Embrace the cold, hit the hot tub, repeat. That's the point of a winter trip to Canada. We had no…read moreproblem embracing the cold...but we forgot to bring the hot tub with us to the mountain. Having just come back from a Colorado ski trip a few weeks prior to this trip, we were just here to tube. There weren't very many people on the slopes, presumably because facial frostbite sets in halfway down the hill if you aren't smart enough to bring a gator (we were not), and there were even fewer on the tubing runs. Mingling amongst a handful of tiny puffy children, we were able to get up and down a few times without issue, however, it was after that point that the magic carpet became much less magical and we had to walk up. That was less fun. Whilst tubing, unless you are wearing snoveralls, be prepared to probably get snow in your pants on the way down. No matter how much I tucked in, the sitting angle + the speed = snow up my back and down my pants. I'm usually a face-first tuber, but that angle is frowned upon here. We paid for two hours and stayed for one. When the magic carpet was as magical as advertised and I was going too fast to care about the snow making its way through all of my layers, it was fun. Not something I'd do all day, but for $20/ea, it's not a bad way to spend an hour or two.

My go to hill in the Ottawa region. Sommets Edelweiss had it all:…read moreTerrain for every level of skier. A great terrain park. High speed quad lift (giving you 6 runs per hour). Great staff. What's more, it is only 30 min from downtown Ottawa!

I did not have fun because my ride was slow. The lady in front of me was going so slow, it was like…read moreshe was walking in the park. When we got to the bottom, I told the crew that I did not enjoy myself because the lady in front was so slow. The lady said, "I need to enjoy the view for the $20 I paid." Lady, if you want to enjoy the view, go for a walk in the park. Don't take the mountain coaster.

I went here skiing on a perfect Friday afternoon. Pro's :…read morenice friendly site, nice variety of runs, great vegetarian food selection. Con's: too expensive, the runs are pretty short. I think next time I will go for another site, however this is not a bad option only too expensive than what I expect to pau for a ski pass.

I went to Pakenham this season for the first time. It was also my first time skiing at all. I…read moresigned up for the Discovery program, which is a package that gets you a one-hour beginners' lesson, equipment rentals, and a 4-hour lift ticket for $55. This was a great deal, and made skiing really accessible for me. Otherwise I would have for sure been too nervous to go try this on my own. I didn't feel like the website gave me enough information about where to go and when, but when I phoned to ask questions, the person who answered my call was super helpful. The lesson took place first thing on a Saturday morning. There was a ski option and a snowboard option. The age ranges were so varied. Some were as young as little kids, right up to adults. I was divided into a group with three other adults, and a super helpful instructor named Stew. He was a jolly, retired gentleman who was empathetic, helpful, and hilarious. Stew took us on the baby hill (like, seriously, one smaller than the bunny hill) to teach us the basics. We learned how to go up the rope tow, and how to ski on the bunny hill. I was so nervous about learning this, but byu the end was so comfortable, and actually excited about coming back to try again. I mentioned that the lift ticket was for four hours. After the lesson, I continued to practice on the bunny hill for another hour and a half. It got really old after about 45 minutes, but I hadn't learned how to use the chair lift. I ended up leaving before the pass had expired/ There's a level 2 to the discover program, which I will be excited to try next season. I hope I get to learn how to use the chair lift!

Lovely trails for the experienced rider. There's some great blue trails that were excellent for…read moreuphill and downhill. It was not too busy for a Sunday either. There was green trails but we did not ride those yet. I appreciated that the restrooms were open and we paid $20 per bike to ride for the day. Can't wait to go back

Took my three teenage boys skiing for the first time. Took the lessons offered. After the lessons,…read morethe boys went up the only open lift and proceeded to descend with difficulty as would be expected from novice skiers - slowly with multiple falls.. Instead of offering advice or assistance, facilities staff told one of them that they should ski elsewhere - at another resort. He was so discouraged that he ended his day.

