Resort Spotlight: Ste. Anne’s Spa

I don’t particularly consider myself a spa person. I’ve been to a few spas for bachelorettes and girls nights, but it’s not my chosen method to recharge. (If I can’t be traveling, then I’d rather be curled up by the fire – or the Christmas tree, as it happens to be these days – with a book.) BUT. When work invites you to an overnight spa retreat, well, the answer is obviously YES!

I do consider myself lucky to have joined a team this year that values wellness and prioritizes a healthy work environment. I love the idea of going to work and having fun, and having coworkers who are also girlfriends. A getaway to Ste. Anne’s Spa at the end of the year has become something of a tradition for the group. It’s something the staff look forward to all year long.

Ste. Anne’s Spa is about 1.5 hours east of Toronto in Grafton, near the town of Cobourg, Ontario. It is a converted 19th century farmhouse, a sprawling estate which used to be known as the Grafton castle. It is now a luxury spa and wellness centre (conveniently sitting above a large reservoir of spring water). With its rustic, romantic charm, state of the art spa facilities, walking trails and cottages spread across over 500 acres of countryside, Ste. Anne’s is a real retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Planning a visit to Ste. Anne’s Spa

Ste. Anne’s is consider an “all-inclusive” spa resort, which means meals are included for your stay, including unlimited non-alcoholic beverages at mealtimes. You also have full access to their facilities, wellness classes, and spa treatments.

There are two basic types of all-inclusive packages to choose from. Day packages include two meals (either breakfast and lunch or lunch and afternoon tea), use of the facilities from 8:30am – 6:00pm, as well as a spa treatment credit/voucher.

Overnight packages include accommodations and four meals – breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. This package also includes a treatment credit. Some packages require a minimum two night’s stay.

There are variations to the basic packages, including prenatal, couples, and group packages. These mainly affect the types of treatments you can choose and the kind of accommodations available to you. Guests can stay either in the main lodge, or in a number of cottages scattered around the property. Larger groups have the option of having a private chef cook dinner at your accommodation. Some variations give you unlimited access to wellness classes. You can also select packages that add on transportation – Ste. Anne’s will send a car to pick you up anywhere within 150km of the spa.

Ste. Anne’s offers SO many different spa treatments, including body wraps, all different kinds of body and scalp massages, skin treatments, and facials.

Now, one of the best things about tagging along with my work group is that I had to do ZERO work planning our getaway. But the easiest way to book is to call them. Rates are not included on the website and vary depending on when you go and when you book. You can also review the types of spa treatments you want, and they will help plan your day and deliver an itinerary.

Why go to Ste. Anne’s?

An oasis of relaxation and pampering? Go on, pull my leg.

Ste. Anne’s is the perfect distance from the city you do feel like you’re physically getting away. At the same time, it’s not too far you’re spending too much time on the road.

You can make a trip to Ste. Anne’s alone for a very special treat, where you can drop everything and just indulge. It is a great spot for couples (most of the guests I saw were couples), particularly if you’re celebrating a special moment. Ste. Anne’s is adults-only, the perfect excuse to leave the kids at home. It’s also the perfect getaway for a small group of girlfriends, where you can drift apart and come together during the course of the day

When is the best time to visit Ste. Anne’s?

Ste. Anne’s offers something for visitors all year round. The hydrotherapy pools are outdoors, and they have beautiful, rustic gardens and several hiking trails. There is also an outdoor pool. They have a different wellness class schedule for the spring/summer and the fall/winter. Any time is a good time to spend a day or two here, particularly if you’re celebrating something special. While the gardens obviously offer more in the warmer months (and the pool closes in the fall), my favourite element of the resort are the hot outdoor hydrotherapy pools. These, in my humble opinion, are best enjoyed on a chilly, wintry day.

Getting to Ste. Anne’s

The resort is an easy drive east along the 401, away from Toronto toward Kingston. It is conveniently located not even 10 minutes off the highway.

By train, you can take VIA (Canada’s national passenger train), which stops at the Cobourg VIA station. Locally, you can take Toronto’s regional transit train, GO Transit. The nearest stop is Oshawa GO station. From here, a Ste. Anne’s shuttle can pick you up from the station for a fee.

Alternatively, for an entirely stress free experience, you can arrange for transportation anywhere within a 150km radius. This add-on can cost up to 600 CAD.

While you are staying at the resort, you can use the shuttle service free of charge (eg. to get from the main inn to your off-site cottage or to the gym), available all hours of the day and night.

