July, 2019
Elora is known as Ontario’s most beautiful village. This is an ideal weekend away as Elora is just over a 1 hour and 30-minute drive from London. Elora is home of the Elora Gorge conservation area and the re-designed luxury Elora Mill. The mill is perched on the edge of the gorge overlooking the Grand River and is nestled in the heart of this enchanting little village.
The Elora Mill underwent an extensive revitalization and now offers a boutique inn, a five-star restaurant and a luxury spa. It is easily a premier getaway destination to unwind and pamper yourself in your own backyard. Within less than two hours, you can have the stress of life melt away, be lost in the tranquil sounds of the water from the gorge, while reconnecting with nature, yourself or your lover. Truly a one of a kind destination.
In the summer of 2019, D and I were looking to plan a local getaway. We had been returning to the known vintage inn destinations like Queens Landing, Prince of Wales, Pillar & Post and the Millcroft Inn. I had been to the Elora Mill previously before it underwent the revitalization and had almost forgotten about it! Immediately, I booked us an escape from our everyday with one of their packages and was looking forward to seeing how this historic mill had been transformed from my original stay in 2008.
We decided on the Restore Package which included an overnight stay, a bouquet of flowers upon arrival and a 3-course dinner for the night with a bottle of Sommelier selected wine for pairing. Also included was a chef-prepared picnic basket for the day while we explored the gorge trails. I love picnics and we found the perfect spot to relax and indulge in the artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, and fruits provided for us. Of course, since we wanted to extend the stay we added a second night to fully unwind and rejuvenate ourselves by taking advantage of the rooftop pool, hot tub and the cliffside spa. Now note the Mill is expensive for a 1 night or 2-night getaway, but life is worth spoiling yourself once and a while. If you can travel during the week you will save on cost compared to a weekend stay. There are multiple packages to choose from, so find one to suit your budget.
Arriving you will be welcomed with a European country feel as a calming energy surrounds you. You will be greeted by amazing hosts as you check in and then make your way to your room to settle in. We had a Mill Bedroom reserved for our stay to soften the cost of the weekend, the cheapest of the rooms. Although a smaller room it offered all the amenities we needed for the weekend, which was perfect for us.
We decided to head out to explore the village of Elora for the afternoon before dinner. D had never been to Elora before so we strolled leisurely through town meandering our way in and out of the boutique stores. Of course, D spotted the Elora Brewing Company which is a charming brewery and gastropub in town. We agreed that dinner would be there on the second night of our stay. We made our way back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner.
Strolling down to the lobby, we made our way to the restaurant. We were seated at our table overlooking the gorge just as the sun was beginning to set. What a view of the gorge, cliffside spa, towering trees with a pink hue sky dancing in the back drop. We started with cocktails, a glass of prosecco for me and a craft beer for D as we reviewed the menu. To start, we shared the scallops and farmhouse greens delighted by the freshness of the greens and herbs in the salad. As it occasionally happens, D and I both choose the daily cut of beet for dinner and as part of the package the Sommelier selected our bottle of red for pairing with our main course. It was the perfect blend of full-body and firm enhancing the fatty complex of the meat creating a rich and delicious sensation in our mouths. My only complaint about dinner was that we had not finished our first course before our second course arrived and I don’t like to be rushed when dining, especially during fine dining. I prefer to linger and enjoy each course with a slight pause between to truly savour the food and moment. Finally, it was time to peruse the dessert menu, which unfortunately had a disappointing selection. Normally, we would choose two selections and share, but we could barely select one. We opted for a beet chocolate dessert and paired it with some port. The dessert wasn’t spectacular and honestly an unsatisfactory way to end the meal. Overall, dinner was good, but not one of my more memorable fine dining experiences, but the view wins! The desert menu needs some work!
The next morning, we lounged around reading and relaxing. We picked up our picnic basket of goodies and headed out to explore the hiking trails of the gorge. We found the perfect spot to sit and enjoy our picnic surrounded by sun, trees, and the water cascading against rocks and cliffs below us. After lunch, we continued exploring the over 5km trails which I honestly had not hiked since my University of Waterloo days. There are multiple look out points where you can see stunning views of the cliffs and water with kayakers and tubers making their way along the rapids. We lounged by the pool and hot tub in the afternoon and then we settled in for a luxurious afternoon nap back in our room before heading to the brewery for dinner.
We were excited about this gastropub with an exceptional farm-to-table menu supporting local farmers and producers. We grabbed a table and D had the Lady Friend IPA and I had a pint of the White Whale, a Belgian Wit. We started by sharing the charcuterie board with fresh local cheeses and cured meats and fresh bread. I am amazed at how well charcuterie boards pair with beer not just wine these days. For D’s main choice the EBD burger and I had the Kale Cesear with chicken. Unfortunately, we missed the live music by one night as they offer live music on Fridays. Don’t worry we will venture back here for locally inspired food and beer with some live music on another summer night.
The next morning, we relaxed in the spa awaiting our 90-minute massages. As with any spa, you can anticipate ‘spa’ prices for a RMT massage, but we were submitting the receipts to our insurance companies. So, we indulged lying side by side with the massage easing away any tension still left from our mini getaway.
And just like that another mini getaway came to an end as we headed back to London thankful for our ability to spend quality time together, supporting local venues and getting away from the hustle for a while.