Devonshire Inn, Wellington, Prince Edward County, Ontario

Devonshire Inn library, Wellington, Ontario Photo © Christine Collie

The Devonshire Inn on the Lake is, as you'd expect, on lake-front property. In summer the Devonshire's restaurant opens up onto a broad terrace just a few feet from the Lake Ontario and a small rippling creek that flows through the two acre property.

The building itself has an eccentric history: it began life in the 1870's as the Wellington Foundry, but was later converted into a private residence embellished inside and out in the Victorian style. Later still, it became a tourist lodge, and then a nursing home.

The Devonshire Inn's current owners, Kathy Kennedy and David Littman, escaped their respective high-pressure Toronto careers about a decade ago and began a sensitive restoration of the building, which is now virtually complete. There are several well-appointed guest lounge areas and three cozy fireplaces. Our favorite feature was the library, with its comfortable wing chairs and sofa, the bookcases stuffed with an eclectic collection of volumes on everything from feminism to English literature to archery and wine-growing. We spend a pleasant hour browsing.

Devonshire Inn Sandbanks Suite, Wellington, Ontario Photo © Christine Collie

We stayed in the Sandbanks Suite which takes up the entire the third floor of the house with two rooms with a bath. One bedroom has a queen bed, the second has 2 extra long twins which can be converted to a king. The bath has a separate shower and tub, and a terrific view of the lake. Skylights in both bedrooms mean you can hear the waves at night and see the stars.

All rooms are air-conditioned and have guest controlled heat, all rooms have tri-lights on both sides of the bed, alarm clock radios, hair-dryers, and night lights in the bathroom. Beds are equipped with both hypo-allergenic down and synthetic pillows, all cotton sheets, and down comforters. (Synthetic comforters available on request). Rates start at $135.Cdn per night double occupancy.

Given the size of the establishment, we were not expecting miracles from the kitchen, but we were very pleasantly surprised by our dinner at a table overlooking the leaf-strewn terrace and the autumn-gray lake. The menu is predictable but the produce is fresh and locally-sourced and meals are exceptionally well-prepared and presented. This is what visitors to, say, France or Italy learn to expect of such small hostelries, but until very recently this level of quality was virtually unknown in Ontario outside the larger towns and cities.