Happy Spring! I thought I would share some photos from a weekend trip in Huntsville, Ontario, a town nestled in the heart of the Muskoka region.
If you feel unsure about visiting the cottage country in the spring time, I can assure you that you'll find it to be just as (if not more) relaxing than the summer season.
Echo Woods
For one, the traffic heading north was light.
We arrived at Echo Woods Bed and Breakfast just before dark and were greeted by the owners and their happy golden retriever, Boo.
Being off peak season, we had the entire area to ourselves.
We took a tour through their lovely abode which was tastefully decorated with a mixture of rustic and fine antique pieces.
Breakfast was served at 9:00a.m. sharp in the dining room. The smell was tantilizing.
We were served a massive pot of coffee, a variety of fresh fruit juice, and home made jam.
The B&B Experience
The best part about staying at a B&B is that the experience is intimate and personalized.
Kind of like staying over at a family friends house.
I was pleasantly surprised when the owners took the time to sit and have coffee with us. They told us about their careers and how the B&B has always been their retirement dream. They went on to explain the steps of making their vision into reality; explaining their vision to contractors, selecting the furniture, and perfecting the fine details.
Between sips of coffee, we discussed the rise in travel and tourism in the Muskoka region, the imminent housing bubble looming over Canada's major cities, and about the best places to go for a hike.
We decided to head over to Lions Head Lookout, a short but steep hike within minutes from the B&B.
In the early afternoon, we went downtown to perouse the antique stores, stopping every so often to admire the outdoor gallery featuring works by The Group of Seven, the famous Canadian painters that were commissioned to decorate the town.
Final Thoughts
I love an adventure as much as the next person, but I definitely found that I have a new appreciation for quiet time, mindfulness, and for scheduling time to recenter myself.
I'll definitely be back in the area to visit Algonquin park (this has been on my list of places to go for ages)!
Happy Monday.
