GLOBE AND MAIL: Investigating the secret life of a luxury hotel mystery inspector
As soon as I enter my hotel room, before I even unpack, I drop to my knees and check under the bed for dust bunnies. Then I examine the walls and doors for scuff marks and the carpet for signs of debris. Next stop, the bathroom, to scrutinize the toilet seat,...
NATIONAL POST: Inn at Manitou plated for New York
Inn at Manitou plated for New York By Margaret Swaine (National Post September 22, 2007) Last summer one of the guests at Inn at Manitou in northern Ontario ended her stay with a proposition. A recruiter for the James Beard Foundation dinners in New York, she...
OTTAWA CITIZEN: Lovely in London – Idlewyld Inn
Lovely in London - Idlewyld Inn By Margaret Swaine (Ottawa Citizen May 12, 2007) Some inns are a stronger draw than the cities that house them. Such is the case with Idlewyld Inn, an 1878 mansion in London Ontario that has been transformed into 23 unique guest...
OTTAWA CITIZEN: Where Detox Rocks, Hillcrest Inn and Spa
Hillcrest, A Valenova Inn and Spa By Margaret Swaine It was the detox program that first caught my eye. I'm at the age where every bite seems to stick to my frame and every drink whacks my brain. The program promised not weight loss but more internal hormonal...
OTTAWA CITIZEN: Yin & yang: What’s your style in wine country?
The Charles Inn and Shaw Club Hotel - The Antique and The Modern By Margaret Swaine The opening of Shaw Club Hotel in picturesque Niagara-on-the-Lake is the yang to the yin of sister hotel The Charles Inn. Both are owned and operated by hotelier Sue Murray yet are...
OTTAWA CITIZEN: Nearly heaven, Laurentians spa resort close to divine
Stonehaven Relais & Spa By Margaret Swaine Few hotels are exalted enough to be called divine, but Stonehaven Relais & Spa comes close to heaven for a few reasons. Built in the early 1900s as a private residence, it spent most of its life as a monastery for...
OTTAWA CITIZEN: Southernmost Hotel, Key West
The Southernmost House Grand Hotel and Museum By Margaret Swaine South of Miami driving through a 125-mile island chain called the Florida Keys, over 43 bridges - one seven miles long - I finally reached the southernmost tip of the United States. At the end of...
OTTAWA CITIZEN: The Sweetest Taboo
Taboo Resort, Golf and Spa, Gravenhurst: Manhattan Style among the Pines at Taboo Resort by Margaret Swaine Taboo Resort, Golf and Spa has had more face lifts than a Hollywood star in its pursuit of glam in cottage country. With the most recent renovation it's...
