Travelers Beware
The best thing about this place was the restaurant. Last summer I moved from Saskatchewan to Ontario and drove there, by myself. As I was not sure how far I would get each day I did not have rooms booked along the way so was taking pot luck as I went along. The first night I stopped at the Falcon Lake Resort Hotel in Whiteshell Provincial Park. It is on the east side of Manitoba, just before you enter northern Ontario.
It did not look promising when I entered the building as reception was closed. There was a sign on the counter telling you to ring the bell for service. You just couldn’t reach the bell for the glass enclosure in the way. Another person was also looking for somewhere to stop for the night and we started exploring the hotel looking for anyone who could help us. We finally found someone and managed to get the last two suites at the resort. We both received a 10% discount because there were no rooms left. Now, resort conjured up images in my mind as to what the suite would look like but I was not even close.
Everything looked tired and old. There was a bed, a futon, chair, coffee table, TV, a kitchenette with four chairs and a table, microwave, sink, fridge, small stove, and a patio with BBQ and table and chairs. The vertical blinds at the windows did not properly close and nor did the accordion room divider between the bed and the living room.
On the plus side, there were lots of towels that were nice and fluffy, I had a good night’s sleep as it was quiet (although they were setting up a fair between the resort and the lake so I can’t speak for the quietness after that night), the shower had excellent pressure, there were two mattress covers on the bed, the TV was good quality, the building is directly opposite the lake, I could park my vehicle directly outside the patio and the restaurant was very good. I arrived just before it closed and was able to get an amazing wonton soup for $9.99 with shrimp, beef and chicken. It was chock full with vegetables as well – cabbage, corn, cauliflower, broccoli. I could not eat it all. If I had been staying for a couple of days, the rest would have ended up in the room fridge.
The next morning I wanted to be on the road early and get as far into northern Ontario as I could as I still had a good three days of driving ahead of me – yes, Ontario is that big. I was ready to leave at 7:20 but reception was closed again. When I left the building to pack up the vehicle I could not get back in and no amount of ringing the bell brought anyone to the door. By 8:00 the guest in the next room was also packing up his vehicle, from his patio, and I warned him the front door was locked. So he went back through his room to the front and let me in and we went in search, again, for a member of staff. I found the night manager’s room and woke her up. The day manager was supposed to be there but there was no sign of him. A frustrating start to the day…
Would I stay here again? Only if I had no alternative. However, I would go there for the wonton soup.
