Fern Resort Review

Dinner was awesome! I have attended a Christmas party here for the last 3 years!

Great place. Very clean. Friendly staff. Lots to do. Lots of other families around having a great time. Comfortable bed. Day care is big and well-staffed. You can also get a babysitter to come to your room. Only things I didn't like were the food service was slow and I'd rather have been by the pool or doing an activity. There should always be a buffet option. This would reduce costs and improve my food service experience. The food was OK to good. Also the little sailboat they have to use needs a repair on the tiller.

Was there for a tournament and the team enjoyed themselves. Lots of do for the kids. Housekeeping started to vacuum the halls at 9am which disrupted sleep.

Great place to stay. Has more than enough activities to fill up the time.great pools and hot tubs and lots of water sports.

I went with my family and a few friends. From the moment we entered the resort to the time we left I loved every moment. The rooms were cozy, the staff was amazing and the activities were perfect. ( especially when almost all of them were free)

Helpful staff, well kept grounds and room. Great tasting food!

I would rate this place as ok, the activities were a bit lame and the entertainment that was advertised in the evenings was really bad. The food was often cold and very bland.

Great food great lake of bays craft beer sold year round

Annual Girls Weekend is always a good time. Lots of events and great food and friends.

People are wonderful, food is great. Some buildings are run down, especially the fitness building.

Great place. A bit dated but the waterfront, pools atmosphere and food certainly make it.

Great Family Resort. Lots of things to do there. Variety of accomadation, and proximity to other venues, plus returning guests, prove its good value.

Beautiful grounds, clean and spacious suites and friendly staff. Recommended.

Our last time here was 2003, when I was 17. I brought my kid back this August to restart the tradition, and it's like we never left.

The food is exquisite, the days are full of activities with the other guests, and the resort still has all the charm and character from when I was coming here growing up.

If you're a family looking to stay within Ontario and get the most out of your vacation. 10/10 would recommend.

Service friendly...room was clean but had musty odour..food ok

It was my second time there and it was a blast rooms were great food was great overall great experience

Beautiful rooms with a vintage charm. Fantastic staff and amazing food. Conference faculties were nice and clean. Lots of fireplaces to ease the winter chill.

Too too expensive, you are paying extremely over the value you are getting

Great place to bring your children for a few days. Fishing, trampolines, mini putt, swimming.
Food is fine and children menu. Like the old days it is all about family. But a perfect place to enjoy with family.

Disappointing and Over-Priced

My wife and I booked a three night mid-week (Jan 29 to Feb 2, 2018) vacation at the Fern resort and left after 2 nights due to our unpleasant experience. We stayed there last year at around the same time and the service was significantly better; it appears their standards have really dropped. There were so many things wrong that, despite a few bright points, we could not justify the absurd price tag. We are not typically the type to complain (this is actually my first online hotel review) but we were so frustrated that we had to do something. This is what stuck out to us:

The decor of our room was from the late 70 s, early 80 s. I ve seen more contemporary furniture in inexpensive motels and the paint/wallpaper was peeling off the walls.
The TV was literally from 1993
Linens were very old and uncomfortable. Even after we asked for a change, the substitute was only slightly better
The servers and kitchen staff appeared apathetic, inexperienced and unprofessional. Although the service was fast, the quality was far beneath most chain restaurants in the area
We informed them of our gluten and nut allergies in advance, yet there were so few things my wife (vegetarian and gluten free) could have off the menu
For our last meal, they served my wife food that had been cross-contaminated with gluten (she is severely allergic), even though we informed the same server at all of our previous 5 meals of our allergies. When were informed the manager, she apologized but refused to refund the meal.
The food we had bland, tasteless and boring. The menu was dated and uninspired.
Movies for rental were on VHS (seriously?) and cost $2 per rental
I made one local phone call and they charged me a dollar. For the price we paid per night, this was really petty

The bright points of the trip were the fireplace in the room, the lake view, the outdoor skating (which I must admit was amazing) and the sauna. However, these amenities in no way justified the price we paid. For our third night, we relocated to the Holiday Inn in Barrie and were delighted to find contemporary design, a far more comfortable bed, professional staff and an all-around superior experience. The Barrie Boston Pizza and Sunset Grill were a welcome change from the sad experience at the Fern dining hall. Needless to say, we will not be returning and would recommend you avoid this dated relic of a resort.

