Name: Long Lake Waterfront Bed and Breakfast
Address: 240 Ferntree Place Nanaimo,Ferntree Place, Nanaimo, Nanaimo, Nanaimo, V9T 5M1, Canada
Rating: 10

Air conditioning

Smoking areas

Smoke-free property

Heating

Express check-in/check-out

Outdoor furniture

General

Non-smoking rooms

Rooms

Concierge services

Services and amenities

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

English

Chinese

Languages Spoken

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Library

Fishing

Sun Deck

Recreation

Parking

Water sport facilities

Private beach

Next to the beach

Pool and beach

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Nanaimo Airport

Museum of Anthropology

Granville Island Public Market

VanDusen Botanical Garden

Stanley Park

Vancouver Aquarium

Robson Square

Orpheum Theater

Christ Church Cathedral

Vancouver Art Gallery

Queen Elizabeth Park

Vancouver Central Public Library

Vancouver Convention Centre

Waterfront Centre

Vancouver Playhouse

Harbour Centre

Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Canada Place

TELUS World of Science

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

Capilano Suspension Bridge

Long Lake Waterfront Bed and Breakfast

Nanaimo

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

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king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

Very kitschy, which I totally appreciate but was not expecting as it turns out the photos on website are old. The owner is kind and accommodating. The views are pretty. The shower was good. The bed was super soft and a bit squeaky. It was a lot of money for what I got. It seems in need of some decorating and hospitality intervention (ala Restaurant Impossible) because the bones are good. I’m rooting for this place but it needs a little help.

Kitschy, cute, interesting

Based on the B&B website I booked our stay in the Deluxe King Suite for our 25th wedding anniversary. Truthfully, I did not look at the details of the reviews, only at the pretty high rating still and all the "awards". This lodging is not apt for people with disabilities or on the bigger size either. The entrance is super narrow and moist/wet. By the time we entered our room, the bottom of our luggage was wet and muddy. I still rate this place 3 out of 5 because I can acknowledge and appreciate what the new owner is doing, however, I did suggest, in a very simple English for him to update the website, as it does not represent the reality. He is still using the former owners' website and pictures. The gentleman, who really does his best, bought the B&B 5 years ago. He is from Vietnam and speaks very little English, so communication is limited. He added many many (maybe too many) details from his culture (fake flowers, gold artifacts, aluminum flowers, butterflies, flamingoes) in the property, and none of these according-to-him "upgrades" are seen on the pictures/website. FYI, the beds are not the same as on the pictures. So the lodge feel I got from the website is not there. The breakfast is also limited and only comes with coffee, no juices. The location on the lake is gorgeous though, and the view from our room was magnificent, even though he added a large xmas deer, a large birdhouse and something else in front of our bedroom window. On the very positive side, he has about 125 rose plants around the house comprising of at least 25 different types of roses. So just imagine the beautiful rose aroma you get walking in the yard. My husband and I are very chill people and don't easily make a fuzz. My husband didn't know and has not seen where we were going to stay, so he did not have any expectations and was impressed with the location and view. I made all the comparisons, and even though I has a little disappointed especially with the lack of juice for breakfast, we made the best of our stay and enjoyed it. Doesn't mean though that we will go back :(

Not as advertised. Awards may be outdated and not be relevant any longer.

Overpriced and not up to the website review

This was such a disappointment. 

We arrived at the site with excitement as the drive to the property was beautiful with views of the lake but to enter was to follow a bizarre soggy, damp rock faced very narrow walk way. Followed by a journey down three rickety staircases. NOT suitable for families or people with disabilities or older!

View was spectacular but the terraces were cluttered with way to much Random’stuff’ 

Hot tub….was cold 

Lake front was spectacular and we had a lovely sunny day to enjoy the view. 

Room only had Thai tea. We asked for tea but the host said No! 

Breakfast was terrible. I emailed ahead to advise host that we were vegetarian who did not eat eggs or cheese. We were served teo stone cold fried eggs and toast. A bowl of fresh fruit with squirts cream all over the top! AWFUL

Host could not speak English and was brusque and unfriendly 

Room was ok. Christmas tree was weird!  Jacuzzi bath was nice. No blankets were to be seen as the night was cold. 

Hearing the host moving around at 6am above our room was really annoying and it didn’t stop. If more than one room were to be booked out, I think hearing other occupants would be tricky. 

There was no 4 poster bed!

Would not recommend this place.

