The Castle and The Park

The Castle on a Stormy Day

 I'm just back from a very calming trip that captured something of Canada but also provided such a rest for us.   Nerves worn to a mere thread?  Working eighty hours a week and near a complete mental collapse?  Have I got The Hols for you!
The vacation combined the best of both worlds: five nights in Ottawa with dinners out, art, shopping and stellar service at Fairmont Chateau Laurier followed by eight nights at the beautiful Bartlett Lodge in Ontario's Algonquin Park.

The Chateau Laurier was a huge surprise to both of us.  It is now officially our favourite hotel in the world.  The service was outstanding and the food marvellous, we had a dinner in every hotel restaurant and all were perfect.  Room service breakfast was equally luxurious and delicious.  There is the most gorgeous swimming pool surrounded by marble and giant copper heating lamps, just tucked in the basement near the health club.  I swam laps there every morning ( you can see "my" swimming pool right here).
We gave our car over to the valet at arrival and didn't see it for the next five nights.  The hotel is just next to the gorgeous Canadian Parliament buildings and ideally located for walking the prettiest parts of our capital city.

 The famous photographer Yousuf Karsh lived at the hotel for sixteen years and in fact had his studio there for part of that time.  A collection of his photographs are scattered throughout the hotel, like this one of Einstein, casually displayed above a writing desk just outside the cocktail bar (which makes the best Kir Royale anywhere, take my word for it).

The hotel is filled with many beautiful antiques and stunning details not to be found in the modern world.  We really felt as though we had stepped back in time and found ourselves quite interested in the history of the hotel, you can read a bit about that right here.

Every doorknob is monogrammed in the hotel.
This was our bathroom knob!

 Our room was huge with a lovely sitting area (perfect for MrBP who had some work to do in the mornings), a large bathroom and a spectacular view of those Parliament buildings.  It was so quiet and peaceful and we slept so well which doesn't always happen in a large hotel.

Fully rested we embarked on the next chapter of our trip....

My Tory Burch frocks served me well at the Castle and in the Park.
I wore one each day with a Brora cardigan and some ballet flats: super easy.

 We arrived by boat at Bartlett Lodge, unpacked our things into a large cabin and then hit the dock to commence relaxing.

Our swim dock.
Many a glass of wine graced the arm of this chair. 

The light was magical at all times of the day.

 We both love to hike and canoe and these activities took up several hours each day.  We made a study of the trees and were just simply conscious of breathing in the oxygenated air.

One of many hiking paths.

Happy on the trail.
Notice my hideous MBT shoes!
Roots linen sweater and camp socks.

 We spent loads of time listening to this brook.

 While in the canoe I took about 400 pictures of trees...

 and a couple hundred pictures of sparkly water.

 We spent hours and hours just sitting in the screened-in porch in our cabin.  I read decorating magazines and MrBP did crossword puzzles.

The view from our screened-in porch.

 Bartlett Lodge is only accessible by water, and the rules in Algonquin Park preserve the natural feel... for example large boats and jet-skis are strictly forbidden.  This results in peace and quiet, a place to slow down and simply be immersed in the natural world.

One of the seating areas at the lodge.

There are lovely gardens, including a large one for the kitchen.

 The kitchen produces a five-course meal nightly and the food was absolutely delicious.  We brought our own wine and were served by an enthusiastic and professional staff.

There is a hiking trail at the lodge with a tour of some of the special trees.

A very tall tree indeed.  

 We had a little friend, "Chippie", who managed to sneak into our cabin at night to steal our cocktail crackers!

Chippie, or maybe a friend of his.

 I had to take a photo of this poster in the dining room... each time I looked at it I couldn't help but think "how true".  Really we felt restored and healthy after our time in the Park, a national treasure here in Canada.  You can read more about our beloved park right here.

I hope you've all been well and happy yourselves!
xoxDani