Kelledstyle

For those of you who live in Montreal, chances are you have already visited Ottawa more than once. Just a two-hour drive from Montreal, the nation’s capital can be easily reached by car, train or bus. Probably like you, I went to Ottawa a couple of times but not just because of its proximity. In fact, I’m used to playing the role of the city tour guide when I have family or friends visiting me from outside the country.

Back in August, I was planning to spend the Labour Day weekend in a peaceful atmosphere where I can experience new things while relaxing and reinvigorating at the same time. Ottawa was a good match because it was the occasion to explore the city differently compared to when I have a group of family or friends visiting with me. Read on my experience to help you plan your own weekend itinerary to visit the nation’s capital.

For a short stay, I prefer the comfort of a hotel because many services are offered and it allows me to better manage my time. I partnered with the Westin Ottawa, which graciously accommodated me for 2 nights in their spacious and modern Colonel Suite. Ideally located in the heart of the city overlooking the Rideau Canal, the Westin Ottawa is a 4-star signature wellness hotel for travelers.

Upon check-in, I declined the housekeeping service during my stay and selected to have a tree planted by Forestry Ontario after my name. This has been possible thanks to the Make a Green Choice (MAGC) program offered by the Westin Ottawa to their guests. I did not know that my suite will be that spacious but I did my part to keep it clean as you were able to see in my Instagram stories.

From my suite living room, I had breathtaking views of Parliament Hill and the Rideau Canal. Two evenings in a row I was able to admire the sunset while sitting on the comfortable sofa. What I liked the most in my suite was the award-winning Heavenly Bed; I had the feeling to sleep in a cloud.

Let me tell you that it was hard to get up early from this comfy bed but knowing that I will have the gym and the pool just for me was worthy. The hotel’s WestinWorkout Fitness Studio is open 24 hours a day and offers all the regular fitness equipment. The swimming pool and the whirlpool spa open starting 6:30 am so I let you guess at which time I’ve taken this beautiful picture above!

To reinvigorate my body after the exercise, while keeping up with my healthy eating habits, I can count on the Daly’s buffet breakfast which offers a large choice of vegetables and fruits. To make sure I had the best breakfast experience, the chef prepared a special breakfast meal for me made of vegan tofu souvlaki and revisited avocado toast. It was much appreciated; I did not leave a crumb on my plate!

In addition to going to the WestinWorkout Fitness Studio each morning during my stay, I also made a good use of the BikeWestin program to wake up my body. In partnership with BMW, the Westin Ottawa offers bike rentals to their guests for 10$ (7 days a week) to keep them active and energized while they are on the road. All proceeds will benefit the local children’s hospital.

I was so excited to bike and had planned to do the Downtown Garden route (2.5 km) to discover the beauty created when gardens combine with architecture in an urban setting. Due to the slight rain, I revised my itinerary and biked along the Rideau Canal path. Let me tell you that I enjoyed my ride; the bike is light and easy to manage.

There is a ton of cultural activities to experience in Ottawa. I never thought about doing a cruise on the Rideau Canal, but it was actually a unique way to view the city from another perspective. Rideau Canal Cruises invite you to travel back in time aboard an electric boat while discovering the wonderful Rideau Canal, from Dow’s lake to the Ottawa River. There are about 30 sites that have marked the history of the city included during this 1-hour and half tour. The guide I had during the tour told unique anecdotes, which you won’t find on Google, fun guaranteed!

Among the numerous museums in the city, I found relevant to visit the Canadian Museum of Agriculture and Food since food is one of our most pressing concern in life. At the Learning Center, there are two interesting ongoing exhibits. The first one is a temporary exhibition about the native plants of Canada. It is actually a portrait exhibit and there is no information about the usage or the medicinal benefits of the plants. The second exhibition is permanent and brilliantly features the method of food preservation from back in the days until now.

In terms of dining experience, I tried two places during my stay that I would like to recommend. The first one is Play Food & Wine restaurant located on York Street close to the Byward Market entrance. This wine bar proposed small plates to pair with a large selection of wines-by-the-glass. I choose to try Play Food & Wine because the restaurant features a vegan menu in addition to the regular menu.