View is lovely but that’s it

Disappointing

Long Lake Waterfront B & B

We spent 4 nights there recently. Not wanting to be totally negative, I will start with the good points:

-The room had an efficient air conditioning unit which was very welcome as the temperature here has been unseasonably hot.
-The days we were there were peaceful and quiet.

BUT…
-This would be a terrible choice for anyone with any sort of mobility issue. The pictures on the site are deceiving, it is not just a small flight to get to the room, first you have to SQUEEZE through a damp and mossy crack between the rock face and the house. I am not exaggerating, the crack is only about 1 foot wide, a large or even a medium sized suitcase will have to be lifted up to fit through. I honestly do not know how the owner got permission to build that close to the rock wall. Any person of wider than average girth would have to scoot sideways through it and anyone larger than that would simply not fit through. From there it does open up to a narrow path which leads to a stairway that is longer than pictured.
-Once in the room, we were met with a heavily scented atmosphere (air wick, febreeze etc) that was downright nauseating! All the towels and linens reeked of dryer sheets. Again, anyone with scent sensitivity would turn and run! 
-OK-navigate the ‘Crack’ and absail down the stairs-check! Enter room and get used to near-unbreathable atmosphere-check! Room looks nice (as advertised) nice view, seems a bit smaller than pictured but acceptable. Upon closer inspection though it was obvious that the state of cleanliness was not up to standard and, judging by the hair (pubic and otherwise) from the previous guest in the rather spartan and old shower and the dirty dishcloth with bits of food still stuck on it in the kitchenette, the unit had not been cleaned after the last occupant, eewwww!
-small details had not been taken care of: no napkins, paper towel or dish coth in the kitchen (how do you clean up a spill?) one spoon in the cutlery drawer (we shared it) etc
-the breakfast was attractive but, on at least one occasion, stone cold.
-ahh the lake! Lovely! Kayaks and paddleboard for guest use, Yay! Let’s go jump in! Get to the dock, lake entry is clogged with milfoil weed, ewww, how about just jumping off the little dock into the murky week choked water? Nope! (I won’t use the slimy ladder to ease into the water either)
It seems as though this is a case of a pleasant vacation place that has been taken over by people that have no clue how to run a B&B. Considering the price, we would not come back.

a big disappointment

I am not even sure how to start this review, except to say that the bed & breakfast is not as advertised. The Canada Select sign still shows 4 1/2 stars, despite the fact that this B & B has been sold to new owners. (BTW, Canada Select no longer rates properties in BC, Canada – I know, I contacted them.) We were greeted at the front door by a 10-year-old girl who called her father. They took us downstairs to our room and just handed us the key. There was no check in with us to see how things were and other than the email telling me there should be green tea and milk we never heard from them and we never did learn their names or meet the wife, assuming there is one. The only time we saw the dad after ‘check in’ was when he sat on a lawn chair in the driveway listening to music. He didn’t even say hello. We did know they were home though, as we heard chairs sliding, cupboards banging & piano practice going on upstairs all day long, starting at 7am. 

It would seem that the website is what the old owners set up and much has changed since then. Our suite was so different from what was on the website that I actually asked if it was correct, if this was the suite we had reserved. I was told yes. Please see the attached photos for the difference as well as to indicate some of the “decorations“ that the new owners have added to what was once “lake house” décor.

The entire place is full of fake flowers, and leaves, and statuary – dolphins, rabbits, angels, eagles, flamingos, peacocks, fish, pumpkins and more adorn every surface inside and outside of the property. In addition, the quiet, dark solitude of our room facing the lake was ruined by a plugged-in, 6 foot tall Christmas reindeer proudly displayed and turned on until 11:30 at night.  To be fair, the reindeer matched the Christmas tree and full-sized snowman that were still displayed in the common room (yes, in August). Multiple strands of lights -  including Christmas lights - flash and blink outside of the home by the dock and patio space, all of which detract from the peace and quiet you might expect when staying at a lake house. One set of flashing lights on the patio of the unit below us went all night long, which meant we had to close our drapes and could not enjoy the beautiful moonlight we thought we would get to look at reflecting off the lake.

Our four-poster bed, as advertised on the website, was not there. It was an old wooden monstrosity and the duvet was replaced by a cheap, thin blanket…no cover, no bedspread, just the blanket.  The mattress was comfortable enough but I had to remake it as the bottom sheet had not been properly fitted and kept coming off the corner.  This is not just a personal aesthetic choice thing – we all have to deal with that – it’s like staying in grandma’s garage sale, and grandma’s been shopping at the dollar store.  It’s certainly not what’s expected for $300 per night.

