Elm Hurst Inn & Spa

I arrived early for a wedding, and decided to have lunch. I got the buffet option. To begin, there were 3 flies walking around the carving table, knife, and meat, which the server made no effort to swat, even when it was on her hand while carving. The roast meat tasted grey, and I left half. Vegetables were frozen and not enjoyable. The salad options were ok, and the desert selection was good. The servers were friendly and attentive. The setting is very nice. Overall, it was not a $ 21 buffet (pre tax/​tip); rather it was a $ 15 meal. This is not a place to come to just for the food.

I’d like to separate the experience of staying here from eating here. I visited in off-​season with family, so we couldn’t explore the grounds too much and it wasn’t too busy for dining. Check in was a bit weird — the person at the desk was super twitchy, like she’d just had a giant coffee, or something fishier, and when we asked about making a reservation for dinner she just pointed down the hallway rather than offering to call and make it for us. We weren’t sure where to go at first and had to ask again to make sure we made it to the right place.
The room:
Narrow and small, seemed newly re-​done with nice furnishings and a very nice shower. Nothing too special for the price. As others have noted, you may think you’ll be able to use the hot tub and sauna, but the location is not convenient so even though we’d packed our suits, we didn’t bother. ³⁄₅
Dinner in the dining room:
Very fancy, with a mix of reactions to the food. I thought I’d have 2 appetizers instead of a main so I could try more options. Total mistake. I tried the house favourite beer-​cheese soup and it didn’t have much flavor going for it. Then I got the smoked salmon goat cheese crêpe appetizer, and it was tiny and again had no flavor. Not even of goat cheese, which I love! It was also served totally cold, and cold crepes just aren’t very nice. On the flip side, the other two in my party got the quinoa-​beet main, which was delicious and came with very nicely done fresh vegetables, and the other tried the prix fixe menu to have an appetizer (carrot ginger soup, very nice) and a main (pork medallions with the same nice fresh vegetables, and a dessert. So my two companions were both quite happy with their choices, while I was disappointed and wished I could have a do-​over. ³⁄₅
Breakfast, included in our stay:
Buffet style with hot eggs and bacon, which were a bit better than your standard included breakfast fare. This was nice and quiet with no one else there when we arrived. A very nice server was there to provide coffee or tea, though I’m not sure why they didn’t just leave those out for people to help themselves. There was yogurt, cereal, juice, a choice of breads to toast, and a nice selection of jams and spreads. Breakfast was probably the best part of the stay, to be honest. ⁴⁄₅

I found this place on Groupon and the deal was too good to pass up! I booked myself 2 nights over the holidays and I am so glad I did.
While I wasn’t impressed with the spa, I did enjoy use of the steam room and sauna. I also wasn’t impressed with either RMT I had and wouldn’t return to either one, but the overall experience I had with the Inn itself is good enough to leave me excited to return.
The room was comfortable, the bed was so good I actually hugged it goodbye my final morning. The linens were lovely, the view was beautiful (I was in room 209 — rear view — very good). Also it was impeccably clean and the bathroom had been recently renovated. It was very nice overall.
The food was the best part for me, I had the Prime Rib Buffet my first night and I actually spent 2 hours in the dining room from start to finish (yes, alone!). The food was delicious, fresh and more than I expected of a buffet. It included a wide variety of salad (including quinoa and cranberry! mmm), 3 meat choices, a good cheese selection, pasta station, and some seafood (the shrimp was amazing). I was disappointed with the fact that they don’t serve Yorkshire pudding with the prime rib however, especially since it comes with it if you order it as a main. I had been looking forward to that the entire ride up! Oh well.
The desert selection was good, although there could have been a few dark chocolate options. I had espresso with dessert (which I assumed was covered in the cost of the buffet but it wasn’t!) and I have to say, they make a very good espresso. And I am picky. The regular coffee is also very good. The house wine was also great, both red and white, and I enjoyed the fact that I could finish it in the lounge after my meal was finished.
The second evening I ordered the goat cheese tower thingy as an appetizer and it was the most refreshing and tasty appetizer I’ve ever had. I wish it came as an entrée. I am salivating just thinking about it.
I also asked for a chicken caeser salad. It wasn’t on the menu but the server assured me it was a simple request so that is what I ordered. I was still kind of full from the night before (LOL), but it was delicious. So was the complimentary selection of artisan breads and whipped butter.
I enjoyed the included breakfast buffet both mornings. It’s no Sunday brunch but the selection of fruit, yogurt, trail mix, oats and pastries was a nice compliment to the regular scrambled eggs and bacon (both still quite good!).
I found the hotel staff to be incredibly accommodating and genuinely nice. I was fighting off a flu and they kept the hot water and lemon flowing at all of my mealtimes and even delivered it to my room at no charge (within the kitchen’s hours).
I did try to explore Ingersoll, I wanted to experience the Cheese Museum! But it was closed for the holiday season. All the regular stuff is available in town though. Shoppers Drug Mart came in handy, and there are restaurants and cafes should you not want to spend the $ on dinner at the mansion. Although you won’t regret it if you do!
I will definitely return.

