Ben Miller Inn & Spa

Went to a wedding. Loved it. Great atmosphere, great staff. Job well done!

This place is beyond relaxing. My wife and I have stayed here twice now and each time has been fantastic. The rooms are huge, overlooking the river. Dinner and morning brunch are both worth the money.

My sister and I took my mother here for a birthday getaway this summer and we truly had a great time. We rented a suite, which although rather pricey, was perfect for 3 women and a baby. Our suite was huge, and consisted of two rooms; one with a king sized bed and the other was a sitting room with kitchenette, which had a pull out queen size sofa bed. Our living room walked out on to a lawn, which stretched down to the scenic river below. The Inn is a series of buildings amongst incredibly picturesque landscapes.
We spent our first day at the spa, where they were incredibly kind in bringing in an additional attendant so that all three of us could get pedicures. The spa had incredibly serene views of the river and the ladies who did our pedicures were friendly and did a great job.
We didn’t eat at the Inn for dinner, as the dining room didn’t seem very friendly for an infant. However, we did return to the lounge after dinner in Goderich for night caps and dessert. The lounge is laid back and friendly, with a casual menu available as well as full drink service. There are boardgames on the tables and big cozy fireplace.
Breakfast is included with the room and although is essentially your standard hotel buffet — everything came out incredibly regularly and the quality of the fare was very good. The morning we ate there, amongst others, there was a selection of eggs, bacon, sausage, tea biscuits, local jam and fruit. The Ivey Dining room is quite beautiful and they were very accommodating to the baby (highchairs are available — and did you know, if you flip a standard restaurant wooden highchair over, a car seat fits right into it? So handy!)
The morning we left, we took a quick trip to the pool and I’m glad we did. Big lofty windows light the old building and pool which make for a rather pleasant swimming experience. The pool deck is made from big slabs of old stone, and the hot tub is off in a little wood lined nook in the corner. There are saunas in the change rooms, but you have to bring your towels from your hotel room with you.
If you find yourself in this part of Ontario, I would definitely recommend staying here. You don’t have to venture far to find other activities (an old family favourite haunt, Point Farms Provincial Park is ten minutes away– although apparently the river is too polluted to swim in now) or other towns to visit. Bayfield and Goderich are both incredibly close, as are the shores of Lake Huron for a summer beach experience.
The Ben Miller Inn is a great getaway. Even just thinking about it makes me feel relaxed.

Musings:
LOVE this place.
Unplug your phone, your computer. bring a book and sit next to the fireplace at the main building.
We played Scrabble near a burning fire with a nice coffee drink from the little bar that was just a few feet away.
We have come here several times when we lived in Michigan.
Data: AAA rates them 4 diamonds and you can see why.
«The wine list has been awarded the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence as well as the Ontario VQA Restaurant Award of Excellence.»
Inn: There are many different buildings to stay in and we have tried several of them. Each room is spectacularly clean, relaxing, and orderly, usually within a few feet of water or at least a view of some expanse of water.
There is an indoor pool which has huge windows overlooking a huge river.
Dining: The wine selection is amazing. The food is fantastic.
Many tables are lit by candle light and sat near a window, watching a lovely stream babbling.
The patio is lovely in the warmer months.
Spa: They use only Aveda products and every treatment is given in a room for privacy, usually overlooking water. I make sure to have the full package when I come because it is well worth it.
The town: There is a downtown Goderich if you want to try something different one night. There are a couple neat places to try. There is *very* little shopping to be done there.
Stratford is only a hour drive so if you can line your visit in with a play, you will enjoy that quite a bit. Lots of neat shops in Stratford.
This inn was recommended and I pass this on to you.
You will not be disappointed.
You most certainly will get lost trying to get there.
Turn right at the farm road and look careful for the small sign!
The first time we drove there the sun was going down and I thought for sure a farmer was going to come out and chase us off our lawn. Turns out my husband was right and I was the «backseat» driver. hehe.
A tremendous place. Treat yourself to this island of peace.

This is our second trip to this inn near Goderich. It is a former mill and has tremendous ambience. What strikes me most about the inn is the quality of service. They have a 4 diamond rating from the CAA and the service is most assuredly the reason. We have stayed in the original building where the rooms are older and a bit less modern, but still quite good with amazing wooden beams and mill equipment accents. This time, we stayed in the River Mill. It is quite modern, with jacuzzi tubs and modern décor, at least in the room we have.
Now, on to the food. For those who have read my reviews, my love of food is apparent. We had an amazing dinner. The risotto was outstanding and the other meals our party had were also excellent. They were very accomodating of food allergies, which is important for obvious reasons. The portions are not huge, but I find myself put off by the portion sizes at most places. When your calorie count for the day rests on one plate, you will usually end up eating to much and not enjoying the food so much.
My warning is that this is a fairly expensive stay, since it also has a spa and is a high end inn. We have been here twice and will likely return.

This is a quaint little inn hidden in the woods besides a rushing Ontario river. Large but cozy room with a beautiful king sized bed and french doors that open to the river that runs right beside you. Excellent food and excellent service. True sense of history is evident in the little touches like former mill machinery used as furnishings and decorations througout. Don’t miss the hot tub after dinner. Breakfast is included with the regular rates and is not to be missed. Recommend you upgrade to the basic dinner package for the best rate. Free wifi in the room worked very well. Only recommendation to the inn is that they mark the hiking trail a little better or provide maps. We found the start near the restaurant and ended up in someone’s driveway! We still enjoyed our walk nonetheless!
A true gem.