Hastings House Country House Hotel

Excellent property with great attentive, friendly and professional staff and management. The rooms were very clean with excellent daily service. We loved the daily delivered fresh made morning muffins to our suite. Dining room was exceptional and the selection was perfect. We enjoyed the Salt Spring Island lamb and it was the best we ever had!

I was very impressed with how helpful and friendly everyone was here. We felt valued and care for. Our room is beautiful. We stayed at the Meadow suite. A beautiful and delicious breakfast is included each morning. When we told our server we would like to share our breakfast, I really appreciate it when the chef takes the extra time and care to actually split the meal up in the kitchen, instead of just giving you an additional plate to split it ourselves. Ehat impresses me most was that the chef took the time to garnish each serving. It shows pride and care. We also went for spa and facial treatments and it was wonderful. Never felt so good and pampered. Will definitely return. I also had a surprise visit last night from the residence cat.

My wife and I stayed here two nights as part of a self-guided cycling trip we were on. When you first arrive, you aren't sure what this place is going to be like! It's on a large piece of land, with all kinds of different small "houses" that are the rooms. We stayed in the Hayloft room and it was spectacular! It had a sloped ceiling and a huge (tall) King bed that was the most comfortable bed we've ever slept in! Their bedding was high quality and you just felt like you were snuggled down into an amazing nest! Our breakfasts were included in our package and they were delicious. The dining room has a fantastic view of the Ganges Harbour and there is no bad table in there. We had one dinner here and it was AMAZING! The staff are all extremely professional and the atmosphere of the room was very quiet so very different from a lot of other loud/boisterous restaurants we are all used to going to. The food came out in a timely manner that was neither rushed nor delayed. It is by far the best meal we've had out in a long, long time. Can't say enough about the food/service here! They have many quiet and beautiful places outside to just sit and read or enjoy the scenery. They also have a bocci ball and crocket area! The staff was very helpful with regards to storing our bikes, and someone happily came in early the day we were leaving to get our bikes out of storage, as we had a very early ferry ride to our next island. If you are going to Salt Springs Island, do not miss staying at this Gem or at least dining there!

Really beautiful location, great views over the harbor and quaint pub like decor. Waitress was really sweet but not on top of it. However, for $150+ dollars food was not great. Shepphard's pie delivered cold, sent back and waited 20 minutes then when it came it was dry and poor quality while my husband ate his main course of cod, never got the bread we ordered so we cancelled it; dessert was ok but not for the price. Local wine was really good. I would not recommend it.

The Hastings is well-located relative to the downtown of Ganges. With many restaurants available, it's nice to be able to walk almost everywhere. And some of the best hikes are a short drive away. The grounds of the hotel are kept in very good condition, with a nice garden to tour. There are very good views of the harbour at multiple levels. Though the rooms are showing their age, they are kept very clean and they can be spacious. Some do provide a water view, though that view may be quite limited. You may wish to bring your own extension cord, as outlets won't be in the best locations, and there are no USB ports made available...so bear that in mind. Bring a good, long cord for you ipad. The wifi worked well for us. It would have been great to have the television in the living room rather than the bedroom. No complaints about the gas fireplace, as it provided the necessary 'warm up'. The restaurant served very good breakfasts, with chef specials providing some nice options. A bit stingy with the slices of toast, but I imagine they could bring more if needed. Waiters will expect a tip, which isn't included. Very good coffee. We did enjoy one quite expensive dinner, but did support the local restaurants afterwards - thank goodness they remain open, as the town itself shuts down pretty early. A very expensive stay, but then, you're on Salt Spring Island !

My husband & I recently stayed one night at the Hastings House Hotel on Salt Spring Island. We have stayed at several Relais & Chateaux properties and were looking forward to trying one new to us. The property looked charming on the website so we were surprised, on arrival, to find it in its current condition. The Pros: 1) The view of the harbour from the main building (Manor House) was beautiful from the patio, dining room, and upstairs Manor House bedrooms. 2) Our room in the Manor House was clean and had lovely Frette towels. 3) The waiters in the dining room were excellent. 4) The breakfast special in the morning was very good. The cons: 1) It was lucky we had looked at the layout of the property on their website before arriving as no mini-tour was given at check-in. The Hotel consists of several separate buildings connected by stone paths and stairs. We found check-in very unfriendly as we were simply shown a map and told to "find our room down the pathway". Not at all welcoming! 2) As we walked to find our room, we noticed the infrastructure was in great need of maintenance (e.g., peeling roofs on the Manor House, gutters bursting with leaves and branches, flower gardens showing no recent care by a gardener, etc.). 3) There was no concierge in the main building (Manor House) to ask questions or get help which is quite unusual at a Relais & Chateaux property. Check-in, located at another building, closed at 8:00pm so that only left the waiters to address questions which is not their job. There may have been an employee somewhere on the property in the evening but we never saw or heard them. 4) Cocktails on the patio were fine. Dinner in the dining room, however, was at best - fair. This was another real surprise as we had previously found food at other Relais & Chateaux restaurants outstanding. The wait staff did their best to 'talk up the food' but taste is always the final judge! Final Conclusion: The Hastings House Hotel has great potential if the current/future owners were to infuse a healthy amount of cash and tender care to refurbish the property's infrastructure (e.g., Manor House roofs, gutters, peeling paint, and flower garden), oversee better quality control of the dinner menu, and hire more employees to assist guests' needs. If this is completed, we would happily return for another stay. Until then, we will enjoy visiting our other favourite hotels in BC.

Lovely to be pampered at this idyllic hotel just a few minutes walk from the laid-back town of Ganges on Salt Spring Island. Staff are all welcoming and helpful. Breakfasts created by the chef were outstanding. Room provided with Nespresso machine so we enjoyed espresso in our room as well as a kettle for tea, and a fridge . We were welcomed to celebrate a significant wedding anniversary with a bottle of chilled Pinot Gris from a local island winery. Much appreciated. It's a pleasure to be in welcoming surroundings but in individual cottages, or shared cottages. We didn't hear our neighbours. The spa treatment massage and facial after a day of hiking was excellent.

Salt Spring Island is a real treasure--and the Hastings House is a lovely base from which to explore it. The grounds are beautiful, our room was spacious and well-equipped, the restaurant was excellent and--most of all--the staff were superb. The reception staff, housekeepers, restaurant waitstaff and gardeners all went out of their way to make us feel welcome. They all seemed to have a genuine pride in the property and all seemed genuinely happy to tell us about the features and history of the place. Our room was one of the hillside suites, with a private balcony that had a commanding view over Ganges Harbour, a comfortable bed and a spacious, well-equipped bath. If you have any trouble navigating steps and stairs, one of the accommodations on the lower part of the property might be more suitable. Dinner and breakfast were both excellent. The breakfast chef does wonderfully creative things with eggs and at dinner the wine list has some fine Salt Spring Island and Okanagan choices. It's an easy walk into Ganges village, which is good since parking in Ganges can be difficult. The island is a lovely place. I highly recommend Ruckle Provincial Park, which has scenic trails and great views of the Gulf Islands. And Garry Oaks Winery is worth a visit (great pinot noir!). And closer to home, the hotel's gardens are a delight to stroll through. We'll be back as soon as we can.

The hotel is in a perfect location with spectacular views . The staff were very helpful , polite and friendly , a delight to deal with . We had two amazing meals in the restaurant and cocktails on the terrace . The room was very spacious with every amenity. We can’t wait to go back .