Before booking my stay, I read a lot of great reviews of this place. I was looking for a boutique hotel on a lake with top-notch food, amenities and service, and I was happy to pay $300 a night to meet those criteria. Unfortunately, the Northridge does not live up to the reviews and was not worth the extra expense.
Where to begin? It's clear a lot of money was spent on the renovation of the hotel, and the common areas are just gorgeous. However, there is a lot of neglect visible around the property. Overgrown grass, spiderwebs, chips in the paint in the rooms. While the decor is instagram-worthy, it's obvious that underneath is a cheap, temporary building (like a cabin at a caravan park). The bathrooms in the rooms are tiny and lack light.
I find that luxury is in the details, and those details are missing. Some things I would like to have seen are big, fluffy towels or robes in the rooms. I was visiting for a special occasion (mentioned when booking) and while I don't expect special treatment, a glass of sparkling wine or something in the room would go a long way to making guests feel special.
The setting is beautiful, as is the restaurant, but the food and menu do not live up to the 5 star prices. The food is OK, but not good enough to warrant a price tag of $22-$30 per main dish. No espresso coffee available, but each cup was $4? Cocktails were amazing, but that's about the only impressive part of the food/beverage offering.