What does a getaway to Ste. Anne’s Spa cost?

So in my experience, if you’re going to commit to a luxury experience, it’s best not to think too much about how much things cost. 😛 Doing this will cause anxiety. 😛 (And luckily, once you’ve booked your all-inclusive package and selected your itinerary, you don’t have to think about money again until you check out.)

Overall, for an overnight all-inclusive package and two spa treatments, my stay came out to just under 900 CAD. We were part of a group deal, and stayed early in December.

Spa treatments cost anywhere from 50 CAD for a half-hour massage, to 220 CAD for a 90 minute body wrap. Wellness classes are generally 20 CAD per class.

What to pack for your luxury spa retreat

The first thing I did before coming to Ste. Anne’s was Google what the heck I was supposed to wear. Did I need to dress up for dinner? Was I expected to look classy, or could I show up to the pool and treatments wearing a (what my coworker aptly terms) “Miami bikini”?

When you check in for your stay, you will be give a reusable bag with Ste. Anne’s signature fluffy white robe. Most people wore their robes *everywhere* – poolside, in the dining hall, relaxing in the living rooms, wandering to and from treatments… If they get wet, you can simply exchange the robe at the front desk. Towels are available everywhere, so you can go pretty much the entire day in a bathing suit under your robe.

The atmosphere is very laid back. Those not dressed in robes typically wore casual or “athleisure” wear. I wore a pair of leggings and a yoga top under an athletic sweatshirt, in case I wanted to take one of their yoga classes. Some chose to wear leggings or gym clothes under their robes.

For swimwear, nobody looks twice, so wear whatever you feel most comfortable in! After spending time in both a one-piece and a bikini, I preferred the bikini. I found it dried way faster than a one-piece, which was uncomfortable under my robe, and helpful during spa treatments (eg. for a neck and shoulder massage, they suggest you remove the top).

For an overnight stay, I packed:

• two sets of “athleisure” outfits (ie. leggings and top)
• pajamas
• three swimsuits (the more the better – going from the pool to treatments, etc, multiple times a day, it’s so much comfier to have a dry swimsuit underneath your robe)
• sandals/flip flops (the resort does provide sandals if you don’t have your own)
• slippers or comfy socks for the evening
• water bottle (there are water stations everywhere)
• insulated tumbler (if you’d like to walk around with coffee or alcohol)
• a wet bag (in case you need to stuff your wet swimsuit in your bag)
• a book (to encourage wellness, the hotel does not have TVs in their main inn or any of their rooms/cottages)
• wine (Ste. Anne’s does not serve alcohol at mealtimes or have alcohol for purchase, you will need to BYOB if you want a glass with dinner or a drink with friends)
• snacks (I pack a granola bar or two everywhere I travel – just in case, it’s good to be prepared and bad to be hangry – but our group had all manners of munchies. The resort does not provide food outside of meals.)
• toiletries (the resort has their own line of skin products and have dispensers everywhere, if you don’t want to bring the shampoo/conditioner/body wash/lotion)

The change rooms have lockers, but they may not fit all your bags. You can leave your bags in the car or back in your rooms, and just bring your necessities for the day in a separate bag or the bag provided by the resort.

My experience at Ste. Anne’s

As I didn’t have to do any of the planning, my stay was exceptionally relaxing. (Coordinating a dozen ladies is not for the faint of heart.) The group of us chose to carpool, so I didn’t even have to drive!

The week before, Ste Anne’s sent us our “itinerary”, with our set mealtimes and treatment times. They provide you a paper copy as well when you check in. It’s handy to save the itinerary and keep the paper copy in your robe pocket, because I needed to refer to it regularly.

Our official check in/orientation was not until early afternoon, and our first included meal was afternoon tea (seatings start at 3pm). We stopped for a quick lunch at the Ste Anne’s bakery, a separate little building along the road toward the main lodge. This is a good place to stop if you happen to arrive outside your assigned mealtimes, as there are no extra food options on-site.

That first day, I was booked for a hot stone and mud wrap. (They encourage you to, but you don’t really need to check in for your services in advance. When you do check in, the masseuse collects you from the “living room” area.) Outside of that, I was free to spend the time how I liked. My favourite spot was the hydrotherapy pools outdoors, but it was a gorgeous day, and I also went for a short hike around the property. We had our afternoon tea, and later in the evening a staff member showed us to the cottages we had reserved for the night.

