Urs & Diane,

Just wanted to send a note to thank you for your hospitality. We all had such a wonderful time.

Ken & Jan Felix

An online report from a recent guest, Canadian actor and comedian Neil Crone:

Sorry for the absence folks, I've been up north fishing with my sons for the last four days. Went back to Auld Reekie Lodge on Gowganda Lake. My dad and I and my youngest son spent a few days up at Auld Reekie last summer and I was so impressed that I decided to head back again...this time coercing my oldest to come along with me as well. ..."

Diane, remember to feel free to give my contact information to whoever might want a reference for the lodge. I always love to talk fishing.

Neil Crone

Dear Diane,

Thank you for the wonderful week we had in Gowganda. We all thought that you were perfect hosts.

The accommodations, weather, and fishing were all that we could have hoped for.

Best of luck to you and yours for the remainder of the season and all the seasons to come.

Joe Szoszorek

Urs, Diane and family,

Many thanks for the wonderful job of hosting you all did. It is a pleasure seeing such a close family like yours working for a common cause and seeming to enjoy it so much. We all commented on that and are impressed with what you have done to restore the Auld Reekie we so enjoy and remember. As Doug said in his toast, even after 7 years, so little has changed and we all just picked up where we left off.

We had an uneventful trip back and made it in about 14 hours with one overnight in Binghamton, NY. It was nice to be back after almost a month away although the garden did not fare well in our absence.

I promised Daniel these pictures and will send some more for the Auld Reekie album after I sort them out.

Thanks again. It was a pleasure meeting you both/all and I wish you a great rest of the summer.

Best regards and we will return,

Marek

Dear Urs and Diane,

We are writing to let you know how much we enjoyed and appreciated our visit to Auld Reekie Lodge. Our four days couldn't have been better. The scenery was beautiful and the four lakes we fished each had their own special interest. We caught fish in each of the lakes, especially the 60+ Bass in the last one, and enjoyed our two shore lunches.

Our guide, Chris, was especially helpful and enjoyable to be with. You both were so hospitable and friendly. You arranged for our good weather and took care of our every need. We also enjoyed meeting your four children.

We hope to come see you again, soon. We would recommend Auld Reekie Lodge to anyone who is planning a fishing trip to Canada.

Thanks again, for a wonderful stay,

Sincerely,

Jim and Nancy McKinnon

Hello Diane and Urs...thanks for your concern. You guys are just wonderful. That was a scary morning, no question. We got Dad to Englehart hospital and when I saw him in the emergency room he already looked miles better as a result of the oxygen. They took all kinds of tests, kept him overnight and even gave him a blood transfusion, which I think really gave him some new energy. He traveled to New Liskeard Hospital this morning where he was supposed to have an endoscopy...something about wondering if he was losing blood internally, possibly through an ulcer or something. We stayed overnight in Englehart (dear God did we miss your place that night!) and Connor and I made an early drive back home this morning. I just arrived about a half hour ago. My brother drove to Englehart yesterday with my Mom and sister. They are taking Dad back home now. So, long story short...it was touch and go that morning, but we've got him back. Again, my eternal thanks to you and those wonderful people who arrived so quickly to take such good care of him. Aside from all of this, we did enjoy our stay at Auld Reekie enormously. You're fantastic hosts and I will be sure to do a large write up about our stay in my online blog.

I will be in touch very shortly regarding settling our account with you as well. Would you prefer to do that over the phone? Just let me know. I need to speak with Dad about that. I think he was talking about footing the bill...that would be just like him. Also, I did find my wallet but have still not located my cell phone. It's a Samsung. Wondering if it fell under a couch or got eaten by some sofa cushions. Have you been able to have a good look through the cabin since our departure? Please let me know if you find it.

I hope this finds you and your lovely kids well and good and with a full dining room.

With warmest regards and fond memories.

