Harbour House Hotel
AAA Inspector Rating
121 Upper Ganges Rd
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AAA Inspector Notes
This simple, older hotel offers small but cozy rooms; the second floor water-view rooms are worth the extra cost.
Smoke free premises. 38 units. 2 stories (no elevator), interior/exterior corridors. Accessibility (Call).
Amenities & Services
WiFi
Swimming Pool
Pets Allowed
Fitness Center
ECO Friendly
Electric Charging
Accessible
Business Center
Type
Hotel
Location
0.6 mi (1 km) n on Lower Ganges Rd, just e, towards Long Harbour Ferry Terminal. 121 Upper Ganges Rd V8K 2S2.
Eco Certification
The Green Key Eco-Rating Program recognizes hotels, motels, and resorts that are committed to improving their environmental performance.
Dining & Entertainment
nearby.
Room Amenities
coffeemakers, wireless Internet. Some: no A/C, refrigerators.
Terms
N, pets (extra charge).
Guest Ratings
OVERALL GUEST SCORE
Good
Based on Ratings from 272 guests
Showing reviews 1 - 5 of 50
3.3
Elsie
Poor
review category group of friends
09-20-2016
Pros: Nothing
Cons: Everything
8.3
Miho
Very Good
review category group of friends
09-19-2016
Pros: Shuttle bus to pick us up to the ferry terminal would be great. We couldn't get on the bus because of the full of passengers and the next one did not come another 2 hours. It would be excellent option to have pick up shuttle service since it's a big hotel.
Cons: Restaurant was renovating. It would have been nice to have a restaurant there
9.6
Michael
Exceptional
young couple
09-19-2016
Pros: The View, the balcony, proximity to town, and quiet.
Cons: Dining room wasnt open, a light wasnt working in the room, continental breakfast was poor.
7.1
Rod
Good
young couple
09-17-2016
Pros: The View was excellent from the balcony
Cons:
7.1
Barbara
Good
young couple
09-17-2016
Pros: Continental breakfast was fine.
Cons: Carpet was worn. Mattress sagged to the middle.
8.3
Janice
Very Good
young couple
09-17-2016
Pros: Location. Was across the street from a pub. Clean .
Cons: Very dated and basic property.
7.1
Patricia
Good
family with young children
09-16-2016
Pros: Nice bed linens, pillows, etc.
Cons: The interior is very dated and could use a fresh coat of paint. The exterior is also a bit run-down looking.
5.0
Neil
Fair
mature couple
09-15-2016
Pros:
Cons: MOLD ON BATHROOM TILE, two queen beds CRAMMED in room, Old box style RCA TV, NO SCREENS, RICKETY BALCONY FURNITURE, LACK OF PRIVACY ON BALCONY.....didn't receive the room booked...suppose to be 1 queen, fireplace and balcony,.....RUN DOWN
5.4
John
Fair
mature couple
09-15-2016
Pros: the view the staff.
Cons: Dim lighting. Run down. Expensive for what we got. Toilet not working. Small tv.
6.3
Michael
Pleasant
mature couple
09-15-2016
Pros: Dated, facilities need updating
The hotel is in limbo, restaurant and bar closed, grounds and garden need TLC. Seems like the place is waiting for someone to take it over and run it with a purpose. Or re-develop the entire site.
Cons:
5.8
Bhmh
Okay
mature couple
09-08-2016
Pros: Staff were very friendly and helpful. Linens fresh and clean.
Cons: Hotel and rooms need a refresh, with parts of the hotel including restaurant not open. The gardens that are advertised on website as an attraction are barely being kept up.
6.3
Gary
Pleasant
young couple
09-06-2016
Pros: The breakfast provided was good, staff friendly, location and view great
Cons: The entire place is tired, carpet , furniture, tv's , interior paint, actually the entire facilities... The exterior has been recently painted, hopefully that's a sign of improvements as it has great potential...
