Touchstone on Lake Muskoka

What People are saying

A Gem in Cottage Country - Just modern enough

Indiana1000on 06/11/2017 22:31

We’re not often in Muskoka and we’re not fans of giant resorts where noise is the primary ingredient. Touchstone was a lovely surprise. Its quiet, small, in an amazing spot and it’s modern enough - not too contemporary (although we love contemporary) - and not tired and dusty like many Muskoka resorts are. The rooms are a little cramped but they have everything you need. We had a spa suite. The kitchen was nice to have. The view can’t be beat. The spa was great - I had it to myself. The restaurant chef was super accommodating. I can’t eat a few things and he crafted a special meal for me that was delicious. The area is under construction, which we knew about. But it wasn’t that bad. The work had mostly moved indooors so the noise wasn’t intrusive. The front desk was very helpful. All in all, a nice place to stay. One caveat, we were well out of season. I’m not sure how noisy the rooms would be with a pool and restaurant patio right under them.

Muskoka in October

HEWright236on 24/10/2017 19:30

I recently had the pleasure of staying in the hotel at Touchstone - and it was, simply put, wonderful. My long-time friend & I spent the day hiking & taking in all that is Fall-beautiful about Muskoka, and at the end of our day, checked in to the hotel. From the moment we arrived & throughout our stay, everyone was so very helpful, friendly & welcoming. The amenities at the hotel are truly beautiful, all set in perfect surroundings - who wouldn't like relaxing in the infinity pool overlooking the lake?!! The room was very spacious & comfortable, and dinner at the Touchstone Grill was marvelous - Delish!! I can't wait to make a return visit. Bravo to everyone at Touchstone - hope to see you again soon.

Looking for a once year break and some pampering...disappointed all around.

HPB1983on 10/10/2017 20:36

Two weekends ago, myself and 6 girlfriends checked into a Beach House Villa to enjoy a weekend away. We are high school friends who have made an effort to get away for one weekend a year to catch up. We have been doing this for a number of years now and always look forward to a weekend spent together. Because this is a once a year treat, we have always looked for the best in the best in accommodations and try to change locations annually. We have stayed in a number of spots in the Muskoka area and are never disappointed. This is a weekend where we spare no expense and really treat ourselves.

For a couple of years now, we've been interested in trying Touchstone. This year was finally the year we were able to make it happen and we booked a Beach House Villa for 2 nights this past weekend. For 7 women just happy to get away for a carefree weekend, what a disappointment the weekend was. It started when we arrived on a rainy Friday afternoon. When inquiring about whether we could get some champagne flutes for our villa, the front desk advised that there was a dollar store down the road. Not quite the service we were looking for. One member of our party went directly to the spa to enjoy a relaxing massage with an RMT while the rest of us went to settle into the villa.

When we arrived in our villa, conditions were less than impressive. Although the villa itself was beautiful, it appeared that it hadn't been cleaned since it's last inhabitants. There was food all over the counters and the floor needed a good sweep/vacuum. To be honest, the condition of the villa was far dirtier than my home with 2 toddlers. Not the welcome we had imagined. We attempted several times to contact the front desk however no one picked up the phone. My girlfriend then returned from her massage horribly disappointed about the quality and seriously questioning whether the massage was from an RMT at all. I myself had a massage scheduled for the next morning and because of her feedback, changed the reservation to a mani/pedi.

Dinner Friday evening was spent at the in house restaurant. Service although pleasant was extremely slow. It appeared there was one server for a full restaurant. I have no problem paying for quality but quality is not what we got. Everyone's meal was mediocre at best. I got the French onion soup and some bruschetta as I wasn't overly hungry. Food was only ok and took forever to arrive. Because we were there for so long, I also ordered dessert...cheesecake. The bottoms of the cheesecake were burnt. I wanted to complain however due to how slow the service was, I didn't want to take the time and make us even longer. Dinner was expensive for the quality and the service, and again, would have been happy to pay for quality. We cancelled our dinner reservation for Saturday night to eat elsewhere.

The next morning a couple of us headed to the spa for express mani/pedis. I was looking forward to a much needed mani/pedi and although I recognize I booked an express, it was basically a poor quality polish change for $100. Again, happy to pay for quality and appreciate this is a high end resort but I'm not happy to pay that much for an overall bad job. The nail polish was filled with air bubbles and brush strokes and removed promptly when I got home. Cuticles looked the same as when I arrived. Again, this cost $100. To me, outrageous cost for a glorified polish change and overall bad experience. The spa seemed rush and the experience certainly not relaxing.

We were encouraged by the front desk to use the facilities and retreated to the infinity pool in the afternoon to enjoy the sunshine. When we inquired about towels or robes to use at the pool, we were told that the spa had them however the spa was "not associated" with the resort so we couldn't use anything at the pool. Again, not a great experience. From a customer experience stand point, it makes no difference to the customer whether you are associated or not. A solution is what we were looking for and there was none to be found.

Overall, we had a wonderful weekend with friends catching up. That said, it was the company that made the experience so great. We have been to several resorts in Muskoka (Taboo, J.W. Rousseau etc.) and have always been wowed by the service and experience. I should mention that I recognize it's late or off season however we go the same weekend every year and have never had difficulty at any other resort. Again, we are not high maintenance customers and are really there primarily to enjoy a weekend away with girlfriends but we do choose the higher end resorts to treat ourselves. I am home not overly relaxed with a bad manicure/pedicure and disappointed that although the entire weekend was mediocre, I still spent a significant amount of money. We will not be choosing or recommending Touchstone again in the future. Overall a huge disappointment. To make matters worse, when we attempted to reach out to the hotel to share our experience, they did not return my email.

The Boathouse - Fantastic Corporate Meeting Venue!

MuskokaBellon 20/09/2017 18:50

Recently, our senior corporate team had a meeting at Touchstone Resort in the Boathouse Facility. The Boathouse itself is beautiful and is the perfect setting if you are looking to conduct a private meeting/event. It was the ideal space for the purpose of our meeting! The view over Lake Muskoka is spectacular, just don't let it distract you too much (although it may be hard) :)

We had also made arrangements for a working lunch. There were a variety of meal choices that were provided to us and the lunch itself was delicious, well portioned and enjoyed by all in attendance Compliments to Michael Stewart and the staff at Touchstone Resort for everything and we look forward to returning again in the near future! Thank you!

So very relaxing!

bay86420on 04/09/2017 19:54

We have been to Muskoka many times before but had never heard of this resort until recently on the radio. WOW. It appears to be relatively new (in fact they are currently expanding) and not like many of the older resorts in Muskoka which need a little TLC. The staff was friendly and welcoming. Our room overlooking Lake Muskoka was clean, comfortable and had a fantastic view of the lake. We hung out at the beach and by the pool too. We had drinks down by the boathouse and even took advantage of a tour of the lake! The restaurant was terrific and relaxed - the manager even stopped by to check in. Definitely recommend!