beautiful , relaxing massage from Denise , and she was very very sweet , and very nice . Thank you for such a relaxing massage Denise , my back feels like it did when I was a younger child , would definitely recommend if you ever get the chance to come here, come :)

I was here with a bunch of people for a friend's wedding over the Labour Day weekend. The Good: Scavenger hunt - Becka was a hoot, and it was so fun! Wedding itself - well done, average food, great bartender, beautiful grounds Grounds - beautiful, well manicured and maintained The Bad: The cabin (Golfview) was dirty, the lamps had no lightbulbs and there were no spares in the place No cutlery/plates/cups/coffee makers/utensils - had to bring our own everything except bedding and towels Service at the rehearsal dinner was abysmal. The servers didn't communicate with one another and were confused, people didn't receive drinks they ordered, the servers had their fingers in the plates they were delivering and were serving drinks with their hands at the tops of the glasses, billing took forever at the end of the night, we were given our bills right after dessert even though we were still trying to have drinks and enjoy ourselves - it was just a lousy experience that made us all want to leave as quickly as possible and go back to our cabins, even though we had activities planned and we had exclusive use of the room. The wedding - the servers were dressed in jeans or short skirts; it was very unprofessional I can't comment on the golf course because I didn't use it, but it looked quite nice! I would never recommend that anyone have a function here. My friends and I had a great time despite the cabin and the rehearsal dinner experience, but those things left a sour taste in my mouth and I will likely never return.

It's a beautiful historic property. The appeal is its history. Everything is antique and well cared for. Service was amazing, location gorgeous. The food was remarkable 👌 The rooms were fine, but it got to a point where mould and meldew shouldn't be part of the old world feel. The washrooms need changing, I couldn't shower my whole stay there because of all the stains and mould in the shower.

I was there for a wedding, and it was great. I just can't understand why a room should cost $500 a night , with nothing special. I've stayed at many places over the years, and $500 a night is a high end place with suite jacuzzi, microwave, coffee maker, mini fridge, pool, sauna, and room service available. Not here. Staff and servers were great , just not the amenities .

Went for Thanksgiving dinner with a friend. While I was very impressed with the Establishment... Service was not what I expected from this place. I felt like I was at a very posh place, but certainly wasn't treated accordingly. The dining room was to bright, and the back dining room should have been closed off for a much better atmosphere. Service was slow, took almost 10 minutes just to get our drinks we ordered, when we sat down for dinner. The food... delicious (parts of it anyways). I've been in the hospitality industry for over 30 years. This place, or the staff member (she said she was the boss); needs improvement for service. Considering the cost of our dining experience, the Serving Experience definitely needs work. 3/5 is the best this place is going to get (unless service improves). 🤔

My husband decided to take me out for a night of relaxing in a nice setting, he called and booked a room with a Fireplace (since he knows I absolutely love wood burning fireplaces indoors), he had a hard time receiving the confirmation, had to call 2 times before he finally got it. We arrived to find out that the room we were getting did not have a Fireplace in it, we asked why since we specifically booked one to which the reply was "we have groups staying so we don't have any of those available". The front desk staff did not know much about anything. We were frustrated but ended up staying and not wanting to ruin our small getaway. Went to have lunch in the small restaurant there, I ordered Fish and chips and the batter on the inside was completely RAW! I ate the fish inside and left the batter on the side, I was very disappointed. The room we stayed in was dated, but that is to be expected. We used the pool/hot tub/played table tennis and pool, and as previous reviews have stated the place is very old and not well maintained (many things in disrepair and broken down). Dinner was absolutely delicious! The dry ribs were to die for and I got the Cornish hen which was just so tasty, highly recommend that. When we went to have breakfast the next morning it was a "Buffet" and there was absolutely nothing left in the metal Hot Things that keep the food, I had to ASK someone to refill them, there was no ketchup left, everything was just pretty much empty. We were super annoyed with that also. I do not recommend staying here at all, coming for dinner, sure, but actually spending the night is not worth it. We had a great time together as we always do, but will definitely not be coming back and also will tell family/friends to not visit, since it's just not worth it.

My husband and I had our wedding here and it was everything we had ever imagined. The staff was absolutely incredible and we received so many compliments from our guests expressing the amazing experience they had. We worked closely with the wedding-day coordinator Karine, whom we cannot thank enough for the hard work, dedication and tremendous support in keeping our stress levels at bay when planning the wedding. The level of professionalism held amongst all staff members was unmatched, and we will definitely be visiting the Briars more often.

Excellent all around. Lake beautiful, quiet retreat, dining excellent, spa pretty good, nice place to relax.

We went there for lunch. Huge disappointment. We started to go to the Briars since 2010 for vacation and to dine. I don't understand why the service and food quality gone 10 miles South since 5 years ago. My food was burned. I have not had fish and chips so burned. Service was very slow. We waited 20 minutes for a server to give us the menu and waited 30 minutes for food to be delivered. I had to look for the server (along with two other tables) because server went MIA. A catering person was helping us to look for the server but could not find her. We had to get the bill to pay at reception.

Today 2 of my friends and myself went to the Briars spa then had lunch. We were extremely pleased with our meal and the service we received. We started a conversation with our waitress Chrissy who was pleasant and very efficient in her knowledge of the food when we inquired. We found that they had a new chef Eric the food was amazing fresh, tasty very well presented. Well if you would like a great meal and wonderful evening out make a reservation and enjoy. You will not be disappointed.

I was there for a wedding. We stayed at the adjunct cabins, which are a lot nicer on the inside that they first appear from outside. My biggest complaint would be the fixed over-priced $50 dinner only consisting of a slightly wilted Ceasar salad, microwaved canaloni, and bowl of sherbet.

I took my wife there last week for a couple days to celebrate our anniversary. We had stayed there a decade ago and loved it. The food was definitely a cut above back then and was one of the reasons why we went this year. The accommodations were nice and the staff very friendly. However, we were extremely disappointed in the food. As well they had one poor girl running the lounge and waiting on tables! She had to run to run to keep up. I give her 5 stars. The first night I had the butternut squash soup and it was tasteless even after adding salt and pepper. I heard other diners complaining about it as well. The entrees were ok but not nearly up to the standard we expected. The second night my wife had to order one of the appetizers as the main course as the selection was poor. The veal medallions were recommended by the waitress. The meat was so tough you could hear my knife cutting through the meat. This definitely was not veal. We will not be back until they vastly improve.

Back in the hay day. I really mean in its heyday it might have been one of the most spectacular facilities 175 years ago. Although they have continued to try to maintain the the utmost renovations that you can get with an old structure. Unfortunately the time has come when this property should really look at a serious total renovation. The people that enjoy this type of property are becoming less and less as will be witnessed by the need for their services.

We just returned from a 4 night stay at The Briars. We had 2 rooms booked. Ours was good but I was disappointed in the condition of the 2nd. The food was wonderful and the service was excellent. Isabella at the beach and Anastasia in the Drinkwater Lounge were just 2 of the staff that made our stay more enjoyable. The big disappointment is the condition of the buildings. They need a lot of repair and maintenance to bring them back to the way they should be.

We recently hosted a conference at The Briars and received rave reviews from everyone who attended. The service was exceptional with most needs anticipated & on the spot issues addressed quickly. The food was INCREDIBLE- kudos to the chef and the service staff! Our large group meals were served buffet style with incredible selection, and the wait staff were quick, professional & attentive. As to be expected in an older property, rooms are a little smaller & more “old school”, but everyone enjoyed their stay without issue. Would definitely recommend for business or pleasure!!