We had a lot if fun this weekend.
We celebrated our 20 years anniversary
Spa treatments, excellent dinner and in the end of the night nice chocolate covers strawberries.
Rooms are extremely nice, clean, and the beds are to die for.

I have only gone to the Elm Hurst for dinner and I have to say its always been great! The food is always amazing! Not usually to busy so no wait at all to be seated and the chef there is awesome! I’ve loved everything I’ve ordered from there!
I’ve been three times for dinner for special occasions like My Birthday dinner or a night out with my husband. I had the macadamia nut zucchini fritters and it was so good! I usually pick salmon for my main dish. I’ve had the Cajun salmon on a sweet potato flap jack with maple and It was really good! Also had the risotto with pink ginger and I’ve been attempting to recreate it myself because it was so yummy! I can’t comment on the rooms to stay there or the spa because I haven’t been. But I intend on trying out the Spa in the near future. I’ve had lots of family that have attended weddings there and gone to brunch and no one has anything bad to say about it! Buffets are not my thing so ill just stick to the dinners!

Overall, a good stay but there’s certainly room for improvement. The grounds were spacious and quiet and my rating would be 3.5÷5.
The room was spacious and modern. The beds were comfortable and had complimentary bottled water, coffee and tea. Robes and slippers were provided. However, we had to ask for some basic toiletries such as cotton swabs and shower caps — it would’ve been nice if they were already in the room instead of having to walk all the way to the lobby to get them.
We were on the Sunday night prime rib buffet dinner package. Aside from the prime rib, there was stuffed pork and chicken breast, as well as made-​to-​order pasta. There were also a few salads and other cold appetizers, such as smoked salmon and different cheeses, as well as a variety of desserts. The prime rib and pasta were good but the desserts were only subpar and some of the dishes lacked flavour. In general, it was a basic buffet that certainly could benefit from more selection.
We also booked a massage in the spa. The amenities included a hot tub (which was across from the reception desk. shielded with a thin see-​through lace), sauna and steam room, which were quite small but no one walked in when we were using it so it was okay. There was an area where you can help yourselves to beverages and granola bars. The locker room lacked toiletries such as body lotion and cotton swabs.
The breakfast buffet is, again, quite basic. There were a variety of different juices but the food selections weren’t that great. Other than cereal and a toaster for bagels, English muffins, etc., the only hot items were bacon, scrambled eggs and potatoes. A waffle machine and made-​to-​order eggs would’ve made it so much better!
Service was friendly but at times inattentive. We had to ask for coffee, cream and water.
I would say this place has potential but it certainly needs improvement in some areas to make it a better experience for their guests.

I’ve been coming here once a year for 6 years for work. Our group always gets treated very well. The rooms have recently been updated (they were looking a little tired) and have a more modern look and feel. The restaurant is good, but I will say the Sunday buffet prime rib is always well done (I had it on a Monday from the menu and was very good). Also at the buffet is the bowl of pickled herring. That’s my favourite.
Peter (bald guy) usually serves us and does a fantastic job. He knows the menu well, makes informed recommendations and ensures your group has a great time. Nobody leaves unsatisfied.
The Inn tends to be a popular meeting spot for seniors (the Red Hat Society meets on Tuesdays), which isn’t a bad thing, but the lunch buffet can get pretty busy as a result. All in all, a good place.

