Highlights: Hastings House

•Hastings House is located on Saltspring Island in British Columbia’s Gulf Islands

•Comfortable yet deluxe accommodations in Manor House and private cottages

•Superb restaurant marries Pacific Northwest cuisine and British Columbia wines

•Outstanding folio of outdoor activities and adventures

Amenities: Hastings House

• 18 rooms. Closed Closed mid-November and mid-March. Check-in 3 pm, check-out 11 am. Restaurant.

General Impressions: Hastings House

Casting a distinctly romantic spell for 25 years, Hastings House is a member of Paris-based Relais & Chateaux with an English twist: The inn comes built in the style of an 11th-century Sussex manor house. The rest of the romance belongs to 25 acres of seascapes, gardens, and meadows on Saltspring, the most populated and popular among British Columbia’s southern Gulf Islands.

Yet this is an experience that transcends romance to embrace everyone from families on holiday to executives who want to mix business with pleasure. Getting to Saltspring Island is a delightful mini-cruise via BC Ferries, the ferry service that runs between the costal islands. Once on land, guests can choose from a variety of activities the embrace the outdoors, from golf, tennis, biking, and hiking to beachcombing. The sea offers the exciting possibilities of ocean kayaking, whale-watching, salt-water fishing, and sailing. And not to be missed is the Saturday marketplace in nearby Ganges, from April through October.

The worldwide Relais Chateau designation of Hastings House embodies a marriage of genteel surroundings and exceptional comforts. While the island delivers the calm that is essential to any great escape, the inn’s accommodations provide comfort and character. Stressing informal country pleasures (think of the manse of a wealthy aunt with a sense of fun and fondness for antiques) bedrooms are cozy rather than swank. Accommodations extend from standard guest rooms to two-bedroom, deluxe, and premier suites. Rooms can be booked in the Manor or in five architectural gems ranging from the turn-of-the-20th-century Barn to the three-bedroom Churchill Cottage.

Whatever the day’s activities, the highlight for itinerant foodies is a five-course meal in the Hastings House dining room. Looking out over the sails of Ganges Harbour in a purple dusk, the dining experience is nicely paced with a procession of elegantly plated dishes showcasing fresh local produce.

(+) Hastings House delivers across the board, with incredible five-course meals, comfortable guest accommodations, and plenty to see and do

Guest Services: Hastings House

The Hastings House courtesy extends from a warm welcome at arrival to help with arranging activities, such as chartering a sailboat. A wake-up tray of coffee and muffins arrived promptly at my door both mornings of my stay. Attention to guests’ requests measured up to what I’d seen in other Relais Chateaux properties in France and Britain. If you want a picnic, I was told, it’s a serious pique-nique. If you want an elegant dinner in the privacy of your suit, it’s an elegant experience.

(+) Respect and friendliness are taken for granted here

Guest Rooms: Hastings House

On the small-is-beautiful principle, Hastings House has just 18 rooms and suites in six buildings. The Manor is especially convenient because the 1938 building contains the dining room, kitchen, and library. The Farmhouse dates back to the turn of the 20th century. The Post‑Saltspring Island’s historic Hudson’s Bay Post has been reincarnated as a deluxe two-bedroom cottage, ideal for two couples or a family with children. Its special features are French doors opening to an ocean view, a soaking tub, a wood-burning stove and a queen-size bedroom. Perfect for a larger family is Churchill Cottage, with master, queen, and twin bedrooms and panoramic grounds and harbor views from the deck. The reconstructed Barn contains the hotel’s spa and five individually appointed suites. With sea views, balconies, fireplaces, king-size beds, soaking tubs, and heated tile floors, the Hillside Suites offer the most contemporary luxuries.

