By Alison McGill
I did a ton of summer road trips as a kid, so they have a special place in my heart. Nobody in my family liked to fly, which meant we often hit the road. There was always a final destination—Vermont, Walt Disney World, Prince Edward Island being a few favourite places—but much to my Type A personality’s dismay, my parents were not hyper-detailed planners which meant the road trip routing and stops along the way were spontaneous. The drive was not a means to reaching our destination, but rather a main character of our family vacations.
It wasn’t until I was well into adulting, and my husband and I took a road trip to Lake Placid that I fully realized what my parents loved so much about a driving-centric vacation. There’s something liberating about getting in the car and just going. A change of scenery means leaving life stresses behind, experiencing something new, and being in the moment. There’s no tangle of airport lines, worry of flight delays or cancellations. With a road trip, you can also choose your own adventure, leaving when you want and easily altering your travel plans along the way.
These are just a few of the reasons why a road trip is the perfect prescription for a mindset reset. It takes you out of your routine, forces you to be present, and with that comes a calmness that’s unique to this type of getaway. Another thing about a road trip that I love is you often don’t have to drive hours away from home to have a perfect escape.
I recently did just this on Sunday in July, taking a scenic spin to the charming Ontario town of Stratford for a little road trip adventure and staycation. The drive itself was just under 90-minutes from home and brimming with bucolic scenes of rolling farmland and big blue horizons. Stratford is darling (and birthplace Biebs) and it’s one of my favourite places to in the summer, catch a play at the world-renowned Stratford Festival, and just have a wander about. On this visit, show time was not on my agenda, but checking into a gem of a boutique hotel was.
The Bruce Hotel is Stratford’s best kept secret. It’s the only CAA/AAA Five Diamond boutique hotel in Canada and it delivers a luxury experience in spades. The hotel was designed with love by owner Jennifer Birmingham and opened in 2014. Pulling up to the property you drive through a set of gates flanked by two stately lion statues which sets the stage for the majesty you will experience at The Bruce Hotel. Set on six acres of meticulously maintained property brimming with lush perennial gardens and herbaceous borders, The Bruce’s stately exterior is a gateway to an equally grand interior. The vibe is old world elegance meets comfortable modernity.
Fittingly, the influence of The Bard himself is a star of the interior décor here. The lobby features an artful map of the world created by local artists Brian and Karen Romero; the inspiration for it was taken from a map printed in 1564 which is the year Shakespeare was born. Around the property there are volumes of books focused on everything Shakespearean, and there’s also a collection of stage costumes from the annual fest displayed throughout the hotel.
There are just 21 rooms at The Bruce Hotel which gives it not just an air of coziness but a warm, residential feel. This is a spot that feels like home. Rooms are large and luxurious (and named after Shakespearean characters of course), and if you want even more space there are also four suites too. The walls of my guestroom were painted a dusty English rose shade; the king-size bed was pillowy perfection; the bathroom positively spa like with a massive walk-in shower and soaker tub. My guestroom also had the most exquisite antique chandelier complimented by a sprinkling of other stately vintage furnishings. Owner Birmingham picked up many of these pieces from the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto before it moved to its current location.
I had beautiful view of the front of the property which I enjoyed on my Juliette balcony, the perfect spot to enjoy afternoon tea and cookies. Hot Tip: Every guestroom at The Bruce Hotel has a button on the phone to reach a cookie hotline which delivers baked fresh treats 24/7 direct to your door in minutes—BRILLIANT!
In addition to the incredible property and top tier service at The Bruce, another reason to make the road trip is for the incredible food. The cookies are just the beginning of the delicious in-house delights. Executive Chef Jacob Leblanc is focused on bringing a taste of local flavours to The Bruce Restaurant menus. His food is not only inventive but artful—every dish I enjoyed from shakshuka baked eggs for breakfast, to poached Halibut for dinner, and strawberry shortcake for dessert, was superbly presented.
My road trip and stay The Bruce Hotel was a delightful distraction, and once again proved to me the merits of stepping out from the usual, getting in the car, and feeling an easiness, excitement and freedom that only a road trip can deliver. My parents were on to this decades ago, and in a nod to nostalgia, I’m glad I’m now enjoying the spirit of the open road as we did back then. I returned home with a refreshed mindset and motivation to plan my next road trip getaway.
