Travel Tuesday: Ste Anne's Spa - Luxury retreat in Grafton, ON

Man oh man did I need to get away last month. I don’t know if it was the crazy long winter that got my mood down, life, or just general stress around tax time; whatever it was, I needed a break!

No makeup selfie:) 

Lucky for me, since I’m heading in the retreat planning direction; Health & Wellness retreats; Couples Retreats; and Business Meetings or Professionals retreats, I was invited to explore the beautiful SteAnne’s Spa. I met Marketing Manager, Wanda at the Ignite Business Expo earlier in the year and let her know I was venturing into retreats; before I knew it, she arranged for a glorious spa getaway for me to experience the magic first-hand. In addition, my dear photographer friend, Joee Wong gifted me a gift certificate, which got me a second night and several wellness treatments!

So, without further thought, I jumped in my car and off to Grafton I drove, for 3 full days and 2 nights at Ste Anne’s Spa, just 90 minutes East of Toronto.

Once I got off the highway and entered the dirt road winding over to the Spa, there were very thoughtful and fun messages disguised as road signs: ‘Yield to your inner self’ or ‘Take a deep breath…and relax’. Of course, this just made me super excited and I knew that if this trip didn’t get me to ‘chill-out’, nothing would.  Parking was free and once I got in to check-in, they addressed me by name, gave me a tour of the property and treated me as if they had known me forever. Just the type of experience I was looking for…pure comfort from the get-go.

My room, just a short drive away at the Birdsong Spa Cottage, was beautiful. The Eagle’s Nest Suite was huge; in fact, the bathroom was as big as my living room!! Take a look at the photos. I loved the homey feel to it, from the colours to the fireplace. So calming!

The Property itself is huge. It stretches over 400 acres and includes a fitness facility, several cottages, their very own stables, trails, gardens, bakery and the main building. The main building is where the action happens. It houses a gift shop, hydrotherapy spa with Eucalyptus Steam Room, massage rooms, an outdoor pool, waiting rooms, living room, reading room, spa rooms, steam room, sauna and hot tub in the change rooms and wellness rooms. 

The Spa is incredible. Ranging from Purifying cleansing treatments to holistic treatments and everything in between! Now, you don’t have to get a spa service to use the facilities. The Hydrotherapy Spa: Eucalyptus Steam, Hot Tub, Cold Plunge Pool and Lap Pool are at your fingertips all day; as are the massage chairs, fitness facility (down the street) featuring a pool treadmill, hot tub and sauna as well as full Gym Equipment.

The Spa & Wellness Services I took part in for both days were the Nidra Yoga and Meditation, I also chose the Chakra Balancing as my massage option. I had never done Nidra Yoga before and thought it would be something interesting to try as it promised to clear my mind. That is exactly what it did… in fact, the second day; I actually fell asleep during the session. The Chakra Balancing was amazing. It combined, aromatherapy, reflexology, light massage and chakra balancing to relax and balance my mind and soul. Combined with the meditation, believe me when I tell you that I felt like a whole new person! 

The Restaurant is fine dining meets country cooking at it’s best! Aside from them being incredibly accommodating to my dietary needs, the food is all-fresh, homemade and impeccably presented; the taste is DELECTABLE! I admit, I did have a cheat or two… I couldn’t help it; the desserts and breads are amazing. Did I mention they are all Gluten-Free! In addition they offer culinary classes, a private chef experience and their very own Bakery (near the Birdsong Cottages) that will cater to absolutely all your needs. If you have very specific dietary needs, give them 48 hours notice and they will do all they can to create something for you.

And finally, the Staff! Where do I start with the service? These people collectively make the resort what it is. Without them, it would not be the same. They are all-accommodating and all went out of their way to make my experience exceptional. I could tell they loved their work and were genuinely happy to help.

Overall, this is an ideal location for a local honeymoon, a reconnecting trip pre-wedding or just a trip to rest with your Bestie or Mom.  

My top 5 highlights of Ste Anne's Spa:

1.     They make their own granola and it is amazing!

2.     Teatime is my favourite time and at Ste Anne’s it is fantastic! They have a tea menu that is extensive and original that taste delicious.

3.     The walking trails are something I’ll do next time for sure. It was way to muddy when I was there as it had been raining.

4.     I was in one of the living rooms and a wellness therapist came in and offered           

me a hand massage complimentary. It was wonderful.

4.     All the sitting areas were sooo incredibly comfortable, but my fave was the library/games room.