Calabogie Peaks has improved its snowmaking capabilities over the last few years extending the season for skiing in this area. Two high capacity lifts make for no line ups and the ski runs are in excellent condition.The views of the Ottawa Valley from the top is spectacular. I have skied the hills in the Gatineau but Calabogie is a real gem! shhhh... dont tell anyone! ;-)
I purposely went there because I'd heard in the Radio advert about them having the biggest beginners ( Green) run around the Ottawa Valley, they do -great ski hills -for beginners. I was on my Snowboard -loved it --for a 48 yr old man -- As well I had my 9 yr old daughter get a private ski lesson from LAURA --My daughter loved her -well done LAURA - this was her first time on skis and by the end they had her coming down that beginners hill --not the bunny hill - great!!The who facility there is great- the ski rentals shop was good - the staff were all upbeat & keen to help - Lots of AUSSIE kids working there - "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi"
Stayed for two days and one night (September 30th - October 1st, 2014). When we arrived it was literally freezing. We were with a large group and many were complaining about how cold it was. We turned up our thermostat only to have our room grow even colder. When we spoke to the front desk we were told the heat had not yet been turned on and wouldn't be. They said it required moving some "large machinery" in order to turn the heat on. It was so cold, it was uncomfortable. We asked for a "space heater" but we're told they are dangerous. No help, no solutions. The hot tub was also out of order. The food was mediocre. One person in our party was served "raw" chicken. We greatly enjoyed the time we spent with our friends but would never return. Other than the beauty of the multi-coloured trees at this time of year, there is nothing to draw us to this "resort".
We rented a cabinet 2 minutes from Calabogie peaks ... over looking the River and it was absolutely beautiful. Lots of cabins in the vacinity to book winter or summer. We snowshoed, cross-country skiid and did the hills as well. Lovely place.
First time skiing at Calabogie today. You can get a deal if you show the ticket desk your 2014-2015 ski pass from another mountain-we bought ski lift passes online a few weeks ago and so found out about the deal with an email from the resort..just letting you know-this is a great way to get people to take an extra drive out to this ski hill..Parking is fine and the washrooms are clean. The weather was so nice and the runs were all well taken care of/good grooming.
Stayed at the Inn Feb 14, 15 & 16th, with our 15 yr old & two 8 yr olds.The hotel let us bring our own air-bed N/C for that "challenge" many families with 3 kids face...the 5th person and we only want to pay for a double queen room.The hotel was great, compact, the kids loved the pool, the hot-tub and the "theatre room" with games and movies & good resturaunt.We ate all 3 mornings & 2 dinners @ Canthooks. It was little slow @ dinner time but the food quality was very good, vastly improved since out last visit.Skiing was good, (very cold) the snow conditions were fantastic with all runs open on Sunday. The warming hut at the top was a nice addition.This is a great ski hill, "Blue Mountain Grade skiing" with no crowds. Suggestion would be to install washroom in the top hut and be very unique compared to other Ontario ski hills. The only complaint really is Calabogie is quiet ,so if apre-ski is your thing you may find it a little too quiet. They should extend the kitchen hours @ BLACK DONALD'S PUB from 4PM to 5pm on a Long Weekends, people were in the Pub but could not order naucho's past 4pm.Only real complaint, is above, very quiet after 5pm & out of the way if driving from T.O.We were staying for 3 days and knew what to expect. , the ski & stay with breakfast was very good value. Off-site dining in the area pretty limited but Shooters Bar was a very pleasant surprise, the food was very good.We will be back to Calabogie Peaks and the Inn.
Booked a one week stay for March break Skiing. Not only did they have tonnes of snow but a great variety of terrain that six of us could not cover in just one week. Took a break from Skiing one afternoon to do some ice fishing and the front desk took care of the whole thing. Excellent dining at Cant Hooks restaurant and great service from friendly ski instructors to hotel staff. Definitely an affordable way for a family of six to spend March break!
We booked a 2-bdrm unit for our party of 4 for the Class Axe Blues night. We wanted to arrive a bit early & take advantage of the facilities (pool etc.) but were told no early check-in -check-in was at 4, even if room had been vacant nite before. Was not impressed with this attitude. Better places have been more accommodating. Condo was fine, however a couple of little comments - some dirt spots on kitchen counter, only 3 wine glasses & 3 beer glasses, were some piece of paper garbage on floor in unit, and each bedroom only had 1 night stand. One bdrm had 2 twin beds, not even beside each other but only 1 night stand & no dresser. The other had a queen bed with 1 night stand on 1 side & no dresser. So, no place for each guest to put a glass of water, their watch, earrings etc. Also the bedroom blinds were all broken - could not pull some up or down or slant.
