Adventure The Bruce Inn

This cozy cottage in Tobermory felt comfortable and relaxing, with lovely natural light and modern decor softened by cozy details. The room design was thoughtful, from the bathroom night light and luggage rack to the lighting and heat controls. Housekeeping was impeccable, and we got a warm welcome at the front desk. We’ll definitely be back, thank you!

We found bugs on the bed, floor, and sofa. We asked to move to another cabin, but they refused, and when we requested a refund, the property manager said bugs on your bed are “absolutely NORMAL.” We have videos and recordings of it. The manager, ERIC, later sent a message through booking.com saying they’d give us a partial refund if my wife took down her review, otherwise they wouldn’t. He showed no empathy and was disrespectful. He told my wife she wasn’t in Toronto and shouldn’t expect bug-free cabins in tobermorry.

We booked one night for $292.11 in the off-season, and the communication afterward was slow and adversarial. The cancellation cutoff was shown as 12:00am on a certain date, which meant it had passed as soon as that date began. We misunderstood and thought we could cancel that day. We cancelled less than 45 minutes after the cutoff, while the stay was still about a month away, then immediately asked if they could be flexible given the confusion and how close we were to the deadline. We heard nothing for several days. When they eventually replied through Expedia, they refused. After we posted a review about what happened, the business offered to reschedule us. We accepted and offered to remove the review because that would resolve our issue. Another week went by before they responded, and instead of confirming a new booking, they expressed disappointment that our reviews were still up. They also accused us of “review extortion.” We found that intimidating and shocking, since we were responding to their proposed solution and had offered to remove our review in return. There was no more follow-up or information about rescheduling, so we assumed they no longer intended to honor the offer. My partner and I left the experience feeling strongly that people should avoid staying here.

My friend paid $700 upfront for two nights. His child became very sick, so he emailed the hotel to ask if a friend could take the room instead. The manager confirmed in writing that this was okay. But when we arrived, that same manager said our booking had been forfeited because we hadn’t checked in “on time,” and refused a refund. When I asked to see the “rule,” he started screaming at us, telling us to “call the police” and that we were “no longer welcome here.” They then sold the room to someone else and kept the $700 we’d already paid. We have the confirmation email and a video of how we were treated. I’ve stayed at hotels around the world and have never heard of a prepaid guest being refused entry for checking in later than expected. This felt like a scam, not hospitality. They were dishonest and unprofessional, and I’d tell people to avoid this hotel and spend their money somewhere that values its customers.