Niagara-on-the-Lake, An Indulgent Retreat

I love all types of travel. Family travel. Work travel. Travel with my husband. Travel alone. And I like to mix these trips up too in terms of plans. Sometimes I travel with every minute planned out with activities, restaurant reservations, etc. Some vacations like Disney World almost require set plans in order to have a magical experience, while others like a simple camping trip, just need the supplies, the people and voila, magic with no obligations. Some trips I plan based on budget. This past weekend my parents watched our 2 daughters and my husband and I were able to escape to Niagara-on-the Lake, Ontario, Canada for two whole nights. This was not our first time heading to NOTL just the two of us, but it was the first time we stayed over for two nights. Usually it has been a quick 1 night stay based on childcare available and me nursing for a good portion of the last five years and preferring to breastfeed vs. pump, so this was a nice change of pace to have more time in a region that we love to visit. This particular trip, I went into with a mindset to relax and indulge. And indulge we did.

Wineries

Leading up to our getaway, I did very little prep. I found out the day before our departure that a number of the wineries would be closed on Good Friday.  For a moment, I panicked. I had loosely planned on winery hopping on Friday and now had to rethink the minimal plan I had made in my mind. I almost canceled the trip. My husband kindly reminded me that there is plenty to do in the area and at our hotel so we should still go. We decided to leave a little before lunch on Thursday instead of heading up in the afternoon. We arrived at Château des Charmes right before lunch and it was perfectly timed to not have a reservation. For anyone coming from Buffalo, this is a great first stop after the border on the way into town. It’s about 45 minutes from the Southtowns with no border traffic, and therefore even less if you are coming straight from the city.  The website does recommend having a reservation for wine tasting, and I would highly recommend this for a weekend and in peak summer season, but for an 11:45 AM arrival on a weekday on a chilly spring day, we were the only people in the tasting room.  We have been to Château des Charmes at least twice in the past, pre-pandemic, and they changed the tasting set up to be a very nice socially distanced setting since we had been there pre-2020. What a nice change!  It was a beautifully paced and pleasant experience learning from the wine tasting host who walked us through each of the wine flights we selected. I think back to my early wine drinking years when I simply wanted to drink wine.  Now, I really enjoy the experience a winery can provide, inclusive of education about what I am drinking, as well as great tasting wine. We ended up being there for about 2 hours because we were enjoying the experience so much. Again, not the same if you go on the weekend from my past visits when the tasting room was much busier, but being there on a low key weekday allowed us to be leisurely and get into full conversation with the host. During our chat, he recommended Ferox which was right up the road and not one we had tried before.  So off we went to try a new stop. 

Ferox is a completely different feel from Château des Charmes. Château is elegant, sprawling, and as the name implies, inspired by French heritage. Ferox is much smaller, with a modern vibe.  The one thing that is not different, and carries over to many of the estates within the region, is the welcoming feel from the tasting room hosts. Again, being there on a weekday, we were the only ones when we entered the tasting room, but were quickly followed by another couple. As we were new to this winery, we chose to do a white and red flight. The rosé was immediately highlighted to us as being one of the most unique wines in the region, and possibly unique compared to other roses we have tried in the past anywhere. It was true!  The rosé is a blend of Merlot and Malbec, and it did not disappoint. We will definitely return to this winery in the future. 

Lodging

For this visit, we booked 2 nights at Pillar and Post which is part of Vintage Hotels. We have stayed at Prince of Wales Wales in the past for our single night stays, which is another beautiful hotel that I recommend, but Pillar and Post is my new favorite for a number of reasons. Pillar and Post is less than 1 mile away from the of the main shopping/restaurant district on Queen Street.  For us, that is about a 10 minute leisurely walk. We did take advantage of the free shuttle service our first evening when it was a bit too chilly for my liking, so that was a nice option to have should we ever need a lift to and from town for any reason in the afternoons. I enjoyed being slightly outside of the main strip because I enjoy a walk after dinner and like the peace of a quiet street outside my hotel room. This also is a nice spot for me, as a runner, as I have plenty of neighborhoods to explore and a nice few parks nearby to change up the scenery. In addition to beautiful accommodations and the convenient location, Pillar and Post offers stunning gardens (a little less than green right now as spring is just beginning to spring, but still beautiful) to stroll through with a glass of wine or snack from the outdoor bar located in the gardens, both an indoor and outdoor pool, fitness center, as well as a full service restaurant, lounge, and a spa with hot springs. 

As we had more time than other visits, we decided to book a couples massage. As this was a last minute booking, we were unable to get an appointment at Pillar and Post, but just a short walk away is The Secret Garden Spa at Prince of Wales. They had availability so we booked there. It was just the right way to start our Friday morning. After massages, we headed out for a walk to see Fort Missassaugua which is located just outside the main Queen St. strip of shops. Not much to see, but a neat little walk to get a taste of the rich history in the area. On our walk back into town, we discovered the menu for Treadwell as we were passing by. We were essentially drooling just reading the menu and decided to book a dinner reservation.

A Dinner to Remember

My husband booked our dinner at the “chef’s table” which was the bar overlooking the kitchen.  We (my husband especially) enjoys the art of food. He regularly plates our meals like works of art, so this was right up his alley. For dinner, Treadwell has a 4-course meal with a fixed price.  You choose from the options on the menu (about 4 to choose from for each course).  We both decided to do the sommelier pairing with our meals as well. This is not something we had ever splurged on before, but as wine lovers, I wish we had done this sooner in our travels. The wine that the sommelier chose for us pushed us to try some wines that we normally wouldn’t choose. I tend to always go towards the wines I know out of habit and if I’m spending money on wine, it’s less risky if I pick something I know.  This challenged my thoughts for future meals out. Not only was it a different glass of wine for each course, so each complimented the food perfectly, but it helped me pace myself throughout the evening.  The food was impeccable. The chef and team were fun to watch and friendly to chat with. It is a meal that I will always remember.

When can I go back?!

This trip was about relaxing and indulgence. For my husband and I, with two littles, it is rare for us to get away. NOTL provided the perfect setting for us to enjoy some time away together. That said, I will definitely return in the future with our girls because there is plenty to do as a family. Niagara on the Lake is the perfect quick getaway for 1 or 2 nights so that we are close enough, but far enough away from home. I love that it has options galore so I can tailor my itinerary with activities that span from exploring history to winery visits to indulgent relaxation. If you haven’t been, this is a must visit.