Toronto Life - Rosemary Counter

Getaways
Make a splash:
the Bing Retreat on
Horseshoe Lake
outside Westport
Hope for the
Cottageless
So you didn’t listen when
everyone told you to book
a rental back in January,
and you haven’t yet managed
to finagle an invite from
cottage-owning friends.
We offer hope: an insider’s
guide to vacationing in cottage
country—where to stay, what
not to miss, and how to find
urban luxuries in the boonies
GEORGIAN BAY
MUSKOKA
WESTPORT
THORNBURY
SOUTHAMPTON
KAWARTHAS
PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY
TORONTO
LAKE ONTARIO
BY ROSEMARY COUNTER, CARLEY
FORTUNE, DEIRDRE KELLY, CHRIS
NUT TALL-SMITH AND TARA QUINN
PHOTOGRAPH BY JAY SHUSTER
JU LY 2010 | TOR O N TO L IFE.COM | TORONTO LIFE 69
Getaways
PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY
THE GRAPE AND THE GOOD
Because some of us want to have our wine and drink it, too
1
2
There is a modesty to Prince Edward County that you don’t get around
most summer vacation hot spots. The mansions here are mostly Edward2.5 hours
ian and tiny by modern standards, while the outbuildings, instead of
east
the helipad-accoutred “bunkies” you get up in Muskoka, are old stone
barns or plank wood sugar shacks that have been confected onto their
foundations by a century’s worth of boiling sap. People go birding here (Prince Edward
Point has 298 species), and to sleepy estate sales, Lions Club pancake breakfasts and
time warp church suppers. They buy lumpy, fragrant field tomatoes and sweet summer
corn from roadside stands (the best one is Langridge’s on Sandy Hook Road, just east of
Warings Corner) with unmanned cash boxes. This is a boom-and-bust farming region,
with all of the charm and quiet pride and decay that comes along with such a place. It’s
also surrounded by 800 kilometres of the nicest shoreline around. The best of the County’s swimming holes—from the quiet, crystalline coves that nobody’s bothered to name
to the baby powder beaches at Sandbanks Provincial Park—are public. There are also
great restaurants, gorgeous vineyards and gourmet food shops. And yes, you can still
find beachfront rentals for a song.
1
WHERE TO SAVE Sandbanks Provincial Park’s
sites start at $39.15 a night, but if you’re not into
camping, you can rent a tiny, if out-of-the-way,
cottage on picturesque Waupoos Island—
a five-minute boat ride—for $750 per week.
waupoos-island.com.
WHERE TO SPLURGE The Eckhart House 3,
an 1860s farmstead on the road to Sandbanks,
is the pinnacle of County chic. Beautifully restored,
it sleeps 10 and has a high-end kitchen, a woodstove and all the best mod cons. It’s also one
of the priciest rentals in the County, at $3,150
a week. 1356 County Rd. 11, 1-877-399-2508,
theeckharthouse.com.
URBAN FIX You’re a long way from the backwoods
here. There’s Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co.,
a newish and architecturally impressive (if outlandishly expensive) dairy (4309 County Rd. 8). Follow
it with a tour of the wineries on Greer Road (Norman Hardie and Rosehall Run are standouts),
or have a drink at The County Cider Company 2,
perched on one of the most beautiful lookouts in
Southern Ontario (657 Bongards Crossroad). If you
had the foresight to pick up a Sunday Times at Picton’s excellent Books and Company 4 (289 Main
St.), the lookout’s the perfect place to read it.
LOCAL INSTITUTION You can’t really go to the
beach without a stop at Slickers Dari Dip. There
are dozens of ice cream flavours, all made locally,
many with local produce (try the incredible sour
cherry). 13633 Loyalist Pkwy.
PEOPLE WATCHING Nothing brings out a more
fascinating mix than dusk at The Mustang DriveIn 1. The parking lot is a hayfield, more or less,
and the locals usually bring lawn chairs or lounge
on the tailgates of their pickup trucks. The garrulous announcer alone, with his ironic hayseed
drawl, is worth the price of admission. $10 per
vehicle. 1591 County Rd. 1.
