was all jacked up on sugar. After all, I’d been visiting maple bushes across Lanark, a county near Ottawa, Canada, that declares itself
the maple syrup capital of Ontario. So by the time I checked into my B&B, I was sure sleep wouldn’t come. But it did. The Almonte Riverside Inn does that to people.
The gracious Queen Anne Revival mansion, built in the charming village of Almonte in 1830, was once home to a Supreme Court judge, and served stints as an armory and a Cold War fallout shelter. When current owner Rob Prior converted the property six years ago into an inn, he retained the heritage feel. Floors and crown moulding are original. Some of the six bedrooms boast cove windows. Headboards are crafted from original doors that were replaced to meet fire codes. Old kitchen cabinets were repurposed as dressers.
But there’s nothing old-fashioned about such amenities as king beds, local artisan soaps, rainforest shower heads, flat-screen TVs, wifi and iPod docking stations.
Rooms look onto a tributary of the Ottawa River, the Mississippi River, which meanders through town. “There’s a constant breeze off the water,” Rob says. “I can fish there with my son on nice summer evenings, while waiting for guests to check in.”
Fishing is just one of the joys of a getaway to the region. Almonte is salted with delightful boutiques, a museum devoted to James Naismith (the local son who invented basketball), and annual festivals celebrating everything from textiles to puppets. Nearby is an outdoor playground of coursing rivers (think whitewater rafting), rolling woodlands (biking, hiking and birding) and rugged farmland (superb agritourism).
vegetables, herbs and berries in season, while French-press coffee is from popular local roaster Equator Coffee. And all of it can, if desired, be brought to your room – though it would be a shame to miss the sun-filled breakfast room, enjoying river views and a chat with Rob as he prepares your food in the open kitchen.
Hospitality is in Rob’s blood. After completing a degree in the field, he worked at such prestige properties as Ontario’s Elora Mill and the Radisson hotel chain. But he never forgot what drove him to hospitality in the first place: a holiday in small Costa Rica inns with his mom, chatting with fellow guests from around the world. Eventually he returned home to eastern Ontario and opened his own boutique property.
Rob says word-of-mouth advertising is his secret weapon: “If you meet someone’s expectations, there’s a 48 per cent chance they’ll come back in a year. If you exceed them, there’s a 92 per cent chance.” Romantic couples, family reunions, and traveling business folks – all foster repeat business because Rob makes them feel truly welcome. The one exception: a businessman who spent three nights a week until Rob persuaded him to buy a home five doors away. “The worst business decision I ever made,” he laughs.
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The Almonte Riverside Inn
Rob Prior, Owner and Innkeeper
81 Queen Street
Almonte, ON
613-461-2745
http://almonteriverside.com/
https://www.facebook.com/almontehotel/
ALMONTE
RIVERSIDE
INN
A Sweet Place to Relax
Peter Johansen
“There’s a constant
breeze off the water”
I