Our plan was simple. My wife came to the marriage with two sons, so it made sense to get married on Mother’s Day. All of the suppliers were booked and hold-the-date invites were sent to our guests. And then the century-old venue we had selected called to say that they had made a booking error, having forgotten about their 120 year tradition of serving a double luncheon for their members on Mother’s Day.
 
That is how my wife and I came to be making the two-and-a-half hour drive from Toronto to Owen Sound to celebrate our first wedding anniversary the weekend before Mother’s Day.

We were on our way (without the kids) to Cobble Beach Resort on the Georgian Bluffs and the drive, straight up highway 10, took us past the controversial wind farms north of Shelburne.  Say what you will about the environmental hazard but at 8:45pm the whooshing blades silhouetted against a blood red sky presented a dramatic picture of mesmerizing beauty.
 
It was another 40 minutes to the main street of Owen Sound, and ten minutes after that we pulled into the car park of the grand Nantucket-styled clubhouse of our resort.
 
Pictures don’t do this place justice.  We stayed in the Stewart Room, one of ten guest rooms in the clubhouse. Its ceiling reached almost 20 feet and a massive half moon windowed looked out on to the award-winning golf course.  My wife and I came here for a romantic weekend together but we would also pamper ourselves.  I would play 36 holes over two days on the exquisite Doug Carrick designed golf course (voted one of the Best New Courses in Canada by Golf Digest) and my wife would enjoy the facility’s first-class spa.
 
I have to admit that we both giggled to ourselves when we were shown our room.  It’s the kind of opulence to which we are not accustomed, but thanks to a friendly and helpful staff there was never any reason to feel like we didn’t belong. This was definitely the kind of luxury we could get used to.
 
The clubhouse also houses the wonderful Sweetwater restaurant.  We ate breakfast, lunch, dinner and another breakfast in the tea room which looked out on to the water as well as the ninth and 18th greens of the golf facility.  I won’t sugar coat it, the food was incredible. My wife and I ordered as much variety as possible so that we could taste as much of the fare as possible.  Everything from the simplest breakfast potato to perfectly grilled venison was savoured.  Of special note though was an exquisite soup we shared at lunch.  The chef used fresh ham and peas in a light broth, with a perfect blend of spices that left us wanting more.  Though we didn’t take advantage of the opportunity, you can take a cooking class in the kitchen as a part of your stay at the resort.

So, apart from the great golf, soothing spa and the scrumptious culinary classes, what else is there to do a Cobble Beach?  There is the beach, the Bruce Caves and the Kemble Women’s Institute Lookout/Parkette that you’ll just have to see for your self.

If you are looking for a little bit of indulgence, I suggest you make the call to book your reservations.