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One of the best bed and breakfasts in Seeley's Bay near Gananoque and Kingston Ontario,
as recommended by Janette Higgins.
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Eastern Ontario including Ottawa
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Rideau Rendezvous Bed and Breakfast
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Alan and Donna Blair
4200 Mangan Blvd
Seeley's Bay, ON
Canada, K0H 2N0
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| Phone: 613 387 3927 |
| A terrific location overlooking the Rideau waterway but close enough to Kingston or Gananoque for dinner. |
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Review by Janette Higgins
author of The Best Places to B&B in Ontario: A Selective Guide
Six editions of the book were published to critical and popular acclaim. Janette now publishes her B&B
reviews and holiday reports online.
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Note 1 to reader: Every Ontario bed and breakfast receives my consideration. I travel incognito, pay where I stay and write reviews of the top 5%. Here is one I recommend. Janette Higgins
What a package. Come to Rideau Rendezvous Bed and Breakfast, just 12 minutes north of Highway 401, and kick back and relax with all of nature at your doorstep. This is Canadian Shield country, a place you can visit year-round and count on an interesting and relaxing getaway. The house, designed by host Alan Blair in 1989, sits atop a rocky, pine-strewn ridge overlooking the scenic Rideau waterway, a recently-declared UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pretty special. Pick your way carefully down the steep steps and you’re on a dock with access to kayaks and canoes.
Those who love to fish will find both large and small mouth bass hereabouts. In fall the colours are glorious, and in winter Alan and wife Donna (she works at the hospital in Kingston and this has been her family's land for generations), can direct you to private cross-country ski trails or a nearby section of the Rideau that freezes over for skating. In spring the land awakens in all its glory but with fewer bugs than further north.
But that’s only the half of it. This bed and breakfast is a good choice for any number of other reasons. In fact, this quiet retreat is but a quick 20 minutes along Hwy 15 to downtown Kingston. Another route takes you to Gananoque in about 15 minutes. You can cruise the Thousand Islands one day and take a day trip to Westport, Perth, Portland, Merrickville or Brockville the next. All are nearby; even Ottawa isn’t that far. It’s about an hour and 30 minutes away.
As for your accommodations the private guest entrance is at ground level. You'll first come into a smallish guest common room with overstuffed leather furniture and a handy set-up at one end with fridge, sink, electric kettle and microwave. There's also a TV in here with DVD player. Then on to the three bedrooms. The first, just around the corner from the common area, is the newest on offer. It's also the smallest but the price reflects that. It has a double bed and ensuite bathroom. The other two are up half a level. Both are big enough to accommodate a queen size bed and a queen size sofa bed without feeling crowded. The bathrooms are en suite and each has a large glass-walled shower. The rooms are decorated in soothing creams and tans and touches of burgundy with a bit of glitz in the decorative bed cushions. Simple but stylish. The Garden View Room faces east into a pretty garden and the Water View Room faces west over the Rideau.
Breakfast next morning will be taken upstairs in Alan and Donna’s dining room which is open to their own kitchen and comfy-casual family living room. Chef Alan offers either continental or full Canadian-style breakfast complete with scrambled eggs, mushrooms, back bacon or sausage and multi-grain toast. On the way up to the dining room I had admired the old farm house door which marks the main outside entrance to the hosts’ quarters. I wondered aloud whether they’d done any other recycling in building the house. Turns out the door was Donna’s idea and that it's the only thing that’s old. I liked the juxtaposition; just as I like the juxtaposition of possibilities here.
Note 2 to reader: I appreciate your support of the continuation of my research by letting the hosts know you read my review of their bed and breakfast on this bbontario website. Many thanks! Janette Higgins, Travel Writer
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Reviews of Janette Higgins'
favourite places beyond Ontario
More of Janette Higgins' reviews
of Ontario's best bed and breakfasts
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Rideau Rendezvous Bed and Breakfast, Seeley's Bay near Gananoque and Kingston, Ontario
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| Tell your hosts Janette Higgins sent you! |
| E-mail: |
Click Here |
| Website: |
http://www.rideaurendezvous.com |
| Best to call: |
10 AM to 10 PM |
| Languages: |
English, some French |
| Season: |
All Year |
| CDN $ Rates: |
S or D $100-125 (no taxes) Discount for longer stays |
Currency converter
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| Cards: |
Cash or cheque only |
| Restrictions: |
enquire about children; no smoking; no guests' pets |
| Facilities: |
3 rooms; 2 with queen beds and and 1 with double; en suite bathrooms with shower stalls only; private guest entrance; small guest-only common area with seating and refreshment area; TV, window AC; wireless access |
| Parking: |
ample |
| Breakfast: |
Full |
| In Residence: |
No pets |
| Location: |
On the Rideau Waterway just off Hwy 15, 20 minutes NE of downtown Kingston and 15 minutes NW of Gananoque and the Thousand Islands. It's about an hour and a half to Ottawa. |
| Directions: |
Take Hwy 401 to Hwy 15 at east edge of Kingston. Drive to Brewers Mills Road. Turn left (west) for few hundred meters. Turn right on Mangan Blvd. Bed and Breakfast is on your left at 6-700 metres. |
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