8.3
Barbara
Very Good
mature couple
09-06-2016
Pros: Great for pets and close to everything
Cons: Shower door came off..sink was plugged... Tub jets didn't work...TV was very small and carpets very dirty
8.8
Kate
Excellent
review category group of friends
09-06-2016
Pros: The Staff were excellent. Very helpful and friendly. The location was perfect we could walk into the town from our hotel.
Cons:
6.7
John
Pleasant
family with young children
09-04-2016
Pros:
Cons: Some of their website photo's weren't updated.
9.6
Michelle
Exceptional
young couple
09-01-2016
Pros: Nice big room, great location
Cons:
2.9
Gross
Poor
solo traveller
09-01-2016
Pros:
Cons: Out dated, the pictures are old on the website. The room smelled musky, the carpet is rolling up and dirty. Didn't have time to find another place to stay, so made do. Shower was brown, old bricks... dark and dreary. TV was circa 1980...armoire door was broken off, light falling off the wall...ugh!...Would NOT recommend this place to anyone!
7.1
Jaimee
Good
young couple
08-31-2016
Pros: The included breastfast was nice to have. Adding fruit would make it even better!
Cons: The furniture could use updating. The chair in our room was quite worn. If More comfortable furniture was provided the patio would have been a very nice feature but with just the two plastic chairs on th large deck it was pretty barren
10.0
Carman
Exceptional
family with older children
08-31-2016
Pros: Everything about this hotel was amazing. The front desk staff were very helpful and friendly. The room was clean and comfy beds. In the morning the continental breakfast was really good. I would stay here again in a heart beat.
Cons: Maybe a phone in room to call front desk.
7.9
Sun
Good
family with older children
08-29-2016
Pros:
Cons: Room is not big enough for whole family and lack of outlet.
5.5
Linda
Okay
mature couple
08-28-2016
Pros: The hotel was close to town, a 10 minute walk to the centre of activity. The room was clean, adequate, but no air conditioning. While wireless was provided, the reception was bad.
Cons: This place is in a sad state of neglect. It is evident that the owners have given up and just don't care. At CAD199 per night I expected more. We came back to the hotel at 10:00 pm one night and if it weren't for our use of the flashlights on our cell phone, we would have had trouble stumbling our way to the annex where our room was located. There were no outside lights on for people to find their way to the annex from the front door. Flower beds and plantings around the perimeter of the building are sadly neglected and overgrown. Based on the advertisements, I was looking forward to viewing the organic farm, however, it wasn't planted for this season. I would not recommend this place. Next time, I will plan my visit well in advance with more options available for staying. I've spent most of my life living in Vancouver and had never visited Salt Spring Island. As a child I spent summers on Mayne Island and had often planned on visiting Salt Spring. Needless to say that I looked forward to my visit, however, the first thing I encountered was a run down overpriced hotel. With the exception of Harbour House, my visit was enjoyable. We enjoyed several meals where we dined on locally raised beef, lamb and Salt Spring Island mussels and local wine. Dinner at the Tree House Restaurant on the Friday night was terrific, capped off by live music with none other than local celebrity, Valdy. Cafe Talia was our place to go for breakfast each morning. The Saturday Farmers Market was wonderful and probably the best I've encountered with organic produce and wonderful crafts. The island is a definite must for travelers. I will be back, but will stay somewhere else.
6.7
Debra
Pleasant
review category group of friends
08-28-2016
Pros:
Cons: I didn't realize that I had booked in the back of the hotel annex.
4.2
Philip
Disappointing
mature couple
08-28-2016
Pros: The location is very nice and the staff were suitably apologetic for the poor condition of the hotel and the lack of facilities, some of which were advertised so well that we were deceived.
Cons: The hotel is run down, dirty, the "farm to table dining room" is shut, the farm has been let go, the farm stand is inoperative, the TV is from the last century, the room was dark, hot and dirty and someone had left a ladder on the ground outside our window, which, despite having no screen, had to be kept open for ventilation. The only thing the hotel still kept was a high price. Very poor value and a very unpleasant experience over all.