WESTPORT AND RIDEAU LAKES
THE ANTI-MUSKOKA
Because real cottagers don’t go out for sushi
Westport is about as back-to-nature as it gets in these parts—without
portaging. The area is frequented by families looking for the antithesis
3.5 hours
of city living (and allergic to posh cottaging). Cellphone service here is
east
patchy, the closest Timmies is half an hour’s drive away (in Perth), and
the most illustrious celebrity you’ll spy will be Bob Rae stocking up on
organic tea at Rosie Yumski’s Fine Foods (his family cottages in the area). Eastern Ontario’s Rideau Canal Waterway—including Lower, Big and Upper Rideau lakes—is to the
east, and Frontenac Provincial Park is to the south. Many of the lakes are still underdeveloped; you can spend an entire afternoon on Devil Lake without hearing the whir
of a boat motor. This makes for uncompromised quiet time and prime fishing. The waters
and coves of Loughborough (about 30 minutes south of Westport) are an angler’s eden
with lake trout, northern pike and both small- and largemouth bass. The Foley Mountain
Conservation Area on Upper Rideau is perched on a granite ridge, making for spectacular panoramas and hiking. And for those who consider shopping a sport, the area
is brimming with antique shops proffering rare Canadiana.
WHERE TO SAVE Ten minutes outside of Westport
in Godfrey, the stone and log cabins at The Bing
Retreat 23 provide all the cottagey comforts—
barbecue, private dock and your own patch of
beach on Horseshoe Lake—without any of the maintenance. From $900 a week per cottage. 10090
Canoe Lake Rd., 613-273-3106, bingretreat.com.
WHERE TO SPLURGE Morning sojourns on Loughborough Lake are more dignified if the evening is
spent on the porch of one of Loughborough Inn’s
rustic log chalets. A heated outdoor pool, canoes,
70 TORONTO LIFE | TO R ONTOLI F E.CO M | JULY 2010
hiking trails and playground make it family friendly.
From $103 per person a night (meals included).
2340 Loughborough View Rd., Battersea, 1-800201-2837, loughboroughinn.on.ca.
URBAN FIX The coffee at White Mountain café
is fair trade, the ice cream is house-made, and
the Wi-Fi is free. Conveniently located next to the
LCBO. 15 Church St., Westport, 613-273-8191.
LOCAL INSTITUTION The crazily crowded lawns
around Rideau Antiques 1, Clifford and Alice
3
3
2
4
Miller’s dilapidated Edwardian a half hour northeast of Westport, is a good indication of what’s
inside: rooms chockablock with china, Canadiana,
vintage clothing—it’s as though the building
is held up by knick-knacks. 104 Rideau Ferry Rd.,
613-283-6490.
PEOPLE WATCHING Nightlife in Westport begins
and ends at The Cove Country Inn, which bustles
with a mishmash of locals and guests. There’s blues
and jazz four or five nights a week. 2 Bedford-onthe-Water, 1-888-268-3466, coveinn.com.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAY SHUSTER
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAY SHUSTER
J U LY 2010 | TOR O N TOLI FE.COM | TORONTO LIFE 71
Getaways
2
KAWARTHAS
LAKES, LOCKS AND LOCAVORES
1
It’s time to shed all that ill-founded anti-Kawarthas snobbery
Somehow, in the Kawarthas, the craggy barrier of Canadian Shield has
managed to stave off a full-scale invasion. The rural routes between
such tiny communities as Buckhorn, Apsley and Bridgenorth provide
evidence of the region’s picturesque appeal, but the rough and rugged
landscape is the main event. For hikers, there’s a remote gorge to
explore—in a conservation area called The Gut, the Crowe River forges a pristine path
through Precambrian rock—and aboriginal rock carvings in Petroglyphs Provincial
Park (the largest collection in Canada), both to the north of Peterborough. Kawartha
Highlands Provincial Park is mostly accessible by canoe, which means few cottages and
campsites (and also few amenities) but loads of untouched wilderness. For those who
want to revel in tranquility, the aptly named Silent Lake Provincial Park is even less
developed, and motorcraft are banned. Farmers’ markets are a matter of local pride
around here; in summer, almost every day is market day in one of the towns. Lockside
picnics are popular; Bobcaygeon boasts the oldest lock and swing bridge (it dates from
1833), but Young’s Point and Lakefield are also fine little towns.