Great resort. Wonderful, friendly staff and comfortable, clean amenities. The rooms are quite sizable, and those with a view of the lake are a wonderful spot in which to wake up. The activities available are numerous, and SUPing or canoeing around the islands in the lake is a peaceful and fun experience.

Try it once and you'll be hooked for life. Truly the best family resort in Ontario.

Had question. I'm going to be in your area at the end of the month. I have friends that will be there during that week. Would I be permitted to pop in for a visit with them(I have been tested negative for covid). If it is allowed, could I stay for lunch & what would be the cost? I will only be there for a couple of hours. Thanks

Very nice resort
We went there for lunch today
Had the a soup and sald the Salmon was amazing the whole meal was done to perfection very friendly service
Nice cozy place with a beautiful view.
I recomend this place

Beautiful spot. Tonnes to do with the family, pools, lake, batting cages, golf, shuffle board, axe throwing, the list goes on. The food is decent and the value is through the roof!

Awesome place. So beautiful , clean. So relaxing. People are extra nice.

Had a great experience. Was our 2nd time. Would recommend
a stay to anyone.

I had been to Fern Resort multiple times in the late 80's - early 90's as a young teenager. My memories of it are VERY fond and I guess as a child who doesn't know better, it definitely can be a great environment as it is very family oriented with lots sports and constant activities to keep children busy.

As an adult who recently returned after many years, I have to say my opinion of it has been somewhat tarnished. It looks exactly like it did 25 years ago (which I guess for some, is part of the appeal). With the exception of the dining area which seems to be very different when I was a youth, many of the accommodations and grounds are exactly the same and look like not a penny has been spent in upgrades since 1990. I think they're still using the same green 'sliding tab' bingo cards they had when i was a child.

This place is NOT cheap either. For over $600 for a single night for a room you would expect to get a high quality experience, but this was far from the truth. The food served in the restaurant was of low quality, the help staff, while many were friendly and well meaning, were also VERY young and seemed like it was their first day on the job - they didn't provide thorough answers to questions, or help appropriately and just gave the overall impression that this was just a summer gig to help pay some bills.

I don't doubt that Fern serves a niche for those with young children or looking for an active week away with kids, but the whole grounds is due for some investment to bring it into the 21st century. If you can afford it, this could be a good place for a family vacation if you want a time warp back to 1990. But for a younger couple looking for a weekend away, I would recommend to keep looking until they've invested some of their high costs back into the resort.

Great venue for events. The auditorium is very accommodating and has great staff and amenities. My biggest issue is with the overall run down nature of the buildings, which is very unappealing. WiFi was upgraded, but water issues have plagued morning showers for years. Food is fantastic.

The place all those summer coming of age movies are set. Just great for families

Great Northern Resort. Private Cottage. Beautiful view of lake and lots of activities.

My boyfriend and I vacationed here recently and had a great time. The staff was incredibly friendly and accommodating. The honey was the most delicious honey I ve ever had. So many activities available to do also as well as evening entertainment. The food was decent ... the falafel wrap was our favourite.

In a time when everything goes faster than the speed of sound and the information overload is suffocating it is a pleasure to have a safe haven like Fern to go to. Made for family fun, comradery, entertainment and to escape civilization it is the one week our family looks forward to every year. All Knapps but me we max out the planned activities, gorge on the amazing food, get front row seats at Bergwen s and still make time to chill on our decks with a cold beer. I grew up going to a cottage with propane heat and bringing water up from the lake in other words a REAL cottage. Fern has that rustic charm and laid back, simple feel. So, if you don t like a great facility, bend-over-backwards staff, lip-smackin food, a sensational location, a bursting-at-the-seams itinerary and just a great group of people trying to give you the perfect vacation then this is not for you. But, if it is what you have been looking for then what s holding you back? Book now for a Ferntastik vacation!!!!

