Hastings House Country House Hotel

Beautiful gardens, comfortable rooms, but very badly let down from the off. by thevery abrupt “Who are you?” greeting from the receptionist, who only softened once she realised we were guests. She then denied saying it when we pointed out how unwelcoming it sounded, essentially calling us liars. She subsequently missed numerous opportunities to apologise properly or make us feel welcome, setting the tone for our whole stay. An email to the GM remained unacknowledged. The room was dated with awkward socket placement and a kettle with dead spiders inside. Breakfast has to be paid for, and at $45/head was terrible value, lacking choice and certainly did not match the "farm-to-table” branding (dried banana chips in the granola). Service was very average. This is a shame as the muffins delivered to our room were delicious. We've stayed at many Relais & Châteaux and have never felt so unwelcome. Cannot recommend. Update 3 weeks later: Finally, we contacted Relais and Chateaux. This prompted a reply from the hotel stating that they had meant to contact us while we were still there and were now offering a 'sincere apology'. This actually amounted to telling us that we misheard the receptionist's "How are you?" and misinterpreted it as "Who are you?". This was most definitely not the case. The inference is that we either don't understand English properly, can't hear properly or were lying! I have never left a negative review before. I like to leave positive reviews to call out excellence. Anyone can have a bad day, make a mistake etc., but please just own up to it.

Excellent fine dining, charming Sommelier and fabulous views, this place oozes island charm mixed with a modern touch

We stayed here two nights while on a Gulf Islands bike tour. Built on a hill overlooking the harbor. Rooms are individual and unique. Spacious and luxurious. All amenities. Great staff. Great views.

We went for dinner at Hastings House on Salt Spring Island. We were a party of six. One guest returned his trout as it was too dry. My husband ordered the T-Bone steak, which was ridiculously expensive at $140. The steak was very thin, small and completely tough. He ate very little of this steak. We only found out, after we were leaving, how bad his meal really was. That said the mussels were fantastic and my steak - was quite good - and only $65. The view and service were outstanding. Overall 6 out of six customers were unhappy and we all agreed that probably wouldn’t return to Hastings House for dinner.

Hastings House is set in a beautiful location. We stayed in the Farmhouse, which is right along the water. There are gorgeous gardens around the property as well. It’s also an easy walk to the nearby town of Ganges. The hotel’s decor is very rustic and charming. It’s the type of place you go to get away for peace and quiet. Be prepared to consume a lot of calories. The staff deliver fresh muffins to your door every morning, and then a massive breakfast is also included with your stay. It’s pretty expensive - I would’ve rather skipped the breakfast and muffins and paid about $100 less each day (which is what the bill said our daily breakfast cost). But that is my only critique. Overall, we enjoyed it. We had a relaxing time in a beautiful location with friendly staff, and we enjoyed getting to explore Salt Spring Island from our home base at Hastings House.