We experienced the good, the bad and the ugly of Temple Gardens Mineral Spa.

Check in was quick and smooth. Parking was convenient but quite crowded with narrow stalls (not good for those who do not like door dents!) The only luggage carts were at the main entrance to the spa which was across the street. Fortunately we only had a couple of suitcases (both with wheels).

The room was clean and spacious. The bed was very hard and you could feel every spring. The hair dryer was on its last legs. The tub-surround was beautiful – to bad they finished it with one of those paper thin curtains that keep rubbing up against you while showering. There was an in room coffee maker which we enjoyed with our own Lyle’s Blend coffee from Cuppers in Lethbridge, Alberta. There was also a small fridge in each room. The room also came with high speed “wire” internet.

The complex is quite large and is located on both sides of the street and connected by above ground walkways. We would have very much appreciated a map of the facilities as well as spa tips and guidelines. We were not familiar with the appropriate protocol and got lost in the way to the mineral pool.

The pool was large with both and indoor and an outdoor area (the outdoor pool being the hotter pool). To me the pool smelled like a combination of B.O. and urine. Maybe it was the minerals but regardless, I could not wait to shower off the smell. They provide guests with spa towels…..too bad they were the size of hand towels! They also provided spa robes which again was a nice gesture but they need to recycle more carefully as one of our robes was tattered and torn.

We ordered room service for our dinner. Service was quick but the prime rib left was a little on the tough side and the Caesar salad was limp.

We rate the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa as a 3 star spa. Had it been only a hotel we would have rated it as a 4 star.

As Gimli Manitoba goes this may be your best bet! There is much to be desired however.

To start off with we were told to park in back of the facility in what they called executive parking. We drive round back and were greeted with 8 foot high snow banks and mud and water everywhere. There really was not any place to park other than in a water hole or illegally (we elected NOT to park in a water hole).

The room itself was not what we had booked. Apparently our room was out of order. They tried to put us in a lesser room but I insisted on a similar room to what I had requested. The room itself was dark and somewhat dirty. There was food on the bed and the floor floor, dust everywhere, the carpet was disgustingly old and dirty (not barefoot conducive at all!!) Val spent the first half hour wiping all of the tables and counter tops.

The room smelled very stale and there were bugs squashed allover roof and walls. The blanket had several rips and holes in it. The lodge allows pets…..even LARGE ones. This may explain some of the dirt and smell. The walls were paper thin and you could hear EVERY sound in the rooms on either side of us. There was no Kleenex so we had to request some. The shower stall was very very small…..I am a small man and I was forever banging elbows and knees while trying to wash.

The restaurant did not open until 9:00 a.m. which was much too late for us to experience it. The bar was closed on Good Friday so we did not have an opportunity to experience that either. The lodge felt more like it was closed for the season.

On the plus side we loved the gas fireplace and the lodge has a great location on Lake Winnipeg….our room was about 100 feet from the water (I guess I should say ice!!). We were there in early April which is still very much winter on Lake Winnipeg. They also had a large indoor pool.

We rate the Misty Lake Lodge as a 2 star Lodge.

This downtown hotel is conveniently located near parks, restaurants and shopping. It is a no frills hotel. The ice and vending machines are on even floors only. Do not expect valet service but there are trolleys at the entrance of the lobby.

The room was spacious and came with free wire internet and in room coffee maker. The room was designated non-smoking, however there were numerous cigarette burns on the carpet and the room had a definite stale smoke smell. Overall the room could have been a little cleaner. The staff were courteous and helpful.

The complementary breakfast was more than just bagels and muffins. You could also choose scrambled eggs and toast, hot and cold cereal and a good selection of hot and cold beverages. Very nice complementary breakfast!!

Checkout was fast with the bill left under your door during the night. As long as you agree with the charges all you need to do is leave your key in your room and leave.

We give this average hotel and average of 3. Breakfast was above average!

There is no question in our minds that this is the best place to stay in Prince Albert Saskatchewan.

This nicely restored home on the top of the hill is located close to down town. The rooms are very clean and have every amenity you could possibly imagine. If you forgot your toothbrush or cotton pads…no problem….the room has it all. We love the top floor the best!. They provide in room snacks and water, morning coffee outside your room starting at 7:00 a.m.

You pick the most convenient time for breakfast. The breakfast is always a 3 course meal and is different every day that we have been there. They have great coffee and a variety of juices. The owners prepare and serve the meal and are very friendly and accommodating of your needs.

The home has a front upper deck and a ground floor back deck. There is a library with a good selection of reading material and a computer with complementary high speed internet. There is ample parking either on the street at the front of the home of in the parking lot at the back of the property.

We have stayed in every hotel and motel in Prince Albert but nothing compares to the clean, quiet and comfort of the Hillcrest Inn B&B.