5.8
Marie
Okay
family with older children
08-27-2016
Pros: Friendly staff.
Cons: Needs major renovations. No air conditioning. A small bag of laundry was left in the room and staff said they didn't locate it when I called about it. There was no possible other place it was left. It could have fallen down behind some furniture in the room. Room 202. Very sad to lose what was in it.
7.9
Sheila
Good
review category group of friends
08-25-2016
Pros: Very nice staff
Cons: Quite wormfacility
7.5
Gail
Good
review category group of friends
08-25-2016
Pros: Clean
Friendly staff
Nice breakfast
Proximity to town... Walking distance
Cons: No elevator
Room in annex ... Fan but no aitconditioning
Lots of stairs to lug suitcases
4.6
Michele
Disappointing
mature couple
08-24-2016
Pros:
Cons: It appears this place has been let go and the photos online do not represent its current condition. The location is excellent but unfortunately the hotel was a disappointment
9.2
Linda
Wonderful
review category group of friends
08-24-2016
Pros: Loved the view and the location Staff jwere wonderful and the breakfast a specialist treat
Cons:
2.9
Peter
Poor
mature couple
08-23-2016
Pros:
Cons: No air conditioning , no hot water, very poor continental breakfast , restaurant closed, faucets did not work properly, tv was very old tube type 12 inch screen very bad picture
7.1
Paul
Good
mature couple
08-23-2016
Pros: Staff were very friendly and helpful.
Cons: Facility itself is in need of renovation and updating.
7.5
Liz
Good
mature couple
08-21-2016
Pros:
Cons: Needs modernization...feels like 1980 Era. .location nice..away from crowds
5.8
Karen
Okay
solo traveller
08-21-2016
Pros: Location
Cons: Room; smelled musty, carpet buckling, lighting atrocious. Paint colour horrible. No restaurant. Smelly food truck out back. Had to keep the windows open as the room smelled musty so all you smelled was grease from the food truck. Tables and nightstand in poor condiition as they are cheap particle board and all ruined from water. No air conditioning. None to little wifi reception. Needs major upgrades.
8.8
Shayne
Excellent
mature couple
08-21-2016
Pros: The staff was excellent and we had a great stay in room 104, best in the house.
Cons: The restaurant was only open for continental breakfast.
6.7
G
Pleasant
mature couple
08-20-2016
Pros: Location - able to walk almost everywhere
Cons: Decor was very dated
7.5
Fiona
Good
mature couple
08-17-2016
Pros:
Cons: The only thing that was disappointing was that the restaurant was closed.
8.8
Michele
Excellent
solo traveller
08-16-2016
Pros: Tea biscuits and coffee.
Veranda
Cons:
2.9
Starpatches
Poor
review category group of friends
08-10-2016
Pros: The patio from which they served the complementary breakfast had a great view of the harbour, and was pleasant to sit at.
Breakfast of coffee, OJ, biscuits, jam, blueberry muffins, yogurt, and fresh plums was surprisingly decent.
The hotel was in walking distance from downtown Ganges, which is nice.
