Smith Rock Chalets

The place is well off the main Scotsburn Road and not very well signposted but we made it up to the top. We had a one bedroom Chalet but, looking back, could have taken the cheaper single room in the Lodge. We didn’t see this option when we booked. As it’s quite a distance from anywhere, we had brought enough food to see us through the stay and ate in. There are plenty of pots, pans, plates and crockery to use. The building is relatively old and was quite hot all the time. Apart from roof fans, there wasn’t much in the way of cooling. The views down to Pictou and the bay are worth the trip up and there’s plenty of chairs to use to watch. The hot tub is a relief after a day travelling.

I stayed at Smith Rocks Chalet on Aug. 15 and 18, 2023. I had originally booked this place because my elderly mother cannot stand traveling more than 4 hours in a car at the time. This was sort of a half way point for us as we were staying the rest of our trip in Cape Breton. Sandy and his sister are real nice hosts however I did find a few things wrong with the accomodations. We stayed in the sam room both times we were there. For one the room was very dusty and whoever cleans the room just does a quick job and doesn't take the time to do a thoroughal cleaning. The floors were even dirty. The blind in the room was ripped and needed to be repalced. It mentioned that there was an ironing board in the room, however there was none to be found. In the bathroom was a garbage can made out of wicker that was all torn to threads and should of been thrown in the garbage. As my mother was traveleing with me and my sister, and my mother being older there was no provision for her such as grab bars in the tube and by the toilet. I brought these concerns to the maintence man as he was helping with the cleaning the first day that we checked out. I expected these concerns to be addressed and corrected before I checked in on our way back from Cape Breton but were never adressed. The only thing that was provided was a night light, as I asked to have one as the place was dark when you turned off the lights and my elderly mother has to get up to go to the bathroom quite frequently in the night.

I’m not sure if Smith Rock used to be a nice place to stay, but if it was, that must have been a decade ago. Possibly the worst night ever in a motel/chalet. And possibly the most dangerous. Before my family and I stayed here, their website claimed all modern conveniences including A/C “in all rooms.” That was a lie, all they provided was a cheap fan and my brother had to repair his with a zip tie. When I check now, this info has been deleted…good job manager. Did you get rid of the fans too? That lie is still on google maps description though…nice try! And can I ask…where the hell was my shower curtain? And why didn’t my cousin’s tv work? It looked like someone kicked the screen. And why are all your electrical panels located IN ALL THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACES?? Mine was right next to my head as I slept (barely due to horrible lumpy bed). My brother’s was right at the bottom of the bedroom loft stairs where he couldn’t possibly get around to escape if there was a fire. MAYBE THE FIRE INSPECTOR SHOULD GET A PHONE CALL ABOUT THIS? Why are your towels so thin? Why did it look like a knife fight broke out in the sauna room? WHY IS YOUR ROAD UP THE HILL NOT ADVERTISED ON YOUR WEBSITE AS NOT FRIENDLY TO MOTORCYCLES? I brought my family up there on bikes…had I known it was in such a bad state of repair I would not have put them in danger. To sum up, upon arriving in each our respective chalets, we were met with blast furnace level heat with no A/C, a broken tv, cheap handheld shower heads that sprayed everywhere, fans that were ineffective or just didn’t work, missing items like shower curtains, dirty outside ashtrays, gravel road washed out in areas, outlets with broken plates, electrical panels in all the wrong places, thin scratchy TINY towels, old bedding (clean but old), cheap metal blinds that clanked all night long….etc, etc, etc. And when we informed the manager of all this the next day, she sympathized and offered a very small refund and when we said that’s not very helpful, she then stated she was going to get the owners in touch with us for a better refund and guess what? They never did…big surprise. Highly recommend you avoid Smith Rock Chalet and Maple Rock Retreat completely. They do not care enough to keep their place updated, safe, and clean. Maybe if you’re looking for a place to trash or possibly die in a fire…otherwise, give this spot a wide berth. But if you decide to stay, DO NOT PAY UP FRONT AS THEY WILL LIE TO YOUR FACE ABOUT REFUNDING IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY. Great views are simply not worth it. 1/5 stars and big fu to the owners.

The chalet was clean. The bed was lumpy and hard. Very little water pressure in the shower and the water was just warm. The towels were old, thin and felt like cardboard. Ants everywhere and one tiny ant trap. We were attending a wedding and had to stay. I went to the office at checkout (where I met up with two other couples that were also there to voice their complaints). The owner didn’t not seem too overly concerned. I expected an apology at most and possibly a reduced rate it we wanted to return but received nothing. I told her I just paid $638 for 2 nights to stay here. I could have gone to a 3rd rate all inclusive resort in Cuba for a week for $200.00 more. She smiled. We will never recommend this place to anyone.