Let me begin by saying that I was in love with this hotel after viewing the fantastic website. I was slightly alarmed when I called the hotel directly and for approximately 4 hours was unable to reach ANYONE! I was more alarmed when I finally did reach someone who had little/no respect for customer service...

I however, booked into the 'luxury' Pelican Cottage which boasted "ocean-front view, located next to the ocean with wireless internet, private deck and bbq... It still sounded like perfection! I explained upon booking that we wanted to maximize our time there and asked whether it would be possible to have an early check in and late check out? I was told "no problem, there is no one in the cottage prior to or after your arrival".

We arrived AT check-in time and were greeted by the unfriendly woman that I had spoke to on the phone. She belittled us in such a manner that we stood at the reservation desk and debated leaving immediately! My boyfriend walked into their 'fine dining establishment" and she yelled after him to 'get out of there' that the room was being prepared for dinner seating (at 3pm) and closed the door to block us out from it. We inquired about dinner reservations and without even checking she said "I'm sure it's full." She then advised us that our cottage was not ready (despite confirmation that no one had been there the night prior) and that we would also have to leave promptly at 11am upon morning of check out as a group would be coming in the following day (and they do need more than 24 hours to clean a room!) By this point I was feeling very mislead...

After check-in she advised us that the cottage was about a 10 minute drive and pointed us in the general direction (no they do not provide real directions- you will be lucky if she leaves the desk to point you left or right) and off we went...

Our cottage--- The ocean front is blocked by a road, a steep hill that you cannot climb down OH... and HYDRO POWER LINES! You must tilt your head at a very interesting angle to truly get a clear 'ocean view'...

The Deck-- You are lucky if you can stand on it for more than 30 seconds without pieces of a tree falling on you or spiders crawling all over you. It was incredibly run down and I would not recommend going outside there if you are not prepared for a wilderness experience!

BBQ- No propane! Was not clean...Was not suitable for cooking!

The Wireless Internet- Simple... NONE! We tried for hours... didn't work.. Called the front desk... NO answer...

The Cottage overall- nice. no frills.... OH except for the red wine stains that had been left by the previous guests weeks ago and were only cleaned the day of our arrival just before we arrived.. (the cleaning staff were still there when we arrived and confirmed this for us!) We were forced to walk on wet carpet for our entire stay...

Overall- Stay somewhere else!
Maybe if customer's stop buying into the owner/operators snobbery they will have to get down of their high post and re-evaluate their service level and realize that 5 star service is just as important as 5 star facilities!

We booked a room online with plenty of advance notice. The setting of The Beach House is truly spectacular, but upon arrival our room had some major glitches: the A/C leaked buckets of water and the internet didn't work in our room, neither wired nor wireless. The hotel offered us a discounted rate for our room, but also offered us the opportunity to check-out and find us a room in St. John's. We accepted and were delighted to stay at the Delta in town for less $$ and much more value.

Another note: the design of the Signature Rooms is strange. A lovely jacuzzi stands in the middle of the room attached to the bathroom, thus making toilet/shower privacy rather impossible. The amenities are top-notch, but not well thought out in a design fashion.

If you do plan to stay here, reserve the restaurant Atlantica well in advance. It may be the hottest dining spot in Newfoundland and was completely booked for weeks on end.

This hotel has a fabulous view. But we arrived on a Sunday to be told the restaurant is closed on Sunday and Mondays. The only other restaurant in the immediate area is the Beachy Cove Cafe (within walking distance) but be warned, we tried to just order fries 'to go' on Monday evening, only to be told they only do 'full meals'! Needless to say, we were more than a little shocked by a cafe that wouldn't serve us fries! So when The Beach House restaurant is closed, they don't get much support from the other local restaurant, based on our experience.

Then we tried to place a wake up call Monday night because we had an early flight and after dialing the Front Desk, got a message saying, "mail box full". So then I walked to the Front Desk only to find the doors locked. I don't what one would have done had we accidentally locked ourselves out of our room, or had an emergency. Once they get the kinks ironed out, this will be a fabulous property... but not for us. We prefer to be in downtown St. John's, and will stay at Blue on Water next time.

My sweetheart, who originally comes from St. John's, and I stay at this lovely place each time we are in St. John's. It is one of the most lovely, pristine spots I've ever encountered. I'm a prairie girl so I love getting to the ocean as often as I can and, in my humble opinion, the east coast of Canada offers some of the most amazing views on this earth. I've traveled in Europe and on our continent fairly extensively and The Beach House competes with the best hotels and locations in the world (and I've had the good fortune to stay on a 1000 foot cliff in Santorini, Greece overlooking the Aegean Sea, so that should give you an idea how lovely this spot is).

The owners are lovely and will attempt to accommodate any requests you may have. The lovely women who take care of your rooms are worthy of large tips as they are fabulous conversationalists yet they know when to respect your privacy. They are wonderful ambassadors for their establishment and their province.

This place will show you the very best that Newfoundland has to offer, and there is plenty to love about this province. Now that they have a fabulous restaurant on site you can enjoy your meals right there and the view from the restaurant is stunning. Take your time, enjoy the meal because you do no service to yourself by rushing this decadent experience. The chef will likely come visit you as well and he is very humble and affable.

I actually thought of not writing a review because I don't want too many people to know about it (purely selfish) but I must give credit where it is due. The location is not only beautiful it is practical; only a few minutes from St. John's airport and within walking distance from several corner stores for emergency items (like, wine, mix or potato chips). :)

Book well in advance and be sure to visit Bell Island, it's a lovely place too for a slow and easy drive or walk around the island. Take in the culture and the tours of the old mine or some of the cemeteries. Cemeteries are often the best way to peek into the past of a town. Bell Island is the only place in Canada to see direct action on its shores during WWII.

The Beach House is wonderful and amazing. Enjoy and tip well, they deserve it.