What is there not to say about this hidden gem in a quaint little community called Marmora. Located…read moreabout 2 Hrs (189 km) from Toronto if you're just passing through or looking to get away, this is the place to stay. Built in 1904 this Victorian Home was converted into a Hotel back in 1999 and then turned into a Bed & Breakfast in 2009 with the addition of a commercial kitchen. Owners Rui and Cathy have been running the Marmora Inn since they purchased it in 2009. Rui hails from Portugal and Cathy from Italy and the two have been married for 36 years. I asked Rui why the Bed & Breakfast and he said their many trips through Eastern Canada helped inspired them to purchase the Inn and they have transformed this 19th century home into a beautiful step back in time, preserving a lot of the original woodwork and hardware throughout the Inn, it's definitely a must visit. The Inn is approx. 10,000 square-feet and hosts five beautiful rooms, a cozy dining room which seats 20 to 25 guests, a built-in enclosed swimming pool and a sauna. It's not the Ritz Carlton or The Hilton so if you're looking for room service or all those other offerings found there, move along. This is however one of the most memorable stays you will ever have. Walking in you'll be greeted by either Cathy of Rui who will take your breakfast order and ask you what time you would like to eat at, just so you know breakfast is made to order and included with your stay. Dinner is optional however but let me just tell you this,you won't want to eat anywhere else after trying Rui's Menu. His menu is influenced by French,Portuguese and European Cuisine and offers one of a kind dishes.The Inn is open year round and is also famous didn't you know? Elvis Stojko once stayed here. What to do while staying at the Marmora Inn Marmora is a beautiful quiet little community in Hastings County. Located between Havelock to the West and Madoc to the East, Marmora is a half-way point between Toronto and Ottawa. Originally founded in 1820, it became a mining town in the 1950's, mining iron, copper, lead, silver and gold. The mine itself is a huge open pit mine measuring approx. 2,800 feet long, 1500 feet long and 500 feet deep. You can find more about the mine here http://www.marmorahistory.ca/marmoraton-mine-fast-facts/ . The mine is located on Mine Road K0K 2M0 just 5 minutes east of the Marmora Inn. Below I have added my favorite things to do while staying at The Marmora Inn All of my favorite places to see, things to do, have been calculated from the Marmora Inn. 1. For those of you with a non-forgiving thirst, salvation is not too far away. Church-Key Brewing Co. is located just 27 minutes (30.5km) away in the outskirts of Campbellford Ont. Founded in 1878 as a Methodist Church, owner John Graham purchased it in 1999 and has been brewing his amazing beer since 2000. They offer tasting samples of all of their offerings, I suggest the Northumberland. Church-Key Brewing Co. can be located at 1678 County Rd 68 Campbellford Ont. K0L 1L0 705-653-9950. http://www.churchkeybrewing.com/ . 2. Do you like chocolate? Who doesn't? Well if you're like me and love chocolate then Centre & Main Chocolate Co. in Warkworth Ont. is another must visit. Located just 37 minutes (44km)from the Marmora Inn this factory is chocolate heaven, their chocolates are truly one of a kind like, Strawberry Crepès, Picantè (piri piri + dark chocolate) or Matcha Latte. Treat yourself to a short trip over to the factory, you won't regret it. Be sure to ask for Angela Roest (owner), she will be more than happy to supply you with samples of all her chocolates. The Centre & Main Chocolate Factory is located at 50 Centre St. Warkworth Ont. K0K 3K0 705-868-2068. https://www.centreandmainchocolate.com/ 3. Last but certainly not least is Villa Conti, a 100 acre winery estate with a built-in Italian Restaurant. The farthest on my list of places to see, things to do at 46 minutes (55km) from the Marmora Inn but certainly worth the drive. The winery offers tours of their massive property and when hunger strikes be sure to settle into their on-site beautiful 2,500 square- foot restaurant. The restaurant opened in 2006, seats up to 50 guests and serves up amazing rustic Italian fare. Owners Tommaso and Bambina support local farmers and businesses by providing dishes made with local produce and ingredients and will be more than happy to show you around. Next time you're in Marmora or Warkworth stop in for an unforgettable dinner and wine experience. The Villa Conti Winery and Reataurant is located at 337 Coventry Hill Rd Warkworth, Ont. K0K 3K0. http://www.villaconti.co/trada/

