During the winter months the town of Collingwood is a very busy place. People come from far and wide to ski the slopes of Blue Mountain, and after a day of skiing there’s nothing more relaxing than a night in one of the resorts that can be found in the area. Recently, my wife and I headed up to Living Water Resort And Spa in Collingwood for a weekend getaway.
The resort itself is close enough to Blue Mountain (less than a ten minute drive), but far enough where you don’t have to deal with the crowds that often flood the village . They bill themselves as a four season resort. During the warmer months, guests can play a few rounds of golf at their 6,600 yard Cranberry Golf Course, or dive into the clear waters of Georgian Bay for some water sports.
Living Water Resort And Spa
Living Water Resort Accommodations
Two properties make up the Living Water “family”. The big sister is the Living Water Resort and Spa, while the smaller hotel is the Living Stone Golf Resort. It was known as Cranberry Resort until it underwent renovations and a name change in 2018.
Living Water Resort And Spa offers two types of rooms: a traditional hotel room, or a fully equipped suite. Luckily we were given a suite for our stay.
Suite
Our suite was big enough for at least four people, but we weren’t complaining! It was clear that the room had recently undergone renovations because of the modern kitchen appliances, flat screen TVs and gas fireplace. The layout of the suite allowed for an easy flow from the kitchen to dining room to living room. The dining room was big enough to easily accommodate a six seat dining table. The living room had a couch, chairs and a lounger. This is perfect for families because of the open concept layout. Parents can be in the kitchen and still interact with the kids wherever they are.
The bedroom was also quite spacious. It was outfitted with a king sized bed, desk, lounger, two night stands and a closet with room to spare.
It’s as if the folks at Living Water set out to make everything bigger than the usual hotel suites . The bathroom was also spacious with a modern toilet, and more than enough towels and toiletries. The only thing I found a bit strange was that there was no tub, only a stand up shower. A shower doesn’t really spell romance, although it was big enough for two.
The suite also included the following:
- Pull-out sofa
- Flat screen TVs in living room, and bedroom
- Full kitchen with appliances
- Chinaware, glassware, and utensils for six people
- Gas fireplace
- Walk-out balcony
- Access to wireless internet
- Stacked washer and dryer
- Walk out balcony
Resort Amenities
The weather during our visit wasn’t the best, but that wasn’t a problem. The resort offers many different things to occupy you. And if none of those appeal to you, you can lounge in front of the gas fireplace in the lobby, instead of staying cooped up in your room.
Gym
We were there to relax, but for the more active guests Living Water has a fully equipped gym, with a variety of weight and cardio machines and overlooks the indoor swimming pool. The resort also offers group classes down in their fitness studio. Depending on the day, you can drop in and participate in a variety of instructor-led classes for yoga, pilates, and zumba. The great thing about these classes is that most are for any age or fitness level.
After breakfast on our first morning we headed down to the pool. We got there just as one of their aqua classes started so we figured we’d join in. I was surprised at just how much of a workout this was. The instructor was full of energy and really got everyone moving in the water. After that intense workout I headed to their outdoor hot tub. I tried to convince my wife to join but she wisely stayed in the indoor pool.
Outdoor Activities
As I mentioned earlier, Living Water Resort is an all season resort, which means it’s one of the few resorts in Ontario that offers year-round outdoor recreational activities. During the summer months, kids stay busy with their own activities at Camp Cranberry. The camp offers things swim times, hiking, or even golf lessons depending on the age of the kids.
Winter time provides more opportunities to explore the Collingwood outdoors with ski and snowshoe rentals from their Recreational Centre. Unfortunately, when we arrived the trails had yet to open, as there wasn’t enough snow. This was disappointing because I brought my ultra-warm longjohns and extra layers for some outdoor fun.
Spa
After all of those physical activities, nothing’s better than a nice, long spa treatment. Living Shore Spa is located in Living Water Resort and is open to both the public and guests. They offer the usual spa services and also cater to the kids, to make the visit a full family experience.
One of the more unique features you’d find at Living Shore Spa is their Aquapath which is Ontario’s only Hydrotherapy System. Yeah, I was scratching my head when I first read it too. This treatment involves using different levels of water pressure and temperature to help with circulation so that the body naturally heals and detoxifies itself.
We didn’t know what to expect when we entered the Aquapath and my only criticism is that I wished there was someone available to properly explain the entire process. When we walked in all we were told is the order of the water stations we needed to experience. The Aquapath treatment involves moving through nine different water stations in a specific order. Some stations were showers, while others were pools where you could relax while water flowed over your head and back providing a nice massage. The glacier shower woke me up with ice cold water and was quite a shock to the system.
Mineral Bath – Photo credit: Living Shore Spa
Dining Options
Collingwood has a number of restaurants but we chose to dine at the ones in the two resorts. Lakeside Seafood And Grill is located in Living Water Resort while Memories is located in the Living Stone Golf Resort.
Memories Restaurant
On our first night we headed over to Memories in the Living Stone Golf Resort. We tried to walk over but gave up and went back for the car once we felt the wind and saw the ice and snow covered sidewalks.
Before I even talk about the food at Memories I have to give a HUGE shout out to the manager, Steve, and his amazing staff. They were incredibly welcoming and friendly. We had the option of choosing from their all-you-can-eat, made to order, pasta bar or from their a-la-carte menu.
The menu offered a variety of choices that ranged from pizzas, to salads, to entrees. The pasta looked and smelled delicious but we decided to order from the a-la-carte menu. My wife went for the pan seared Alaskan Cod and I chose the Genghis Khan lamb shank. We found the cod to be a bit underseasoned and my lamb shank was a little overdone. The flavours on the lamb were delicious though and the hoisin glaze made up a little for the overcooking.
Lakeside Seafood And Grill
Lakeside Seafood And Grill is in Living Water Resort and is Collingwood’s only waterfront restaurant. The menu, while not very big, focuses on fresh seasonal ingredients and includes breakfast, lunch and dinner options. Service, like at Memories, was top notch. The restaurant is a pretty big with space for over 120 guests. There is also a patio which offers additional seating during the warmer months.
I love a good steak so when I spied the 10oz New York Striploin I knew I had to have it. My wife on the other hand chose the Baked BC Halibut but again was very disappointed by a lack of seasoning.
Conclusions
All in all, my wife and I enjoyed our stay at Living Water. The spacious accommodations made for a very comfortable stay, and gave us a great place to unwind further after an already relaxing day, There was always something to entertain or pass the time, and with more time we would have loved to fully experience more of the activities the resort had to offer. I would be very interested in coming back for a summer visit! While the food was slightly underwhelming, the impressive service still made it a pleasant experience. Living Water Resort and Spa made for a great little vacation that I would gladly take again!
