nationalpost.com WP15NATIONAL POST, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2012 T R A V E L & E S C A P E SFootloose Island Expeditions is offering $400 off per couple on some of its seven-day CostaMaya Explorer trips departingMarch 11 and 25. Nothing says love like sea kayaking and snorkel-ling. Book by Feb. 18. 1-800-667-1630 islandexpeditions.com ❚ Fancy The just-one-year-old Ritz-Carlton Toronto is offering traditional luxury with a chocolate buffet ($32 per person), as well asa Champagne bar featuring 30 different brands (prices vary) — the star of the show is a nine-litreSalmanazar, glasses of which will be paired with oysters. Stay the night from $495. ritzcarlton.com/toronto ❚ Free Book a room at theMirbeau Inn& Spa in New York’s Finger Lakes region andtake the bed homewith you! It’s not exactly “free” though. TheBring theRomanceHomePackagestarts at $4,050— excluding shipping. Offer good until March 12.mirbeau.com ❚Weekend Post

SWEETHEARTDEALSIFYOUWANTTO

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CURT WOODHALL / POSTMEDIA NEWS

If you’re looking for ways to make your nuptials extra-memorable, palm trees are always a good bet.

BY MHAIRRI WOODHALL

My fiancé and I struggled formonths choosing a locationfor our destination wedding.We both wanted an intim-ate beach ceremony with ourfamilies and close friends, butthe complicated legal require-ments in Mexico, and a visionof the Griswalds sunburntand slurping Pina Coladaswhile watching us exchangevows had me panic-struck.After three exhaustingmonthsof debate, which included apossible elopement and myhusband-to-be begging for adecision to bemade, the cloudsparted and we joyfully decidedon Wailea in South Maui, aplace that has perfected the artof marriage and simplified theprocess for Canadian couples.

Researching and securing awedding co-ordinator onlinewas daunting, so we focusedon finding a photographer whocapturedourpersonal style. Wethen asked our fabulous pho-tographer to suggest a planner,florist and other wedding spe-cialists, as we were confidenther recommendations wouldalignwith our tastes. The resultwas a stress-free, picture-per-fect sunset ceremony on thebeach followed by an intim-ate dinner for 25 guests at theWaileaGolf Club.

Here are some activity ideasto get you started:

Sunrise renewal:Champagne breakfastCelebrate with a Champagnebreakfast poolside at theWestinMaui Resort in Ka’anapali onMaui’s west shore. From theseclusion of a private cabanayou can toast to the futurewhile watching the sunrise andenjoying the Westin pool area.westinmaui.comSpa Grande’s romanticinterlude for twoOften touted as one of theworld’s finest, Spa Grande atthe Wailea Grand is a palatialretreat where the art of relaxa-tion and wellness has beenperfected. Treatments andtherapies at this lavish 50,000-square-foot spa blend thetraditions of Ancient Hawaiiwith the Eastern and Westernworlds. The 3½-hour Roman-tic Interlude package startswith an hour in the TermeWailea Hydrotherapy circuit,which has five aromatic spe-cialty baths with Moor mud,tropical enzymes and Hawai-ian botanicals, Romanhot tub,Japanese furo bath, cascadingwaterfall massages, eucalyp-tus steam room and redwoodsauna. A side-by-side Sandal-wood Serenity Wrap followedby Hawaiian Specialty Bathfor two and 50-minute Duo

Massage completes this well-deserved package of indul-gence. grandwailea.comCabana dinner at twilightThe Fairmont Kea Lani inWailea offers a romantic four-course dinner in a privatecabana on the pool deck outsideof Ko restaurant. The twinklinglights from hanging lanternsandsoftglowofcandlelightdan-cing on the table sets the perfectatmosphere for an intimate din-ner. The chef’s incredible menuis inspired by the Hawaiian,Filipino, Portuguese, Koreanand Japanese cultures from

Hawaii’s sugarcane plantationera. fairmont.com/kealaniHoneymoon on Lana’iCelebrating with friends andfamily on Maui’s sunny shoreswas the perfect way to startour married life, but after fivedays of barbecues andmai taiswe needed an escape to Lana’ifor some one-on-one time. Ashort one-hour ferry ride fromLahaina in West Maui, Lana’iis an exclusive romantic andtranquil paradise. Two ofLana’i’s three hotels are spec-tacular Four Seasons Resortproperties with world-class

golf courses; the oceanfrontManele Bay resort in SouthLana’i and The Lodge at Koelein Central Lana’i. OverlookingHulopoe Bay, the Manele Bayresort is the only beachfronthotel on Lana’i. fourseasons.com/koele; fourseasons.com/manelebay

Postmedia News

WEDDINGVIEWSTip: when getting hitched inHawaii, book the photographer first

BY JESSICA LEIGH

JOHNSTON

My significant other and I ar-rived at Langdon Hall latelast year with a simple object-ive. Well, technically two: Getwarm and staywarm.

