Silver Birches Resort - M'Chigeeng, ON

Caleb C.

Having worked at a resort in near Northern Ontario for nearly 5 consecutive years, i would like to believe i have a good understanding of what it is like to keep and run a business such as this.

Rachael kindly offered us a tenting spot for our impromptu trip to the island. She was extremely kind and determined to find us a solution that we would be pleased with and we certainly were.

Despite some reviewers claims, Rachael and her team at The Silver Birches Resort are fantastic. A wonderful location with lots to explore nearby, amazing scenic views to relax within a quiet, rustic and cozy Ontario cottage setting.

We definitely intend to return again for our next stay on the island.

Thanks to Rachael and her staff for giving us a memorable stay.

W1081JBscottb

Where do we start. |We pull up to the office. It has boarded up windows and doors, as well as garbage spread all over. I had to walk around ripped open garbage bags to get onto the porch of the office looking for someone. Place looked like an abandoned building, first clue we were in trouble. Called number as no one was there, except varmints. Could not leave a message as mailbox full. No one would answer multiple attempts to contact them by phone.|| We tried looking for anyone. Saw old dilapidated cabins and even looked into one. The mold and mildew smell made my wife's chest tighten as she looked inside cabin 7, which had an open door. We finally texted and asked where anyone was. We left and started a desperate search for accomodations as it was Friday night.|They answered when we asked for our money back. There was no way my wife, granddaughters and I could stay there. Asthma would have flared up with the terrible state of the cabins. They told us it was a magical place and we needed to come back to look at it and stay. |There were trailers that looked good but no one was around to help.||Do not book this place.

B1810AFjohnm

My name is Scott and my wife Yeni and I just got married and thought we’d get some time together on manitoulin! When we pulled up we were met by Rachael and her husband Cory! From the moment we stepped out of our car to the time we left we were treated with a warmth and kindness so amazing that we didn’t want to leave! The cabin was amazing and the fishing was incredible right off the dock! Caught a 4 pound rainbow trout within an hour of getting there!Cory cooked it on the barbecue for us and we gave the other guests some and it was amazing! The full moon was filled with dancing and great food ! Thank you so much guys for giving us the best weekend we’ve ever had!

Deborah B.

We arrived to a run down office with garbage bags torn open all over the front. We went around the garbage to a boarded up office. I couldn't believe it but it went downhill from there. Avoid at all costs as the cabins are not liveable.

overcomer1john5

Our experience at this resort was NOT GOOD.
Was very difficult to find the location on google maps. Once we found it, things went down hill.
We were greeted by a woman that just lost a close friend (our condolences). She had a young man bring us to our cabin and it was frightening how run down the cabin was. Looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in months. Very dated and worn out. The bedroom had one bed in the middle that had no bed coverings and a large rip in the side of the old mattress. Smelled very bad. Then when we went to let this woman know that this was not acceptable, she proceeded to try to help us but a very rude, disrespectful young native girl was blaring music so loud that we could not even speak. The woman tried turning it down but the young woman persisted to turn it even louder then a fight was about to break out amongst them. We could not get out of there fast enough. Very negative vibe

heyjudemchugh

Avoid at all costs. Disrepair, mould, faulty septic system, no working smoke alarms, missing screens, smelly, broken doors that did not lock, broken glass and litter and overall a completely misrepresented disaster. Funny how every complainant is labeled grumpy. Rachael is VERY friendly, until she gets your money, then vanishes. Lots of promises before we arrived, that went unfulfilled. Her inability to be honest is one of the reasons we complained to BBB. We would hate to see anyone else suckered into a stay at this "resort".

J S.

Where do I begin when describing this horror-show brought to life as a “resort?”

It’s hard, because we collectively assume that a resort would typically provide relaxation and an escape from stress, as well as customer service that enhances the experience, and clean, comfortable accommodations. You’ll find none of these at Silver Birches.

The sad website, likely designed by the clueless owners themselves, and the multiple degrading reviews on various social media and travel sites, should have been my first clues that this place was sketchy.

First, the owners themselves are what I would politely call “unstable.” Joe, the husband, is an angry man, prone to erratic behavior and excessive drinking, and Rachel, the wife, writes bizarre replies to negative reviews blaming every flaw on the guest. Kind of the opposite of “the customer is always right.” She has an enormous chip on her shoulder and doesn’t belong in a customer-service industry.

The grounds are located on a rocky point with no beaches or amenities with a few run-down cabins that are dirty and in need of repair. Otherwise, there are bare campsites where the low-rent guests pitch a tent of park their RV or trailer. If you question the cleanliness or disrepair, you will be rebuffed by the owners with a statement along the lines of “We don’t acknowledge “grumpy people.”

Read this paragraph from their website for some insight:

“Warning:
We try our best to please everyone and are looking for laid back and easy going people who are "Silver Birches Material". If you're a high maintenance person who likes to complain about the state of our resort or are afraid of the quiet, bugs, animals, or don't like getting dirt on your shoes or sitting on a rock or hearing other people having fun or even if you don't like reading this paragraph then we strongly advise you to go somewhere else.”

Our cabin was filthy, and a request to have it cleaned was ignored. Despite the website stating that there is “No loud music or loud noise after 9 pm”, we were kept up several nights with extremely loud and annoying dance and club music, and when we asked for it to be turned down, or off, we were blown off by the partiers. There are also a few residential properties adjacent to the resort with large, barking dogs that howl all day, as if they are tied to a tree. We heard non-stop barking.

Also, know that this resort attracts bikers (Hell’s Angel-types, not bicyclists) and a heavy drinking crowd, so make what you will of that. We saw a pretty rough sampling of guests during our 3-day stay.

Thankfully, we had other stays arranged in the area, so our whole vacation was not ruined by this incredibly poorly-run property.

Avoid this awful place at all costs.

Discover82743

Be sure to complain long and loud while there if anything is amiss. John would not even discuss our concerns after the fact, much less provide any retribution.||- First there were the light issues.... ceiling lights that didn't work, plug ins and lamps that didn't work and overall too dark, even after getting extra lamps.||- No heat - and a lovely fireplace that we couldn't use due to the chimney. The first night was very cold, even after getting the space heaters as it took quite a while to heat the rooms.||- Picture window - I was really disappointed with the window. A beautiful view of the lake but the full size crack and the amount of dirt on the window meant we couldn't really enjoy it. When we arrived I asked Rachel if there was a squeegee we could use to clean it but she said the windows were her Mom's issue. I never heard anything else about the window||- There was a nice patio door leading to the front yard however this was not usable either. The front yard was overgrown with grasses 2 - 3 feet tall and a tree right in front of the patio door. If it had been accessible at least we could have sat in our front yard to enjoy the view.||- My husband felt the worst problem was the entrance door. No Key and even when locked it didn't latch properly so anything could have pushed it open from the outside - raccoon, bear etc||-No Hot Water - This was my biggest issue. My spouse said there was a little bit of warm water on Friday night but that was the end of it. I couldn't wash the kids at all, other than their faces with cold water. I washed myself and the dishes with cold water which really isn't a good thing.||- Probably an okay place to stay if you have your own camper. Cost us $700 for 3 nights