1.75 hours
northeast
1
WHERE TO SAVE Warsaw Caves Conservation
Area and Campground, set into a bend of the
Indian River, has 52 wooded sites for campers, plus
spelunking. Bring a headlamp (or buy one at the
gatehouse). If you’re not in the mood to test your
phobias, there are also 13 kilometres of hiking
trails, or you can rent a canoe and drift along the
placid Indian River. Family campsites are $32
a night. 289 Caves Rd., 1-877-816-7604,
warsawcaves.com.
WHERE TO SPLURGE Elmhirst’s 1 is a 240-acre
family-owned resort on Rice Lake, 90 minutes east
of Toronto, outside of Keene. The Elmhirst clan
raise and serve their own black Angus beef, grow
their own vegetables and (endearingly) make their
own soap. In addition to the usual hiking, waterskiing and canoeing, guests can charter a float
plane for fishing or sightseeing on remote lakes,
and even sign up for a flying lesson. There are also
spa services, indoor-outdoor pools and a riding
stable. The 30 cottages are scattered along the
shoreline and fully decked out: Internet access,
fireplace, whirlpool tub, personal barbecue. You’ll
never be bored unless you want to be: the most
popular package is the midweek Couch Potato,
in which you really do nothing at all. From $567 per
weekend (double occupancy). 1045 Settlers Line,
Keene, 1-800-461-1940, elmhirst.com.
URBAN FIX Cottagers looking for a feast traipse
into sleepy Peterborough for chef Brad Watt’s locavore fare at the Rare Grill House. 166 Brock St.,
705-742-3737, raregrillhouse.com.
LOCAL INSTITUTION Sidestep the main
thoroughfares, and take Highway 28 north from
Port Hope to swing past Doo Doo’s Bakery and
Coffee Shop 2. The pies and butter tarts are
dreamy. 187 Hwy. 28, Bailieboro, 705-739-1394.
PEOPLE WATCHING Hamblin’s Restaurant and
Ice Cream Parlour 3 is next to the bridge
in historic Lakefield. It’s the perfect spot to grab
a Kawartha Dairy cone and watch the bustling
waterway traffic. The locks are tough to negotiate,
so houseboats in particular can provide hours
of entertainment as inexperienced captains curse
and sputter their way through. 18 Bridge St.,
705-652-6002.
2
3
RUSTIC CHIC
When we feel like gazing at both types of stars
Call of the loon? Forget it. These days, Northern Ontario’s celebrated
lake
district echoes with the sound of beeping BlackBerrys and GPS2.5 hours
north
guided seaplanes. The proliferation of designer outlets is just one of the
developments that has locals referring to the area as Yorkville North
or Bloor in the Bush. Gravenhurst sold its soul to a giant Sobeys, a Canadian Tire, a Dollarama and a Home Hardware (which required felling a small forest),
but there are pockets that time forgot. In other words, it’s still possible to drive a couple
hours north of Toronto and experience the old Muskoka. Plus, there will be times when
you’ll be grateful for the selection at Gravenhurst’s mammoth LCBO.
WHERE TO SAVE Pow Wow Point Lodge is one
of the few remaining family-owned resorts in the
region (most of the others have been sold off to
hotel conglomerates or are scheduled for demolition). Rooms are located in multi-level cottages
divided into separate accommodations, all overlooking serene Peninsula Lake. Cottagey pursuits
include paddleboating, waterskiing, lake trampolines, shuffleboard and marshmallow roasts at
sunset, but there are also more luxe comforts: an
indoor swimming pool with hot tub and sauna and
on-site clay tennis courts, for starters. The dining
room serves homey meals in a relaxed room with
gorgeous views. From $500 a weekend (meals
included). 207 Grassmere Resort Rd., Huntsville,
1-800-461-4263, powwowpointlodge.com.
