Bear Trail Couples Resort

Me and my husband went to this resort September 2008. It was 3 days rain. But we still love it. Very nice, quiet place. Very clean cabin with everything what you need to get away from busy world. Fresh air, not a lot of people, jaccuzi (even stim shower and sauna in our cabine). Food was amazing, specailly service and fancy dishes, great staff. You can sit and talk with music background (very little, that you can enjoy your conversation). Prices are not chip, but for 3 days of rest, walk, slip we have to pay:) One in a few years I will recommend this resort to couples to be together and forget about everything. Activities you can find in a campground, in this resort you will find rest and peace.

We booked a Canadiana Cabin at the Couples resort for nine (9) nights on July 2008, celebrating our 25 anniversary. Some things are included in the accommodation price like tennis or badminton equipment, canoes, kayaks, paddleboats and rowboats while others are offered for a ridiculous fee like mountain bikes ($50/day) and motor boats ($28/hour) or horseback riding ($115/couple for 1 hour) water skiing, wake boarding and tubing for a stiff price and ATV's ($238/day with $1000 deposit). If in the mood for workout there is a poorly equipped gym at your service. If in the mood for being pampered there are Spa services available for prices reflecting the 5 star resort designation, however the quality of the Spa services is nothing to write home about since most of them are performed by personnel that obtained their qualifications via correspondence courses on line and not in a classroom environment. Not to mention that the resort masseuse cancelled our bookings due to "not enough clientele", hence we had to reschedule.
Other than that Algonquin Park is a 15 minutes drive and offers a variety of hiking and biking trails from easy to difficult. Mountain Bikes rentals are a lot more affordable there ($35/day).
Conclusion : Although rated as a 5 star resort, not all things are 5 star level. Accommodations are beautiful, the jacuzzi and the room service offered at any time (no extra fee) are a nice touch specially for newly weds who might not have the time to leave the room for few days, if you get my drift. Also, the meals are wonderfully prepared and presented but the menu variety could've been better. Deserts are decadent but light and no matter how late it was we could not skip them. Funny thing about the restaurant is that they require you to prebook your arrival time every day but we never seen more than half of the dining room being full. Also, there is a dining room etiquette that requires dress pants and shirts but you can accessorize those with flip-flops and it is OK.
Rooms are well appointed with fireplace and air conditioning, TV and internet, fridge with pop and water replenished daily. Our cabin had a nice porch at the water edge very private and equipped with two lounges where we can watch the activity on the lake and relax with a drink. Speaking about the drinks, the prices are restaurant level but if you bring your own bottle you better drink it in your room cause otherwise they charge you $15-$60 corking fee depending on the size of the bottle. One thing we did not appreciate is the housekeeping which was less than adequate for a resort which prides itself in spoiling you. Another thing that left us with a bad taste was the fact we reported on the first day the TV remote was not working and we had it finally changed after six (6) days of continuously repeating the complaint. Not that we watched to much TV but just to make a point. Anyway, we had a relaxing time but it seemed too long and boring without any affordable activities to enjoy in the resort and having to drive almost everyday somewhere else for affordable entertainment. It could be a wonderful destination for couples looking to spend few romantic days (not more than 3 nights) together, away from work, family and busy city life, but those prices!!!!