Ive had breakfast and ive had brunch here a few times, i was also there for a wedding the night lady diana passed away. I only stayed there one time and it was amazing. Its very interesting place.

We came to this hotel with high expectations, only because the price was so high you would figure right?
Well, the staff are welcoming enough but we had booked out spa treatments and they ended up being later in the day so we went to the ‘mansion restaurant’ to have bite to eat for dinner since this place is located in the middle of nowhere.
Upon entering the near-​empty restaurant, we were asked if we had any reservations… Looking around I was intrigued as to whom was all booked up in the empty seats at around 6pm… not really anyone, so thanks for asking? Anyway we were seated at a table.
I ordered an 8 $ Paritian Onion Soup and was informed that that the dish was really hot, but when I went to try it the soup was warm. Not only that, but the cheese was so gummy and I had to sit and chew at it for a while and the texture just made me want to throw up… Eventually I did take a whole wad out. Mind you, I have had the same soup at another resturant and this one was no where near the expectations that I had anticipated. My mom ordered $ 10 house salad and had to ask for dressing because they seemed to be afraid to add any to the bare cluster of leaves before her.
We both ordered a Parmesan Chicken at a ‘value’ of $ 17. I was shocked! The penne pasta was the side for the chicken and it was alright, but the chicken was tasteless! For that price, we both sent it back and decided not to have anything at all after that as the appetite was ruined already. No point in ordering more dissappointments.
NOW, for what we truly came for; the spa! I got a pedicure and it was alright considering it was my first. And my mom enjoyed the Indian head and scalp massage as it exceeded her expectations.
I got the same massage the next day and it was refreshing, but as my mom had explained to me what she had recieved, I had spotted some inconsistency but I guess different people have a certain way of doing things… Anyway my mom enjoyed the Reflexology and found it to be informative and relaxing.
There was a bar of some sort located within the Inn but there was never anyone tending to it and everytime we passed by we just saw empty bottles sitting on the tables every so often. Later in the night at around 10 we asked the person at the front desk if there was someone to serve us a drink when we were playing pool and they said that the bar was closed. I was wondering when it had been open at all that day. Hence the empty bottles? I kind of figured at this point that if you didnt pay for the use of the facilities, they couldn’t care less to offer you anything more than what you paid for.
Very piss poor. At least I enjoyed the spa…

I had a meeting this morning in Tillsonburg. Rather than drive down tomorrow, I went yesterday afternoon.
There’s interesting history. James Harris erected the James Harris Cheese Factory on the grounds of what is now Elm Hurst Inn & Spa in 1865. One year later, the factory was the birthplace of a 7,300 pound cheese, co-​manufactured by local producers to put Ingersoll on the map. The famous ‘Mammoth Cheese’ travelled to exhibitions in Toronto, Sarasota New York, Paris France and London England. The Elm Hurst mansion restaurant was built in 1872 as the personal residence of James Harris and family. A fine example of the Gothic Revival style, it remained a stately family home for more than a century. The last Harris heir sold the property in the mid 1970s and the house was transformed into a popular dining establishment that opened in 1979. An addition was added to the rear of the original structure five years later, with the 49-​room Elm Hurst Inn & Spa being built in 1988. I heard they are adding another 51 rooms this year.
My room was large.
I had supper in the restaurant … there isn’t anything else within walking distance. They are having a promotion this week to celebrate their anniversary and rolled the prices back to 1975. Needless to say, it was quite a busy spot. I was seated in a cozy room which was probably a parlour back in the old days. I ordered the Roast Prime Rib of Beef (Yorkshire pudding; natural beef jus) for $ 14 (usually it’s $ 27 to $ 34). About a minute later (I hadn’t even had a chance to butter a roll), my meal arrived on a «don’t touch the plate, it’s hot» plate … surprisingly the food wasn’t. It was just warm. It was just okay. The veggies (I ate the peppers and carrots) had the texture that they’d been frozen.
Christine, my server, was friendly and helpful. She suggested I try the Black Forest cake. I’m not a fan of Black Forest cake but it was good.
I had a comfortable stay and would go back. WIFI is free as is parking and a continental breakfast. I booked it online at a rate of $ 139 which is a great deal! Ingersoll is just a couple km away.