LAKESIDE LUXURY IN ONTARIOText and Photography by PamelaAnn Campbell |
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It’s easy to fall in love with The Inn at Manitou if you enjoy French cuisine, avante garde spa treatments and world-class tennis and golf lessons. And if you’ll be even more thrilled to discover that this five-star Relais & Chateaux resort has a unique wilderness connection. Forests flourish around the 500-acre property and silhouette the sky with such grandeur you can’t help but feel a joyous freedom the moment you arrive at the inn, 150 miles north of Toronto. Prepare to be dazzled by
The Inn’s brand
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Indoors and Outdoors
Each room is a statement of individuality and charm, and every one comes with a view of the pool, tennis courts or lake in standard and deluxe rooms, or luxury junior suites. If you really have a desire to splurge just request the executive home or country house. The suite has a modern, wide-open concept that features a completely furnished bedroom with a step-down living room that leads out to a private sundeck. A cedar cathedral ceiling and log-burning fireplace adds a touch of the “up north” countryside. The best in-room pampering, however, is the oversized dressing room with his and her washbasins, and adjoining private cedar sauna and whirlpool bath. It did my pores a world of good to relax in the sauna and I really adored showering, bathing and getting dressed under the sun and the stars! And how could I forget the breathtaking scenery mirrored in Lake Manitouwabing as I enjoyed the panorama from the sundeck, or those beautiful nights that I slept like a baby? “We began the inn in 1974 as a small, luxury, tennis-only resort and people came and took six hours a day of tennis and had wonderful food and that was it,” recalls the owner. “There were no other activities.”
By 1993 a spa was added and six years later a golf program was initiated to cater to fans of the game that has taken the world by storm. Next summer guests will be teeing off on an 18-hole golf course designed by Thomas McBroom. Now there is hiking, biking, pontoon boat cruising, canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing and sailing among the free activities.
Culinary Delights
Sheila Wise has always tempted her guests with excellent food and for the past three years, French chef Bernard Ibanez has been following the tradition with his culinary creations. “Now he’s been here for three seasons he knows exactly what we like and he introduces new dishes all the time, but he knows the kind of things that our guests will like and that we would be happy with,” says Ibanez’ boss. It’s quite an accomplishment on his part and they both know it. “If there is something that I try and I don’t like it, I would tell him, but that hasn’t happened,” says Wise.
Some menus include a “spa version” but don’t expect any bland or boring stuff the resort owner says. “The spa food is at the same level as the rest of the cuisine that we have here; it’s just that it’s prepared differently and there are different ingredients, but the idea of presentation is the same.”
I agree. These healthy alternatives are very attractive and tasty, trust me: pear granola pancakes with caramelized apple topping, mushrooms fricassee (so delicious I ate every morsel), spring vegetable salad, coriander dressing and tomato sorbet, grilled salmon “sauce vierge” and seabream “Papillote” spring vegetables.
Lunch is a three-course affair on weekdays and on weekends it’s buffet style. Gourmet dinners are served on four evenings and for the remaining three guests can enjoy informal bistro meals.
Afternoon tea is another tasty treat served in the tearoom. It’s a chance to relax in the beautifully decorated Oriental themed room and library.
If the cuisine sounds exciting, here’s the scoop on the wine list from the inn’s French sommelier, Eric Denis, back for the third time. Denis currently stocks 6,000 bottles of wine bearing 360 different labels in the wine cellar.
“I try to balance the wine list to have wines from all over the world,” says Denis and he lists Australian, Chilean, South African, European and North American wineries producing Cabernet, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. He purchases dessert wines from Hungary, France, Germany and Canada and these include sparkling Cabernet Franc, Vidal, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Ice Wine.
Denis has no reservations where superb wines are concerned. “I can budget as much as I want as long as I sell it,” he says, citing the $2,000 bottle of Port and the Mazi Chambertan at $1,890 as the most expensive items currently in stock alongside Burgundy and Bordeaux wines priced around $1,000.