I had to add this last thing...my Dad had some medical problems midway through our trip that resulted in our cutting our week-long trip short by a few days. No biggie. We'd had a great time. Still, Diane and Urs, proprietors of Auld Reekie, just emailed me to let me know they were mailing me a Gift Certificate for the three nights we had to cancel on. Unbelievable! They lost money due to our cancelation and they still offered us a free stay. This is the way you run a Lodge, folks. These people understand how to get repeat customers and good word of mouth. A lost art these days. If you or anyone you know of is thinking of a fishing, hunting or snowmobiling vacation do yourself a big fat favour and check out Auld Reekie Lodge. Urs and Diane will take very good care of you.

Neil

Dear Urs and Diane,

I simply must thank you again for taking such good care of Neil, Connor, and Mr. Crone. They have been raving about their time at the lodge and Mr. Crone, now in at Scarborough Grace Hospital was still talking about you and how wonderful the good part of his stay was.

Thanks to the team that came to the rescue. That, there is no question, saved his life.

I suggested to Neil that a yearly trip to your lodge might be a good tradition to get in to.

Also, I hear that Connor ate salad with Dressing! I have never been able to get him to do that.

'Looking forward to meeting you both one day soon,

Suzanne

Diane & Urs,

Sorry to have taken so long in expressing my thanks to you for your courtesy and kindness to my family and I during our recent stay there which culminated in my getting a thrilling ambulance ride to Englehart hospital. I have no excuse other than I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

My wife who is a RN, was amazed that the people in Englehart diagnosed the problem and started the cure (blood transfusions) so quickly. When we returned to Toronto, I was hospitalized immediately for further treatment, but everything seems to be working well now.

I enjoyed our stay at your Lodge, and will be talking about the meals for quite a while, I would still like to get the recipe for your salad dressing....very impressive.

I wish you well for your future success with the Lodge, and if you ever need a reference for future business, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Again, thanks for your help and kindness to Neil, Connor and myself.

Don Crone

Diane, you and Urs made my trip up there to Auld Reekie so much more than I had expected! The two of you are awesome hosts, and your family is wonderful. I haven't stopped telling my wife, Micheala, about the trip since I got home. She saw the pictures I had taken and after all the stories, I think I could probably even talk her into moving up there in the future.

You are sitting in the middle of paradise up there and I could think of no better people to host a trip to "paradise". I can not say thank you enough! I look forward to seeing the whole family again next year.

Paul

Hi Diane and Urs.

Just to let you know we had a very good time last week. The food was excellent. Although the fishing was so so at the start of the week, we did do very well the last few days. We all have been talking and I believe we will be back next year. I hope you are feeling better Diane. Please let me know the name of the fishing show so I can keep an eye open for it.

Fred - Homer Group

Dear Urs and Diane:

Just a short note to tell you how much Paul Glady and myself appreciated your hospitality. I find myself thinking of you and your lovely lodge quite often. You and Urs were perfect hosts and made our stay very comfortable and memorable. Hopefully I can come again and bring my wife to meet you. Stay as you are.

Ken Godkin

Diane & Urs,

Wanted to thank you very much for a wonderful weekend. My father and I felt like kings with the way we were treated by the two of you and Bob. Here are some photos that I think tell it all. Hope you are enjoying the summer.

Anonymous

Hi Dianne and Urs,

Just wanted to drop you a note to let you know that Corey and I had a fabulous time at your lodge. Your hospitality was first class and the fact that Urs travelled thru the lousy weather just to give us a spectacular shore lunch was a class act.

Our guide was great and we look forward to making this an annual trip for many years to come ---

Scott Mindel and Corey

Diane ,

just a quick note to thank you and Urs for the fantastic hospitality that you showed us during our stay

We had a great time and although the fishing was a bit off the first two days our final day on Obushkong with Bob the guide more than made up for it . We will definitely be back next year .

John

Well Holy Cow!!!!

What can I say about a delicious week at Auld Reekie Lodge..?

Great weather always makes vacations seem better than they should be, and we had some great weather...7 days of perfection...sunny each day and warm...and no rain !

