This Luxury Resort in Wisconsin Has a Private 50-acre Lake, Idyllic Cottages, and the Best Grilled-cheese Sandwich I've Ever Had

Travel + Leisure

3 days ago

Along with six standard guest rooms, the resort features 28 cottages, with two designed by Frank Lloyd Wright protégé John Rattenbury.
While there is no spa, guests can book in-room treatments, and some of the cottages feature spa-like amenities, such as soaking tubs, saunas, and steam showers.
Dinner is a nightly wine-paired feast of three courses, and breakfast is delivered to the cabins each morning in a custom, locally made wooden crate.
Canoe Bay grows most of its vegetables, fruits, and herbs in its three-acre on-site organic garden, and sources meats and fish from local farms whenever possible.
The hotel offers complimentary access to canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards on its private lake.
I've lived in Wisconsin long enough (26 years) to know that 'up north' typically doesn't equate to glamorous lodging (think rustic cabins hugging the state's many lakes). There is one exception—Canoe Bay, the state's only Relais & Châteaux property and, arguably, one of the best winter lodges in the country.
I recently visited the resort for the third time, and while at first, the reprieve from the city was jarring, I soon slipped into the rhythm of bird calls and not phone calls (most cell providers don't work up here, but there's Wi-Fi). Even popping into the reception building to pick up the keys is an acoustic balm thanks to its waterfall feature out front.
Canoe Bay's prairie-style homes are a dead ringer for a Frank Lloyd Wright design. Wrapped in honeyed wood, both inside and out, my 1,100-square-foot Treetop house had built-ins everywhere, two stone electric fireplaces, two decks, and a soaking tub I couldn't wait to sink into.
Owner Dan Dobrowolski, a former television meteorologist in Chicago, snapped up the 300-acre estate in the early '90s, opening Canoe Bay in 1993. He hired Wright protégé John Rattenbury to design two of the cottages, and Minneapolis-based architect Kelly Davis executed the rest in Wright's style. Each building overlooks the resort's private 50-acre, spring-fed Lake Wahdoon. In its essence, Canoe Bay is a place where one can unplug and dial it down. The Library.
Sometimes, a hotel is more about its vibe than the amenities. Travelers who like to keep busy might shriek at the thought of a five-star resort without a packed schedule of activities to keep them occupied from dawn till sunset, but that's precisely the point. Guests can stay as active—or inactive—as they want to.
An A-frame building houses an expansive two-story library open 24/7 with books arranged by category—many of them best-selling new titles—and a canopied outdoor patio with lake views. In the three-acre organic garden, cozy benches are tucked among apple trees and beds of herbs, flowers, and vegetables.
'Most guests want to decompress,' says general manager Renee Nyhus, a Colorado native who arrived at Canoe Bay a decade ago. She noted that the resort is a popular destination for girls' weekend getaways, couples wanting to reconnect, and solo creatives like myself seeking quiet time to indulge in their art or craft.
Here is my full review of Canoe Bay in northwest Wisconsin.
Canoe Bay offers a range of accommodations—from guest rooms and suites with fireplaces and private decks to stand-alone cottages and villas. They range in size from 300 square feet to the 2,000-square-foot Edgewood Villa, designed by Rattenbury with two bedrooms, a Finnish-style sauna, and two baths. For each of my three stays, I booked a stand-alone cottage or villa to get the full experience of being tucked into the woods. Dobrowolski worked with Davis to nail the look of the cottages and villas, a mix of Wright's Prairie and Usonian aesthetics. Rich in woodwork and featuring smart storage, there's a lot of natural light throughout all of them.
In Canoe Bay Village, travelers can book cottages with king-size beds, separate living rooms, and screened porches that overlook either Mallard Lake or forested acreage.
Bathrooms are stocked with toiletries by Gilchrist + Soames. My Treetop House with vaulted ceilings and a stone fireplace also featured a two-person deep soaking tub and a steam shower. Mission-style light fixtures, inspired by Wright's designs, are a nice touch that architecture enthusiasts will surely appreciate.
Each morning, I'd whip open my villa's front door to find a crate stocked with a carafe of coffee, two muffins, Greek yogurt, and granola, topped with edible flowers. Guests can also add hot dishes, but since I prefer a light breakfast, this was perfect.
