We stayed at the Shambhala over the New Year holiday.

To begin, the reservation was easily made and we were invited to store our luggage at the Shambhala a few days before our official arrival, for which we were grateful! To our surprise, when we arrived, we were invited to store our belongings in an outdoor woodpile. We were in a crunch for time and simply had to accept the offer as it was. When we returned to officially check in, we were impressed by the grounds, which are lovely; the view of the Bay is superb, the landscaping in pristine and you are a 2km walk, on a dirt road, from the Mussel Inn. We had booked a private double room, which fell short of expectations based on the website (please see photos). We were told the rooms with ocean views were sold out and that we could have the room without views for $10/night less. To our disappointment, the room didn’t just lack views; it was also musty and dank, with mold on the walls. In John’s defense, we didn’t express our disappointment, though he never asked if we were settling in nicely either. We had to rent our towels for $2/each and had to retrieve them from his place ourselves. While there, we were treated without much respect, as though we were young children paying very little money when, in fact, we are in our mid-30’s and we paid $70/night for our accommodation; an affordable rate, but by no means the $30/night rate of a backpackers accommodation, which was how it felt. While there, a guest made a negative review and, in response, she was asked to leave. The police were called and a scene was made. An older guest was given an apology and an explanation for the disruption; we were ignored. Overall, if you are young and glad to pay the $35 for the lodge accommodations, the grounds are lovely and the people drawn there are pleasant, but do NOT book the cottage that lacks sea views (it’s really just a damp shed in the woods), and do NOT expect quality customer service.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in January 2018