7 Best Luxury Resorts in Ontario That Deserve Their Rave Reviews

It’s fitting that Ste. Anne’s Spa and Resort in Ontario’s Haldimand Hills rests on a natural spring. This rural resort specializes in rejuvenating the body and mind, and has luxury packages to help you find your flow. Indulge in an invigorating milk and sesame stone wrap and feel tensions melt away as your skin is nourished in steamy, thermal linens. Bask in The Grotto, a therapy pool crafted from country field stones, or clear your pores with a pit stop in the eucalyptus steam room.

Outside the 400-acre property, you’ll notice a sign that says “Prepare to Unwind”. This captures the resort’s refreshing vibe of luxury without pretension. It feels like a spa village here, right down to the delectable meals that have been pre-planned to remove any distraction from your itinerary. Try local starters like forage salad with house-made rhubarb dressing, or savour fresh delicacies such as nori-rolled trout roulade.

As you meditate under the cathedral ceilings of your heavenly retreat at Birdsong Cottage, you can admire the converted brick fireplace. Remember, your only job here at Ste. Anne’s is to stay in your bathrobe—that’s a luxury in itself.

Amidst the white pines of Lake Bernard north of Huntsville, Northridge Inn and Resort blends luxury with vintage Canadiana. Here you get the “glamping” concept popularized in Europe brought to Muskoka. Think camping with moose antlers and plaid jackets, but with French Press coffee and your own wardrobe. You can toast marshmallows over your private firepit while you spin tunes in your solar powered safari tent. You’ll be provided with goose down duvets to keep you comfortable, and 10 litres of spring water to keep you hydrated.

There’s a fun, fox-themed vibe in both dining areas on the property, too. The Copper Fox Lounge has a stone fireplace and a bar full of 70’s maps and curios, while the timbered, warmly-lit Renard Room (“fox” en Français) shimmers by the lakeside with flowing white tablecloths and animal-bone chandeliers. Dig into gourmet creations like short-rib with garlic and molasses, chickpea curry or cardamom-dredged chicken and waffles.

The resort is a fantastic destination for weddings and specializes in organizing fun, group activities such as bocce ball, micro-brew tours and trail-biking. You can lounge poolside with your groom or bride (watch for pink flamingos in the flowers) or repeat your vows over a sunset paddleboard across the lake.

In tune with the surrounding Bruce Trail scenery, Hockley Valley Resort
values the principles of farm-to-table eating. A four-acre fruit and vegetable garden supplies 80 percent of the food used by Chef Iniyan Vijay at Cabin restaurant. Prepare to swoon when you taste fragrant heirloom tomatoes in creations like his handmade manicotti pasta. You’ll dine in a space that mixes rustic roots with ultra-modern touches, as reclaimed wooden barn beams contrast against steel and glass chandeliers leading to the open kitchen.

The resort has a way of merging fine traditions with modern style. When you order an Old-Fashioned at Babbo Lounge, you get the spicy twist of Dillon’s White Rye. With a reflexology treatment at the resort’s 16-room spa, you can luxuriate in 8,000 square feet of sleek facilities draped in sunny, Italianate décor.

You’ll find your resort room fitted with similar personal touches. Premier Resort rooms offer panoramic balcony views of the property’s 18-hole championship golf course (designed by Thomas McBroom). The newly-renovated Hockley Suites all have plush king beds and broadloom furnishings to accent any romantic getaway. This calls for a glass of Adamo Estate Chardonnay, conveniently harvested right here.

White Oaks Resort and Spa earns high marks from meeting planners and honeymooners alike. A premium hub between Niagara Falls and Ontario wine country, the resort is both a world-class conference centre and a swanky destination for those looking to add glitter to a special occasion.

