December 2019 Arowhon Pines, Algonquin
Greetings from Algonquin!
Hello All!
Last season, we posted our best occupancy in 20 years. 9,500 guests swam, canoed, hiked, dined and relaxed at Arowhon Pines, and another 3,000 came for a meal. Thank you to all our guests, new and returning, and to our 50 staff, 30 of whom returned from 2018, for a stellar Arowhon Pines year!
It is our food and staff that garner the most compliments at Arowhon, but more and more we hear praises about the room/cabin renovations and the subtle improvements around our grounds. We’re grateful to have working with us two lifelong artists, Tim Webb and Dave Campbell, owners of Gypsy Market Mews Design. Their ideas are imaginative, colorful and nostalgic. It all contributes to making Arowhon your “happy place”!
Looking Ahead to 2020:
We’ve begun tackling the delicate job of strengthening the dining room structure. This year we repaired the cribbing under the dining room in order to make the floor less bouncy and more secure. The verandah has new decking, railings and posts. In the future, we’ll be looking to replace the dramatic high windows on the cupula.
Mid-season, Theresa moved into her new Beachhouse cabin by the lake. In it, there’s a gorgeous open kitchen where David will be hosting cooking classes in 2020. More screened porches, more new (old) reclaimed barn board flooring and new décor in more of the rooms and lounges. Both new and renovated staff accommodations are on our to-do list, and there will be a large, new staff swim dock. Christine Luckasavitch’s talks on the history of Indigenous peoples in and around Algonquin were very popular last season. Stay tuned for a list of speakers, including Christine, for this season. We’re the first in Algonquin to offer our guests e-chargers for their electric cars. Thank you for making Arowhon Pines a special part of your lives. Here’s hoping we have the pleasure of welcoming you back in 2020. If you haven’t booked already, please do so soon – those lake view rooms are booking up quickly!
Love Theresa
Lift up your spirits with a song! Lift up your hearts with a smile, Lift up your feet with a dance, It’s family time! -- ZIGGY MARLEY
As you come together for the holidays, keep us in mind for your next celebration.
Family reunions
Family groups can book a private cabin (3, 4, 8 & 12 bedrooms) with a central spacious lounge around a wood burning fireplace. Plan a canoe or hiking trip, swim in the lake, play tennis or arrange a pontoon boat ride of the lakes. We’ll serve appetizers in your cabin before dinner and set your champagne on ice. Eat, drink and be merry in our heritage lakeside log dining room then head to a bonfire under the stars. Enjoy peace and quiet in the wilderness. Weddings
Marriage celebrations continue to be popular at Arowhon. There are times during the season – spring, early July and early September - when you can book Arowhon exclusively for your event. Our couples come from around the world! There are a few weekends left for 2020.
Private Groups
Are you interested in bringing your special group to Arowhon? We host a number of workshops and small business groups – painters, writers, spiritual retreats, girl’s weekends and nature groups (birders, hikers). We can help plan some special Algonquin activities like nature lectures, day and overnight canoe trips, historical talks, starry-night parties and more.
Give us a call. Let me send you some dates and rates for 2020! All the best! Adam
From the Kitchen
Although 2019 was busy in the kitchen, we always make time to try out some new things! We made our own charcuterie. We played a lot with our new digital smoker. We re-introduced a “pate en croute”, a dish that I made at Arowhon in the ‘80s - which just goes to show that if you hang around long enough, things do come back in fashion! A good growing season produced an abundance of vegetables and herbs, so we bottled our own hot sauce and dried paprika, which we’ll use to spice things up on the barbecue next summer. After the season, we all attended the wedding of one of our key chefs, Lawrence Jordan, to Jillian Metcalfe in Sydney, Nova Scotia. It was wonderful to see our team together and all dressed up. Thank you Rene, Jenna and John who chipped in to work dinner service when half of the staff got stranded in Port Aux Basques waiting for good weather to cross on the ferry! Many of us took the opportunity to stay longer and enjoy the Cape Breton scenery, hospitality and food. Congratulations to the new couple!
As for me, I’ve settled back at home in Ottawa and am teaching part-time at Algonquin College. I am very excited to be participating in the Canadian Culinary Championships this year. As “Chef Liaison”, our team will be responsible for all culinary logistics. It will be a great opportunity to see new techniques, meet chefs from all over Canada, experience the fun and stress of competition and expand our culinary community. What we learn is all bound to end up on our menu for 2020! Happy holidays to everyone. As the weather gets colder, I’m already thinking of spring in Algonquin! David Cooke
A Few More Photos from the Season
Happy 13th Birthday, Keeda!
