Highlights: Canoe Bay

•Tucked away on a 280-acre country estate in Wisconsin’s scenic North Woods, Canoe Bay is an oasis of beauty and serenity

•Staff consistently anticipates guests’ needs while preserving a quiet, private haven

•Guest rooms and cottages are decorated with light wood, limestone gas fireplaces, and a two-person whirlpool to create an upscale cabin atmosphere

•Chef uses seasonal ingredients to serve fresh daily, prix-fixe menus in a candlelit, intimate setting

•Library, featuring an impressive collection of hardcover books, serves as a retreat for quiet reading or afternoon tea

•Three private lakes and numerous hiking trails located on the grounds

Amenities: Canoe Bay

• 19 rooms. No children allowed. Complimentary full breakfast. Check-in 3pm, check-out 11am. Restaurant. Fitness room.

General Impressions: Canoe Bay

Hidden away in a slice of northwestern Wisconsin’s rustic woods, Canoe Bay offers the perfect location for couples looking to escape for a romantic weekend or a re-energizing retreat. The 280-acre estate is dotted with secluded cottages tucked among towering pine and hardwood stands, meandering trails, and three private, spring-fed lakes. No phones or Internet access are provided in the rooms, so guests can truly relax and rejuvenate.

The main lodge has six rooms, and 12 individual cottages are scattered around Lake Wahdoon for ultimate seclusion. Canoe Bay’s Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired Prairie-style cedar cottages and buildings feature simple, clean lines. And two of the three stand-alone cottages were designed by Wright protégé John Rattenbury. But don’t let their simplicity fool you. Each cottage is equipped with romance in mind, with such amenities as king-size beds topped with a featherbed and down pillows, limestone fireplaces, floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the lake, and a two-person whirlpool on each private deck.

Food and dining is a highlight at Canoe Bay. A continental breakfast delivered to your room is included in each night’s stay. And while no formal lunch setting is available, you can still order lunch through room service or opt for a cheese plate. Guests can look forward to a prix-fixe dinner offered six nights a week in the romantic dining room overlooking the lake, which only contains candlelit tables for two. The menu changes daily, but always emphasizes fresh, local ingredients enhanced by the resort’s 700-plus-bottle wine list. Wine aficionados may elect to dine in the Wine Cellar, surrounded by hundreds of bottles of wine.

Children aren’t allowed on the grounds, and while solo adults are welcome, the resort is really geared toward couples, which is evident from the guest room amenities to the dining room setup. This resort offers a small meeting area that can accommodate up to 14 people, but this property has Internet access limited to the lodge lobby, no business center, and no work desks in the rooms.

While swimming, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing are available on the grounds, the owners encourage relaxation, and serenity for their guests.

(+) Exclusive resort with limitless amenities geared toward romantic travelers
(-) Children not allowed, and limited amenities for business travelers, although these could be a pluses for some travelers

Guest Services: Canoe Bay

Canoe Bay staff knows how to tend to guests’ needs without intruding on their privacy. When guests arrive, they can request the amount of cleaning service they would like housekeeping to provide each day, including whether they want daily refills of ice left in their room or cottage. Beverage service is offered continuously in the mornings and afternoons in the main lodge’s library area, so guests can come at their leisure without being disturbed. Phones and Internet access are limited to the hotel lodge’s main lobby so guests can use them if they need to, then go back and relish the privacy of their rooms.

During my visit, the reservation process was very thorough, and the staff welcomed me in a warm and friendly manner, like I was an old friend returning. Communications were handled perfectly; my pre-arrival message was discreetly and accurately delivered in a sealed envelope when I checked in, and the front desk agent made a point of noting the message wasn’t urgent. Staff escorted me to my room and provided a helpful room orientation.

Staff was always courteous and respectful of my privacy, while trying to anticipate my needs. When I requested a cheese tray delivered to my room upon arrival, I was asked whether I’d like a bottle of wine as well, or a card included inside. The only slight hiccup involved laundry service failing to ask when I needed my shirt back, which would have been inconvenient if it wasn’t returned before the dinner hour.

Upon departure, I was given a bag of freshly baked cookies and the staff wished me a safe drive home.

(+) Friendly, helpful service ensures a hassle-free stay
(-) Laundry service was adequate, but should be sure to ask when items need to be returned

Guest Rooms: Canoe Bay

Canoe Bay offers six guest rooms in the main lodge building, and 12 individual cottages spread around Lake Wahdoon. The final cottage – the Edgewood Guest House – is the most luxurious place to stay with its 3,500 square feet filled with luxurious amenities, including a wraparound deck, high ceilings, gas fireplaces, and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the lake.

