The property was incredibly interesting as was heritage and dated with history. Staff was great, pleasant, however amenities that were advertised were not functioning. No pool, hot tub, sauna all out of order. They even closed the spa the evening before the wife’s appointment…
With no notification.
Staff was frustrated as was out of there hands and rather ownership issues.
Tones of potential but needs some work and attention to detail.
Games room here at but again needs attention to details.
brandon.familyDec 09, 2024 👍
Beautiful historic property and the spa was exceptional
Very unique and a bit of old school. The grounds are really lovely and there is wide lake frontage with a spectacular view. The staff are very warm, helpful and welcoming. The rooms are clean,comfortable and very quiet The food is very good and there is many menu choices to pick from. I enjoy staying at this resort everytime and look forward to the next stay. Thankyou
The room we booked was supposed to have 2 double beds. The room we received was a double and uncomfortable sofa bed
This is a beautiful old property that has changed hands and needs updating. The manager told us some wings have already been done and others are scheduled for updating. Understandably it will be a huge cost to bring this once prestigious property back in shape. What was inexcusable was hair on the bathroom floor and the unclean looking toilet. The grounds are still in beautiful condition and Lake Simcoe is picturesque. Standard rates suggest an upscale experience so this was disappointing.
esther.friendsSep 30, 2024 A little dated. Leak in hallway was pretty messy. Staff was friendly and helpful. Wedding tent outside my room was noisy and affected my ability to sleep.
nancy.partnerSep 09, 2024 We enjoyed our stay at the Briars for the Georgina Marathon. It was convenient for shuttle service to the event. Unfortunately, the pool, sauna and hot tub were closed for repairs. We were looking forward to using these, so were disappointed. We had a lovely room. Breakfast buffet was pretty good. The outside area was beautiful.
Everything was just as stated in all the other reviews. The bed was perfect. Check in was convenient and fast. No issues!
The location is great. The rooms really require renovation. They are very dated and kind of run down. The extra patios need some attention. They need to be cleaned, including the chairs. Given the cost of staying at The Briars, rooms should be updated. Thank you for the stay.
quiet setting, modest breakfast with dirty windows by the breakfast table ., coffee not hot, and low taste and flavour
kathleen.familyAug 05, 2024 Good first looking place ( well rated until 2018)...we booked for three guests, the bedroom had old unclean carpet and internet not fixed on TV ( we fixed it alone !), the electric blug on one wall was broken, there is mildew in the bathroom, hair on the floor and two sets of towels,,,we asked again at the front desk but impossible to get towels until 8h00 PM, finally we asked for pool towels ( unclean) and the set never came! ...infiltration of water in one wall of the indoor pool ( emergency to repair), the outdoor pool closed for the season ( big unclean cover over it) ,big hole in the ceiling near Exit sign almost falling near our room, carpet unclean all around, lack of painting outside and mastic around windows not fit ( emergency to repair before winter), one tennis court ok but the second full of grass, private beach of ten feet wide, staff at the front desk tried to help but didn't know at all where they work....went outside for dinner ( we discover alone a nice pub at a driving distance) , good news, the breakfast was good and the service perfect ( wonderful room but unclean again)...
Check in was very slow. My assigned room didn't have a bed in it, when I went back to front desk, she had to go check herself before giving me a room with a bed.
Beautiful waterfront property with great views from the dock. Friendly staff, excellent food and dog friendly.
Outdated and over priced…
Clean and average stay
Annoyed that housekeeping knocked at 8am asking if i needed anything. Yes sleep please.
Just an ok time. Not worth the money
madeleine.familyJul 22, 2024 Very sad to see what was the beautiful historic Briars so neglected. This is no longer an elegant resort but now leveled to a rundown motel at best. We had two rooms, one was right beside a large wedding event with loud entertainment. What were they thinking. The other room was on the other side of the property. Our party had to share one room. There was no receptionist upon arrival. A security guard had to deal with our situation and walk us to our room. He then said we were the only guests in that building. As we entered our room it looked like we were walking in to the 1950’s. Not just old but filthy dirty furniture and worn. The bathroom handle fell off so we could not close the door properly. Not ideal. In the morning we noted the deck was rotting. We did not stay to enjoy breakfast. Headed to reception and as we passed through the hallways we noted the pool was closed and covered up with tarps, dirt and debris. And a strange installation of a Chinese warrior and other oriental icons. Guest services kindly refunded us for the second room that we could not use and commented on the difficult morning they were having dealing with complaints. $350 later for the one room is still outrageous for rooms that should be shut down until major renovations applied. As someone who knew the third generation of the founding Sibbald family we found ourselves very sad to see new owners who obviously don’t care about the guest experience or preserving this iconic landmark.
Although I was thankful for the balcony with the room it was in really bad condition. The railings needed a new paint job. We had to clean off the chairs and the floor to be able to sit out there comfortably. The roof of the building was also in great need of repair.
The Briars is a lovely old resort in the heart of cottage country. Its charm is in its history and gorgeous gardens. It must have been the place to be in its heyday. Exploring around the property showed the signs of disuse. The tower lookout windows were covered in spiderwebs making it hard to see out, the tennis court had weeds coming through the asphalt, and the outdoor pool was covered in tarps. Service wise, the computers went down Sunday morning so I waited 1 hour to get breakfast and finally left without one. The same with checkout…no printed bill. The Briars needs a redo…
sharon.partnerJul 14, 2024 Check in was not an issue and our room was suitable for the short time we were staying.