It's such a pretty drive up to the Calabogie Peaks Resort along a twisty, windy, curvy road! I love…read morecoming here in the summer for their 2 music festivals in June and August, but the Resort is best known for winter downhill skiing. You can rent skis here and they offer two lifts going up the "hills" (which are rather steep IMHO!), and a chalet with a canteen on the main floor. Upstairs has a fireplace and a bar where you can warm up, cool down, or just chill out. The upstairs leads out to a balcony offering a panoramic view of the grounds (including the stage for summer concernts). Then there is a staircase that leads down to the grounds. It's a really nice facility. Theres a fall festival coming up this year, when they will offer lifts up the hill to admire the fall colours up close. The staff has all been great, friendly and efficient. August 2017: I am editing my review to add that there's a restaurant called Canthooks in the resort. No idea why I didn't mention it in my previous review; maybe I hadn't gone there before. But I can say that it's pretty good. They offer a decent brunch on the weekends, for about $15.00 all you can eat, which I believe also offers free refills on coffee. I look forward to going back this weekend.

I am giving a big star rating due to the sweetness of the staff and the gorgeousness of the…read morelocation. We stayed this past Thanksgiving weekend with family for the holiday in one of the two level condos. The accommodations are fairly dated, needing some updates and a real big scrub down. The weather could not have been more perfect, so we took advantage of riding up the hill on the ski lift for a pleasant hike in the woods on a beautiful sunny Sunday. The views were absolutely breathtaking and worth the trek and stay. We ended up using the pool with our young nephew who did have a good time but wished there were some toys to play with in the aquatic area. The outdoor hot tub was very gross however, wasn't hot and had a mysterious smell and colour to the water (avoid!). Since our family brought our own food to cook in the condo kitchen, the only food we tried at the resort were some fries with a side of mayo, which were quite tasty, reminding me of a old school chip truck variety - YUM! Tried the local beer called the Farmer's Daughter by the Ottawa based Whitewater Brewing Co and enjoyed every second of sunshine on their quaint patio. I would recommend visiting with an open mind ;)

What a great way for kids to learn to love skiing! The coaches are fantastic and the program…read morerepresents very good value - all at one of the best ski hills in Ontario.

I thought for sure I wrote a review for this place. Oh well, late entry. My wife and I took off for…read moreour combined anniversary/her birthday last August based on tons of comments and recommendations. This place wasn't good. It was fantastic. The front desk staff were all friendly and fluently bilingual. The checked us in, got us to our room and that's when things got better. We reserved a bigger room in the main hotel overlooking the park they have in the back, the A/C worked like a charm, the bed was comfortable, just a peaceful oasis for us. The hotel is also perfectly located to be able to walk to town within about 10 minutes so it was very convenient for us. We had reservations for breakfast and one dinner at their restaurant. The food at this place isn't good. It isn't even great. It is one of the best places we've ever eaten at. The 5 course dinner menu is probably one of the best we've ever had - this was as good as any place we visited in New York, New Orleans, some of the killers we visited in Victoria......... trust me, you will be blown away by the food, both breakfast and dinner. One afternoon my wife was getting ready so I went down to the bar for a quick drink and it was fantastic - great conversations with the bartender, the other guests who were all in a good mood, and great cocktails. Great service, friendly staff, this place does it all. All in all, I can only give this place 5 stars but it deserves at least 6. We will be back for sure.

I kept waiting for Inspector Ganache to walk through the door…read more What a lovely place. We stopped for a late lunch on Boxing Day after visiting with friends who live about 30 minutes further away from Ottawa. We were seated at a table overlooking the mill stream. The room was warm and welcoming on a snowy day. The waitress was charming in two languages. The menu was tempting. And the food was both presented beautifully and was fantastic. We shared paté de foie gras as a starter. My friend had a salad with magret de canard. I had a small steak with winter vegetables. Both were excellent but the magret was both more beautiful on the plate and tastier. We even ended up chatting with the lovely people at the next table who were celebrating a round birthday. If you're in Ottawa, make the trip to Wakefield. And let me know if you bump into Inspector Gamache.