Food and beverage are another thing. Every B&B I’ve stayed in has a common area with a few supplies – tea bags, coffee, milk/cream/creamer, sugar and such.  This one had a tin of Foldgers coffee, no milk or cream and not a tea bag in sight.  There was no brita filter for water, no bottles in the room and no water glasses.  I emailed (because we hadn’t been given a number to call) to ask for milk to go with my tea in the morning because I don’t drink coffee (my husband does). Our breakfast arrived with each of us getting a full mug of green tea and a full mug of milk. Yuck. We were able to make coffee in the room, but there was no cream provided and no coffee scoop to load the coffee maker, the filters for which were the wrong size as well.  Breakfast the first day, I cannot even describe… Take a look at the pictures below. The best I can say is that it was an onion omelet with a frozen waffle dropped into the middle of it topped with syrup, sliced strawberries, kiwis and jam, and the shocking part, if you can believe it, was the sliced hotdog they had in the omelette!  A hotdog!!! The whole thing was inedible. There was no juice. No napkins. No spoons to stir anything. The second day’s meal was marginally better with it being 2 sunny side up eggs (rubbery) and a stale, cold croissant. No butter. No jam. The same green tea & milk.  The same dry half slices of cucumber.  We had hoped that where the new owners lacked in their sense of decorating they would make it up in culinary skill.  Nope. Not even close.

Be careful outside, as there seem to be random pieces of plastic grass, installed over walkways and stairs and deck space, none of which is nailed down or properly installed, making it a tripping hazard. The dock itself is wobbly, but the big issue is that the ladder coming out of the lake is so slippery with algae that you cannot stand on it. I was very grateful that I put my feet in first to test it, because if I had turned around to climb backwards into the lake like I was going to do, I surely would’ve slipped off and broken my leg.  And on the topic of safety, you will notice in one of the photos, there is a fake flower-topped lamp plugged in and placed on the side of the soaker tub. I don’t know where someone got the idea that having an electric lamp on the bathtub is a good or in any way meets safety standards.

Do yourself a favor, spend your money elsewhere. You can get a room at a motel for far less than the $300 a night we spent, and get a better breakfast and more access to information about the local area.  These folks will not be in business for long, and it is a shame, because the original owners had such a beautiful property and provided such a wonderful service. It is all gone now.

Take a pass - it’s not as advertised

Unfortunately we need to post an unfavorable review of this B&B.  As seen on other posts as well, the pictures do not accurately reflect the property.  The suite we stayed in was very cluttered with different furniture and decorations. The ceiling was low which made it feel smaller with also a small bathroom. There was little proactive assistance to support the amenities advertised. There was no choice for breakfast - food allergies were considered only. Each suite was served the same food and what was served was substandard. The lake view had the highway and a U-storage building on the far side. We left early and stayed elsewhere and were not given any compensation from the owner. They argued against our points which also highlighted the poor customer service.  Would not recommend

Not as advertised

Unfortunately we are going to have to leave a one star review as we were not satisfied with our stay for the following reasons:

The pictures posted on their website DO NOT MATCH the interior decorations and furniture. Since the pictures have been posted changes have been made and the room is much more cluttered with decorations that do not fit the atmosphere associated with a lake house. There is also a massive LED Christmas reindeer (it’s July) directly outside the window that stays on throughout the night. We like having moonlight in our room and this was made impossible by the Christmas beacon directly outside our window.

Secondly, the overall cleanliness and hygiene is lacking at best. Mold can be found in multiple locations within the shower. There are old used bars of soap and old gross liquid soap provided to guests. The bathtub jets are coated in gross black residue, this was only discovered once the jets were turned on and shot chunks of brown and black sludge into the bathwater. 

Thirdly, the beds are very uncomfortable. It felt as though I was lying in a hammock, as a stomach and side sleeper, sleeping was difficult and caused me to wake up with back pain both mornings.

Finally and most importantly, the owners of the B&B live directly above our room with extremely thin floors. They were playing loud music and stomping around till after 10pm making a romantic night with my partner impossible. To make it even worse they resumed stomping around a little after 6am waking both us up when we wanted nothing more than to sleep in.

Due to these circumstances I cannot and will not recommend this B&B. I recommend looking elsewhere when deciding on a place to stay.