We rate the Hillcrest Inn B&B as a 4 star B&B. If it had a king bed we would give it a 5 star.

On the sad side…..the owners are wanting to retire and have the place listed for sale. If that happens and the new owners do not maintain the quality of the B&B we will be back to staying in substandard accommodations.

The Embassy Suites is a Golf resort hotel. Overall we had a terrific stay at the Embassy Suites located at 4415 East Paradise Village Parkway, Scottsdale, Arizona.

There was no bellman to greet us, which we are quite OK with. They seldom really earn their $2 a bag anyway. Right outside the door was a dolly that we quickly loaded our bags onto and off we went.

Registration was smooth with a quick overview of where everything in the hotel was located.

They host a Complimentary Cook-to-Order Breakfast EVERY morning. You’ll have to go a VERY LONG way to experience a better free breakfast. We had 8 breakfasts in a row and loved each and every one. You could order eggs any style or a personal omelette prepared fresh while you wait. There was also bacon, sausage, pancakes, a variety of juices, milk, tea and coffee as well as a full continental style breakfast. Each evening is their Managers Reception that offers free wine, beer and highballs along with snack foods. The drinks were pretty good (although the ingredients used were different than that in the paid drinks before and after the free reception) but the snacks (from Tatum’s Restaurant) left much to be desired. Click here for a compete review of Tatum’s Restaurant.

The room was spacious with a view of the golf course and mountains. Only 1/2 of the hotel offers this view. The other half of the building will get a view of the parking lot and shopping mall. On the downside of the golf course view was the fact that we were above the driving range. 7:00 a.m. sharp one could hear the crack of the clubs hitting the balls. Then there was the mowers and other pieces of equipment driving back and forth the backside of the hotel all day long. It was a good thing we were not late sleepers. The sound of all of the equipment was actually a little annoying at times. We would have been a little more tolerant if we had been there to golf.

Each room is a suite complete with microwave, fridge, coffee maker, table and chairs. We had to have our coffee maker replaced the first morning after a half an hour of drip, drip, drip. A new one was delivered within minutes of calling the front desk. All rooms have high speed internet for a fee. There was free wireless internet available in the lobby and bar. There was two flat screen TV’s and the beds were very comfortable.

There was a nice well kept pool and hot tub in the middle of the complex. We enjoyed our time there almost every day. There was also an in house fitness center with a decent variety of new equipment to use including bikes, treadmills, reciprocating cycle and an assortment of weights. All machines had their own built in TV. There was plenty of free parking for guests.

The one negative on the room was the cleanliness (or lack thereof). Once across the flor in clean white socks and they were instantly grey. The walls also had considerable marks and chips and the clean air return vent was fallin off the roof.

The meeting rooms were great and there was a business center where guests could use one of two computers as well as a fax machine and laser printer…..all free of charge. We made use of the printer to print a 75 page book that we were working on at the time. That was VERY handy.

Overall this was one of our most pleasant hotel experiences in recent years.

We rate the Embassy Suites Golf resort hotel located at 4415 East Paradise Village Parkway, Scottsdale, Arizona as a 4 star hotel.

As for the Renaissance Waverly Hotel, we came and went with mixed emotions. We were greeted very well with fabulous and friendly bell service. The check in was smooth and quick as was the delivery of our bags to our room.

The room was quite spacious, clean and had most of the amenities. The beds were quite comfortable though we cannot say the same for the narrow hard “bunch” of pillows. That was the first night. After that, things got a little interesting.

When we were about to retire for our second night we pulled back the covers to find ants in the bed. We of course called the front desk to insist in a new room free of bugs. They quickly accommodated and moved us 4 doors down the hall. Turns out we ended up being directly above the bar, restaurant and atrium. The noise was such that we could hear ALL of the music until closing time. If that was not bad enough, while trying to fall asleep we were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was room service offering a treat for the inconvenience of having to change rooms at 10:00 p.m. on our second night. Not that the thought was not appreciated BUT, we were unaware it was coming and it was after 11:00 p.m. and we had been tucked into bed for over half an hour. To top things all off we were up early the next morning for a conference and my wife yells to come to the bathroom. Guess what? More ants!

I go to the front desk to explain our situation. The front desk manager was Elizabeth Gableman. She was very understanding and apologetic and told me to check back at the front desk at our lunch break. We did as Elizabeth had instructed and arrived at the front desk just after lunch. She had made arrangements to move us to the “Club Floor” to a room right beside the presidential suite. She also deducted one nights room charge from our stay and gave us a $75 credit to the Hotels restaurant.

At this point we are happy to be away from the noise from below and are told that that ants will not climb this high….makes sense being on the 14th floor. We settle in and welcome a great night sleep.

