The Mountain Next Door

Ski trips to the Alps and Aspen may be out of the question this year thanks to the current climate — and no, we don’t mean the one affected by global warming. Thankfully for southern-Ontario snow bunnies, the solution to your downhill despondency lies just a couple of hours north of Toronto.

With 37 runs, half pipes, night skiing and freestyle terrain, Collingwood’s Blue Mountain offers something for everyone. Though not as grand as the slopes at Whistler or Kicking Horse, Blue’s 10 green circles and nine double-black diamonds provide enough variation to satisfy beginner boarders and expert skiers alike. Besides, the view from the top of the mountain coupled with the chilled-out vibe at The Village at Blue make for an active but relaxing weekend getaway.

Sprawling at the base of the mountain and curved around a millpond, the Westin Trillium House sports old-Ontario style and remains the most striking feature of the village. It’s also the place to stay for style, comfort and romantic, heated swimming pools. The room configurations are ideal for any group size and every room comes with a kitchenette and a pull-out couch, while most have balconies.

A full gym, sauna and the extensive Plunge Aquatic Centre pool facilities complete the Trillium package, but our favourite part is the quiet, smaller, heated pool for adults, just steps away from the gym doors. Hungry? Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill (by Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants, the same company that owns Toronto’s tony Canoe) provides a beautiful room complete with a (literally) fiery bar for hotel guests loath to leave the warmth of their lodgings.

If you want to venture out to the village for sustenance, there are plenty of options. Pass on an après ski (or two) in favour of Royal Majesty Espresso Bar. The melt-in-your-mouth tuna sandwich was good enough for a second try and the raspberry hot chocolate warmed our bones after a snowboarding session. Owner Agnes Bajewicz and partner and chef Sergio Andreas Fiorino are cordial (they remembered their repeat customers on just our second day) and helpful, suggesting a number of tempting lunch and snack options. The decor is almost as irresistible as the desserts behind their glass case. A fresh, flaky “morning roll” thrice rolled in cinnamon and sugar was icing on an already rich cake.

For a more hearty meal, try the Greek and Mediterranean fare at Tholos. Inspired by a restaurant in Crete, the owner modelled Tholos’ dining room after the feeling of an open-air Greek eatery. Faux ruins and an airy space mimic what we can only imagine was a terribly romantic experience.

Our Tholos waiter was friendly but forgetful. After a few service foibles we managed to settle on a lovely Greek red, and ordered our second courses successfully. The main-course moussaka made up for any unintentional errors in service. Layers of eggplant, ground beef and potatoes, topped with divine kefalotiri (sheep’s milk cheese made in Greece), were perfectly drizzled in béchamel sauce. Not even the most stuffed stomachs could resist warm, gooey baklava and surprising lemon tart with shortbread-like crust — both delicious.

For a combined resto-lounge atmosphere with a little more buzz, try Twist Martini & Tapas Lounge. Don’t be thrown off by the kitschy martini-bar theme. This restaurant takes its sharing plates seriously. Two generous bowls of chorizo with Dijon mustard for dunking proved that quantity and quality are not mutually exclusive. Five-spice, rubbed pork tenderloin was cooked and seasoned to perfection. The warm, oozing panko-coated balls of goat cheese with thin, seasoned crustini were a perfect precursor to a trio of mini Angus burgers with mushroom, cheddar and garlic aioli.

The wine list is long (and mostly overpriced), but a reasonably priced, effortless-to-drink Italian Chianti served as the perfect complement to our savoury fare. And yes, the martini directory is as inventive as it is long.

When our post-boarding, achy muscles deserved a break and our food needed time to digest, we unwound at Le Scandinave Spa, just a short car trip from the village. The wilderness setting — tall, un-branched trees in the fading late-winter light — and rustic, red-roofed buildings provided a gorgeous backdrop to the Scandinavian baths: a rotation of hot waters, frigid dips and relaxing steam rooms and saunas. The spa recommends completing the rotation three or four times and following it up with a massage for maximum benefit – but we may have skipped the freezing cold plunges once or twice (we got enough chilly air and snow on the mountain), and still had no trouble sleeping at night. •