PATRICK MULLIN
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail Last updated on Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2009 10:19AM EDT
Weekend chill-out
Lac St. Joseph, Que.
The only ice Canadians used to want on a winter vacation were cubes floating in a beach cocktail. Over the past few years, however, Quebec's Ice Hotel has slowly thawed our relations with Old Man Winter. To attract Toronto visitors already in the area for a ski holiday, the hotel, pictured above, is offering a special rate for Sunday and Monday stays this year. The package includes a one-night sleepover in a chilled -5 C room (with a Hudson's Bay blanket to keep warm), drinks at the ice bar, access to a hot tub under the stars and a night at the Station Touristique Duchesnay, a nearby resort.
Cost: $299 (double occupancy).
When: Sundays and Mondays until April.
Where: Lac St. Joseph, Que., about seven hours' drive from Toronto.
How: For more information, call 877-505-0423 or visit http://www.icehotel-canada.com.
Shamanism 101
Algonquin Park, Ont.
Suffering from a case of the spiritual blahs? This weekend kicks off the first of three shamanism getaways at the Northern Edge Algonquin retreat centre. Hosted by Martha Lucier, who has practised this belief system for 10 years, the three-day program teaches participants how to apply core shamanism to daily life -- and gives them the chance to bang on a drum. Accommodations are in forest cabins or dorms run on solar panels on a first-come, first-served basis.
Cost: $397 a person all-inclusive.
When: Feb. 24-26, May 26-28 and Sept. 15-17.
Where: South River, located in northeastern Algonquin Park. About a three-hour drive from Toronto.
How: For more information, call 1-800-953-3343 or visit http://www.algonquinretreat.com.
Rustic retreat
Temagami, Ont.
Not even a fully charged BlackBerry can drag the backwoods cabins at Smoothwater Outfitters & Ecolodge into the 21st century. Those who book a weekend here will be warmed by a wood stove and quenched by water drilled from holes in nearby ice. They can cross-country ski and snowshoe on snowmobile-free trails and perhaps even hear the sound of wolves in the old-growth forest. Guests bring their own food and sleeping bags -- Smoothwater provides a hot drink and sauna before they head home. Custom trips and train travel can also be arranged.
Cost: Accommodations are $30 a person per night. Trail fees are $10. Ski and snowshoe rentals cost $15 to $25 a day.
When: Throughout the winter.
Where: Temagami, about five hours by car from Toronto.
How: For more information, call 705-569-3539 or visit http://www.smoothwater.com. weekends@globeandmail.com
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