“All my life I’ve been a wine lover,” says
Denis, who has been in the hospitality In 2002 the wine list Denis likes to call “spectacular” ranked among the most outstanding in the world to win the coveted Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, but the inn is no newcomer to applause. In 2001 the inn joined the select membership list of Distinguished Restaurants of North America (Dirona) as one of North America’s finest dining establishments. Perfect Your Game It doesn’t matter how many years have gone by since you’ve played a game of tennis, or whether you are a novice, there are 11 courts and five tennis pros ready to accommodate you. My lesson with Deborah Pargaetzi from Switzerland was all about contact, balance and racquet preparation, the basics required to master the game. Although it has been a great many years since I ventured onto a court, neither of us was fazed and we were determined to have a good time. As my confidence returned, Deborah gently increased the pressure and before you knew it, we were rallying balls back and forth. Although I wasn’t a big winner (how could you beat a pro?) I still have a fondness for the game. At the Golf Academy Jim Pearson (from New Brunswick) is equipped to coach aspiring golfers or those who wish to polish their skills even further with state-of-the-art video analysis. I am a golf dropout (too much traveling) but I felt I could coax something from my memory about golfing. The indoor Learning Centre overlooks the fairway and it is here that Jim will work with me on my golf swing. These days I don’t have to play a guessing game as to where to place my thumb on the golf club (it’s clearly marked) and thankfully it’s no longer heavy and cumbersome. Once I positioned my feet correctly with knees relaxed, I lined up my club with the ball and executed a few practice swings. Of course I sliced the air a couple of times, but eventually I learned to focus on connecting the club with the ball and most importantly how I swung my shoulders. I can’t recall exactly how many balls I hit but they were a sweet sound to my ears when I did hit them onto the fairway. The fairways are perfectly groomed and rock, trees, sand and water on the practice golf course are some of the challenges players face, just as they do on professional golf courses. Sheila Wise insists that expansion is not on the agenda, but acknowledges the golf course will make a big difference to the resort. She hopes that the tennis trend will grow as it seems on the upswing now. “We do that so well and it’s a wonderful atmosphere,” she says, referring to the tennis clinics that extend beyond the juice break to the dining room where three or four couples will sit and eat together. Spa-ah heaven
Spa director Alison and her staff provide a
fabulous lineup of services created
Circling the globe through massage therapy signals a trend towards diverse healing practices from Sweden, Thailand, Japan, India and America.
Looking and feeling good from the inside out has never been so much fun. Of the seven facials listed I figure the oxygen facial is just what I need after three weeks of Florida sunshine.
And what if my hair needs fixing afterwards? Suzanne has everything a hairstylist needs in the salon. And so my facial begins with Alison gently removing the dead skin cells from my face, allowing deeper penetration of the cream and toner (all part of the cleansing process.)
Next she applies an enzyme mask to wake up the cells (by stimulating them) and after all the sun exposure my skin requires a serum application to regain some moisture. As my cells are awakened I close my eyes as Alison gently massages my face to drain the toxins, stimulate circulation and improve muscle tone.
Placing her hands on both sides of my face, Alison applies treatment serums with her fingertips to enhance my skin with a soft, supple and healthy glow, and as a wonderful finale to this luxurious facial, she blends in a moisturizing cream. Wow, what wonderful results after just 90 minutes of special care!
The holistic body treatments are so good for the body and soul. The Salt Scrub is an excellent way to rid the body of lifeless skin cells and even though it sounds unladylike, being scrubbed vigorously is quite exhilarating - it sure revs up the circulation and results in baby soft skin. Another favorite is the Hydrotherapy Tub that easily qualifies as every one of my muscles “best friend.” Mineral sea salts and algae, and the pressure point jets designed especially for underwater lymphatic drainage massage, help to detoxify the body and release tension as well.
If you prefer getting wet differently, try the Vichy Waterfall. Overhead pulsating jets of warm water mimic (you guessed it) a waterfall, pleasant enough for you to feel re-vitalized especially with the full body massage that’s also included.
My farewell treatment is the Mud Wrap that
begins with the exfoliation ritual
If you’re a first-timer at this relaxation and rejuvenation game, the Special Treatment Collections are designed to balance treatments therapeutically, and range from one hour to just over three-hour sessions.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Sheila Wise has a winning combination for the successes The Inn at Manitou has enjoyed, but one of the most valuable facets is the realm of staff she assembles year after year to the point of perfection.