Lunch is delivered in a basket and can be enjoyed anywhere on-site. I chose the deck overlooking the lake at the Rattenbury-designed 2,000-square-foot Edgewood Villa, a rare look at this design jewel that's usually booked. I've had a lot of grilled-cheese sandwiches in my life, and even published a cheese cookbook, but the one I had at Canoe Bay—stuffed with artisan Wisconsin cheese and paired with tomato soup and a glass of buttery Sonoma-Cutrer chardonnay—was incredible.
Canoe Bay's restaurant serves nightly dinner in the Lodge. Each evening, guests are treated to a three-course menu with wine pairings in a dining room with expansive windows overlooking the lake. I'm still swooning over the delicious, warm bread served with maple butter, the pan-seared Norwegian salmon, and the lemon chamomile tart. Both of my dinners at the resort also included a spring salad, culled from the organic garden. Oenophiles may want to book a table in the wine cellar.
Early morning on the lake.
While there's no pool at Canoe Bay, swimming in Lake Wahdoon during the summer months is a popular activity for guests. Stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, and canoes are available at the boathouse and are included in the nightly rate. I don't fish, but Nyhus explained guests often catch panfish and bass here. I've canoed before, but never alone, so an employee accompanied me on the water, which created an enriching experience as I learned more about the area's flora and wildlife.
Activities in the resort are laid-back and booked on an individual basis, whether it's a guided tour of the organic garden or a walk-around with the resident birdwatcher. In each cottage, guests will find a pair of binoculars and a copy of "The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America" to help them identify birds. (Here, common sightings are ospreys, warblers, orioles, eagles, green-backed blue herons, and pewees.) It was raining during my scheduled birdwatching tour, but my guide filled me in on what I'd normally see, with enough detail and enthusiasm to rival a nature documentary. (Fun fact: apparently, birds have regional accents, just like people do.) He even pointed out a nest in my cottage's carport I had been too busy to notice.
Guests who like to venture outside of Canoe Bay can visit Hillcrest Pottery or explore the Chippewa Moraine segment of the Ice Age Trail for hiking and biking, as well as cross-country skiing in the winter. Local outfitters can also arrange fly fishing for trout.
Canoe Bay has no spa, but in-room treatments can be arranged. Last year, the resort added a new fitness center with treadmills, an elliptical trainer, a spin bike, yoga mats, and weights. Aerial view of the garden at the resort.
Canoe Bay has two cottages, recommended for guests with limited mobility. Dream Cottage 24 is ADA-compliant with a zero-threshold entry and shower, as well as doorways with handrails. Dream Cottage 8 is acceptable for most, although not fully ADA compliant. Contact the resort in advance of your stay to make further accommodations—from curbside check-in to in-room delivery of meals, books, movies, and other items. The path connecting the Lodge, reception, Inn, and cottages is paved and wide enough for a vehicle, as well as a motorized scooter and wheelchair.
The resort's sustainability initiatives are all tied to keeping a small footprint. This includes sourcing food from its organic garden and local farms, as well as maintaining the land for current wildlife populations. When building the cabins and cottages, sustainable materials were used to prevent damage to the forest and avoid releasing pollutants or toxins into the environment. Rainwater harvesting and composting are also practiced.
Canoe Bay is located in the town of Chetek along the shores of Lake Chetek (there are six lakes in the area). The nearest city with an airport is Eau Claire (Chippewa Valley Regional Airport), 45 minutes south, serviced by United Airlines through Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Between late January and mid-April, Sun Country Airlines offers a non-stop flight between Fort Myers, Florida, and Eau Claire. Most guests, however, fly to Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport and rent a car for the two-hour drive.
Canoe Bay does not provide chauffeured airport shuttles. Exterior of the Rattenbury Cottage.
Canoe Bay is not part of any loyalty program. However, the resort has special offers and discounts announced on its website.
Nightly rates at Canoe Bay start from $355.
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