WHERE TO SPLURGE If your idea of getting back
to nature is lying naked on a massage table to
indulge in a $125 white-mud toning wrap, Taboo
72 TORONTO LIFE | TO R ONTOLI F E.CO M | JULY 2010
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAY SHUSTER
3
MUSKOKA
PHOTOGRAPHS BY REGINA GARCIA
Resort, Golf and Spa is the place to stay. The
125-room resort on the shores of Lake Muskoka
is a sybarite’s paradise. Besides a full-service spa,
there are two golf courses, 300 feet of sandy beach,
and a nightly foodie extravaganza known as Culinary
Theatre—a three-hour, six-course tasting menu
with executive chef Andrew Dymond. From $299
a night (double occupancy). 1209 Muskoka Beach
Rd., 1-800-461-0236, tabooresort.com.
URBAN FIX Craving a buzz, just not the mosquito
kind? Then do as the locals do and head to
Blondie’s 2 in Gravenhurst, where they dish up
comfort food with a side of local gossip (151 Brock
St., 705-687-7756, blondiesrestaurant.ca). They
do eggs Bennie and prime rib right but also serve
sushi for inveterate urbanites. Espresso and cappuccino cravings can be quelled at Port Sandfield
Marina (1327 Peninsula Rd. 7, 705-765-3147,
portsandfield.com). Oliver’s Coffee Shop, with
locations in Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Bala and
Port Carling, roasts its own coffee and has free
Wi-Fi (oliverscoffee.ca).
LOCAL INSTITUTION Miss Nelle’s Antiques 1
first opened as a general store in 1922 and today
sells collectibles, old books, fishing gear, tools—
an ideal destination for rekindling memories of
Muskoka past. There’s also an espresso bar inside
and an ice cream shack out back. Look for the distinctive red-and-white-striped awning. 2 Bay St.,
Baysville, 705-767-2181.
PEOPLE WATCHING The 125-seat Crossroads
Pub and Grill 3 in Rosseau is where Goldie and
Kurt, Kenny G, Harry Hamlin and other highwattage types come to sample the cooking of
executive chef Richard Lalonde, formerly of Fairmont’s famed Château Montebello. 2 Cardwell
Rd., 705-732-4343, crossroadspubandgrill.ca.
J U LY 2010 | TO R O N TOLI FE.COM | TORONTO LIFE 73
Getaways
THORNBURY
GO-TO TOWN
For a mini-Muskoka in the making
Thornbury is a jewel box of a vacation town that’s starting to give Muskoka a run for its money. The main drag is bustling with three interior
2.5 hours
design studios, a diamond boutique, a specialty coffee shop, a book
north
store, a martini bar and a country-and-western-singing butcher. The
real estate boomlet has much to do with an influx of vacationers drawn
by the newly enhanced Blue Mountain resort—a 15-minute drive east—and to the recently
opened Raven golf course, home of the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic charity tournament,
a five-minute drive west. Apple growing is the main industry here. Goldsmith’s Orchard,
on Highway 26, is where local celebrities—Cowboy Junkie Margo Timmins and talking
head Peter Mansbridge, among others—come for their baskets of Spys and McIntoshes
and homemade pies.
WHERE TO SAVE There’s the ultra-cheap option—
camping at Craigleith Provincial Park (sites start
at $32.75 a night)—or the more civilized Bridges
Tavern, an 1860s red-brick mansion housing
a restaurant, pub and recently reno’d inn with
wrought-iron beds, heated floors, flat screen TVs
and bucolic views of the mill pond out back. From
$100 a night (double occupancy). 27 Bridge St. E.,
519-599-2217, bridgestavern.com.
WHERE TO SPLURGE If you want to go big and
luxe, it’s a 15-minute drive to the Westin Trillium
House in the Village at Blue, a 222-room affair
built in 2005 in the grand architectural style of old
Georgian Bay lodges. The mega-resort houses
the Oliver and Bonacini Café Grill and offers
easy access to an all-season playground: tennis,
swimming, a man-made lake for kayaking. Kids
go ape for the adjacent water park, a year-round
aquatic centre that offers week-long day camp
programs in summer. From $199 a night (double
occupancy). 220 Mountain Dr., 1-866-837-4192,
westinbluemountain.com.
