Auberge des Gallant

My husband and I felt zen the moment we arrived at Auberge des Gallant, and that feeling stayed with us during our entire stay. Our getaway started with an English style high tea at restaurant 1171 which was excellent. (Choosing our tea cup from a cabinet was a nice touch.) The buffet breakfast the next morning was just as delicious, and the staff was pleasant. We could see blue jays coming and going to the outside feeders as we ate. We enjoyed a pleasant walk on the short looping trail of the grounds and were amused by the little gnomes hidden among the trees. (There are longer trails only a 15 minute drive away, and many options for horseback riding nearby.) Being able to relax in an outdoor hot tub was amazing. Our room was spacious and the view of the woods from our balcony was nice to look at. We enjoyed the electric fireplace too. I highly recommend this accommodation!!!

A good stay in a fine room with a balcony overlooking the lovely, well-maintained grounds. Our room was clean and comfortable with a well-appointed bathroom (though grab bars would have been appreciated). Outlets for chargers were sufficient but the room needed improved lighting. The patio sliding door apparently had openings that allowed assorted bugs, including a wasp, to get in the room. Service and amenities were excellent and we thought the rate for our room was reasonable. But I have mobility issues and a handicap room would have increased our two-night stay by another $60. As a result, I had a painful walk to our room, located at the far end of a hall from the elevator. My wife ended up doing the heavy lifting to move suitcases and clothes from the vehicle.

Where to start….my husband reserved an anniversary dinner at L’Auberge for our 11th year of marriage on September 28th. It is special for us because that’s where we had our wedding celebration. The experience was very disappointing. Firstly this Auberge is a main wedding venue, with multiple reception rooms to accommodate wedding parties and a fine dining restaurant. What we did not expect was a wedding party IN the fine dining room!!!! When people think of fine dining food, wine, service and quietness come to mind. Unfortunately none of these were present. The noise in the dining room was unbearable. It is disrespectful to other diners to subject them to this. To start off with, there was a lack of personel, no hostess, no maitre D, no sommelier. The waiting staff did their very best under the circumstances, even though the restaurant was at 1/3 capacity. We were presented with a menu only to be told that 2 items were no longer available and had been swapped out with a lesser choice at the same cost, and this,after having the menu for 10 minutes. So once again, after studying the menu, we then decided for our special occasion to order the most expensive option, a food and wine pairing meal. The waiter seemed perplexed not sure if we could have this, consulted the chef and we were told NO this pairing menu is only available with a package ( NOWHERE is this indicated on the menu). So again, back to square one. After choosing our entree and main, once he returned to take order, we were told again that some items were no longer available and it’s only 7:30pm. Back to our dinner fiasco…the amuse bouche arrived at the same time as our entree…the entrees were, the seared beef with spicy mayo, which was excellent, I wanted the breaded mozzarella ravioli with red pepper sauce (not available) it was substituted with a crab cake which was meh! The main meals were delish ( hubby had the elk and I the lobster ravioli ). The ravioli sat more in a lobster bisque sauce than the described lemongrass and ginger….oh well…. Had to ask multiple times for water, then at the end of the meal, our plates sat empty before us for 15 minutes. We noticed at the table beside us, a couple had ordered 2 different mains, but both came with the same sauce, they mentioned this to the waiter and they were told it was the chef’s decision to do so ?!?!? They also had the pleasure and luxury of sitting with empty plates for a long amount of time. Again, I will stress the fact that the dining room was nearly empty at this time, so no reason for lack of service. We opted to share a piece of pecan pie…..In this kind of establishment we expected a better presented dessert, alas not so, a lonely piece of pie arrived on a slate tile accompanied with a half shriveled strawberry. The crust on the pie was so hard, I could not break it with my fork! This was not worth the $300 that we paid. I want to share this with people so you can know what you are going to expect…..at this price range, we truly thought we were going to have a nice quiet romantic evening….. There is a lack of management here. Gone are the days of the great Linda Gallant making sure that her guests were well received and served.

Loved the stay, the greenery surrounding the hotel immensely adds to its charm, the restaurant staff was very attentive, and the setting was just relaxing, perfect for a couple’s getaway !

If you are looking to "get away from it all", this is a perfect spot to do just that. You feel like you are at a luxury resort without the luxury prices. While located off the beaten path, it is still fairly close to Aut. 40 and Rte. 201, should you need to travel around during your stay.