Scenery is beautiful, the rooms overlooking the lake have been refurbished and were lovely. The food was good and the servers we had were friendly, efficient and fun ( Chelsea Louis and Raymond). Food wasn't always hot, but we were a large group.

Stayed at fern for a wedding this fall. Amazing venue with great atmosphere and friendly staff. Good food, nice rooms, and the coffee is fantastic. Will definitely come back.

My name is Max Verspaget, I've been coming back to Fern with my family every year since the day I was born. Everything about the resort is done right; the food, the entertainment, the facilities, the staff, the list goes on and on. I cannot stress enough how amazing this place truly is, it's really the place to take a break from all your worries and enjoy. It's an amazing experience for the whole family. There is such a wide variety of activities and facilities for youth and for adults. HIGHLY recommend to anyone who is considering staying here.

We we're at Fern Resort for a weekend event. As usual, they made it a worry free, remarkable weekend. Staff and food we're amazing.

A great family resort with all sorts of activities for young and old.

My two girls love the day camps they provided. They were so excited during lunch telling me about the honeycomb ride, fishing, and sand castles they were doing in the beach this is just the first day of our vacation. Night time the enjoyed the magic show my family is having a blast. May consider making this an annual trip.

Luckily went on a work retreat to enjoy this place. But, definitely pricey if I were to bring the family on my own

Very cute family oriented resort.Tons of different activities for all ages. Friendly staff. Beautiful nature around.

Beautiful is the only word I can use to describe Fern. Friendly people, clean comfortable rooms amazing food. Peaceful setting

We went during March break. Not all the facilities are available during the March break but I was impressed with how much they had available. The kids always had things to do and were entertained by the staff or performances. They had the option of just going off and doing their own things with the other children. The food is ok, and will get you through the days. At the time we went our two servers were slow and often forgot any details pertaining to our orders (extra dread, water, etc.).

It was good, a nice place for a company function, the kitchen just had a hard time keeping up. The food was above average given the volume they were contending with.

We go every year and keep coming back! As a single mom, I can t handle the work of renting a cottage so this place provides a cottage experience without the work! My kids love it and look forward every year. The kids club is great and So are the water activities. Food is only okay.

It was good. The staff was nice. My only issue is that my door froze but the staff was very nice and accommodating and fixed my issue right away. I think this place would be better to visit in the summer time. It has a beautiful Lakeside view and is also a great spot to hold conferences

First let me say we stayed in winter - February, so maybe summer stay would be different as it might be busier and more going on. Food was fantastic and great table service (some waiters smelled like they had a cigarette butt in their pocket though). The online website room availability is off apparently so call in to see what's available or you might be funnelled into one of the biggest most expensive rooms when using the online booking. When we got there it was obvious the cottages we looked at online that were unavailable, were. The spa was a disappointment. There is one but the person who runs it is missing in action ... We left messages and we're promised call backs and got one after inquiring a second time why we didn't get a call back. She called us and left a message she would call us back within the hour and never got any call back. Not even to let us know she couldn't accommodate us. This made it hard to plan our day as we were looking for 2 hours of services and we're left wondering. Room was nice, large and clean. We stayed in #300 which is a 2 story 2 bedroom full cottage on the water (ice). The website stated a queen master bedroom however it's only a double. We went cross country skiing, snowshoeing, swimming and skating - all great fun. If we go back we will confirm a few things prior to booking. We were looking forward to ice fishing. We expected a heated fishing hut. When we arrived we were told to be the two girls in the office, "walk out from the dock and there is a hole in the ice" really? Not interested... we totally dismissed that idea. When leaving, I asked about 2 huts we saw out on the ice and the desk clerk, an older gentleman, told us these were theirs and we're heated ... Just let us know and we'll send someone out to prep them for us. This was a total swicth from the info we got upon arrival. The staff seems to be not all on the same page with things. As a local guide, just being honest so improvements can be made. I would totally return here for a stay.