“We are only open for six months so we look for very qualified, experienced staff, and we have to look all over the world for them,” she explains. “It is really a wonderful opportunity for them to spend the summer with other young people all interested in the hospitality business; these people are all professionals, they all intend to have a career in hospitality.”
“Coming here last year and coming back this year is probably the smartest move I’ve made in my career,” says spa director, Alison White who spotted the job advertised in The Health and Beauty Professional Salon magazine in her native Scotland. Any misgivings about leaving home disappeared once she met her colleagues and discovered their different cultures. “The Wise family made us all (as a group) feel that we were just one big family from day one,” she recalls. “We had a big meal together and we had a general meeting where everybody had to introduce themselves to the whole room so we knew why each person was here and what their role was at the inn.”
Sommelier Eric Denis is here for his third season from France. He knows he is among the select group Sheila Wise believes will provide impeccable service to her guests. He also sees her as “an owner who has so much heart for the hotel.” “We want to give 110 per cent and go the extra mile for the guests and for ourselves because we like when the job is well done,” says Denis. And when the guest is leaving with a smile…. It’s the greatest reward.”
The family-owned property has the personal warmth of a homecoming. “I really feel like all these guests are my house guests and people feel that way too,” says the owner. “It’s a wonderful lifestyle. I love meeting all the guests from all over the world. I love the family of staff that we are surrounded with every summer, the names change, but the quality of the people and the level is always the same.”
But it’s not all work and no fun (everyone has a day off for the week.) “We have a staff dock where we have our own boats,” says White, adding that they can sunbathe, enjoy the lake, go swimming in the lake or pool, play golf or tennis. Denis finds such generosity rare and commends the Wise family for keeping the staff very happy.
This is Tom Linton’s first season as concierge, but he’s already a part of the “family” at the inn. “I’ve worked on cruise ships so just getting on the plane and going and not knowing anyone was an easy thing to do,” he says. He is thrilled to work at a five-star Relais & Chateaux property that is luxuriously accommodating, yet graciously informal.
And so are Charro from Australia, Katja from Germany, Rachael from England, Marie and Frederique from France, Renee from China and Rachid from Morocco. | ||
of
personal service provided by 70 hotel and restaurant professionals trained in
Europe (since there is only room for 60 guests.) Owner Sheila Wise or the
concierge greets guests in the main lodge where the restaurant, spa and
relaxation areas are located.
Gourmet dining a la chef Ibanez is an absolute
palette pleaser especially this three-course lineup I selected from the menu -
millefeuille of foie gras with caramelized figs, breast of duck caramelized with
lime and maple syrup and chocolate coulant. 
industry for the past 15 years. Yet he
adheres to this simple belief, “Always eat the food you like with the wine you
like and you will have the perfect technique, and then after you feel a little
more confident then you can try to match different food and wines.”
for the uninitiated as well as dedicated spa
fans. The spa menu looks enticing with body treatments, facials, massages and
numerous head-to-toe beauty treatments… . if only I had all the time in the
world!
Even more relaxing is the hydrating mask that
Alison assures me will nourish my skin nicely in preparation for the application
of pure oxygen. This is the intriguing part of the treatment because I had this
preconceived idea that my face would be covered in order to administer the
oxygen. Instead Alison must use what appears to me as a magic wand. It is the
most fascinating experience to just lie there and feel dewy droplets of liquid
gliding ever so slowly over my face minute after minute.
(something like a bristle brush running
quickly over your body) but not too uncomfortable. Debbie’s strokes, short and
brisk, prepares me for the chocolate colored mixture that almost totally covers
my body. I’m “packaged” in a sheet of see-through plastic and covered with
towels. The lights are dimmed and I’m left alone to be detoxified and
re-mineralized, and inevitably to slip into a short slumber. When Debbie returns
and whispers a quick hello I know it’s time to hit the shower and get ready for
the soothing massage that ends the treatment.