BUYERS BEWARE

This was the most disappointing place we have ever stayed. The only part of the place that was even slightly the same as the web site photos and other booking sites photos was the view of the lake out of the window. Even this was marred by the giant reindeer ornament that was lit up right outside our window (it's July, Xmas decorations at this time of year are just a no go for an ostensibly 5 star place) which spoiled the sunset view.
THE ROOM: The room we stayed in did not have a 4 poster bed with flowing draperies, the bed linens had an odd smell and were not particularly nice, the bed was so loud when turning over we never slept soundly, the wicker chairs at the glass table in front of the window were broken (and the lovely glass table you see in the photos which lends an airiness to the room was covered with a really bad table cloth), mold in the shower, a grubby looking sponge with dish soap in a container by the sink for washing dishes (and the container also had a used bar of soap in it for hand washing - found it under the grubby sponge - yuck), cotton swabs and cotton pads "presented" in plastic bags under the hair dryer when there were acrylic containers for these which would have presented better, over size bottles of dove shampoo and conditioner (again not very 5 star), in room coffee had no creamer, sugar cubes in a box instead of individual packets, coffee also not in individual packets which felt unhygienic in a post covid world. "Flowers" in the room were faux and bad faux at that which detracted even more from the overall feel of the room. The single bed in the room was a pull out with a 1" piece of foam. No bedding was provided for this even though we booked our room for 2 adults and a child. When we asked for bedding the owner / manager looked confused but eventually brought a pillow. We again asked for sheets and a blanket which was eventually provided. And as per other comments, there was a lot of noise from the owner / manager space upstairs with very loud footsteps, piano playing, cupboards opening / closing waking us up all 3 mornings we stayed there.
COMMON AREA/DINING: more Xmas decorations including a tree and a giant snow man (in July!). Dining table held cutlery that was dirty, open ketchup bottle left out all day and night. And again, don't be fooled by any photos from years ago of the food. Food was served in the common area and was cold. 1st breakfast included 2 pieces of overcooked bacon, a cooked hotdog, eggs, white toast drizzled with creamy honey - all cold despite coming from the kitchen just up the stairs and we were at that table when it was served. Breakfast not being to our expectations, we advised by email that we would not need breakfast the next day. Nevertheless, they served it anyway. This time is was a home made, ethnic soup and fruit - hard pass for us as soup is just not a breakfast food for us.
OUTDOOR SPACE: too much furniture on the dock, lots of astro-turf, planters needing care and deadheading, hot tub "out of service" and looks like it's been that way for quite some time, very narrow walkway to get to rooms making it tricky with luggage (not much they can do about that since there is a rock cliff right next to the path but it's not very good for people with mobility issues), parking for 3 vehicles (3 rooms) is very tight and you need to back out up the road quite a ways in order to get out.
Buyer beware on this one. We read reviews that were really great but failed to notice that the reviews are from a few years ago. This place is definitely under new owners with a different aesthetic and concept of 5 star / luxury.

Not as advertised - so disappointing

We were so fortunate to find availability at the Long Lake Waterfront B&B. It is definitely a hidden gem. 

The new owner and his young daughter (who are charming and so helpful and wanting for you to enjoy your stay) provides everything you will need to enjoy your visit. With a dock on the water and use of a canoe, kayaks, fishing gear, a long board or simply a patio to laze in the sun or shade on a multitude of loungers, there is nothing that you will want for. 

The 3 rooms have a lake view and basic kitchen facilities; the large king room has a kitchenette and fireplace that will make fall and winter a great place to relax with a good book or one of the B&Bs vast classical DVD library. During non-Covid times there is even a waterfront hot tub to enjoy. 

Bonus feature includes a lovely breakfast that you can eat in the common area, outside on the patio or at the waters edge. 

We highly recommend this little treasure. We will return often I’m sure. We look forward to seeing all the tile & cement finishing updates on the patio and gardens.

Hidden Gem at the Waters’ Edge

Highly recommend this place, it's paradise!!  Hands down our favourite place to be when visiting the Island. The photos do not do it any justice as the suites are constantly being updated and look so amazing.  This Oasis is RIGHT on the lake with stellar views from each room as well as common areas where you are welcome to use. We particularly love the kayak's and being served top notch breakfast each morning. I had to hesitate writing this review as it is a hidden gem and I want to make sure I can come back....lol
I have a feeling over time there will be fewer and fewer vacancies

Long Lake Waterfront Bed and Breakfast

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