4:30 a.m. the people in the presidential suite decide it’s time for a romp, which of course was accompanied with the loud romp cover up music. Our bed literally shook! FOR AN HOUR!!! Good stamina at 4:30 fricken a.m. dude. After a half hour into the interruption I call the front desk……..4 times. No answer each time. I think what? Marriot Hotel with no one at the front desk 24-7? At last the music stops and we were able to get a couple hours more sleep.

The next night I call the front desk to ask if the same couple will be in the presidential suite tonight. After explaining last nights episode, she tells me that the room is empty. Our thoughts turn to a quiet room and a great sleep in a nice comfy bed. 2 minutes the phone rang with offers of a cheese plate and bottle of wine. It was our last night and we could sleep in so we accepted the offer.

So…….to Elizabeth Gableman…….you knew exactly what to do to make us happy. Thank you. We hope your employer appreciates your value. To the lady at the front desk who provided us with wine and cheese……thank you.

Overall our stay was a bit of a disappointment for a Marriot Hotel.

We rate the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia a 3 1/2 star.

One final note. If you need things like a small fridge or internet service, expet to pay a heafty daily fee.

The best thing about the Hilton Garden Inn was the location. We were less than 5 minutes fro the Airport which was perfect for a 7:30 a.m. flight.

The room was comfortable but nothing special. The king bed took up most of the available space. There was a view of the parking lot. We started with our shoes off until we stepped on several pieces of food (appeared to be chicken from the night…..or days before).

We were glad to be there only one night.

We rate the Hilton Garden Inn as a 4 Star.

Located on a quiet bay in town. If a beautiful view is important to you, this is not the place to stay as the only thing you can see is the driveway and the neighbors homes.

The home was a newer (1980′s) large property with numerous rooms throughout. We were in the loft above the pool table. This resulted in a late night as you could hear the game going on below us. The room was temperature controlled from downstairs so the first night we were uncomfortably warm, The next night I located the controls and made it cooler for our part of the home. We did not try the jetted tub although it did look inviting. The place needed some maintenance with tiles lifting from the bathroom floor. The shower was quite small considering the available space.

The spotlight outside our window was meant to illuminate their sign but it illuminated our room until well after midnight.

The bed was comfortable. The room was quiet (except for the pool game), comfortable and spacious. The TV was as old as the house…..maybe older.

Breakfast started with yogurt and fresh fruit. This was the highlight. Coffee was decent. The main course was quiche (what’s with quiche everywhere we go in Nova Scotia?) which was not all that inviting and some kind of sweet maple flavored sausages (yuk to us). What’s worse…..it was the identical breakfast two mornings in a row. We thought that they would at least offer some variety. Don’t use the jam……it was in a very large jar with remnants of numerous previous users left behind.

Rated as 5 Star by Canada Select, we rate the Mackenzie House as a 3 1/2 star.

Located near the Northumberland shore in a quiet part of town close to amenities and within walking distance of the harbor.

Although renovated in 1997, this 1870 property has a distinct musty old smell. Parking was limited.

Large room with 30 foot ceilings and VERY tall windows. Nicely and modernly renovated with air conditioning. The jetted tub was our of order while we were there. Very squeaky beds…….the couple above us were having a good time by the sound of their bed. Thank goodness they were short on endurance.

Breakfast was a disappointment with cold cereals and green bananas. The coffee and juice were adequate.

Rated as a 4 star by Canada Select, we rate the Customs House in a 3.

Great location on the shore of Northumberland Strait with a Beautiful view of the strait and Confederation Bridge.

Without the aid of the printed directions they had emailed to us we did have some difficulty in finding the place and stopped twice to ask for directions. There was not so much as a single sign offering either directions to the property or on the property itself….something the owners have consciously considered. It did not help that the street name was different than the address in the tour book.

We were greeted on the veranda by a friendly host (Jane) who immediately gave us a tour of this immaculately restored 150 year old home. The renovations made the home appear as though it was new with all of the modern day amenities.

Within 10 minutes of our arrival, Phil was steaming us up 4 pounds of mussels which we enjoyed with fresh bread concluding with ice cream all while looking out through the huge windows over the strait.

The main level had a nice sitting room complete with fireplace and a pair of guitars for those so inclined. The hosts were very friendly and helpful with suggesting restaurants and sites to see. The area was a quiet and peaceful little community of a dozen or so homes spread out along the waterfront.

Our room (loft) was spacious and had amazing views through large windows at both ends. There was a large jetted tub in the bathroom and mood lighting throughout all rooms. The bed was very comfortable but we found the pillows a little too hard.

The hosts had visitors and ended up in their hot tub which was right outside the window and did keep us awake for a little while. Sound seemed to travel readily throughout the home.

The breakfast was decent with good coffee juice and fruit to start. The main course was quiche. If you are a real man you do not eat quiche so this may be disappointing.

Rated as a 5 star by Canada Select, the Blue Heron Retreat gets a rating of 4 star by us.