URBAN FIX The Ashanti Cafe 1 is the place to
go for fresh roasted coffee (the owners run a farm
in Africa), free Wi-Fi and the Sunday Times, best
read lingering in one of the oversize chairs over
a latte and heavenly house-made pineapple cake.
39 Bruce St. S., 519-599-5615, ashanticoffee.com.
LOCAL INSTITUTION Ted’s Range Road Diner 2
looks like a broken-down farm shed, but there’s
a reason Hummers and Benzes adorn the parking
lot. It’s a wild game lover’s oasis, serving up
ostrich, bison, kangaroo and alligator, as well as
less intimidating fare. Go on Wednesday nights,
when local musicians come to jam. Grey Rd. 112,
Meaford, 519-538-1788.
PEOPLE WATCHING There’s more to ogle at
Pamper and Soothe, a Frenchified home decor
and beauty boutique occupying the main floor
of an old Thornbury mansion, than Paris linens and
Murano glass chandeliers. Actresses Cynthia Dale
and Sheila McCarthy (who have properties in the
area) are regulars. 13 Louisa St. E., 519-599-6461.
1
74 TORONTO LIFE | TO R ONTOLI F E.CO M | JULY 2010
2
PHOTOGRAPHS BY REGINA GARCIA
Getaways
1
2
LAKE HURON
BRUCE ALMIGHTY
When we’d much rather relax than rough it
Scenic lighthouses and old fishing wharves give Lake Huron’s eastern
shore a nostalgic maritime feel. The long stretches of sandy beach are
3 hours
a draw for Torontonians priced out of Muskoka and Georgian Bay. And
northwest
unlike Muskoka, with its craggy Canadian Shield and boreal forest,
this region is edged by rolling farmland, making it far less buggy. The
quaint coastal towns—Kincardine, Goderich, Southampton and Sauble Beach—are
white-picket-fence throwbacks. Such laid-back pursuits as birding, biking and antiquing are favourites. For the more adventurous, there are century-old shipwrecks to explore
in the waters off Tobermory, an area rated as among the world’s best dive sites. But
everything stops for the sunset, when locals and weekenders set up their lawn chairs
and break out the beers to sit back and take it in. Life in these towns rarely gets more
exciting than this, which, of course, is the attraction.
76 TORONTO LIFE | TO R ONTOLI F E.CO M | JULY 2010
WHERE TO SAVE Family-owned Carsons
Camp in Sauble Beach has trailers, cabins and
cottages for rent at reasonable prices. From
$650 a week for a cabin (RR 1, 519-422-1143,
carsonscamp.on.ca). Or fork out a bit more at
The Southampton Inn 1 for one of its quaint and
cozy rooms decked out with lace curtains and
four-poster beds. $113 a night (double occupancy).
118 High St., Saugeen Shores, 1-888-214-3816,
southamptoninn.com.
WHERE TO SPLURGE The Benmiller Inn and Spa
2 in Goderich is surrounded by rugged natural
beauty. The rooms have cathedral ceilings,
skylights, fireplace, Jacuzzi bath, the works. The
indoor pool overlooks the Maitland River, and
the Ivey Dining Room has expansive windows and
a solarium with a view of nearby rapids. There’s
also a full-service Aveda spa. From $159 a night per
person (including breakfast). 81175 Benmiller Line,
1-800-265-1711, benmillerinnandspa.com.
URBAN FIX Two Chicks Cafe has free Wi-Fi,
inside and out, plus an espresso bar, fresh fruit
smoothies, wraps and panini, and live music
Saturday nights. 7 Second Ave. N., Sauble Beach,
519-422-9988, twochickscafe.ca.
LOCAL INSTITUTION Duffy’s in Southampton,
close to the harbour, serves up super-fresh fare.
Specialties include pan-fried Lake Huron whitefish
and crab cakes with ranch dip and fries. 151 High
St., 519-797-5972, duffyssouthampton.com.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY REGINA GARCIA