Auberge de la Riviere Saguenay

We woke up to the sound of waves each morning with the patio door open, and the fjord views were unbelievable. The beach was peaceful, and our room was very clean and comfortable. Since the hotel sits on a cliff, you do need to manage stairs. The restaurant service was slow, though the extra few minutes gave us time to take in the view and slow down. When we arrived, the manager walked us to our room, which was a first for us. Staff also brought coffee or tea to guests’ rooms. The place could use some updates, but we focused on what we liked and had a great three-night stay.

After that night, my kids got sick, and we’re still trying to get a refund with no response. There was no power in our room, and nobody answered when I called reception and support several times. We were left without basic help or electricity, and there had been no warning about the outage in the room. We expected better preparation and care for paying guests with children. I wouldn’t leave pets in a powerless room, either, and guest comfort and safety should be taken seriously. I appreciate the response to my review, but acknowledging what happened doesn’t change how poorly it was handled. I can’t recommend this place based on our stay.

We left on the morning of July 24 and continued our trip home to N-B after staying only one night, though we had booked two. My card had already been charged before we arrived on July 23. The room was extremely hot, around 27°C through the night, and the AC didn’t work. There were no window screens apart from the patio door, so we couldn’t open the windows to get air moving. One of the four adults with us needed oxygen around the clock. We had brought a concentrator and refill station to top up the tanks while we were out visiting, but in the heat the machine overheated and beeped. We turned it off briefly and set it by the open patio door, hoping the screen would help cool it, even though it was warm outside. Given our friend’s health, we were worried about losing oxygen if the machine failed. The parking situation added another safety concern. There are perhaps five spaces by the entrance, so when those are full, people park up the hill. After 9 p.m., an employee came to ask for our keys to move our car so others could park by the door. Cars were left at different angles and blocked us in. If we’d needed to leave in an emergency overnight, we couldn’t have got out, and nobody was at the front desk to help. Around 10, I went to the desk about the heat, but it was dark and seemed deserted. The desk employee tried to persuade us to stay. He brought a fan that just pushed the warm air around, then a portable AC with two ducts to vent outside. Since there was no screen for the ducts, he made a cardboard panel with two holes to fit the window. When he switched the unit on, it tripped the breaker, probably because the oxygen machine was running on the other side. That was enough for us. We couldn’t risk a nighttime outage with no one at the desk and no oxygen, so we packed. By then, the desk employee had disappeared, and we weren’t given a copy of the bill. I asked a kitchen employee to take my contact information so someone could call me. Nobody did. A week after we got home, I called and was told he was waiting for his boss to decide whether we’d be reimbursed for the second night. I politely asked him to have the boss call me, but I still haven’t spoken with him. I sent two emails without a reply. I wouldn’t recommend this place. The customer service was really bad.

I’m still worried I brought bed bugs home and may need to hire an exterminator to check my bed. After sleeping in my boxers, my body was itchy and covered in little red bumps. The place seemed dirty, like it hadn’t been cleaned, and I was disgusted. Customer service was awful too. From the replies to other clients, staff and management seem to care only about money and make excuses. I wish I’d read the reviews before booking. Save your money. You’re better off paying more for somewhere else.