But having such great Hosts,, is the basis of a wonderful recipe for fun and adventure, then you add some great days of catching over 30 fish daily ,, sprinkle that with some nice boats and motors,, add a dash of comfortable accommodations , season with delectable evening dinners in large portions, and place a cherry on top with a super guide like Bob ,, and there you have it.... the most appealing Swiss chocolate fishing vacation in northern Ontario , a group can ever hope to have .

I can only speak for myself, but think my whole crew will agree ,,,you run a great Lodge , and have a wonderful fishery up there. As we discussed over a couple of pops one night with you and Urs. My group only goes to a fishing lodge once as a rule of thumb, and we move on to a different one the next year, not because of the lodges we visit are not nice ,,, but because we like the change of scenery , and new adventures that each new lodge brings us...Well yours took us over the top.

For the first time in 10 years of planning fishing vacations we are seriously discussing coming up again next year and doing a repeat performance. I can only attribute this change in the selection process to the overall experience you provided us last week. We have fished many locations ,, and with more success at times,, but never as consistent as your Lodge...

We have dined at many lodges, but the homemade style and super large portions you provided are unheard of... We have paid various rates for many other locations ,, but the value and fair pricing options Auld Reekie offers , is above average. Some other locations have serviced us over and above the call of duty ,,, and so did you.

Small simple things like your daughters looking after Hope ( my 11 year old dog) at dinner time, re-routing us to another outer lake at a moment?s notice, and picking up and fixing motors so we could go to an alternate lake , make your lodge stand out from the rest. I know it is a struggle to run a year round northern resort, make a few $ , and still have time for family , but I can see you two make it happen, and the results are that you have lovely children, that have fun, are polite, and are very happy, congratulations.

Thanks again for super week,, and hope to see you again next year.

PS: Felix particularly liked the ?launch friendly? services that the lodge and Bob provide.

Steve Ball and friends

Dear Urs and Diane,

Thank you for all of your hospitality. Best Wishes for the rest of the season.

John L. and John K

Hi Diane and Urs,

Just wanted to drop you a line to thank you again for your hospitality. We had a great week. It was very relaxing and boy oh boy, did we ever need the rest.

At this end, we will do whatever we can to make sure you remain afloat. We have already been telling everyone who sits still for two minutes about your Shangri-La.

You have truly thought of everything needed to make a more than comfortable stay. By the way, I accidently stole your liquid soap in the downstairs bathroom - I'm so sorry, I thought it was the one Ian had packed.

I also wanted to mention how very impressed with your children. They are charming, very polite and well brought up children.

Again Diane and Urs - thank you so much. We are hoping to be able to return again next year - health and wealth allowing. We are hoping that you are able to stick with it and that the place fills up. Maybe we'll see you again at the fishing show. In the meantime, take care 'n God bless.

Warmest Regards,

Nikki, Ian, Matt & Jess Ross

Just wanted to say how much we appreciated our stay at Auld Reekie. The food was great and the scenery was beautiful. Thanks for taking such good care of us. We had a terrific time! Hope to see you again next year.

Thanks again

Author

Dear Urs and Diane,

We had a 9-1/2 hour drive to talk about our stay at the lodge and want to thank you both for making it such a pleasant time for all of us. Sara and Kyle got a big kick out of the atv's and are trying to convince me that we really should have one of our own. Poor Josh got skunked on our last day fishing and is more determined than ever to get the "one that got away." I want to personally thank you for the generous discount you gave me for the last week. That was very much appreciated. We have no idea what will be happening next vacation time as, most probably, both Josh and Sara will be working as we need to get as much ahead as we can for college in 2006. Vacation plans will be a last minute situation if they happen at all. We all remarked on your children and how well-mannered they are. You have a lovely family. We wish you all the best in your new venture at Auld Reekie and I am confident that you will do well. You are nice people and and that counts for quite a bit in the service industry.

All the best

Don, Josh, Sara and Kyle

Hey Dianne and Urs!

It is Sara here, I just wanted to e-mail you guys and thank you very much for everything that you guys did. We all had a great time there and was a lot of fun! You guys made it much more enjoyable.

Thank you very much for everything!!!