Rooms vary from bedrooms with sitting rooms to two-bedroom, deluxe, and premier suites. I stayed in a smallish bed-sitting room, snuggling happily under an eiderdown comforter as the island night turned cool. Bedroom appointments vary but include such accents as skylights, antique pine furniture, chaise lounges, and leaded-glass windows. All come outfitted with fireplaces, country fabrics, antiques, works by local artists, coffeemakers, oversized towels, fluffy terry robes, hair dryers, data ports, complimentary newspapers, alarm clocks, mini-bars, safe deposit boxes, nightly turndown service, and laundry/valet service. Generous American breakfasts are also included in the room rate.

(+) A variety of accommodations take full advantage of sea and garden views

Facilities & Activities: Hastings House

Play at Hastings House is 100 percent about the great outdoors. Saltspring Island, widely regarded as the jewel among British Columbia’s Gulf Islands, provides a naturally gorgeous setting for hikers and bikers. Hastings House offers mountain bikes and helmets for the use of guests free of charge. The hotel can also make arrangements for other activities, from horseback riding to tennis and golf, which are just a few miles away. Or you may want to stay at the hotel for a round of bocce ball.

The island is home to one of Canada’s liveliest arts and crafts communities: A browsing circuit through art studios and craft shops can occupy a full day. Arts and crafts people and island farmers convene for the marketplace at Ganges (a 15-minute walk away from the hotel) on Saturdays from April through October. I spent a morning browsing about, and left with a selection of island cheeses and a handcrafted pottery wine jug.

Ocean choices are as diverse and rewarding. You don’t have to be a seasoned angler--charter a boat, fishing guide, rod, and line for a catch of wild salmon or halibut. Land a salmon in excess of 30 pounds and you’ve caught, in Native parlance, the fabled “tyee.”

Sheltered waters and a sophisticated infrastructure bring into play such options as ocean kayaking, sailing, and whale-watching among the resident Orcas. Gentler souls may prefer to wander the island’s 22 ocean beaches, sandy coves, and tidal pools, where an amazing variety of marine life from sea stars to sand dollars kick-start your sense of wonder. The best vista for island sunsets is Vesuvius Bay.

(+) Versatile island location offers the best of play on land and sea
(-) No pool or spa available

Dining & Lounge: Hastings House

High Tea and pre-dinner cocktails are served daily in the lounge. Plunged in an armchair covered with William Morris fabric, surrounded by veddy English antiques, and staring into an inglenook fireplace crackling away on a chilly afternoon, I was made to feel like royalty.

At dinner, guests can choose between the dining room with its view of Ganges Harbour or the more informal Verandah. Islanders, honeymooners, and well-heeled families appear to agree on food and wine: Hastings House boasts one of the most accomplished kitchens in British Colombia. Longtime Executive Chef Marcel Kauer and his brigade have the great fortune to draw on British Columbia’s Pacific Northwest bounty of impeccably fresh fish and seafood, superlative meats from local Saltspring lamb to northern BC bison, and a vast catalog of increasingly organic vegetables and fruits (the island calls itself the “organic gardening capital of Canada”). Herbs and edible flowers are plucked from the hotel’s gardens. Imports from Quebec foie gras to Italian white truffles complete the pantry.

Chef Kauer’s signature is local salt-meadow lamb, fed on grass spritzed by the sea, the meat succulent and delicious. The Swiss-born chef tells diners he goes through 250 lamb legs a year. His lamb shank, with tender meat cascading from the bone, is much sought-after. The vaunted lamb is also served in a duet of rack and loin, with rosemary-infused polenta and braised red cabbage. You can also opt for the cheese plate, with its centerpiece being Saltspring artisan cheesemaker David Wood’s renowned goat cheese.

The wine list, although international in scope, features a slate of reds and white from B.C.’s Okanagan Valley.

(+) Five-course dinners meet expectations of international gastronomes

Business Services: Hastings House

In the event demands of the 21st century refuse to let you get away from it all, you’re not neglected. Guest rooms come equipped with data ports and high-speed Internet access.

There’s also a business center with fax, photocopier, and Internet terminal, while meeting rooms address the needs of business and corporate groups.

(+) Rooms are wired for high-speed Internet
(-) Lack of full-service business center may not be suitable for all business travelers