We were not in the same cottage (I think the maximum that can be accommodated in one place is 10), but the staff are happy to shuttle you between cottages (in case guests are drinking or just can’t be bothered to find their way in the dark). That evening, we had a private chef prepare our dinner right in our accommodations, and our own server as well. The cottages all have hot tubs, and you can have a relaxing soak even if you’re not in the main inn.

Our rooms happened to be a short gander from the bakery, so before we met for breakfast I made a stop to buy some cookies for the kiddos. My spa treatment for the morning was their signature facial. Aside from my favourite hydrotherapy pools, I checked out their sauna/steam rooms, and spent some time relaxing with my book in their “living room”. We had one last hurrah over lunch to end our spa getaway.

My thoughts on:

–> the experience

I enjoyed it! It’s quite literally impossible not to enjoy yourself at Ste. Anne’s. I have never been to an overnight spa resort, and never one quite so luxurious. It felt very indulgent. This must be the adult version of how a child imagines being a princess is like. A menu full of delectables where you get to pick *whatever you want*, a day of doing whatever makes you feel good with staff waiting on you hand and foot (they do not, literally speaking, but the staff do go to great lengths to make sure you’re well taken care of.)

–> the location

The setting is VERY charming. The original farmhouse and most of the cottages are heritage/rustic. The surrounding fields are beautiful, and the trails even takes you into a patch of gorgeous cedar trees. The main inn is very cozy and intimate. If I was not staying with a group, I would definitely prefer to stay at the main inn for convenience and access to all the facilities. Because the buildings are heritage, the eclectic decor and layout feel more like a European bed and breakfast than a luxurious spa. What I did find weird is the gym is *not* located in the main inn, but in one of the cottages (which happened to be the one some of my coworkers had reserved). If I had booked a private gym session, I would have felt like I was invading someone’s privacy!

–> the treatments

I’m far from an expert on spa treatments, but I really liked the signature facial (I guess that’s why it’s “signature”.) It included a great neck and shoulder massage, and even a foot scrub. I felt I came out more relaxed than when I went in. The wrap treatment involved a full body massage with heated stones, and a warm mud wrap. I didn’t find this as relaxing as I imagined I would (the wrap part was actually a little panic inducing!) I might try another wrap next time as I’ve heard so many good things about them, but I might also just spend that time in the hot tub!

–> the food

The food was almost a little TOO indulgent. To have 4 full meals in a 24 hour window is… a lot. Lunch and dinner are 3-4 course meals. Breakfast and afternoon tea are full spreads. Sometimes the menu items look so good you can’t help but pick more than one (breakfast, I’m looking at you). The drinks are unlimited – and I’m talking about options like vanilla matchas and hot chocolates. By lunch on the second day, many of my coworkers were getting their meal to go, for later.

I love that the food served at Ste. Anne’s is all either harvested on site or locally sourced. And both the savoury and the sweet courses were flavourful and very very good.

–> the schedule

I didn’t love the itinerary. I’m the kind of person who would prefer to go about my day, and wander into the kitchen for a fruit or a snack. To ensure an intimate dining experience, I understand why we have assigned seating times, but I found myself having to keep an eye on the clock all the time.

Even though the itinerary seemed spaced out enough, I found I had some conflicts. For example, on the first day, our tea was booked for 3pm, and my treatment for 3:45pm. For a sit-down, full-service meal, this was not enough time. We barely had beverages before having to leave for the treatment (we got our “tea” to go). On the second day, my treatment ended just in time for lunch, but it meant I wasn’t able to take my time to shower and change. I can’t imagine packing in a few wellness classes and still finding things relaxing!

–> the facilities

Absolutely 10/10. I would have been happy with the hydrotherapy pools alone. The deck is spacious and the pools large, so even with other guests it never felt crowded. I didn’t get the sense I could stay in the water *all* day, like I did in the geothermal baths of Iceland, but I sure did spend a *lot* of time there. I also enjoyed the eucalyptus steam room, and the spacious “living room” with its abundance of comfortable couches. The lemon/cucumber water-filling stations all over the place was just the icing on the cake.

Final verdict

The pampering is nice, but I think the best thing about this type of experience is the ability to disconnect from the stressors around you. It allows you to delight in little luxuries and gleefully indulge in extra fussiness. It forces you to slow down, to spend time actually talking with those you came with, to put down your phone and devices. Even when you return to “the real world”, you feel a little bit different, and see things a little differently.

Even for a spa, Ste. Anne’s is unique, and “extra”, and worth splurging for a treat or a special occasion. Even though I might not be a spa sort of gal, having this type of getaway to look forward to once a year is definitely a bright point on the horizon.