Mercure Clear Mountain Lodge 4 stars

We stayed at Clear Mountain for three nights in a superior room. The room was clean, beds comfortable, with a pleasant view. The bathroom was a bit peculiar though, with very little room for cosmetics and toiletries. Shower was good though. The staff everywhere are really pleasant and helpful. Parking is a bit of a hassle in that there are stairs up from one of the parking lots which makes lugging heavy bags up to reception a nuisance. Likewise there are no lifts in the hotel. We were on the second floor (I think there are three floors) so again a lift or staff to help getting bags up and down stairs would have been appreciated, particularly for oldsters like us. The resort does need a facelift in parts, some of the older chairs and tables in the dining room should have been replaced long ago. The restaurant was a bitter disappointment. The menu is very limited, with such offerings as Chicken Maryland, the usual pork belly and the ubiquitous salmon. The prices, however, do not reflect such humble offerings. We had pork ragu which was tasty, but priced at $38, which I thought was a bit high. Steak was $52. The vegetarian option was pumpkin, a bit tarted up but still pumpkin. Far better to travel to Samford Village. The hotel there serves pub food which is typically pub food which was tasty, unpretentious and a whole lot cheaper. The pub is huge, but the eating areas are separated so it doesn’t feel ‘barn like’. It may be that the resort is having an issue hiring chefs and kitchen staff as this seems to be the case everywhere post covid, but the restaurant does need to lift its game regarding the paucity, cost and quality of menu items. Breakfast at the resort was fine, with the usual fare on offer. Breakfast finishes at 9, a bit early for retirees (and late sleepers) like us!😀. Despite my criticisms we would return for the views, the relaxing vibe, and the beautiful surrounding area. The real winners in this resort are its position, views and the friendliness of it’s staff.

Has great potential but doesn’t live up to it Advertises free Wifi The power went out for about 2 minutes just after we arrived, wifi never came back on Asked about this to be told that’s not unusual , we are on a mountain and the signal isn’t good. Put your feet up and relax No wifi meant the movie channel didn’t work. Asked for room service to deliver an ice bucket and was told we are too busy you can come get it Didn’t clean the room properly, again asked for room service to leave fresh glasses and again told we are busy come get it yourself Bathroom wasn’t cleaned properly Staff were friendly enough but have no ideas of customer service

A wonderful venue to hold a crafting retreat for 22 females. The accommodation was very clean, the beds comfortable and views were beautiful. I was not aware of so many stairs to some of the rooms and that was difficult for a few of the more mature ladies and ones with mobility issues however we know for next time. The staff that need to be mentioned for exceptional customer service were Madsion, Tylah, Julian and Lolita and any request was immediately acted upon - thank you . The food was superb and although you cannot please everyone, again the staff accommodated us where they could. I was very happy with the room that was allocated to us during the day for crafting - just wish the WiFi was better however we are on top of a mountain. Just worth mentioning that when serving Steak, please give customers steak knives and make sure water jugs are already on the tables before they are seated. Otherwise, a fabulous weekend and we will be back next March!! Thank you to everyone :)

The venue room for our event was lovely, clean and comfortable chairs with ramp access from the front of lodge to there. Room, it was smaller then expected, we asked for two queen beds but got one queen and single. The beds were clean soft and relaxing. Room was clean and had a little veranda to sit and relax on. Service, the two ladies we had for arrival and departure were kind courteous and professional. I want to give a BIG SHOUT OUT TO waitress Lalita for her work standards, she was welcoming courteous would chat have a laugh with customers while still doing her job professionally. Julian was amazing with his customer service. Yes the venue needs upgrades and I hope they achieve this soon. The food well, as a Ceoliac and no dairy with a trained chef in restaurant it was a real hit and miss. Breakfast was a great hit buffet breakfast, but when I asked for toast gf the first day it was and effort to do as it was not out with buffet. Lunch first day was expensive for the amount given pumpkin risotto but tasted lovely. First two dinners were spot on lamb was still but raw but the last dinner the sauce was poured all on plate and I believe it was just straight soy sauce. The dinners was same veg cooked same way with different protein. Menu needs to have more variety for allergies as cup chopped fruit for dessert while others have gorgeous lava cake. Trained chef needs to come up with different ideas to just fruit chopped up.

The rooms and view were beautiful but the customer service is some areas, could be worked on. Staff didn't know what was on the menu and what product were used in the meal. Also some of the staff came across abrupt at the restaurant. One time not enough food was placed out for the number of people and we were told we have had our limit and there was no more. Missing bread rolls and being placed out to early. On a positive not Lalita and Julian were both excellant in all areas and helped to make the stay pleasent