MILFORD HOUSE - Updated 2022 Prices & Ranch Reviews (South Milford, Nova Scotia)

About

4.5

Excellent

94 reviews

Location

4.8

Cleanliness

4.4

Service

4.4

Value

4.0

Property amenities

Free parking

Free internet

Restaurant

Tennis court

Board games / puzzles

Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)

Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )

Conference facilities

Public wifi

Gift shop

Non-smoking hotel

Room features

Fireplace

Refrigerator

Room types

Non-smoking rooms

Family rooms

Location

Full view

Contact

5296 Highway #8, South Milford RR #4 Annapolis Royal, South Milford, Nova Scotia B0S 1A0 Canada

Getting there

Halifax Stanfield Intl Airport95 miSee all flights

Rental CarsSee all South Milford rental cars

See all nearby hotels

94Reviews2Q+A27Room tips

Reviews

Write a review

Sort by:

Most Recent

Liisa L wrote a review Jun 2022

Barrie, Canada10 contributions6 helpful votes

Best vacation ever!

I was recently there for a trip and it was absolutely amazing! From the staff who went above and beyond to accommodate me, to the amazing cottages you get to stay in! Also, what amazing food at the restaurant! I would absolutely keep on going back everytime I am in the area!

Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Traveled with friends

Helpful

Share

Carol K wrote a review Feb 2022

Cape Town Central, South Africa6 contributions14 helpful votes

Appalling treatment by management. DO NOT STAY HERE!

I have stayed here many times, but have always found that the staff have no interest whatsoever in their guests. It is difficult to impossible to get them to greet you with a smile or even a hello, on arrival, and last time we left I deliberately said goodbye three times before the person behind the desk bothered to grunt a goodbye back at me. Everywhere you look you can see them praising themselves and their cabins, but that is all they care about. Never once have we been asked during our stays or when leaving, if everything was alright, and whether we had enjoyed our stay. they show no interest in their guests whatsoever. I tried a few times to engage the staff in brief conversation, but they were as disinterested as if I was just speaking to mannequins. They sure pay a lot of attention to presenting you with your bill though. Once they have accepted payment they do not even want to say goodbye. They don't even look you in the eye. Last summer we rented a large four bedroom cabin, which obviously, we were paying a lot more for than we would have paid for a smaller cabin. Only then did we discover that we were expected to pay an extra $20 per night for each extra person we had over two people. But we were paying extra already for the extra bedrooms. When I asked why, we were told that because they had lost so much revenue because of Covid lockdowns they now had to make up their losses by charging people extra for "extra towels and laundry, and the extra cleaning." I shall say it one more time - WE WERE ALREADY PAYING THE EXTRA ROOM CHARGES FOR THAT. I found myself feeling embarrassed for them, in their greed and tackiness, and underhand way of going about running a business. My more recent experience, though, has really put them at the bottom of the barrel. We arrived last week for a five night stay. We arrived to find that the taps were producing no water. Notices pinned in the cabin said that we should not use the tap water for drinking, cooking, etc., that they provide drinking water for guests throughout the winter. There were a couple of jugs of water in the cabin. They did not last very long. We otherwise melted snow to flush the toilet. We let Ruth, the listed contact person, know that we had no running water. She told us to just manage as best we could. We soon ran out of drinking water and contacted Ruth again. She told us that she did not want to get involved (!) and that we should call Krysta, the General Manager. Krysta also told us to just manage. However, a couple of workmen did appear and spent several hours working in a little hut outside our door where they said the pressure tank was housed. They left that night with the problem still not fixed, but promised to return in the morning and keep working. We continued melting snow in buckets to flush the toilet. The following morning the men were back and working but then we noticed that they had left and we still had no water and had long since run out of drinking water. It was snowing. The snow was deep, our car was somewhat buried. We called Ruth again, the contact person. She again said in no uncertain terms that she did not want to be involved. We called Krista, the General Manager again. Apropos of nothing, and before I could say anything much, she proceeded to yell, scream and shriek at me. She told us that if we didn't like it we could leave. We said we could not leave on the roads as they were. We had a 2.5 hr drive home. We asked if we might have some water. She was angry beyond all reason, and screamed at me that she could not and would not provide us with any water because she would not send her maintenance men out in the snow. She kept repeating that the roads were in a terrible condition and had not been plowed and the only thing of any importance was the safety of her maintenance crew. She said that the snow was "a natural disaster". I pointed out that it was hardly that - it was snowing....in Canada....in February. Hardly a natural disaster. When she let me speak, which was hardly at all - she shouted and screeched over me every time I tried to speak - I said that the men who had been at the cabin had told us the night before that we should call them back if we needed anything because they only lived just across the road. Could she not send them with some water for us? She called me a liar then, saying that it was not possible that anyone had said that to me and she should know because one of them is her husband, and the other, I believe she said was her son, or it could have been her father, I forget which, and that none of them live anywhere near. Mere seconds later she said that she herself had been to our cabin that morning to remove the men from the job and bring them back home with her, and that she lived just across the road. There was a baffling contradiction in her own story there. So she had been to our cabin that morning, knowing that we'd had no water since the day before, and she had called her men off the job, because it was snowing, but she had not brought us any water - neither sent it with her crew or brought it herself. When I asked if somebody could bring us water she screamed again that nobody could - "for health and safety reasons". She said she could not supply us with water because of health and safety reasons, and she WOULD NOT send ANYONE out to give us water because of the snow......BUT...she would send someone to plow out our car and we could leave. So someone could be sent to plow, but could not bring any water with them? I asked her if she was suggesting that we leave to drive the 2.5 hrs home on the same roads, in the same weather which she was refusing to send anyone else out on. Yes, was the firm reply, with an added shriek of AND YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO LOSE POWER TOO! She shouted and shrieked to such an extent that she truly sounded unhinged. And why, if she had men coming and going in trucks, and she herself had been down to our cabin in her vehicle, and she was more than a little eager to send someone to plow just the little patch in front of our car, AND there are notices up in the cabin saying that they provide the drinking water throughout the winter months, did she refuse outright to supply us with any drinking water? The water supply in the taps was fixed intermittently, but we awoke for three of our five mornings to dry taps, and had to wait several hours for any water. I shall never, ever return to this place. And they need to seriously review their management team. And I shall tell everyone I speak to of it about the experience we just had there. I wish I could rate it zero stars.…