From the owner: Come as strangers. Leave as friends. Experience the charm of our 1906 "lumber baron mansion",…read morenestled in the village of Marmora, Ontario, an historic town celebrating 200 years in 2021. Halfway between Ottawa and Toronto on the beautiful Highway 7 (TransCanada Highway), Marmora and Lake Inn B&B boasts beautiful, spacious bedrooms and quaint old-world decor for a luxurious stay. Continental breakfast, extensive beverage and coffee bar, outdoor patio dining area and private events rooms. Amenities include indoor swimming pool, hot tub, infrared sauna, large screen TV's in each room and wireless internet. The perfect venue for your small wedding, birthday party, anniversary celebration or business strategy get-away. With a full commercial kitchen, gathering/meeting rooms and media facilities, just describe your vision and we'll help bring it to life. Crowe Lake is only 3 km from the Inn and Westhighland Golf Course is just minutes away. Horseback riding? Reflexology treatment? Hiking, fishing, trail exploring? It's all at your fingertips as you enjoy the Marmora And Lake Inn B&B as your home base. Looking forward to hosting your next multi-day adventure or a one-night stay. Marmora is the largest community in the Municipality of Marmora and Lake in Hastings County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Crowe River and along Highway 7 between Havelock to the west and Madoc to the east, about the halfway point between Ottawa and Toronto

The Inn at Mount Julian (restaurant), part of Viamede Resort, was voted by Culinary Tourism…read moreAlliance as one of the best road trip-worthy, farm to table restaurants in Ontario! We decided to celebrated Canada Day with a culinary road trip, driving up to the beautiful North Kawartha, Ontario! I didn't know what to expect, so I did a bit more research and found out that they offer 5, 7, or 9 course blind tasting menus, as well as a la carte meals. Without hesitation, we went for the 9 course blind tasting with a shared wine pairing! Please remember to book your table in advance! The restaurant is located in a separate cottage house on the property, with a beautiful, serene view by the waters. The service was exceptional. The food from 'forest/farm-to-table' were unbelievable. The mini duck egg omelette, the smoked trout, and the brownie x ice cream dessert with the lavender were my favourite amongst the delicious dishes on the blind tasting menu. You can literally taste the freshness in every bite! In April 2017 last year, Viamede Resort also went tip-free. They believe in paying their staff fair wages from the start, and don't believe they should burden guests with extra fees. The price you see is the price you pay :) I really wish I could keep The Inn at Mount Julian a secret, but I really want to share with the world about this outstanding culinary experience! I can assure you, this will definitely be worth the 2-hour drive from Toronto! I would highly recommend this to adventurous foodies (like you!) out there :) . . . The All-Ontario, Road Trip-Worthy, farm-to-table Restaurant Series (7 of 17)

Hit this place on our last night in the area, we were renting a cottage for a week on Stoney Lake…read more I gotta say this place was top shelf and I don't give out five stars lightly. From the day before when we drove over to check out the resort and the dining options right up to when we walked out the staff were all very fresh faced and friendly and took their jobs seriously. You could tell the wanted to help and weren't just putting in time. The Inn itself is a beautifully restored on building. Nice wide planked floors and subtle, contemporary decor. The menu is not large ( a good thing ! ) but considering the small size of the place there is more than enough choices. The chef is trying to integrate local items into the menu ( spruce tips! ) with some success. Overall our meal, wine, service, and prices were all excellent. This place would definitely appeal to someone who wants a nice evening out after several days of cottaging it. Although it is fairly sophisticated for cottage country it still has a nice casual vibe so you can show up fairly casual without feeling out of place. Give it a go !

