Nov 25, 2010


Photo: Co-owner Linda Tremblay at the grand opening of Nomad's Rest

It was a dream eight years in the making and on November 14 glass artists Linda Tremblay and David Daszkiewicz welcomed the public to their new business on Hwy 7 near Mountain Grove, Nomad's Rest, an eclectic B&B like no other.

Geared to travelers looking for a memorable getaway, Nomad's Rest offers unique accommodations to travelers that are big on the senses and easy on the pocket book ($75 for singles, $88 for doubles). Each stay includes a special breakfast that Linda is currently in the process of designing and which she says will be something “very special”.

Guests toured the accommodations, which include a common living/dining area complete with a fireplace and comfy couches and multiple café-style chairs and tables. Three separate guest suites, each equipped with their own private washroom and balcony overlooking a pond, offer expansive natural vistas, one of which includes a rose garden where Linda says a large buck with huge antlers will often appear in the early morning hours to feast on the roses she grows there, something she says she doesn't mind at all and plans to encourage.

The couple has spent countless time and energy hours getting every detail just right. Every room is decorated differently to create a special mood and so named: Rose & Daisies, the Taiga Room and Oranges & Spices each demonstrate Linda's goal to “design the place like a theatre where at every opportunity a guest’s senses are engaged in an exciting new way.”

The ceilings in the bedrooms are peaked and slanted in the style of old Quebecois cottages with which Linda grew up. The doors are hand-carved doors from Bali, and stained glass panels designed by the couple adorn the main foyer. Throughout are softly-textured parged walls painted in bright pinks, oranges and soft blues and on the beds lie sumptuous fabrics that Linda assures me “feel and sound as enticing as they look”. Hand-painted poems and pictures adorn the bedroom walls in an effort to transport guests to a different kind of world. In the long common hallway are hung colourful works of art by local Arden artists, which demonstrate the couple’s desire to promote local talent and the arts.

In the spirit of exciting the senses, the grand opening included free homemade desserts à la Linda, chocolate marquis cake with raspberry sauce and a lemon and raspberry torte along with coffee, hot chocolate and cappuccino.

Outside on a small stage, local opera singer Colleen Kendall was accompanied by Rebecca Van Drunken and offered up a number of songs from her romantic repertoire as visitors toured the three ponds, gardens and trails that surround of the 177 acre property.

Linda hopes to attract nomads of all sorts: couples, families, single folk and students. “I want people to come to escape and my aim is that once they have stayed they will want to come back.”

The couple is planning an array of other special events in the near future: a Parisian cafe theme on June 5 and a Celtic-themed musical evening that they are scheduling for Sept 10 that will include an outdoor concert in the moonlight.

For anyone on the lookout for a fresh and friendly B&B experience that is sure to engage all of the senses, Nomad's Rest should be a definite consideration. It will be open for business December 17 (at latest), just so Linda can “put on the final finishing touches”. Prospective customers can visit www.nomadsrestcottage.com or call Linda or David at 613-335-4174 for more details.

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