One of my favourite hotels in Ontario

Arowhon Pines - Algonquin Park - Ontario


Arowhon Pines is a small, rustic 50-room summer resort located in the heart of Algonquin Park, a huge nature and wildlife preserve. Arowhon Pines is on the shores of Little Joe Lake from where you can enjoy the sights and sounds of the woods of the Canadian north. Perfect for a peaceful getaway, honeymoon or to celebrate an anniversary.

The tranquillity of Arowhon Pines' natural setting amidst lakes, rivers and forests filled with wildlife - myriad of birds, moose, deer, fox - seeps into your soul. They combine this spectacular peaceful location with a renowned kitchen, warm hospitality and attentive service - your assurance of this is the fact that 60 per cent of guests return year after year.

The rustic log cabins range in size from three, four, eight and twelve bedrooms. All bedrooms, furnished with antique pine furniture, have ensuite bathrooms with robes, electric heat and hair dryers. Each shared cabin has a spacious central lounge with comfortable chairs and couches around a wood burning fireplace. The one and two bedroom suites, each in their own building, have a lounge, fireplace and private deck.

In keeping with Arowhon's approach to a relaxed and peaceful holiday in the woods, there are no televisions or radios in the rooms. Outside telephones are centrally located. In the evenings guests watch a movie, drop by an impromptu bonfire, take a moonlight paddle or enjoy meeting others from around the world in the lounge.

Arrowhon Pines is a pretty three hour drive from Toronto and Ottawa - and is open from late May to Thanksgiving.

Ottawa - by Dave Ashmore

The temperatures were well below zero and there were tonnes of snow on the ground, but the welcome in Ottawa was very warm. From the Front Desk at the Lord Elgin to the staff at the Ice Hockey stadium everyone was friendly and happy to welcome visitors to their city. Ottawa maybe Canada’s capital, but might not be the first thought of people looking for a city break in Canada, it is however, definitely worth a visit and will, undoubtedly, exceed expectations.

The city has plenty of historic sites, not least the Rideau Canal, which runs through the heart of downtown and was a major artery of the development of the country itself. In the winter, the canal has a further attraction – it becomes a massive outdoor skating rink, with many people using it as a route to work. The small, but interesting, Bytown museum charts the development of the canal and the city and the larger and dynamic Museum of Civilisation, across the water in Gatineau, traces its people and the origins of the country as a whole. The city is home to many other museums too, perhaps most interesting of which is the magnificent Canadian War Museum, with its detailed historamas and extensive collection of weapons and tanks. Our visit to Ottawa also took in the Canada Aviation Museum and the Parliament Buildings. The tour of the latter is enjoyable and the view from the top of its Peace Tower stunning.

Further afield we visited a delightful restaurant, L’Oree du Bois, in Chelsea, Quebec, for a lovely dinner, which was made all the more appetizing following as it did an evening snowshoe trip with a First Nations guide and storyteller, Daniel Richer. We also spent an evening watching the Ottawa Senators play at Scotiabank Place – Ice Hockey at its best in a 20,000-seater indoor stadium. We also travelled to Sucrerie de la Montagne, in Rigaud; a traditional sugar shack and log-built restaurant with a larger than life owner Pierre Faucher and his equally friendly pet wolf.

The ultimate highlight of the trip, however, was the morning we spent dog-sledding. Hosted by Aventures Nordik we spent three hours with the dogs and out sledding in the woods. A truly memorable experience.

4 Cities in 10 Days - from Ontario to Quebec - Staff visit by Sarah Jennings

The comfort of the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto and the polite and professional welcome was much appreciated after the flight. Toronto on a Sunday is quiet and thus was a nice way to ease into the holiday, exploring its towered streets and enjoyed a visit to the CN tower for the fantastic views across Lake Ontario all the way to Niagara. The harbour and St Lawrence street market were worth a stroll The food, as in all places we visited was excellent, especially The Armadillo restaurant on Front Street. After a very romantic proposal David & I concluded our Toronto visit with a visit to Niagara Falls with Toronto Tours who made the trip even more special.

We took the train to Kingston, enjoying the great views over the St Lawrence; Kingston was quiet but this added to the relaxed feeling of our trip. A bit of exploration revealed some good shopping, including the harbour front street market which offers food from around the world. The Radisson hotel housed the best restaurant in Kingston with excellent food and brilliant views over the river. We also visited the Kingston Brewing Company where we had to try their home-brewed beer!

A slightly longer train journey, but no less comfortable, took us up into the snow-clad countryside of Québec. Québec City was much busier than our previous two cities, but the Auberge St Pierre set in the heart of the old city provided somewhere quiet to rest. The staff were especially helpful advising us on must visit restaurants and what to see and do. The deep snow made the city enchanting and the old city in particular definitely feels more continental than Canadian. We visited the Citadel and other historical attractions in Québec, learning a bit about the colonial struggles that this part of Canada experienced.

Our final part of the holiday was spent in Montréal, which was a much more bustling city than Toronto. The choice of things to do was enormous, so we chose to visit the Biodôme first. This was an excellent opportunity to come close up against nature and even presented the chance to have a conversation with explorers at the South Pole. This whirlwind trip was a good introduction to what Eastern Canada has to offer and is perfect for deciding where to go next time round!

Ontario - Staff visit by Julie Thompson

Sandra and I compared the Toronto downtown hotels, from the 3-star Days Inn, via the lovely boutique hotels such as the Cosmopolitan and the Soho Metropolitan, to the regal Fairmont Royal York. Our visit to Niagara was wonderful, including a stay at the gorgeous Queens Landing in Niagara on the Lake (much more relaxed than Niagara Falls) and a superb helicopter flight over the Falls in glorious sunshine plus some wine tasting. We travelled through the Menonite communities for a further night of luxury at the Relais & Chateau Langdon Hall – a beautiful country hotel – and then visited Blue Mountain which as a resort with lots of activities on offer and the benefits of Intrawest properties to stay in, is a hard place to beat for a 2 or 3 night stay just a short distance from Toronto.

We then travelled through Georgian Bay enroute to Algonquin Provincial Park, comparing all the various properties in the Huntsville area, of which there is one to suit every requirement and budget, and then the hotels in the park itself. Here you can choose from the lovely adult-oriented Arowhon Pines and the family friendly Killarney Lodge or take a boat over to Bartlett Lodge and stay in one of their eco-friendly cabins, or even try their new resort platform tents for a ‘tent and breakfast stay’. After visit to the opulent Couples resort on the edge of the park, we completed our trip with an overnight stay at Elmhirst Resort. This family run resort is always a favourite with our clients and it was great to experience their facilities first hand before the flight back home.