All rooms and cottages feature king-size beds (three of the cottages offer a bed six square feet larger than a king), a limestone-faced fireplace, two-person whirlpool, private deck, DVD and CD player, and mini-refrigerator. No candles are allowed in the rooms, which are made mainly with wood.

All of the rooms at the resort are crafted from light cedar with clean, mission-styled lines inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. In addition, John Rattenbury, a Wright protégé and Taliesin architect, designed the two most luxurious cottages.

The natural-tone colors of the cottage I stayed in evoked an earthy feeling with understated luxury. Upon entering, I noticed the innkeepers had thoughtfully left a large bottle of water, fresh fruit, and trail mix on a tray, along with a vase of fresh roses. The comfy sofa and chair in the living area looked inviting, as did the large Jacuzzi tub, placed under a picture window looking out into the woods.

My sleeping area contained a very comfortable bed topped with a lush featherbed and down pillows. In the bathroom, Egyptian cotton bath towels were set out, while bathroom amenities were thoughtfully placed on a glass tray with silver trim. This place is all about privacy and relaxation, which is certainly evident in the design and furnishings of the guest rooms.

(+) Prairie-style rooms are luxurious and very well maintained, despite their rustic, but charming, setting

Facilities & Activities: Canoe Bay

Canoe Bay offers a variety of outdoor activities ranging from hiking and swimming to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. There’s a 24-hour fitness center in the main lodge, but it’s small and missing many of the amenities you’d typically find in a resort of this quality. But since guests come here to relax, that’s probably not a huge negative. In fact, many guests like to spend hours in the resort’s Great Room/Library, which has an extensive collection of hardcover books and magazines with overstuffed leather chairs for hours of undisturbed reading, with an occasional spot of tea.

Guests can take advantage of one hour massages, but they need to be scheduled and must be done in the guest rooms or cottages.

If you don’t mind a drive, you can find a few interesting gift and antique shops in the nearby town of Chetek. And the local potter who custom-makes many of the tableware items used at Canoe Bay has a workshop and gallery less than an hour from the resort.

(+) Many outdoor activities available for those who enjoy nature

Dining & Lounge: Canoe Bay

Guests can look forward to a candlelit table for two in the Dining Room each night except for Tuesdays. Couples are expected to wear formal attire, with men sporting jackets and no jeans. A chef’s prix-fixe dinner emphasizes fresh, local ingredients, and an impressive wine list more than 700 bottles long. The sommelier visits individually with guests to help find the perfect wine pairing for dinner. Champagne and beer are also available, but there is no hard liquor on the premises. Guests are guaranteed a table every night of their stay, although dinner reservations for the night of your arrival are needed in advance.

Wine aficionados should reserve one night’s dinner at the special table in the Wine Cellar, where you can dine surrounded by the 700-plus selections offered at Canoe Bay while the staff caters to your every need. The dinner includes a sparkling wine aperitif, an additional food course during the meal, and a glass of dessert wine.

Continental breakfast of fresh-baked goods, prepared seasonal fruits, and your choice of beverages are delivered each morning to your room. No formal lunch setting is available, but you can order it through room service, or request a crudités and cheese plate or plain cheese plate anytime.

Since Canoe Bay strives to create a private, no-interruptions atmosphere for guests, the room service breakfast is another special touch. The food is very good and served hot, which is impressive given the delivery factor. But since my room didn’t have a regular table, I had to eat on the coffee table.

(+) Dinners are intimate, romantic affairs with wonderfully prepared food and an impressive wine list
(-) Alcoholic beverages are limited to wines, champagne and beer -- no liquor is served

Business Services: Canoe Bay

With its emphasis on relaxation, romance, and peacefulness, Canoe Bay is not set up to tend to the various needs of business travelers. Its one outreach to the business community is its new Lookout facility, which owners are marketing as an ideal location for small (up to 14 people) corporate meetings. Beyond this point, not much else is tailored to pamper business travelers. Rooms don’t have work desks or phones, much less Internet access, and there is no business center.

Depending on your provider, cell phone service is also sketchy, and the resort is far from major cities, airports, and major highways. Internet and telephones are limited and allowed only in the hotel’s main lodge.

(+) Lookout facility good for corporate retreats or meetings for up to 14 people
(-) Limited amenities for business travelers