The Wilfrid

Style

Hip, halcyon homestead

Setting

Maple-framed fields

Live like loved-up locals at the Wilfrid, a wholesome 1850s farmhouse spruced into an adults-only B&B by chef and designer dream team Frank and Nancy. Their rural retreat woos with farm-fuelled brunches, wine tastings and hand-in-hand walks through the maple forest. Steamy dates await in the alfresco hot tub and sauna. And fly the love nest and there’s a local-secret beach in reach, as well as Prince Edward County’s pastoral charms to explore. Just be back for aperitifs à deux in the fairylit barn, accompanied by romance-kindling sunsets.

Facilities

Rooms

Three, including one suite.

Checkout

11am. Check-in is at 3pm but flexible, subject to availability.

More Details

Rates include a daily home-cooked brunch, a decadent five-course affair rustled up from local farmers’ produce and featuring flavours from globe-spanning cuisines. A two-night minimum stay is required.

Also

Unfortunately, the Wilfrid is not wheelchair accessible.

Free Internet Access

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Barrel sauna, hot tub, cold plunge pool, electric bikes for hire, vineyard, fire pit, library with a fireplace and Smart TV, and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: Bluetooth speaker, air-conditioning, ceiling fan and organic Telford Basics bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

There’s no bad pick thanks to Nancy’s keen eye for curation, with each bedroom featuring bold original art and hand-sourced antiques. If you’re flocking here with friends, the Two-Bedroom Suite has space for up to four.

Spa

Gazing out over the surrounding fields, the Finnish cedar barrel sauna, cold plunge pool, hot tub and heated changing cabin form an alfresco hydrotherapy circuit. Book your soaking and steaming slot and you’re guaranteed private access, so you’ll only have your date (and perhaps a few deer) for company.

Packing Tips

Anthony Bourdain would make for apt holiday reading – his culture-roaming influence is evident in the brunch menus, and cool Montreal artist (and Wilfrid regular) Stikki Peaches' portrait of him forms the focal point of the library.

Also

The converted barn can double as a yoga pavilion – just ask for the furniture to be moved aside, and you can hone your practice looking out over tree-shaded pastures.

Children

Leave the little Smiths at home – this is adults-only retreat is prime ‘just the two of us’ territory.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Brunch is served at the communal farmhouse table. After that, scout out pretty alfresco spots – afternoon vino calls for a vineyard-facing swing seat; the barn is the place to catch the sunset, and starlit nights are best spent snuggled up by the fire pit

Dress Code

Down-home denim and your favourite flannel shirt.

Hotel Restaurant

There’s no restaurant, but every morning starts around the rustic breakfast table with a five-course, farm-to-table brunch designed to keep you going till dinner. Frank devises each dish daily based on what fresh produce he’s got his hands on, but past pleasures include charred eggplant with ewe’s milk feta, cured pork loin with melon and zucchini, curry-dipped pakoras, and coconut-grapefruit pudding with persimmon purée. You can also order oyster or caviar platters in advance, served late afternoon as a pre-supper treat before popping out to explore Picton’s restaurant scene.

Hotel Bar

Delve into sommelier Frank’s personal wine collection in the Cellar shop, where you’ll also find local craft beers, cocktails and creative soft-drink options.

Last Orders

You can sit down for brunch at 8.30am or 9.30am – it’s a full-blown, hour-and-a-half affair.

Room Service

There's no room service, but coffee and tea, as well as tipples and treats from the Cellar shop, can be brought to in the library from 7.30am until 9pm.

Planes

There are a few hubs within reasonable driving distance – it’s two-and-a-half hours from Toronto Pearson Airport, three hours from Ottawa International Airport and just under four from Montreal Trudeau Airport.

Trains

Via Rail runs direct services from Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal to Belleville Station, under an hour’s drive from the Wilfrid. The hotel can arrange transfers from the station on request. Otherwise, pick up your own wheels from the rental service at the station.

Automobiles

You’ll need a car for navigating the County’s winding rural roads, and there’s free onsite parking at the Wilfrid.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Stroll down to Exultet Estates for a wine tasting – when a winery with a multi-award-winning Chardonnay is your closest neighbor, it would seem rude not to. Hire electric bikes and cycle south to Monarch Point Conservation Reserve, a pebbled beach with swim-friendly waters that’s so under-the-radar you may well have it to yourself. Sandbanks Provincial Park, where giant dunes roll down into beaches lapped by Lake Ontario, is a 20-minute drive away. Or mosey up north to discover the mysterious, myth-steeped Lake on the Mountain. Ask Frank and Nancy to fill you in on the best kayaking and canoeing spots – they can help sort kit rental, too.

The Local Store spotlights the County’s best artists, as well as traditional crafts, antiques and vintage finds. And browse bonny village Bloomfield’s boutiques for more locally made souvenirs.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .