By Canadian Press

Even Peggy’s Cove, Lake Louise, get slammed in online reviews

Jul 6, 2016 | 3:25 PM

TORONTO — Businesses are taking efforts to combat what they argue are often unfair or petty. Even some of Canada’s most iconic and beloved tourist spots can come in for criticism. Some examples:

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In a review entitled “Overated, better lakes around,” a Trip Advisor reviewer had this to say of iconic Lake Louise: “Get there early to ensure a parking space and ensure you can get a photo before all the (tourists) and their selfie sticks turn up.”

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Amid a sea of five-star reviews for the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise was this Google review:

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“Service was a 5 star, however I was a bit disappointed about their burger with porkbelly. The porkbelly stole all the flavor from the burger itself, so it tasted more like I was eating pork with the consistency of ground beef. The bun was a bit dry… I ended up just taking it off to eat the meat separately. The view was amazing and so was the beer!”

The hotel responded:

“We will be sure to relay your comments about your burger to our Executive Chef for further follow up. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this caused.”

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A Trip Advisor review of the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel entitled in part “Too Big of a Hotel:”

“The hotel is HUGE! You will get lost.”

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A Yelp review of Alice Lake Provincial Park, nestled in the Coast Mountains and named one of the Top 25 campsites in Canada by Explore Magazine:

“Water is gross, ‘beach’ is mostly dirt and larger chunks of rock (can hardly go barefoot). We saw great reviews about it but soon experienced that it is extremely over-rated.”

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A Google review of the same park:

“Waited for 2 years, I got the reservation for camping here, but I feel a little disappointed because the lake is so small and there are lots of mosquitos.”

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Trip Advisor review of Niagara Falls:

“The only reason I did not give a 5 is the amount of tourists and the fact that it’s just you and 2,000 other people staring at a waterfall for an indefinite amount of time … I became bored after 30 minutes of walking.”

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Another Niagara Falls review: “Since we visited recently Iguazu in Argentina, we could not avoid the comparison. Niagara is a tiny thing compared to Iguazu, but still nice to see.”

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A Google review of Montmorency Falls in Quebec City:

“When I go to view nature I don’t like seeing man made structures everywhere … if you’re looking for ‘nature’ this is capitalism at its finest. I hung out for about 1.5 hours and found myself getting upset at how humanity has ruined what I imagine was a once beautiful waterfall. Poor nature.”

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A two-star review of Killarney Provincial Park in northern Ontario on Trip Advisor entitled “Not Good in Poor Weather:”

“The campground has every pitch in deep shade, which may be right for high summer but in June 2016 just felt gloomy …. Disappointing site, but in fairness, cloudy, windy weather made the site oppressive.”

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A Yelp review of Toronto’s CN Tower: “What a complete ripoff!! I paid $100 for me and two kids to go up an elevator and look out a window. It was the worst part of our trip to Toronto. Totally disappointing!”

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A Trip Advisor review of the Calgary Tower, with its vistas of the Rockies to the west:

“I was expecting it to be similar to the CN Tower but it wasn’t … really not very high and the view is just okay. Don’t waste your time if you have done other towers.”

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A Trip Advisor review of Peggy’s Cove, N.S.:

“We visited on a morning that was chilly and damp and the village was enshrouded by fog, giving the whole thing a Brigadoon-like atmosphere. When the sun finally emerged, I didn’t like it as much. While interesting enough to walk around, it was more a series of photo opportunities than it was a museum …. It was nice to go, but, ultimately, not so special.”

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A Google review of the historic Brock’s Monument in Queenston, Ont.:

“Lots of stairs, quite tight quarters and claustrophobic.”

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A Trip Advisor review of the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island, N.S., entitled “OK:”

“There is some lovely scenery along the trail, but wasn’t all that impressed …. glad we made the trip but wouldn’t do it again. Actually found it long and boring.”

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A Google review of the historic Citadelle in Quebec City:

“It sucked, it was so boring. Don’t go there. I almost puked in the bathrooms and it was horrible.”

The Canadian Press