On a whim, I decided to pick a place that I had never been to and stay there over the long Civic…read moreHoliday weekend. I chose Belleville and stayed at this TownePlace Suites. I had no problem finding this location. It's across from a gas station that is still being built. There was plenty of parking. I parked, hauled my luggage and computer bag out of my car, and headed in to check in. I had a wonderful woman with a British accent at the check-in counter help me get all set up. I am a platinum elite member, so I got points as my welcome gift. I got my room cards and was shown where the elevators were. I love TownePlace Suites because you get a kitchenette. My room was compact. If you like roomy, perhaps this place isn't for you. It was roomy enough for me. However, it didn't have a luggage rack. It wasn't a big deal, though. I ended up placing my luggage on the floor and unpacked that way. Anyway, the kitchenette was stocked with an entire full bottle of dishwasher liquid soap. This is rare and a first for me. I have either been happy with a tiny bottle or had to ask the front desk for a bottle. I loved the generosity! I fixed myself snacks and made my smoothie drink with my personal blender. Breakfast is served downstairs. Otherwise, you can always make meals in your room for variety. I slept extremely well. I was on the top floor, which was quiet. The bed was comfortable and spacious. I watched TV from both my bed and the sofa. I was extremely comfortable. The washroom was clean. The shower was great. The water pressure was perfect. Housekeeping did a great job with my room. I was pleased. This hotel is within walking distance from Shoreline Casino, which is next door. You can roll out of the bed and then roll dice at the casino in two minutes tops. I had a fabulous stay at this hotel. I would come back again when I am in town. (338)

The close proximity of Towneplace Marriott Belleville to Prince Edward County was the main reason I…read moredecided to stay here overnight. But I am impressed by the hotel after my stay! The room we stayed in was spacious, clean and well appointed. Great amenities and even a kitchen (full size fridge, dishwisher) that has all the utensils needed to prepare a light meal! 24 hours tea and coffee set up in the lobby area. A nice self serve breakfast which includes hot food. Ample parking and located right next to Shoreline Casino. (You can just walk there!) Highly recommended if you looking for a hotel if you in the area.

This place really reminds you of the way things used to be about reserving a hotel or motel--in a…read moregood way. It is one of the very few places that lets you pay for a room with cash, while most other places require a credit card. Though our particular room was tiny, it seemed that they do a lot with the small space you get, as you get a mini fridge, a microwave, and a good selection of satellite channels. As well, it appears to be one of the lowest priced if not the lowest priced motel in Peterborough, and we were lucky that there was a room available, even though we went in the shoulder season, just after school-age students had gone back to school. It is rather minimalist in the food and drink offerings (no vending machines for food and drink), but for I and my husband, we tend to bring our own food and drink, so it was not that critical for us.

This is really nice Best Western Hotel. So the hotel has 2 sections, the main building, which is 4…read morestories high, and an annex section which is 2 stories high. Our room ended up in the annex section. Behind the hotel is open green space that I'm pretty sure belongs to the hotel, and backs onto the Otonabee River. It's very pretty and picturesque and I think a nice place for like an outdoor wedding. Our room itself was pretty standard. We had a queen bed, couch, coffee table, flat screen TV, microwave and small fridge. The bathroom is small and is just the toilet and bath tub. The sink is outside of the bathroom. There's a gym and a pool, neither of which were used by us. Lots of free parking. The breakfast area is nice. Since our stay was during the Covid-19 Pandemic (not our preferred time to travel, but our journey was ultimately for an interment), the hot food was served in "to-go" pre-packaged servings by an attendant (it was a breakfast sandwich with bacon, egg and cheese on an English muffin when we were there). The attendant also serves you coffee and tea. Everything else is single serving individually wrapped and you can serve yourself with those (e.g bottled juice, yogurt, packaged pastries, granola bars, etc.). The dining room was open, with tables spaced out, but we opted to eat in our own room. I was satisfied with the Covid precautions. We paid around $120 a night. I would stay here again. Hopefully next time under happier circumstances, both personally and from a global health perspective.

