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With the long weekend upon us, what better time to take a look at some getaway options? As much as we urbanites like to stay in our concrete jungle, it's nice to get away once in awhile. So, when we were offered a tour of Huntsville's Deerhurst Resort, on the heels of its purchase by Skyline International, we jumped at the chance.
Skyline recently announced that, beginning this summer, it will be offering condominium ownership opportunities on the popular resort which was made world-famous after hosting last year's G8 Summit. Skyline International's recent acquisition is part of founder Gil Blutrich's plan to create a new generation of upscale yet affordable resorts in Ontario.
We were given a comprehensive tour of the property, which is approximately 760 acres total. The Huntsville landmark has been a very popular conference centre and a destination vacation spot for city-dwellers like us who are in search of a nature retreat. Up until now the resort has offered nightly hotel stays as well as time-share opportunities, now whole ownership condos are to be put into the mix with units starting from $149,900.
We had the chance to stay in one of the units that is being converted to an ownership condo, in fact the very one that housed the Japanese contingent during G8. There are five buildings that are being converted to condos — 120 units in total. Skyline is spending approximately $35,000 per unit for upgrading and conversion to condos. The interiors are simple, sleek and modern with no frills to get in the way and make for a quickly-dated decor. Many of them feature balconies or access to a backyard patio deck.
All the expected amenities are to be found on the resort, including a newly upgraded spa, fine dining restaurant, casual bistro, pools, golf, hiking, biking, waterskiing, wakeboarding, skiing, tennis, horse-back riding, a small sandy beach for swimming, water activities, we could go on and on. Having sampled the spa treatments and the gourmet restaurant on-site, we'd say that it definitely measures up against any of the high-end spas and restaurants in the city. The Eclipse restaurant prides itself on it's use of fresh and local ingredients and makes for a fabulous dinner among the beauty of Muskoka.
Condo ownership is becoming more and more popular in resort towns like Huntsville, and is a good option for those of us who might not want all the work and upkeep of keeping a cottage. Definitely worth looking into if you're considering getting yourself a country getaway property. A big plus that Deerhurst offers: buyers can put their condos into a rental program to help them cover carrying costs.
Skyline also owns Horseshoe Resort in Barrie and Port McNicoll near Midland. They recently introduced a membership program called Skylife that provides members and their immediate families with unlimited activities such as golf and skiing, discounts on spa services and rooms at various properties around the world.
For more information and to register for the sale, visit www.OwnDeerhurst.com