From the vegan menu, I opted for the tempura broccoli that I paired with a glass of Alentejo Paulo Laureano (Vinhas Velhas, Portugal). Then I went with the seasonal vegan creation, which was a crispy tofu that I paired with a glass of Swartland Secateurs Red (Badenhorst, South Africa). Please note that the broccoli contains hot sauce so it is very spicy. Personally, I enjoyed the food when it is well seasoned and my experience at Play Food & Wine was agreeable.

The second restaurant is Café My House located on Wellington Street W. in the Mechanicsville neighborhood. This vegan restaurant offers brunch and dinner menu. I went for the dinner and choose the 5-course tasting menu at the fixed price of 85$. Each plate was original and finely presented. My favorite was the Summer Garden made of vegetable ash and sesame tart, charred radicchio, summer zucchini, crispy carrot strings, marigold, basil, carrot sourdough crema, pineapple, and basil coulis. One word: d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!

What would be a wellness weekend without a visit to a spa? Located 20 min drive away from the Westin Ottawa, the Chelsea Nordik Spa-Nature is the ultimate spa location in North America. This site is made of 3 area where you can navigate depending on the experience you want: Kaskad (silent section), Börea (whisper section), and Panorama (social section). Overall, the Chelsea Nordik Spa-Nature has 10 baths, 9 saunas, an infinity pool, outdoor and indoor relaxation areas, a restaurant and a café. In addition to massage and body treatments, the Chelsea Nordik Spa-Nature offers two unique treatments: the Källa and the Banyä.

The Källa treatment is a salt-water pool containing 10 tons of Epson salt where you can float as you were at the Dead Sea. Unique in North America, the Källa pool is only the second of its kind in the world. This is an invitation to reach a higher state of relaxation and wellness. Even if I’ve already been to the Dead Sea and tried floating baths before, I started my journey at the spa with 30 minutes in the Källa pool. When paired with the Thermal experience, you have an unlimited access to the Källa pool for 45$.

If this is your first time, there is an audio guide available in the room and you should follow these steps:

• Step 1 – Enter the pool slowly

• Step 2 – Sit then recline gradually, arms on each side of your body

• Step 3 – Relax your neck so your head is floating and your ears are under water

• Step 4 – Once floating, enjoy the experience 🙂

Inspired by a Russian ritual, the Banyä treatment offered from Monday to Friday in the new Banyä sauna lasts one hour. This new sauna has the particularity to balance dry heat and humid steam. Among its many benefits, the Banyä treatment is known to improve blood circulation, eliminate toxins, and boost the immune system. Fifteen minutes before the treatment, I joined the others participants at the meeting point where a staff member welcomed us with a shot of Vodka and gave us more details about the treatment before leading us to the Banyä sauna.

The treatment consists of 4 steps of 5 to 10 min as follows:

• Step 1 – Infusion with birch veniks

• Step 2 – Exfoliation with salts and essential oils prepared on site

• Step 3 – Whipping ritual with birch veniks

• Step 4 – Celebratory Aufguss ritual

The step 1 helps to open the skin pores and step 2 helps to deep clean the skin. Between each step, there was a break during which we exited the Banyä sauna to breath fresh air and to rehydrate the body with infused water, tea, or surprise drinks. The birch venik is a broom made from birch branches infused in hot water. Birch essential oils have many benefits such as anti-inflammatory, slimming and purifying effects.

The step 3 involves striking participants gently and firmly with birch veniks. At any time during the whipping ritual, you can ask to reduce or increase the intensity. After this step, my skin was very relaxed and I was already feeling some others benefits of the Banyä treatment. Then comes the Celebratory Aufguss ritual, which is the hottest part of the treatment. The temperature significantly goes up and you might feel a slight discomfort depending on your tolerance to heat. Right after the Celebratory Aufguss ritual, we plunged into a cold bath, which was well deserved. In the end, my body was deeply relaxed from head to toes and I highly recommend trying this treatment when you will visit the Chelsea Nordik Spa-Nature. You can reserve your seat in advance online; the cost is 50$ when paired with the baths.

For the first time, I experienced Ottawa differently and I realized that the nation’s capital city and its surroundings have way more to offer that I could imagine. If you chose to stay at the Westin Ottawa, the Concierge team can help you make the most of your stay whatever it is for transportation, last minute reservations, or visit itineraries. They know the city very well and will be able to respond to your questions.

If you like this post, feel free to comment or share on social media. You can follow this blog on Facebook, Instagram, and subscribe to our newsletter on the main page for monthly updates and make sure you do not miss my next adventure :-)!