Date of stay: January 2022

Value

Rooms

Service

2 Helpful votes

Helpful

Share

Response from Krista Vidito, General Manager at Milford House

Responded Apr 29, 2022

Hi Carol, I was disheartened to find your review, I am sorry your experience at Milford House wasn't what you had hoped for. Our staff are well known for their kindness, they make long lasting friendships with our guests and we are grateful to have guests who feel like family to us, I am sorry you felt they seemed like "speaking mannequins" While we are certainly proud of our cabins, as well as our deep history going back over 100 years , we never wish to come across as if we are praising ourselves, if you felt that we apologize. Over the past 2 seasons, since the pandemic began, our staff have never been so busy. Milford House has been discovered and we have seen more guests over the past two years than ever before, we most certainly have not begun charging extra fee's to make due for lost revenue, and I can assure you, none of our staff were under the impression that we were doing poorly as they were working over time to keep up with the new pace. We are already pre booked for most of our up coming 2022 season, and thankful the pandemic didn't hurt our business as it did most others. Our cabin rates have been based on double occupancy for over a decade now. As you said you have been several times before, your bills show that you paid these extra guest fee's previously so I was surprised to see you say that you had just learned of this last season. Over this winter season, I do remember you having problems during your stay with your water pipes freezing up and that because of the major snow storm we were experiencing, we had some problems getting things fixed right away. I remember sending staff out several times to try to remediate the situation , but that we had major complications due to the severe snow storm. The hardware store had closed and sent its staff home because the storm was just starting to get bad so we were unable to get the parts to try and fix it for you. The next morning, our team went out to the hardware store as soon as it was open and tried again to fix the water situation for you, but were trying to hurry as the storm surge was expected to hit mid morning and they wanted to try and have it done to get home before the roads became impassable and dangerous to drive on, as they had already been driving on extremally dangerous roads the night before and were looking forward to getting off of the road. None of our workers live next door, they drive 20 minutes to get there back and forth, so I was again surprised to hear you say that someone told you that lived next door. They worked on your pipes for more than an hour and then the weather alert came through of the storm surge in effect and I unfortunately had to pull them off the job, in a hurried decision strictly for safety reasons. I can assure you they, as well as I, wanted to get the issue fixed for you and were doing everything possible to do that as safely as we could. When I spoke with you, I tried my best to explain the situation to you and give you as many options as I possibly could. Finally, you agreed that you were safe and warm there so as soon as the storm surge was over, and some of the roads had been plowed, our staff went back out and got it taken care of in just a few hours. There was water for drinking in the cabin upon arrival and as soon as we could, we brought you more drinking water. We have since done some work to the water lines so we know they will never freeze up like that for anyone else, we are grateful to the other guests staying on site during that storm, they were so understanding and sympathetic to our staff for having to be out in such a horrible blizzard. When I offered to have a truck come plow you out, it was because the option of waiting until they plowed the roads so our workers could come back safely in a couple hours didn't seem like an option you were ok with and at that point I wanted to do whatever it was that I possible could to make you happy., it in no way was asking you to leave. When Ruth said to you to "just manage the best you could", she did not say that with malice, she simply meant that we will get there as soon as we can. Ruth has been here for many years and most of our guests can attest that she would never do anything maliciously, nor would I. I thought we did everything we could and I apologize to you for your feeling that we didn't, or that we didn't care or that you were on your own. I was under the impression from the rest of our guests that they were cozy and comfortable through the storm and I am truly devastated that wasn't the case for you. All we can do at this point, is make sure the next guest doesn't feel this way, so that's what we will do! Thank you for your critics, hopefully they will serve to make us better in the future!

