By Barry Ellsworth
WELLINGTON, Ontario
Travel and Leisure magazine has named its 50 must visit spots for 2015 and at or near the top of the list are Fez, Morocco; Istanbul and Chengdu, China.
Of course, these exotic destinations are immediately recognizable. That they are included comes as no surprise.
But at number nine on the list is Canada’s Prince Edward County, and that may surprise some.
Canada has the Rocky Mountains, and one can go on expeditions to see polar bears in the north in Churchill, Manitoba. But the only destination the magazine names in Canada is “The County” as the locals call it.
It does not have the mysterious allure of Morocco -- the magazine suggests taking a trip there now because development is progressing rapidly. Nor does The County feature the magnificent Ottoman domes of Istanbul.
But for those looking to spend time in a beautiful rural setting and just relax, Prince Edward County may be the perfect spot with its world-class sand beach, 40-plus vineyards, gourmet restaurants and artisans.
And for one of the essential places to visit, eat and stay, the magazine recommends the Drake Devonshire Inn set along Lake Ontario in the tiny village of Wellington with a population 1,700.
Jeff Stober, owner of the famous Drake Hotel and Drake One Fifty restaurant, both located in downtown Toronto, traveled through Prince Edward County and was impressed with the artists who reside there and the natural beauty.
“He really loves this area,” said Drake Devonshire innkeeper Chris Loane.
Stober ended up buying what used to be a late 1890s iron foundry along the shore of Lake Ontario. It went through a few incarnations, lastly a private residence before the most recent transformation.
Three years ago, Stober bought it and spent millions building and renovating, Loane said.
“I was on the project from the beginning,” he said.
A magnet for locals and tourists since the doors swung open Sept. 15, although the official opening is not until April, it features 14 unique guest rooms, a games-conference room, charming common room with fireplace and a beautiful bar and restaurant that takes your breath away, looking out onto the lake. A wall of glass windows allows diners to watch the waves crash against the shore just feet from where they dine on creative cuisine.
Chef Matt DeMille has created a gourmet menu featuring locally sourced food.
“Food forward,” he said, meaning the Drake Devonshire considers the menu a prime attraction.
Stover is very much into arts and culture and the work of local artists has been incorporated into the stunning decor.
Prince Edward County is not to be confused with Prince Edward Island. The latter is a province sitting in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nova Scotia.
Prince Edward County is also an island, but surrounded by the Bay of Quinte and Lake Ontario, a rural haven for those who wish to escape the city -- it’s a two-hour drive from Toronto, four hours from Montreal, and has become a vacation and retirement favorite.
Dotted with vineyards and farms, the island is only 405 square miles (1,050 square kilometers) with a population of about 25,000 that swells during the summer to 31,000 and hosts more than 550,000 visitors annually.
The County’s wines are featured at the Drake Devonshire.
Travel and Leisure calls the inn “a high-design spinoff of the edgy Drake Hotel in Toronto’s Queen West.”
The establishment has received rave reviews from Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, and from other magazines and industry publications.
But Wellington offers more to the visitor. It is a charming village dotted with wonderful shops, quaint gingerbread architecture, restaurants and beaches.
A short drive east along the highway that meanders through The County offers views of vineyards and then one arrives at Bloomfield.
“Stroll down Main Street in Bloomfield (pop. 687), with its boutiques and the raved-about ice cream parlor, Slickers,” the magazine advises.
Nearby is the Sandbanks provincial park. It features the world’s largest freshwater bay-mouth sandbar, with 12 miles (20 kilometers) of white sand beach.
Further along takes you to the Glenora Ferry, which crosses the Bay of Quinte to Adolphustown, where the first soldiers who fought for the British in the American War of Independence landed in 1784.
They were given plots of land and along with their families formed the first European settlement in Prince Edward County.
Visitors can walk through the old grave yard, see one of the astonishingly small bateaux boats used to transport the settlers along the St. Lawrence River from Montreal, and take in a museum dedicated to the United Empire Loyalists, as they were called.
In ranking order, here are the top 10 travel destinations for 2015 listed by Travel and Leisure: Fez, Morocco; Catskills, New York state; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; Wasatch Mountains, Utah; Istanbul; Chengdu, China; Milan; Prince Edward County; and Muscat, Oman.
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