My wife and I have been to Calabogie Peaks two times during the Christmas/New Years holiday season, first in January 2013 and more recently in late December 2014. Calabogie is an easy and pleasant 2-hour drive from Kingston ON, where we were staying.We like Calabogie a lot. It's very relaxed, with friendly, helpful staff. You can drive right up and easily access your car and leave your gear in it if you like. Generally the entire resort is clean, and although not super fancy, has nice ambiance. The views of the valley from the top of the mountain are really pretty.The lift ticket purchase and gear rental processes were very fast. When you rent boots you just leave your regular shoes/boots on the shelf where you take your ski boots from, and it's very cool to not have to worry about them getting stolen.The skiing itself was fine and we liked the ski school a lot. We never experienced long lift lines, even though we were there during a holiday period.One thing that might be less than optimal for some people was that the easiest green run is actually pretty hard for a green. This won't matter for a lot of people but if somebody in your party is a lower level skier this might be a problem. For this reason we think next time if we take our young kids with us we'll probably go to Mt. Pakenham, which is not far away and reportedly better for lower level skiers who are ready to leave the bunny slope but still need easy green runs.They don't have night skiing at Calabogie but they do have tubing, next to the bunny slope.The cafeteria is clean enough, with food common to ski lodges, (burgers, chili, etc.) including Canadian favorite poutine. You can bring outside food in, and I belive many people just leave their coolers in the lodge on shelves and whatnot.We stayed at the hotel there both times and were happy with it. There's an indoor pool, outdoor hot tub and a small workout room. Both times our rooms were really nice, with pretty views of the slopes. Calabogie also has slope-side condos but I don't know about those. Both times we got discounted "stay and ski" packages and one time they even comped each of us an extra day's lift ticket on top of the existing discount.We've eaten at the Canthooks restaurant in the hotel for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I think it has high-end aspirations and the menu always looks good, but I'd say on both times for dinner the food didn't quite live up to its billing and is a bit overpriced for what you get. Plus, although the wait staff was courteous, the service was slow for us. Frankly they seemed understaffed. Canthooks is not a bad restaurant at all, but could use a bit of improvement to justify the relatively high prices it charges. Canthooks also has a small bar, and there is a decent pub in the lodge as well. There are only a few other lower-end eating establishments in the town, which is very small, and doesn't seem to have much else going on, at least in winter when we were there.In conclusion, although it's not perfect, overall I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Calabogie Peaks to anyone for a solid ski / boarding experience.
We stayed for 1 night on 30th October. The man at the desk seemed quite clueless and wasn't terribly welcoming. Sounds like a small detail but I had to ask him to repeat himself 3 times because he spoke so fast (as a foreigner- English- sometimes i struggle with accents...not often though) We went up to our room and the key cards didnt work, so i had to go down to get them redone.The room was dirty- dead flies all over the window. full of dust. The bug screen was broken. Beds were hard...One thing that really could be added. A hand rail on the bath to make it a bit accessible to people with difficulties getting in and out of the bath. Great bath and shower, but the bath is deep and narrow so really suggest that a handrail be added...wifi was great throughout the complex, even in the room. It was free too- bonus!Breakfast was included with our room. Continental- had the basics- cereal, bread, bagels, muffins (english and sweet) and various spreads. Cooked breakfast at extra cost. But the continental was enough. Served til 10.30 so we got to sleep in!Checkout was at 11am so didn't feel rushed.However, and it was our (ok MY) fault for not turning off the radio alarm in the room....it was set for about 7am....we didnt set it, it must've been from previous guests. Oh and the information folder had pages missing.One thing too- it says in the info booklet (the pages that WERE there) that food could be purchased from front desk. The restaurant closes at 9pm and there is nothing within walking distance (and a fair drive) to get food after that time The man at the desk said that there wasnt anything to purchase...so come prepared! There is a pop machine by the restaurant if you want a soft drink.Ice machine on the 2nd floor, was in working order.Can't comment on the pool/gym/theatre as we didn't use the facilities. The hot tub was out of order (and said it would be for the forseeable)All in all- it was disappointing. It has SO much potential- views can be splendid, the outside of the building and the reception is spotless, the rooms however, aren't.