Cons: We booked 20 rooms by booking.com and 10 rooms by phone for our wedding. The hotel kept messing up the reservations our guests were making, and with still 2 months to go they'd "lost" 5 of the phone-booked rooms, and "the system keeps reshuffling guests" for the booking.com rooms. I had no idea what was actually booked, what was actually available, and what was lost in translation.The rooms themselves were bad. My now-husband and I booked the 'Deluxe' room with hot tub and balcony...and this was the WORST room in the hotel. WTF?!? Why would they do that? These rooms were dark (no side windows; a covered, uncomfortable and walled 'balcony'; not enough lamps or lighting in the bedroom OR bathroom; and 2 lights were burnt out), the whole room smelled moldy (Who puts a hot tub on carpet??? in BC?!?), and being on the 1st floor, our view (through this dark cave and dark covered/walled balcony) was of the parking lot. Tres romantic. Also, what hotel has a 'deluxe' room with one king bed, and NO desk, NO dresser, NO horizontal surfaces to lay out items on, and NO chairs or sofa or anything to lounge on??? The room was huge, and barren... aside from the giant hot tub (which, alas, we didn't have time to use). We ended up using the rim of the hottub as a vanity, as it was the largest horizontal surface in the room (aside from the bed).The bathroom had a really awkward layout, with tight corners, and no space to turn, was REALLY dim (I had to put on my makeup in my mom's room, which was SLIGHTLY brighter.) What's with the lack of lighting? Why no side lights at the sink for gals to put on makeup? Why only one tiny pot-light in the shower? Why NO lights in the toilet niche?
5.8
Neil
Okay
mature couple
08-09-2016
Pros:
Cons: Older, less maintained, restaurant closed
6.7
Kathy
Pleasant
review category group of friends
08-09-2016
Pros: It was in a good area. The hotel really needs to be up dated. Most hotels now have fridges and microwaves. This one didn't.
I was just so surprised at how many people did not know about the garlic and music festival or knew very little.
Cons: As above
3.3
Alex
Poor
mature couple
08-09-2016
Pros:
Cons: Sorry but it is a property badly in need of an overhaul.
8.8
Teresa
Excellent
family with young children
08-07-2016
Pros: The complimentary breakfast was a great bonus. They had fresh muffins, scones with jam, cereal, coffee, tea and juice. The restaurant is closed for now, so it's great to have breakfast provided
Cons: The decor could use a little updating.
8.8
Sherry
Excellent
mature couple
08-07-2016
Pros: We enjoyed wondering in the organic gardens located at the back of the property. The free ranging chickens were in a beautiful, large penned area. Our room overlooked a large lawn, complete with quail munching on the cherries that had fallen from the cherry tree, and beyond the lawn was ocean view.
Cons: A small fridge in the room could have improved our stay.
5.0
Andre
Fair
mature couple
08-07-2016
Pros: Good beds
Cons:
4.6
Melinda
Disappointing
mature couple
08-07-2016
Pros:
Cons: Website video is very deceiving- carpets in the room where very dirty- over all experience was disappointing
4.6
Lynn
Disappointing
review category group of friends
08-05-2016
Pros:
Cons: Haven't been to Harbour House in a few years and boy has it gone down hill! Use to be a great place to stay, had a great bar/restaurant and a beautiful patio to sit on. That has all disappeared. Very sad to see the historic place in such bad shape!
6.3
Natalia
Pleasant
young couple
08-05-2016
Pros: Location is great. Front desk staff were great. Bed was ok.
Cons: No soundproofing - could hear noisy neighbours till 1am. Dated and needs revamp for the money they charge. Breakfast way too early 7-9am... Not a working farm as advertised.
8.3
William
Very Good
mature couple
08-05-2016
Pros: Location and layout
Cons: Needs a bit more TLC. Bathroom sink drain is very slow, grounds are nice but a bit unkempt. Mostly just spiff it up.
5.4
Sally
Fair
family with older children
08-05-2016
Pros: near town centre
Cons: Price high. poor continental breakfast. needs update
6.7
Brenda
Pleasant
review category group of friends
08-03-2016
Pros:
Cons: One suite had very comfortable beds but the other didn't
6.7
Zsoka
Pleasant
family with young children
08-01-2016
Pros: The receptionist was very helpful both with hotel related stuff and helping us find things on the island and places to eat. Their restaurant was closed down, even though it was one of the things we liked about it when discovering the hotel (organic garden and restaurant). The garden ia there, but restaurant not open.
Cons: They offer free coffee and muffins, but so early in the morning that not many people can enjoy them, as they get up later. Can't remember the exact hours, but by 9am it's closed down for sure. Makes no sense...
Showing reviews 1 - 5 of 50