This place is TIRED!! Very dingy, damp smell throughout, wallpaper is peeling, housekeeping was…read morefair at best... Bed was fairly comfortable and shower was good and front desk staff was friendly but nothing else really positive to say. We stayed here because it was convenient to family we were visiting but next time we'd look for another hotel or an AirBnB rather than stay here again.

Had a great time. Rooms are pretty and clean. Breakfast was amazing (BACON!) every morning. The…read moreonly downside would be the water pressure in the shower (kind of hard to wash really long hair without good water pressure). Otherwise, I recommend it. Great location to go see the county and Sandbanks beach!

Thank you, Trevor for making my birthday getaway more than exceed my expectations. Black River…read moreRetreat was everything and more for my husband and me. It's funny how you can feel a "vibe" of a place as soon as you walk in. No word of a lie, almost immediately we could feel the love that you put into BRR as well as the love from all those that stayed before us. We felt very much welcomed and at home and it's because you do everything you can to make it that way. Everything about Black River Retreat was a joy but I do need to emphasize Trevor's cooking. OMG. SO. GOOD!  The food was amazing in both looks and taste and our yummy meals *both a hearty breakfast and a gourmet dinner each day/night* were the icing to our cake of our two nightsq. My husband and I can highly recommend both the medallions of pork and cedar planked salmon but given Trevor's talent his Cornish game hen should be delicious as well! Our suite was spacious and beautiful with a queen-sized log bed covered in luxurious blankets, a cozy sitting room with a beautiful fireplace as well as a small fridge, microwave and keurig machine. Bathroom is shower only but  beautifully done (I particularly loved the ceiling rainfall/showerhead option!) Everything about Black River Retreat is truly about getting away, turning everything off and reconnecting with your spouse/partner/significant other. It was wonderful being present and concentrating on each other, whether it was watching a movie or playing a board game in the upstairs lounge/games room--complete with poker table and dartboard!--or in the dining room talking and eating one of the sumptuous meals or walking around this scenic and peaceful property or just enjoying the outdoor hot tub that was literally a few steps from our private entrance, my husband and I felt very fortunate to have found this place. Pros: See above. And fyi if you break out in a rash at the thought of turning all electronics off, don't worry there's free wifi as well as the ability to play your music. The biggest plus is the owner/general contractor/chef of Black River Retreat, Trevor. He is the perfect host, respecting our privacy and discretely working behind the scenes so we could have a truly romantic time and yet was on call for us if we needed something. Cons: My husband and I did sleep fine but we do prefer a slightly firmer mattress. Also we couldn't figure out how to turn off all the 'romantic lighting' i.e. the trees in the bedroom when we finally wanted to sleep. But truthfully those things I can live with given all the plusses. For anyone hesitating for whatever reason about going to Black River Retreat--especially if it's about the cost--is to book ASAP.  It may sound cliche but my husband and I thought it was worth every penny. Hoping to return and experience the place in early summer but we've already booked for next year during the beautiful fall colours! Again thank you Trevor! Warm Regards, Jacqui

From Start to Finish, I wish I could rate this above 5 stars, it is truly an exceptional…read moreexperience. The retreat is beautiful, with a warm, rustic, cabin-like feel, the ambiance truly makes for a romantic getaway. The outdoor space was breathtaking, with a trail along the water, and 2 outdoor fire-pits, there are lots of chairs and areas to sit (weather dependent of course). The outdoor hot-tub area is serene and very relaxing, it overlooks the outdoor space so I'm sure it's very cute in the summer with all of the candles lit and string lighting on. The food served was truly 10/10, perfect portion sizes, delicious creations, and all beautifully presented. The entire experience was made extra special by all of the small details, from smore's set-ups with the perfectly trimmed stick (to roast the marshmallow on), to the whiskey and cigar bar upstairs (perfect little surprise space too), to the locked in love chain, the candles spread out throughout the resort, to the ready to light fireplaces (3 total), the photo posted online do not do the location justice even, Highly Recommended for any couple looking for a romantic getaway! Trevor really out did himself!