-
January 2024 by Laura Knight
beautiful spa and hot tubamazing viewscozy rooms with a wood fireplaceLoved every minute of my stay here!Staff were so friendly and accomodating, and we really enjoyed the restaurant food.Would love to go back! Felt like a honeymoon with the cute in suite breakfast tray
-
January 2024 by Aya Walraven
I really want to give the Oceanfront Inn more stars, because everyone we talked to was super friendly. But, several things about our stay did not leave a good impression, and I would not stay here again.We stayed in room #1 ("Saturna Suite").Here are a few things that would have made our stay more enjoyable.- Move the thermostat control for this room to a better location. It is installed right above the baseboard heater. This skews the temperature reading which determines when the heating is active. The room was quite cold, and we had to ask for extra firewood to stay warm. (Extra firewood was at an additional cost. Front desk removed this charge after negotiation. Thank you!)- The room could use some better access to electrical outlets, or some extension cords. The kettle has no where to plug in except the floor (will not reach any plugs from the table even if moved), and our room blew a fuse when using the hairdryer and the kettle at the same time.- A note addressing the water colour. As an islander, I know that water can be a bit yellow and still be perfectly fine to use. But for those who aren't used to it, mentioning it in note about it in the room or offering of bottled water would ease minds.- Better advice about off season visits. We visited in the thick of winter. With restaurants and pubs closed, and even the hotel restaurant closed on the weekdays, we ended up eating at a pizza joint nearby for all except one meal. That said, Babes in the Woods pizza was absolutely delicious and honestly the highlight of the trip!- Fixing the bathtub controls. The jet control buttons were worn and could not be adjusted.- The TV did not work, with a no reception error, until after wiggling cables ourselves.Overall I think this place is charming with a beautiful view and friendly staff, but at this price, our expectations about the quality of the stay were not met.
-
January 2024 by Anon ymous
If I could give this place ZERO stars, I would.I booked a getaway here based on the good reviews on Google, but after speaking with some of the locals once we got there, it turns out that the place used to be awesome but has continued to go downhill ever since the new Chinese owners took over and the high score is likely still based on the experience provided by the previous owners.I'll save the long-winded novel I have the urge to write, detailing every aspect of how bad this place is and instead just sum it up as incompetent staff, terrible communication, subpar accommodations, and poor management.Save yourself the headache and don't give these people any of your hard-earned money.Rooms: Multiple pieces of furniture were broken, the stove top didn't get hot enough to cook on, there wasn't enough hot water for a decent shower, and the place wasn't properly cleaned before we arrived.
-
January 2024 by Alexandra Hudson
Gorgeous spot right on the water, and a six minute walk from the ferry. We went with our children and we had a lovely time swimming on the sandy beach at high tide, and exploring the vibrant sea life—starfish and crabs—at low tide. The restaurent for dinner was perfect. Just sensational! Definitely try the local BC and Vancouver island wines. We loved our ocean villa with a wood burning fireplace, grill, and bath tub on the balcony overlooking the ocean. We enjoyed the smart car rental and toured the island, including the magnificent retread cove. We enjoyed watching the ferries come and go from our balcony at night, and the changing of the tides by the hour. The management was friendly and hospitable, and we loved the Japanese gardens and koi pond! We loved every moment of this peaceful oasis and cannot wait to come back!
-
January 2024 by Darryl Grossauer
I booked a 3 day stay here with my wife as a much needed getaway that was supposed to be relaxing and worry free but it turned into a nightmare before we even arrived.Right after I booked, I began getting inundated with redundant emails requesting the exact same information I had already provided at the time of booking. I called the front desk and was unable to reach them so I left a message.A couple of days passed and nobody had followed up so I called again with the same results so I emailed them and called again a couple of days later and finally reached someone.At this time, I tried to make a reservations at the restaurant but I was notified that the restaurant would be closed during our stay which was disappointing to say the least. They responded by upgrading us to a villa which has a fully equipped kitchenette. So I though, "No biggie, it's not ideal but that'll work", and we accepted the upgrade.At that time, I also booked a couples massage with my wife at 3:00 p.m. on the 21st of December. Shortly after I received a confusing email stating that it's 2023 and she was looking at 2024 when she booked it so it's not Saturday it's Thursday and it needs to be my wife at 1:30 p.m. and me at 3:00 p.m.Her email made no sense at all so I called back to sort out the confusion and spoke with the manager who, after a brief hold, got back to me and let me know that she had sorted it out and she had booked both my wife and I for 3:00 p.m. on the 21st.Fast forward a couple of weeks and we arrived at the inn and checked in on December 20th in the evening. The room looked great with a beautiful patio, hot tub, barbecue, comfy furniture, a great king sized bed, etc... we were impressed. But that was the only highlight of the whole stay.We had a late night and slept in til the afternoon the next day and, while we were making our late breakfast, received a call from the spa saying that we were late for our 1:30 p.m. appointment. I corrected the spa attendant, letting her know that after speaking with the manager, we had been confirmed for 3:00 p.m. for a couple's massage, but she decided to make it an argument and told me that the manager had never let her know that and that my only option was to either come right now or cancel.I decided to go speak to them in person at the spa and when I arrived there, the attendant was very rude, refused to try and work out any type of solution, and again reiterated that my only option was to either be seen at separate times or cancel the service because she was just an attendant with no power and couldn't do anything to solve this problem. She was so unhelpful that I requested a manager, but of course, conveniently, no manager was working that day. One of the RMTs came out from the back when he overheard our heated discussion and, while he was much more polite than the attendant, all he did was make excuses for the poor management and the resulting customer experience we were having.We ended up with no resolution, no solutions offered, and so, what should have been a relaxing getaway was now just an overpriced hotel stay with ZERO spa service and no restaurant.If we wanted to cook for ourselves, do dishes, and not get spa treatment for these 3 days, we could have saved ourselves the exorbitant price tag and just stayed home.If you follow my reviews, you'll see that I much prefer to leave kind words to celebrate a job well done than to leave bad ones because of poor service but this place is, by far, the most disorganized, unaccountable Mickey Mouse organization I've ever dealt with and I felt that it needed to be exposed.If you're reading this review, do yourselves a favour and AVOID THIS PLACE at all costs. It just isn't worth the headache. You'll find better views, better rooms, and exponentially better service, with dignity, at one of the other resorts on Vancouver Island like Brentwood Bay, The Kingfisher, or Tigh-Na-Mara.0 stars.Noteworthy details: The management is inept and the spa is unbelievable bad.