Tresina H wrote a review Sep 2021

Halifax51 contributions26 helpful votes

+1

Peaceful

My sisters, nephew and I went there for a night this summer. We stayed in Topsail. Before we left I was a little sad that it wasn’t directly on the lake but was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is just set back with lake view and it’s own dock. Topsail is close to the main lodge and sleeps 4 but I just slept on the couch quite comfortably. This cabin has a full kitchen but the meal plan is well worth the money and the staff are friendly and efficient. This is a well run business. Our canoe was at our wharf, check in was easy, meals were booked. It takes a bit to get used to being unplugged but I found we needed this to connect with each other. My nephew however at 14 years old did need wifi fix at the lodge but that’s ok too. We ate well, played cards, played Scrabble, had a fire in the fireplace, canoed, swam, hiked and totally relaxed! I love the rustic and charm of this place.…

Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Traveled with family

Helpful

Share

City dweller wrote a review Aug 2021

Halifax, Canada5 contributions1 helpful vote

Milford House

As a city girl, who is not a fan of camping, I was hesitant to book Milford House, as I had heard the word rustic so many times when used to describe it. I camped plenty in my childhood and was a girl guide, so I can, but prefer not to. I had been recommended it several times over the years by families who attend yearly for 25+ years so I finally took their recommendation and booked. The website says 1 star. I believe that applies to the accommodations only. Yes they are old and rustic and quirky. If you want strong wifi or cell reception, rural NS isn’t for you. The ability to unplug is hard to get used to but is always worth it. The staff was lovely, had great encounters with all, desk, wait staff etc The food was excellent, not 1 star. Large portions, some fresh from the garden,and all very tasty. Very clean restaurant area in the lodge. I had the meal package and found it worth it for the price, it was great. The lake is a beautiful spot, perfect to swim, canoe or just admire.…

Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Traveled with family

1 Helpful vote

Helpful

Share

mrsodge wrote a review Oct 2020

Halifax, nova scotia4 contributions4 helpful votes

Beautiful spot, apathetic staff

I have been hearing about Milford house for years. My co-workers and I decided to go for a weekend getaway. The location, beauty and charm are off the charts, in this I was not disappointed. I have stayed in rustic cabins before (MacLeod's Cottages in Green Bay NS) and also camp every year... rustic does not bother me and actually I prefer it. What we didn't like so much was the onslaught of mice/rats in our cabin. The first night wasn't so bad, as we brought a stray cat into our cottage because it was crying for hours outside. Our housekeeping lady was apologetic and said she's mention it to the front desk staff. We heard nothing back about it, The 2nd night, the neighbors had the cat and at around 11 pm the mice were running down the walls, across the tables and shelves6 and all over the place. It was completely unnerving. We had dishes soaking from dinner in the sink and found two drowned mice in it the next morning. There were droppings all over the shelves and dishes. When I brought it up at checkout, I was merely told "Yes they have been a problem this year". No apology, no discount offer on that stay or a future one. I'm pretty certain this is a major health code violation. I was put off that the response was completely unapologetic The literature provided in the cabin says that you are "in the wilderness" and should expect to see a furry visitor or two. Fine. Multiple rodents scaling the walls and drowning in your dishwater is perhaps a little much to expect your guests to deal with?…

Date of stay: October 2020

Value

Rooms

Service

1 Helpful vote

Helpful

Share

Response from Val Richard, General Manager at Milford House

Responded Oct 6, 2020

I can assure you there were no RATS in your cabin. Mice, however, have been an on-going problem for us this season. A fairly open, warm winter and an early summer seem to have exploded the population locally. Many local people have mentioned their own mouse population explosion. We do our best to keep their numbers down. We have traps in all the cabins, out of sight and out of reach for pets and small kids. We don't use poison because of the hazard it is for pets and kids. We can go days without hearing of any, then another bunch will show up. Food left on counters and tables will attract them. I do apologize, but we are doing our best to control the population.