Thanks a lot!

Sara

To The Owners of Auld Reekie Lodge,

We have had a super weekend. Thank you so much. You are good people. We wish you the very best.

Bob Hunter, Ed Hunter, Eddy Hunter, Adam Hunter, John Mackay

Dear Urs and Diane,

We would like to thank you both very much for this awesome weekend. You've got quite a paradise here!

Merci Beaucoup,

Yanick and Arianne P.S. 5 star for the meals!

To Urs, Diane & Family,

"Thank you so much for your kind hospitality and the genuine concern for customer satisfaction at Auld Reekie!" As you stated in your letter your goal was for guests to arrive as guests and leave as "Friends". This certainly is how we feel!

Urs - your meals were the best and you showed pride in excellence!

Diane - your genuine kindness and affection in ensuring that we were happy and totally satisfied personifies the pride you take as owners!

Reg & Yvette - a true compliment to the family approach to ensure that guests "want to come back"!

"Thank you all for your efforts!" We will be back!

Best Regards,

Dennis, Dolores & Scott Sullivan

Dear Diane and Urs:

Thank you so much for a fantastic lunch last weekend. Our Board of Directors was very impressed and very full! The Schnitzel was excellent. I look forward to returning for many more fine meals and warm hospitality.

Thank you for taking such great care for our lunch.

Regards,

Natasha Blackburn - Golden Harp Resources Group

Urs and Diane,

This is our fourth year at Auld Reekie Lodge and each year brings new experiences and rewarding memories. One year we forgot the rods for Obushkong. One year Allison fell in Gowganda Lake, and this year we made the trek all the way to Hangingstone without the key to unlock the boat-not to mention dropping the motor in Stumpy!! But the constant has always been tremendous fishing success and wonderful hospitality.

Your attention to detail, generosity and personalities do not go unnoticed. Your ongoing upgrades and improvements to the lodge demonstrate how you put your heart and soul into this camp.

Thank you Urs and Diane (and Auld Reekie Staff), once again, for a thoroughly enjoyable vacation.

Sincerely,

The Pane Family

Urs and Diane.

Once again I would like to thank you and your staff for a great week in June. I thought you would like to know that the big bass I caught on Hangingstone was only a half of inch of the Ontario record of 24 inchs. I have entered it in the ofah anglers awards program for 2008. I will send you some pictures and a copy of the certificate the ofah sent me for your brag board soon. The fellow that owns the local tackle shop here in St. Thomas was hoping you could send some promotional material for your place. So he can add it to he's wall of places to fish in Ontario.

Thanks again.

Greg Wyatt

To Dianne & Urs & Family,

We can't thank you enough for your hospitality and friendship. Our stay at Auld Reekie Lodge was just what we needed for our vacation. You gave us a true northern experience.

Love your friends from Orillia, ON,

Jim & Sheila Billett

Urs and Diane,

Thanks so much, again, for such an enjoyable vacation. We always have so much fun when we come here and catch loads of fish.

Urs- your fishing tips are invaluable. Our success at Stumpy this year is definitely due to your advice. Thanks for accommodating our "Thursday to Thursday" schedule. Your friendliness and hospitality are second to none. We will highly recommend Auld Reekie Lodge every chance we get!

Sincerely,

Dave, Allison, Mike and Joe Pane

Dianne

Hi its Justin from the group that stayed on the first weekend of the season. I finally got my brother to get all the pictures together so I am sending them to you. Wanted to thank you again for the great time we had even though the fishing or weather wasn't up to par. We hopefully will be planning a trip again for next year. Hope your season is going well.

Thanks

Justin Bearer

Dear Urs and Diane:

I am writing to thank you for the wonderful time Mike Maloney, my son Ted and I had at your lodge last week. Everything was top notch from the accommodations to the fishing gear to the fishing boat to the location to the hosts. Did I forget the food? We would all come back in a flash for the fabulous home cooking alone? Once again, thank you for a wonderful time and we look forward to seeing you again next summer.

All the best,

Ted Lupinski, C.A