-
December 2023 by Nicole Palacios
Wonderful spot, beautiful and relaxing. Would be nice if the restaurant served a hot breakfast or lunch, but we managed. Friendly staff, beautiful villas.
-
September 2023 by Christina Ferrero
The Galiano Inn and Spa also hosts a great little restaurant with a million dollar view that looks out over the water and the Island coast. Located just minutes away from the Sturdies Bay Ferry terminal on foot, it is pleasantly appointed and boasts a beautiful building design that features natural wood and lots of natural lighting They host monthly Art shows by local artists, and all their work is for sale and hangs on the walls leading to the tables at the restaurant I have been to the Spa after a bad car crash , and every time felt immediate relief. I have enjoyed many dinners there over the years, sometimes in the company of an old friend I visit frequently I have also attended the Art Openings in the past, lovely catered affairs and drinks (cheap) at the Bar Great Spot, wonderful local food (yes woodfired pizza out back) and a great attitude We will be back
-
August 2023 by Barb Wild
I stopped in for a bite between ferries and discovered happy hour. A glass of Sauvignon blanc and a small Caprese salad including tax and tip $28 and it was perfect and delicious..Walkability: 5 minutes from the ferry dockFood & drinks: Menu looks great
-
July 2023 by Anna Ignacio
Celebrated our anniversary here and we had a relaxing and eventful trip! They were so nice and allowed us to check in early as our ferry arrived before the usual 4pm check in time. Villa is really spacious and the bed is very comfortable. Unit is spotless clean and even equipped with a full kitchen. We decided to cook dinner on our first night too - all the necessities were in the room (pots, chopping board, etc.). The view from the patio and just lounging there was so peaceful and serene. The tub was a great plus! Breakfast baskets were really yummy and healthy too! Hotel is within walking distance to ferry, groceries, restaurants, and hiking spots.We had dinner at Atrevida restaurant and everything was oh-so-good!!! I had the best chocolate cake ever!!! Price is reasonable too!Overall, a really great stay! Not sure about the mixed reviews here, but if you plan on a relaxing weekend - I highly recommend it!!!
-
July 2023 by Zach W (Awesome Cheese)
The location was nice because you probably don’t need vehicle if you plan just to stay around Ferry Terminal which is nice. The views where nice and rooms where quiet. It was nice to be able to hang out on lawn at night.The rooms had heat pump which kept a nice temperature but also had a fan which is nice on hot days and fire place for cold days. The bed was confronted and king size bed which is nice for two people. The only thing that kinda of bothered me was washroom design being to tiny because the shower door hits the toilet and bath you need to need to take shower before or after you take bath.The check was easy.Rooms: Washrooms where kinda small.Walkability: Close to Ferry Terminal so you might not vehicle if you don’t need to go anywhere.
-
July 2023 by Jay
Great atmosphere, plenty of parking, pretty decor and green space. Washroom was disappointing with black mold in the shower and no ventilation. Rusts and wear&tear in various fixtures and non functional thermostat was not the greatest. Great views and location justifies the price but.. room quality is poor.
-
June 2023 by Carly Holman
Nice inn. Location was okay right on the water and by the ferry. However, it was extremely dead at the resort with little Amenities, the hot tub looked green and murky.We stayed for Father’s Day weekend and I don’t know if it was because it was before summer vacations but the place was EMPTYThe girls working at the restaurant were amazing!! So friendly and the best espresso martinis we’ve ever had. But the menu was lacklustre.The resort would flourish with activities, a shuttle to the pub and better menu and maybe offer a brunch of some sort. Live music at happy hour patio would have been great too.Jay at front desk was great but when he wasn’t there, there was absolutely no help.Also someone knocked in the door and told us to leave at 10am when checkout is clearly 11 everywhere on the website.Book the villa with the hot tub!!
-
June 2023 by Nadeem Manzoor
Amazing piece of heaven. Secluded but also close to great bakery, restaurant and convenience store. Breath-taking view with personal hot tub overlooking the water. Great concept of picking up your breakfast ensemble to go. Gorgeous garden and lots of quiet places to discover. Would definitely love to stay again with my family!
-
May 2023 by MMI - Private
This is a nice property overall, although it is beginning to feel a bit neglected. The rooms are comfortable but the service feels somewhat lacking for the price range. The continental breakfast is minimal and basically the same thing each day, no options to choose from and no accommodations for dietary requirements. I think if you are going to charge top dollar you need to provide an exceptional experience. This was an okay experience but certainly not an exceptional one.
-
April 2023 by Erin Bishop
My favourite place to stay on Galiano. Perfect location - walking distance to shops and restaurants, and close to the ferry. Best kept secret on Galiano is right downstairs - the pizza patio! Accommodations are always clean and cozy and staff is friendly and helpful!