Nathan P wrote a review Sep 2020

35 contributions25 helpful votes

Feels like home

I've been coming here almost every summer for more than 25 years and it always feels like home. The rustic beauty, the lake, the air,the smell of the fires, it is all so perfect!We stayed in Crowe this time and highly recommend for families.

Date of stay: September 2020Trip type: Traveled with family

1 Helpful vote

Helpful

Share

Response from Val Richard, General Manager at Milford House

Responded Oct 1, 2020

Thanks for this, we're glad we can be 'home' to you. Fall is a great time of year here.

donald a wrote a review Aug 2020

Nova Scotia, Canada16 contributions2 helpful votes

Back to nature

Rustic cabins by the water, friendly staff, quiet lakes 'as they used to be' great for canoe and kayak, decent food, library with book exchange, croquet, volleyball net etc for kids, rafts in the water, paths to walk. Close to picturesque Annapolis Royal and Keji National Park. A great place to relax.

Date of stay: August 2020

Cleanliness

Service

Room Tip: Book early as so many return customers year after year.

See more room tips

1 Helpful vote

Helpful

Share

Response from Val Richard, General Manager at Milford House

Responded Sep 6, 2020

Thanks for taking the time to post this review. Glad you enjoyed your stay and hope you come back next season!

ScotianTripper wrote a review May 2020

Halifax, Canada39 contributions3 helpful votes

+1

Booked for the 22nd year in a row

Milford House is a touchstone for me. Whether glorious days in high summer, paddling and swimming at any number of deserted back-country spots, coming back to children's laughter and a glass of wine on the porch; or a crisp fall afternoon with the smell of dry leaves and woodsmoke, my dog running ahead on the Pompy Trail; or a silent winter evening in warm Buckshaw, snow drifting outside, curled by the fire with a book - this is where I go, just to *be*. It is my haven. Thank you for being just the way you are. Do not expect air conditioning, nor wifi in your rooms, nor hermetically sealed cabins. Do expect excellent food, comfortable beds, an unending supply of wood for the stone fireplaces, board games and books, the Milky Way blazing in a black sky, hidden lakes at the end of short portages, and an invaluable chance to unplug and find yourselves again.…

Date of stay: August 2019

Location

Service

Sleep Quality

Helpful

Share

Response from valr60, General Manager at Milford House

Responded May 29, 2020

Thank you ‘scitiantripper’ for your warm review. Local guests are so important to us, now more than ever. Your description of all the seasons at Milford House is really a good snapshot of who we are and why we’re here.

Andrew wrote a review Oct 2019

9 contributions3 helpful votes

Cabin stay

Our cabin was right on the lake, and had a big open fire, with a constant supply of logs - a good job given how cold the weather was for most of our stay. Lots to do on site, incl trails and canoeing. Good god in the on site dining room. Very friendly and helpful staff. A beautiful location

Date of stay: October 2019Trip type: Traveled with family

Helpful

Share

Response from valr60, General Manager at Milford House

Responded Oct 26, 2019

Thank you for this review. It does tend to get chilly on the fall, but the colors and beautiful scenery make it worth it. Glad you enjoyed our dining room. Hope to see you again next season!

Kitrin J wrote a review Oct 2019

Digby, Canada173 contributions16 helpful votes

+1

Fantastic Fall Getaway

We stayed at Milford House over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and it was worth every penny. Being able to enjoy a roaring fire in the stone fireplace, dining at the Main Lodge, and taking in the beautiful fall colours made this a getaway to remember. The cabin we were in wasn't winterized, so the days and nights were cool, but we came prepared with warm clothing and took full advantage of the wood provided for our fireplace. Meals were hearty and delicious. We enjoyed a traditional Saturday night supper of baked ham and beans, scalloped potatoes and molasses brown bread, and a full Thanksgiving feast on Sunday night. Days were spent enjoying the foliage, hiking, and biking and chatting with fellow guests. The wifi was adequate for a quick social media post but we enjoyed taking the time to "unplug" and spend time playing games and reading. The Main Lodge was cozy and inviting with lots of books and board games to borrow. Despite being the end of the season the staff were warm and welcoming, and always ready to assist wherever needed.…

Date of stay: October 2019

Rooms

Service

Sleep Quality

Room Tip: Thomas cabin is close to Bud's beach, the playground and the Main Lodge. Full size fridge...

See more room tips

Helpful

Share

Response from valr60, General Manager at Milford House

Responded Oct 17, 2019

Thank you so much for this review. The height of the colors this year timed perfectly for the long weekend. Check our facebook page for some beautiful pics, and results of the pumpkin carving contest!

PreviousNext