Living in Toronto, Steve andI are fortunate to be just downthe road from an ideal win-ter getaway spot, the historicLangdon Hall Country HouseHotel and Spa, about an hour’sdrive away in Cambridge, Ont.

I’d visited the Relais & Cha-teaux hotel once years ago,and had been looking for anoccasion to go back. Thisyear I decided the single-digittemperatures would serve asrationale.

Langdon Hall is a romanticdestination — cozy, warm andwooded — but I’m not goingto lie — this was a trip aboutputting a spark in our room’swood-burning fireplace, oneof 57 within the hotel. Bringon the bathrobes!

Approaching the mainhouse feels like being trans-ported to another time. Builtin the late 1800s as a sum-mer home for New York-bornEugene Langdon Wilks, thefront is lined with four classiccolumns, and the grand entrymakes me feel suitably specialaswe approach via the circulardriveway.

This is the effect that MaryBeaton, who owns the prop-erty with her husband, Wil-liam Bennett, is going for.“My hope is [visitors] can ex-pect a warm welcome, and bereceived as very importantguests on our property,” Beatonsays, explaininghowthecouplepurchased the vacant estate 23years ago from developers, at atime when there was concernin the community that thehistoric structure would notfind amodern use. “It has beenrenovated, and it’s come to lifeagain for another go,” she sayswith a laugh.

The hotel, which was re-cently voted No. 1 in Canada(No. 42 in the world) by read-ers of Condé Nast Travelermagazine, now offers 52 guestsuites, including rooms in con-verted stables and cloisters,outfitted in a style that is bothcomfortable and luxurious. Inwarmer months, visitors mayuse the 30-acre property’s out-door pool and tennis courts— and meandering walkingtrails beckon year-round —but for our purposes, the realcharms are to be found inside.

Once settled, I beeline tothe spa for a hot stone mas-sage. The therapist tells methat in addition to significant-ly increasing your core bodytemperature, this treatmentwill relax you, no matter what— apparently the heat’s deepreach triggers a physical re-sponse that circumvents what-ever non-restful thoughts mayfloat through your head. Takethat, stress.

I float out of my massage,into a new array of warm-

ing options. The small, freshchange room contains a whirl-pool, steam room and sauna— the latter shared with themen’s change room, just ahead’s up there.

Relaxed, I am ready forafternoon tea, a.k.a. eatingexperience Part I.

I meet up with Steve, whohad napped, then made themistake of “snacking” on agiant poutine portion whileI’d spa’d. He’s not super hun-gry for tea, which is servedin front of yet another fire-place, awesomely. However,he manages to finish nearlyevery bite of truffled hen’segg salad sandwiches; prawntoast with avocado, andalfajores cookies.

Food is a major part of anystay at Langdon Hall. The ho-tel has the only five-diamonddesignated restaurant inOntario, and thanks to chefJonathan Gushue, each mealis a real experience.

Affable and passionate,Gushue tells me his kitchenis about making the best foodwith the finest ingredients,and bringing care and atten-tion to their preparation.

InSouthernOntario, he says,this means starting not withprotein, but with vegetables inplanningmenus. And Langdonis serious about its produce —the hotel grows approximately30% of its food on-site, with thebulk of the rest sourced fromdiscriminating and innovativelocal producers.

“Each dish has a piece of thegrounds,” Gushue says. It’s trueeven in winter, when optionsare more limited. And this is aman who can work a miraclewith a root veggie, as I learnduring dinner, an epic eight-course tastingmenu.

As someone who doesn’teat meat, I am thrilled withthe vegetarian version of themeal, a divine parade of fla-vours, some of which I amstill thinking about. (If I couldhave packed home some pars-ley root purée in my purse, Iwould have.)

Gushue’s approach is am-bitious as well as inventive— Langdon cycles throughabout 40 menus a year. Andwhile veggies may steal theshow, they are by no meansthe sole performers. WhereSteve had Lake Huron silverbass, I had pumpkin agnolotti;his braised goat was met bymy wild mushroom fricassee,and so on.

With the last of the frozenmousse and Calvados con-sumed a little before mid-night, we waddled giddilyback to our room, where Stevelit a fire while I dozed on thecouch, full and content.❚ Langdon Hall (1 LangdonDr., Cambridge, Ont.) offersnumerous packages, includingones for Valentine’s Day. Call1-800-268-1898 or visit lang-donhall.ca for more informa-tion. Jessica Leigh Johnstonwas a guest of LangdonHall.

Weekend Post

Curl up with a robe, fire and fantastic foodat LangdonHall (loved one optional)

Warm tothe occasion

COURTESY OF LANGDON HALL

A 100-plus-year-old summer home— also good in winter.

For more information onplanning a Maui wedding, visitnationalpost.com/travel

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