Ontario

Beyond Toronto, Ontario unfolds on an enormous scale. The Great Lakes define much of its southern edge, while forests, granite outcrops and thousands of smaller lakes stretch north towards landscapes that can feel genuinely remote. Historic towns, Victorian houses and grand railway-era buildings tell one part of the story, but Ontario also has a rich tradition of cottages and Modernist architecture designed around water and wilderness. Muskoka turned the summer cottage into a distinctly Canadian institution, while Prince Edward County has transformed old farms, barns and motels into a more contemporary rural landscape. Further north, Algonquin and the Canadian Shield provide the elemental combination of rock, pine and water that has shaped both Canadian architecture and art.

Food and drink become increasingly local once you leave the metropolis. Prince Edward County is now one of Canada’s most interesting wine and food destinations, with cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir alongside cideries, breweries, farm restaurants and excellent small producers. Niagara brings the country’s best-known vineyards and icewine, while the Great Lakes supply freshwater fish and Ontario’s farms provide exceptional seasonal produce. Cottage country is less about elaborate dining and more about lakeside lunches, barbecues and drinks on the dock—which, under the right circumstances, is difficult to improve upon.

Ontario’s most interesting hotels outside Toronto range from reinvented roadside motels and historic inns to vineyard stays, lakeside lodges, cabins and architect-designed wilderness retreats. The best replace generic rusticity with a distinctly Canadian approach to materials, landscape and informal living. At DNA Hotels, we curate the places where architecture, food and the outdoors come together—hotels that understand Ontario is often at its best when the road gets quieter, the trees get taller and the lake becomes the most important thing on the itinerary.