We traveled with two girls (8 and 9) and stayed in one of the Bayshore cottages. The property is beautiful, the staff incredibly friendly and the food and activities went beyond our expectations (especially during a pandemic!) We've already booked for next summer. Perfect vacation for families.

Thank you Fern Resort!

First time here this winter. Great place for the family with plenty of winter things to do for the kids. Kids got to try many things for the first time thanks to Mike and his "Sports" ans activity team. Broom ball, cross country skiing, dog sledding, you name it. The skating trail was well groomed with the kids doing about 15 kms each on it.

Staff are very friendly and energetic. Food is great - vegetarian and vegan options at every meal (and actual thought went into them, unlike other resorts/restaurants that only have pizza or plain pasta). Activities for all ages. Amazing location, our room was only a few feet away from the water!

Absolutely amazing experience. The atmosphere, the grounds, the rooms, the staff, the food....just amazing. Having visited many inns and resorts this one is a must see. I'm looking forward to going back.

a great comfortable rustic resort situated right on the water

Rooms are small and in need of an upgrade. Common areas such as the pools and dining areas were great! The food was excellent and we will return for another stay.

We like to try different resorts why I put 1 star because what they have only pool you cant swim in the lake there a lot of weeds and just small place for shallow water again it is a lot of big big weeds there, the food is ok , we read a lot of reviews that is why we went there , you should not believe to reviews until you see by your own eyes, they charge extra fees for the banana ride , bout ride and etc, other cottages they do for free, we are not going there anymore for sure

#summeratfern. Hearthside room facing the pool. Comfortable with own ac/fireplace. Kid friendly. Lots of activities for adults and kids. Water skiing, fishing,,trampolines, pedal buggies,ziplines. Yoga to axe throwing while your kids are in the kids village. Sunset cruise got a boat upgrade. All in all another great stay.

Some of the rooms are a little dated, but it really just adds to the charm. They are very clean, the food is great, all the staff were very helpful and friendly. It's a great resort with lots to do and beautiful scenery.

Great place but a little on the expensive side for me.

Really nice service! Highly recommend it for families with children. Kitchen service can be slow sometimes and there are no RMTs on staff so be careful with massage treatments.

Wonderful Family Resort for all ages tons of activities including zip-lining, trampoline, trail riding, fishing, zorbing, kayaking and swimming. I loved the swimming pool and hot tub with lake view. Nice clean rooms, delicious food with lots of variety and friendly staff. We already recommended friends! The kids didn t want to go home. Can't wait to plan our next trip back!

My wife and kids and I love Fern Resort. It is like having a cottage but everything is taken care of for you. The staff are friendly and helpful. The kid's programs are great and give the parents/grandparents some 'me time' as well. The food is excellent. You can choose to do as little or as much as you want. The evening entertainment is top notch as well. We have visited summer and winter and year round it is a great place for the family.

our third trip here normally we go for family day weekend. this was a normal weekend but still had plenty to do. food was good service great. staff worked very hard. kids never bored and tired at end of weekend

Amazing staff, beautiful rooms with an exceptional view. Epic Food!

Missed meal time but they were very kind and gave a coupon for their snack bar!

Enjoyed a week - their beginning of the summer special. They did a great job especially during this COVID time. Will go again.

Great time at the Christmas party. Food was amazing. The dj needs to move his play lists into this century though.

Good service.the room we stayed at is neat and clean.

Went in the 80's and again this year. The place is just awesome. People complaining about the food should maybe stay in the city. The Prime Rib, Pulled Pork Burger and Big Breakfasts were grade A.

The rooms are large and clean. The resort has a decent range of activities for many ages. Food is tasty but service is sometimes slow.

very satisfied with the environment and the resort and the staff they are very polite and helpful thank you fern resort