Bahia Resort Hotel

Nick and Charlie are a glaring example of what can only be characterized as delusional. Any business relies pivotaly on the personalities of the people involved and this is moreso the case when it comes to one such as theirs. Charlie's insistence that they are beloved ignores the simple reality of human behaviour that most people who have bad experiences choose to smile, nod, and just move on with life, rather than initiate confrontation or seem like "whiners"/overdemanding clientele. For every satisfied customer there's a dozen unhappy people who go on their merry way listing to themselves the numerous complaints. Nick and Charlie would definitely strike anyone who met them as being the sort of people who live in tiny delusional world where things are as they wish them to be and anyone to challenge it has the problem. I suspect even those they consider friends feel the same and Nick and Charlie have no clue what their friends say about them privately.

It's clear neither of them is well-suited to this venture beginning with what is likely a life-long absence of both desire and skill at taking care of anyone but themselves. Beneath the surface of their hospitality is an impossible-to-miss eerie sadness of anger or intolerance it's hard to say but it's clear they do not see that others see it.

However you look at it, these are people who should have quietly retired rather than allow others into their domain where strangers can watch through a one-way glass all that neither of them has any clue is so apparent.

The place is beautiful, the hosts are far from it.

BAYFRONT Suite B&B Peninsula in Tamarac Island, Tobermrory Area—Mixed Feelings, rating 6 out of 10

My husband and I stayed at the Bayfront Suite Bed and Breakfast on Tamarac Island for three nights and four days from July 22 to July 25, 2013 and we had mixed feelings about our experience there-both negative and positive. First I will discuss the great things about this place. This B&B is in an amazing location—quiet area surrounded by lovely colorful vast array of flowers and plants in their backyard, and your own private deck that overlooks the breathtaking peaceful Stokes Bay.

Your spacious large room with a King size bed decorated in pine ceilings and pine walls make you feel welcomed and cozy. Our bedroom had massive large windows that faced the spectacular Stokes Bay, and the brilliant glorious sunrises would await you every morning when you woke up.

There was a small fridge, toaster oven, plates, cutlery, condiments, cereal, etc, and premade meals ready for you to eat for breakfast. We had our own large barbecue, fire pit and the use of two kayaks to use as well. Adjacent to our large bedroom was a small den that had two large patio doors your own private entrance that led out to their beautiful landscape that awaits you anytime to view the picturesque tranquil waters of Stokes Bay. Overall, our room was fairly clean, and had all sorts of lovely nick knacks in the room—small vase with fresh flowers in it, and a welcome bowl of a variety of treats.

We felt welcomed by Charlie who runs the B&B and her husband, Nick when we first met them, and they seemed very friendly and very helpful as far as places to see, restaurants to eat, etc. in Tobermory.

The disappointing things we found at this B&B were first the bed. I noticed right away that the bed sloped which is not good for me, considering I have back and sciatica issues at times. Secondly, we were very disappointed that the owners did not make breakfast for us every morning, considering it is called a Bed and BREAKAST place. Instead, Charlie gave us premade frozen items such as pancakes, and two quiches, and one small bowl of pre cut up fruit. We were expecting a homemade fresh breakfast made for us every morning since this has been our experience at the Bed and Breakfast Inns that we have stayed at before. First of all, I am gluten and lactose intolerant so the only breakfast that I could eat was the pre cut fruit that was prepared ahead of time. The fruit of course was not that fresh considering it was premade and some of the blueberries were soggy. I did not let the owners know ahead of time that I was gluten and lactose free because I usually just eat fruit for breakfast when I go to a B&B, and this is something that all B&B places serve along with their other special homemade creative yummy breakfasts. My husband had Rice Krispies cereal since that is all they had for cereal to choose from, coffee that he made himself, and over the three days, he ate the pre made quiches which he found not that tasty, and soggy after heating them up in the microwave. Charlie did not offer us anymore food until the fourth day—our last day there. On her website it is implied that she does have breakfast so I assumed that we would be served breakfast every morning. One of the things about B&B that we love is being served breakfasts and chatting with the owners. I am in a profession where I am constantly serving others, and this is something that we look forward to when we go away—having someone cater to us for breakfast.

The other issue I had was with the bathroom. The sink was really tiny and there was hardly any counter space. There was a sauna in the bathroom but it was used as a storage room instead. The lighting in the bathroom was terrible, especially when you are trying to put on make-up. The tiny shower is a one man shower only—not very romantic, and my hubby found it very small, and he is not very big—145lbs. Secondly, Charlie told us that the shower is leaking and that it would be fixed next year. Furthermore, the mirrors in the bathroom were way too low. I am 5’9” and I had to bend down to blow dry my hair which I found very annoying. Plus, the full length mirror came up to my nose only. This is an easy fix---just move the mirrors up, and this way it would accommodate all heights. Plus, the ceiling throughout the room was very low, about 6’4”---not good for really tall people or for those who don’t like low ceilings.

For the four days and three nights there, Charlie never did ask us if we needed more towels. We had one large towel, one hand towel, and one face towel each for four days. I have had experience in the past working in the hospitality motel industry, and we made sure to ask our customers if they needed anymore towels beyond the towels that we changed every day in their rooms. Overall the room was fairly clean however, I did notice some cobwebs on the bottom of the chairs.

The other issue was the noise. We could hear everything above us, and they did not talk quietly, but they were not the type to be up late at night which was good.

Throughout our stay there, we did not see Charlie again until the last day—our fourth day there to pay her for the room, but she was definitely around every day during our stay there since we heard her many times chatting upstairs with friends and her husband. Nick on the other hand talked to us when we would pass him on our way to our outdoor excursions and would chat with us, giving us helpful suggestions about places to see or things to do. Nick’s wife, Charlie did tell us initially that we could press the door *** bell that was in our room to let her know if we needed anything.

Overall, we were disappointed, but then again there were some positives about this place, like the amazing scenery, beautiful landscape, private deck, free use of Kayaks, barbecue, and fire pit, and the incredible sunrises that awoke you every morning. For $150.00 per night we expected to have daily homemade breakfasts, no sloping bed, and a half decent shower that would accommodate at two people. I give Bayfront Suite B&B a 6 out of 10.

Cheryl and John Nevin

Waterloo, Ontario