4 minute read
global GETAWAY
DAY TRIPPING IN ONTARIO
by Margaret Swaine
Columnist and Author www.margaretswaine.com
Shelter Valley Golf Course
Readers of this column will know that I typically write about travel. However these days life is anything but typical or normal. At least for this year and likely into next, travel and routines will stay significantly altered.
For the remainder of 2020 a majority of Canadians will chose more local, drive vacations over flights overseas. Europe may have opened her doors to Canada, but with the risk of flying and a two week quarantine upon return, I expect most of us won’t be rushing there anytime soon. That’s not all bad.
Our hotels, restaurants, resorts, spas and attractions are in desperate need of our support. A vacation close to home is safer, more economical and helps support our tourism industry in its hours of desperate need.
I’ve been pretty much house bound since mid-March. Normally I’d be travelling at least two weeks out of every four. I was more than ready to go somewhere, anywhere as long as it was safe, when my friend Anita suggested an overnight stay at Ste. Anne’s Spa in Haldimand Hills at the end of June. Toronto, where I live, was still in stage two shutdown, but other areas of Ontario were faring better and allowed to open spas and resorts.
We selected their golf and spa package, drove ourselves in separate cars, and met up at Shelter Valley Pines Golf Club. We enjoyed a delightful game on this heavily wooded country course with its multiple elevation changes. Then we checked into our spacious two bedroom, two bathroom, accommodation in Maison Santé Nook, part of the Ste. Anne’s property. We were able to comfortably social distance there and on the patio where we had tea and later dinner. The next day we both went for a Swedish massage – our therapists wore masks as did we. I added on a much needed foot therapy after the massage. We wrapped up our mini-escape with a nutritious lunch and then headed back to our homes and husbands.
It was a lovely wellness break that felt safe and it was. That trip was over two weeks ago and I’ve had no repercussions.
All sectors in the hospitality biz are adjusting to covid-19 restrictions and this has lead to some excellent opportunities for everyone. My husband and I have ordered meals from top restaurants that never before have offered meal delivery. I paired a sushi meal from Shoushin in Toronto with a sake flight curated by Michael Tremblay, Head National Sake Sommelier for Ki Modern Japanese that was delivered to our home. All sectors in the hospitality biz are adjusting to COVID-19 restrictions and this has led to some excellent opportunities for everyone.
Ste. Anne's Spa
The Culinary Adventure Co., unable to do their culinary tours of Toronto due to current restrictions, packaged their food tours in a box of goodies. I’ve purchased their Chinatown/Kensington Market “food tour in a box”, Little India/Gerrard East box, Riverside/Leslieville box and others. Fun, delicious and I’ve been delighted to discover restaurants and food purveyors that I’ve continued to order from. I recommended their Cheese and Cheers, online wine and cheese pairing experience (with the product delivered in advance), to a friend looking for a way to celebrate a birthday, to great success.
The number of wineries and wine agents offering free delivery of wine by the case in Canada is staggering and wonderful. I’ve been ordering from across the country. Previously unavailable wines from Benjamin Bridge in Nova Scotia, one of Canada’s best producers of traditional method sparkling wine can now be purchased and delivered to Ontario for example. Agents are now able to offer mixed cases of wines – so you can experiment with a ‘discovery pack’ of wines from a region or a producer. At last count over 50 agencies and 130 wineries were offering free delivery in Ontario. Southbrook in Niagara is one of the wineries I’ve purchase from recently. Owner Bill Redelmeier, who personally delivers the wines along with his son, points out in his current newsletter how important it is to support our home industry. He writes, “I have been worried for a while at the unease among Ontario Grape Growers and Wineries about how they are going to sell all of the wine that will be made in the 2020 vintage, as well as the inventory already in bottle from previous years…. Our sales channels are fairly limited. Direct to consumer has been fantastic (thanks to you all) and it continues to be a big focus for us.”
For those in the Peterborough area, Kawartha County Wines is offering free local delivery and contactless porch pick up. Many wineries in nearby Prince Edward County are offering complimentary delivery and some are preferring this to other forms of sale. Richard Johnston of By Chadsey’s Cairn winery writes in his newsletter, “Frankly, I feel safer doing the deliveries (Vida drives) than I do welcoming newcomers to the property who might not beas committed to viral safety as we are.” So for the sake of allCanadians, vacation close to home this year, buy local and take pleasurein enjoying the bounty of Canada.
