Lotus Mountain Retreat - Bolton

My kids and I loved this place! If you're looking for a fancy hotel this isn't the place for you. This place has more of a bed and breakfast feel. The rooms are simple and straight forward but very warm, homie, and welcoming. The whole place has a bohemian healing vibe. The owner was super nice and welcoming. I will be returning. The only complaint I had is that the walkway wasn't shoveled and I have two small children, other than that this place was awesome!

Not as advertised. The rooms were dirty, and there were unexpected charges that felt shady. Breakfast wasn't included, and the shuttle service to the trailhead turned out to be expensive and not part of our initial agreement. The yoga studio was unavailable due to an employee's sewing project. The food was unimpressive, and the kombucha bar was empty. The rooms were very unclean; the carpet looked like it hadn't been vacuumed in months, and the hallway was in the same condition. There was hardly any body wash provided, and the towels felt rough. To top it off, there was a tip jar beside the tea bags, which felt inappropriate coming from a server who believes in tipping. The overall vibe was off; we were hoping to meet relaxed, like-minded people. After hiking the long trail, we regretted not saving our money to sleep in the woods that night. The prices were too high, and there always seemed to be an opportunity for them to try to upcharge us. If that’s the level of service they provide, they should at least charge hostel rates.

When I spoke with a staff member the next night and showed her the email regarding my upgrade, she arranged for us to move to a different room and mentioned she would see about comping our dinner. However, two days later, she completely forgot about our conversation. The hot tub was out of order, and there was no outdoor pool—although there might have been one, as no one could ever tell me about it. The Kombucha bar was also closed. There was no mention of any spa services at any time. After wandering around the empty hotel for a while, I finally found someone to wake up the yoga instructor, which turned out to be fun. I constantly felt like I was chasing staff for simple requests, like mugs for tea and information about the services available. They also went out of their way to promote the place as “ski-in, ski-out” for Bolton Valley, which actually meant we would have to get in our cars and drive to the resort—not quite what I had expected. I was really excited but felt misled. Given the lack of a TV or other amenities, and the fact that I paid full price for almost every meal (they only comped breakfast once after I insisted), I honestly don’t understand why I paid so much for this experience. Overall, it was very disappointing.

However, the highlight was undoubtedly our host, Dahvide (I apologize if I misspelled his name). He was the friendliest and most welcoming host we've ever encountered—such a beautiful soul! He was incredibly accommodating throughout our stay. We also enjoyed a delicious and healthy organic breakfast buffet for just $10, which included an amazing fruit salad and tasty hashed potatoes. I definitely plan to return in the fall or winter for skiing. The lodge has a selection of interesting and insightful books to read as well. Dahvide even sent us off with a road snack for our drive back to Toronto. Thank you again for such a memorable experience—we loved every minute of it! - Alina Matthew

My partner and I were really looking forward to a rejuvenating weekend, and really wanted to like this place. The people were nice and it seems like the intention is there, but we had a very disappointing and uncomfortable experience.I 'll Start with the pros: we really enjoyed our couples massage, the therapists were skilled and very nice, although they did discuss our confidential intake forms in front of other guests in the lobby which was uncomfortable. Breakfast was really good, the granola and pancakes were great. Nice fireplace atmosphere in main area.The cons: Stained (and I mean heavily) bedding and chair on our room, the hot tub and sauna were not working one of the days, shower did not get hot (although it seems they figured that out). Decks are not shoveled so they are inaccessable, no food options aside from single menu that is served at designated time, walls are paper thin- we basically chatted with our neighbors through the wall one morning. Maybe an option for people looking to crash after a ski day, but do not if you are looking for a clean, professional, relaxing spa retreat.