A getaway experiencing country luxury at the Briars Resort & Spa

Don’t you just deserve a getaway from the big city and the stresses of everyday life? A treat, a pampering, a chance to relax and regroup.

The Briars Resort and Spa sits on the southern shores of Lake Simcoe, just an hours drive north of Toronto, Ontario. Originally the Sibbald family estate (with Victorian era roots from the 1840’s), the experience that greets you truly is like a luxurious country inn with large resort amenities. Elements of the century old charm are mixed with today’s luxuries to give you every opportunity to relax.

What makes the Briars Resort & Spa perfect for your next great “country luxury” getaway:

• You are from the city, right ~ a little time in the fresh country air helps
• You have a stressful job ~ a few pampering spa treatments will definitely assist the process
• You don’t want to cook ~ three delicious meals a day provided by on-site chefs solves that (and they are amazing!)
• You need some fresh air ~ a walk on a country trail or sitting lakeside and listening to the waves will be divine.
• Want to just sit and read ~ inside, outside, or in their turret will work
• Don’t want to just sit and read ~ there is lots to do on the property like golf, water sports, indoor games room, did we say the spa?

What is “country luxury” at the Briars Resort?

Driving to the resort with a drive through the green belt of Ontario’s woodlands, lakes and rivers begins the countrifying process. Arriving at the century plus property with the old manor house, octagonal peacock house and the feel of a welcoming country inn pique your interest. Passing the turreted spa as you walk to the doors of the resort, you’re surrounded by woodlands, birds flitting about and maybe the yell of “fore” from their championship Scottish woodlands golf course. Entering the reception building you begin to get a feel for the history within the buildings for the 170-year-old Manor House and Coach House as it’s incorporated into the resorts design. And the rooms, oh my! If you booked in the historic manor house, it really is a step back in time to the warmth of an estate’s hospitality. Alternately, the Leacock Wing and the Bourchier Wing offer that country flavor into the newer resort rooms. Have I teased you enough?  

Getaway with the girls to the Briars for a weekend to reconnect

For a girls getaway, everything above applies for the amenities, the country luxury feel and the ingredients to make a relaxing weekend, but if there’s more than a few of you kibbitzing I’d recommend you consider one of their Lakeside Guest Rooms for a little larger space and a space of your own to share that time together.

For a girls weekend, we recommend booking spa appointments (consider the Escape on the Lake or the Royal Packages) and a walk through the nature trails to breathe deep some of that fresh air during the day, a 6pm dinner in their Garden Court Dining room, then back to your Lakeside guest room with a bottle of wine (or more) to spend that girls time together.

I think the mix of the spa, the fresh air and the girls-time will reground you til your next getaway together.

Getaway to the Briars for a romantic weekend

As a romantic getaway destination, the Briars ambiance and amenities will nudge you into a weekend of chatting, connecting and relaxing. Both it’s country and luxury, when mixed with great food and time spent together, will add that nudge to encourage that spark of togetherness.

For your romantic getaway weekend, we recommend some outside activities after your scrumptious breakfast. A bike ride on the Briars bikes, a walk in the woods (or maybe a round of championship golf) or just grabbing an Adirondack lakeside, drinks and a late lunch at the Drinkwaters Lounge, late day spa appointments (the Escape on the Lake would relaxedly fit the bill), dressing up for a late 8pm dinner in the Coach House Dining Room (with some dancing afterwards) before returning to your room for a great nights sleep.

The only drawback is that you’ll wish you had planned an extra day into the getaway to unchink another level or two!

The Briars Spa

Remember that turreted tower structure you passed on your way in? That’s the spa entrance, pretty cool! Recently renovated just over a year ago, the Briars full-service Spa offers a wide selection of spa services to pamper you. Manicures, pedicures, facials, body treatments and other holistic therapies are available with experienced staff to work out those kinks. And their front desk staff greeting you are very friendly and helpful in getting you oriented to the spa’s facilities.

We sampled the Escape on the Lake package with pedicures, facials and a full massage treatment for each of us. I opted for the Youth Intervention Facial and the Relaxing Massage, my husband the Skin Escape for Men and he chose the Reflexology Massage. Let me tell you that after those wonderful treatments and the fresh air from an earlier walk on their nature trail along the golf course, we were very relaxed and felt extra-connected.

For a luxury country getaway, so close yet so country, the Sibbald Estate delivers a great mix of all the necessary elements you would want to relax and re-connect. With everything you need right on the resort - your meals, your activities, your unwinding at the spa – your only job is to seize the opportunity for yourself. Choose the when and the how that fits your groove and mix with plenty of fresh country air!

Check out the Briars Resort and Spa online, the Briar Resort reviews on TripAdvisor, their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds and find more on The Briars Getaway Packages here. We always recommend you book early to reserve your next Briars Resort and Spa getaway.

Disclosure: Our stay was sponsored by the Briars Resort and Spa, but all opinions are our own.

Have you visited the Briars Resort and Spa for a relaxing weekend? What was your favorite element of the getaway? Drop a comment below and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.