You’ll feel every bit the VIP when you check-in to your Platinum Room on the hotel’s exclusive Seventh Floor. Store your Niagara wine finds in your personal fridge (ask the concierge about custom vineyard experiences nearby), or order room service so you can sprawl out in an over-sized robe on your Frette linen-draped double bed. If you’re feeling decadent, you can enhance your stay by staying in a Platinum Suite. After a micro-needling session (the latest Hollywood skin treatment), soothe your pores in your granite-and-glass, five-head shower room. You can get cozy afterwards next to either of the two fireplaces found in the suite.

When you’re not exploring Niagara on the Lake, you can check out the local scene at Play Bar and Grill. Executive Chef Michael Price pairs local craft beers with favourites like his Zen Burger, a hearty stack made of black beans, guacamole and yams. If your fine-dining senses are tingling instead, seek out dishes like Espresso-infused Muscovy duck at LIV Restaurant.

The staff at Doubletree Fallsview Resort and Spa by Hilton know that luxury involves service as much as scenery. You’ll know you’re on prime real estate when you walk in the vaulted lobby, with the Eighth Wonder of the Natural World only two blocks away. The skilled concierge can have you booked in for a helicopter above the Falls or on a Hornblower boat tour beneath them in minutes.

If you’re feeling lucky, a game of Baccarat (Bond’s favourite) awaits just five minutes away at Fallsview Casino. Dress to impress and have the resort book you tickets to any of the thrilling concerts playing in the 1,500-seat theatre. You can also enjoy a candlelit, pre-show meal at Buchanan’s Chophouse, where juicy hand-cut steaks are served with local VQA wines. Alternatively, join the revelry at the Moose and Squirrel lobby bar, where flatbreads and lighter fare are paired with small-batch cocktails.

The resort offers luxury packages such as The Urban Escape to let you toast the Falls in style. Sip champagne in your room’s two-person whirlpool while you take in glittering views of the American Falls in the twilight. The hotel’s signature Sweet Dreams king beds provide an equally blissful sleep.

At the mouth of Georgian Bay, Rawley Resort is a beacon for those seeking a luxury escape outside Toronto. Once a fishing village, the property is now a bustling marina on the Trent-Severn waterway. As you stroll through manicured gardens dotted with decorative canoes, you’ll listen to the fresh northern wind whistling through harbour masts. Take dockside selfies as you enjoy an ice-cream facing the sunset. Lighthouse 45 bar and patio is the place for an afternoon pint of Steamwhistle Pilsner, and you can drop by at night for the live jazz sounds of The Piano Bar’s revolving schedule of star performers.

The 20 rooms at the hotel are all suites, so you’ll never be short of space. If you splash out on the 1,400 square foot Trent Executive Suite, you’ll have a marble bathroom with rainforest shower and a Jacuzzi corner tub all to yourself.

Fancy catching up on Game of Thrones? Take your own front-row seat in your separate living room with fireplace and big-screen satellite TV. You can fix up your favourite canapés in your equipped granite kitchenette, or order some of the hotel’s luxury room enhancement options like charcuterie or chocolate-covered strawberries.

If you’re a golf enthusiast, you’ll be in your element at Eganridge Resort Country Club and Spa in the Kawartha Lakes. This heritage ridge estate has buildings dating back to the 1830s, and the entire property faces out towards the rippling loon calls of Sturgeon Lake. On the nine-hole course that weaves through majestic maples and meadow grasses, you’ll discover the holes are as challenging as they are scenic. Three tees hit the 400 mark, and the 396-yard ninth hole is a two-tiered affair that makes for epic putting showdowns.

After your victory, you’ll be eager to retreat to the sanctuary of your rustic, luxury cottage for the evening. On top of getting king-sized beds and a panoramic lake-view lounging deck, you can opt for a Golfer’s Dream package to enjoy continental breakfast, dinner and unlimited golf. All those tee-off times require energy, so you’ll be duly pleased that Augusta’s Pub delivers on clubhouse classics with a fancy twist. The sweet bacon chutney on the cheddar burger definitely scores an eagle, and the candle-lit, pine-panelled main dining room shows its finer side through dishes like house-made butternut squash ravioli.