Sonora Resort

The location is superb, our room was very nice with an incredible view, we booked a private trip on a boat with a knowledgeable guide and saw amazing wildlife, my husband had a fly fishing lesson again excellent So for the negatives, such a shame , the food needs to be sorted out ! I’m not the only one mentioning this by the reviews I’ve read , just use local ingredients cooked well , without trying to overdo things , some very strange concoctions, we have stayed and eaten in many Relais and Chateaux and this is not up to par by any means , the buffet breakfast is a disaster, from the first guest to the last it should be consistent I’m so disappointed in the cocktails don’t bother ! Really didn’t have a clue how to make them ! It’s such a shame , more training and getting a decent chef are priorities, I don’t know how this lives up to the reputation of a Relais member

We just returned from a week long vacation at Sonora. We loved our experience. It was our first trip to British Columbia and Sonora did not disappoint! We stayed in a terrace balcony room in the Gillard building. We found the accommodation lovely! The view from our balcony was amazing. We used both hot tubs in the building. Both hot tubs have gorgeous views and felt great after long excursion days. We did the grizzly bear tour, the 4 hour eco tour, desolution boat tour and the best one....the helicopter glacier/whale tour. Every excursion was spectacular! The guides were excellent on every tour! I have never seen such gorgeous and amazing wildlife so close up. Coming from Florida it was such an incredible experience to see orca/humpback whales, black/grizzly bears, sea lions, eagles and so much more! Landing on a glacier and drinking champagne was an experience I will never, ever forget. Our pictures were something out of a movie! I wish the weather had been better - it rained every day but two- however, it did not diminish the experience of the excursions. We used the gym several afternoons and were the only people in it. We used the sauna/steam rooms several times, as well as, the spa mineral pool and cold plunge. We loved it! The employees are so nice and try very hard. I have a feeling the closer to the end of season they get they lose staff members. The only downfall was the food. Breakfast is buffet style with food served in warmers. It was not the best selection. Lunch was our favorite meal as there were plenty of selections. Dinner we found the food was just odd selections. Corn and peach ice cream? I guess my husband and I are just not foodies and didn't get the dinner menus? We just wanted simpler options. The menu barely changes so if you are there for a week it gets old. All in all we had a fabulous week at Sonora! It was an adventure I will never forget! I am grateful for the employees and staff that made this trip a wonderful memory we will have forever!!!

The location and wildlife experience is hard to beat. We had great guides and saw amazing wildlife and for that reason I would very much recommend it as an experience. They have very good boats, helicopters etc available and that is great. However, some things are less of a 5* experience. First and foremost the food. Breakfast choice is disappointing and not consistent. Dinner feels like the chef is trying too hard instead of just focusing on executing good dishes with the amazing ingredients they have out there. It’s not a total disaster but not what you expect when you hear the brand Relais & Chateaux. Service staff (talking restaurant and housekeeping) could be improved. Waiters are very friendly but they seem to lack training / direction. Some are better than others but overall pretty inexperienced and possibly understaffed. A good manager could overhaul this quite quickly for the better and make a big difference on that front. Housekeeping could be improved as well (non-obvious areas like under the bed were not properly cleaned for a while is my guess). Overall the property is a bit aged - the beds are not that new, the whole style is a bit outdated. It’s been maintained OK but an overhaul could make this property amazing. Finally the staff at front desk could also improve when it comes to booking experiences, offering choices, contacting ahead of stay to book in and also responding (I tried to contact more than once and never heard back).

The location and views could not be beat! It was amazing with orcas, sea lions and eagles keeping us company in the mornings. The guides, especially Dorian and Robin, were outstanding. Favorite servers, Chelsea and Daniel, were friendly and extremely attentive. The food was okay - but after 3 days I noticed that they repeated the specials. Having said that if you wanted and off menu item like grilled chicken that would accommodate. The Dungeness crab cracked was a $125 up charge was caught and cooked that day. You will catch fish and you will learn a great deal about this magical area. Now for the areas of improvement. The rooms need a bit of love, pillows were not comfortable and the towels were scratchy. Sheets were institutional feeling. We were in the Bute Suite and could hear guests(?) above us moving furniture around for about an hour. When I spoke to the .guest relations people I was told that there was no room above my room - I beg to differ and that there was nothing they could do - not a very Relais and Chateaux response. No medical personnel available - tried to reach a doctor as I left my prescriptions on the plane - and was led to my own devices. The best they could do was give me the name of a pharmacy - 2 hours by river taxi. I asked the Guest Relations people and they informed me that for medical emergencies the helicopter is summoned. Otherwise, they could not help. This is a remote location, plan accordingly. And the GM, who greeted us, was let go a couple of days later. We were sitting at a table outside while he was in conversation with another person out in the deck with his boxes packed up.

So many things are right with Sonora. I usually make 5 star reviews, but I need to talk about this place. The views, the wildlife, spa and some of the guides are wonderful. The manager greets you when you arrive and then you never see him again. That sets the tone. No one seems to really care what is going on. It seems to run by 20 year olds and they just want to finish the season and move on. This place lacks direction. There are some exceptions with the staff; Robin the guide, Jesse the bartender, and another cheerful lady who was always nice. The food was as my husband put it “like being on a cruise ship.” Not in a good way. This could be better with some involvement of some management and better food choices. A general manager presence and involvement with a better food program with even a “chef experience” could really elevate this place. I wanted it to be 5*, but it’s 3.5.