Kanuga conferences inc. Review

Great family vacation although getting a bit pricey. Kids love being here.

This was the worst experience my wife and I have ever had and Rev. Sullivan's overt refusal to respond to the letter pasted below demonstrates his total indifference and common courtesy unbecoming of any one, especially a member of the Clergy.

For $350 a might, we got (since it is a Church sponsored Inn, I will use a non offensive adjective) GOT CHEATED. From below, this place is a disaster!.

MY EMAIL TO THE BISHOP AND WAS FORWARDED BY HIM TO REV. SULLIVAN

Last week my wife and I spent a week at Kanuga and, after much thought and reflection, I feel compelled to bring the following to your attention as my wife and I feel that this needs the immediate attention of the dioceses.

We chose to book our stay as we were led to believe that this was a great place for people our age (74 and 75) when, in fact, this facility is for young families with children. While we feel that this is a great and wonderful place for families, we were not informed of the total focus on catering to families and were led to believe that this would be a wonderful place for us to reflect.

In reviewing my costs, we were charged $350 a day for a very basic room with spotty internet and no real services. We were also told that we had to also take the meal plan as it was mandatory.

To be completely honest with you, we were told that we had 3 dining rooms to choose from offering a variety of choices, which is clearly not the case.

Before going into our dining experience in more detail, I wanted to share our background with you.

We were active members of St. James in Hendersonville for several years before moving back to Charlotte to be closer to our children. I was the treasurer for Feed the Kids and prepared and served meals for them as well as the men's shelter for several years. I also served as a Lay Eucharistic Minister and greeter, worked on several other committees and volunteered at the Medical Loan Closet for 5 years. Father Joel Hafer knew us quite well as well as Mother Eunice and Deacon Tim Jones.

With this background, I am most familiar with food costs as well as what represents a balanced, healthy, nutritious meal. Unfortunately, the food served at Kanuga lacked all the elements just mentioned and, in many cases, was inedible and unhealthy as the food was full of starch, over salted and horribly presented. We had no choices of meals, let alone dessert and the presentation was worse than awful. The meals were picked over and not refilled or dressed in an appropriate manner. In addition, many of the sides were unrecognizable. As an example, the "brussel sprouts" served with the roast beef (by far the best entree of the week) was not recognizable. On Friday evening we were served a "shrimp boil" which had no shrimp and looked like a side of potatoes, not the main entry. The corn was so overcooked, that it disintegrated. I have photos of what was served as well as what a shrimp boil should look like should you wish to see them.

Lunches were recycled entries from the previous dinners and breakfasts did not even include edible toast and bread options, let alone, cold cereal. This, plus the fact that they were constantly out of eggs was typical of the total lack of care regarding your food service.

While I have never asked for a meaningful refund from anyone, I am compelled to request this as I feel that we were grossly overcharged for what we got and, if we have been charged the same as the families with 2 to 6 children, then this should have been clearly disclosed.

In closing, I am not a troublemaker and I have an excellent reputation for providing outreach to those in need. My wife and I are upset by this experience as we did not expect what we received from a facility operated and sponsored by the Episcopal Church. This situation needs to be addressed.

I look forward to hearing back from you (and please not from the "chief").

Respectfully,

I couldn t be more opposed to the namesake who posted a negative review. Spending my 60th summer here and hope I can spend 60 more. Gods little slice of heaven here on earth.

Our Hispanic group from our church in Cornelius visited last weekend. We were split between a cabin, a cottage and an Inn room. We had an absolutely fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed the property. The cottages are very summer camperish in a good way, the cabin had a full kitchen and a perfect screened area to gather and eat with a fireplace that was a delight on the cool Saturday night. We hiked at nearby Dupont State Forest and gathered at the retreat's lakefront to share time together as well as enjoyed the retreat-hosted bonfire by the lake. The staff was top-notch with an excellent breakfast. Front desk staff, reservation, staff, breakfast staff and the guy with long hair and cool large necklace were friendly and helpful. The breakfast buffet is similar to an upscale hot hotel breakfast but they bring a carafe of hot coffee to your table and assist with any questions or needs. They also have table cloths on the breakfast tables. It is a small thing but elevated the breakfast and our entire group that ranged from 11 years old to seniors were very happy. Thank you Kanuga, we will be back next year!

Although a beautiful setting do not hold your breath waiting for anyone to respond to a message. We left voice mails, emails, and went in-person to try to coordinate an event and the folks in charge could not have been less interested in assisting us. I can't imagine what the level of attentiveness would sink to once Kanuga had a deposit in hand for an event. Could not be more disappointed in this place!

I took a friend of mine here for a night to stay while we mountain bike the surrounding trails. Upon arrival everything seemed normal. Then my room keys didn t work. I go back to front office they remake my keys. I go to the room they assigned and the keys worked EXCEPT there were people staying in that room. I go back to the front office since there is no phone in the room. They said it was a mistake and that I was in a different room. So they proceed to give me my keys for that room. When I get in the room it s not at all the room I had reserved well before making my trip. So ANOTHER trip to the front desk. She then tells me they had pushed me out of my room because of a group that didn t check out. She told me that my rate has been adjusted accordingly. I found out that it had not been and the next morning, so I mentioned to a blonde lady who said she was the one who switched my room without calling me or notifying me at all. She said she would make sure there was a discount on the rooms for the inconvenience and lack of communication. They NEVER discount anything nor offered even an apology for not having the room I reserved. I had to have a shared balcony with a room of ppl I don t know. This place is supposed to be religious family oriented place. They literally lied multiple times amount discounting the rooms . Needless to say I wouldn t recommend staying here.

Been here several times over the past years. Very spiritual place.

I work here during the summer months at Camp Bob which is a camp for underprivileged children. Its a great camp and is surrounded by beautiful scenery and is a great place to teach kids about rhe outdoors and give them a week of fun!

Come here yearly with my parish retreat. Always have a wonderful time. Lovely setting. In reality, I think we would have a lovely time anywhere we went. The food at Kanuga is disgusting. I ve never had worse food anywhere. They must go to a lot of trouble to make it that bad. Breakfast is the only good meal. I hate they did away with the bookstore. There is now a convenience store in it s place. I paid $4.00 for a coke. I ve never paid that much at an airport. The small staff are very friendly but no one knows anything about anything. Like I said, I always have a wonderful time there but I think that s more because of the people I m with and not Kanuga itself.

Amazing place in the mountain on a beautiful lake. Some nice hiking trails, a kids program, with some nice cabins or if you prefer an inn. So many fun things to do and overall my favorite place on earth.