One of the best parts of going on a surf holiday is returning to your villa after a morning session, putting your board down, and stepping into an outdoor shower. While you take in the view, the hot water relaxes your aching muscles and washes the saltwater from your skin. You’re soon ready for that morning coffee. You earned it.
I had an experience like that this past weekend in Sauble Beach. While I didn’t get out on my board for a lake surf, I did take a morning dip, and the outdoor shower at the Sauble Surf Haus was giving me serious Nosaro vibes.
I had gotten up a little earlier than my wife and daughter, and snuck out to Luscious Bakery to pick up some things for breakfast and drove along Lakeshore on the way back. The waves were rolling in slowly, too small to catch a surf of any kind. That’s when I had my morning dip idea and took a quick cold plunge in Lake Huron.
The view of the birch trees and sounds of the nearby birds, made me want to stay in that outdoor shower a little longer, but I don’t have the luxury of long showers anymore. I have a newborn. And she would soon be awake and hungry. I entered the cottage with a morning dip and a hot shower under my belt, pastries in hand to greet my waking family.
It was our first family getaway with our three-month-old, and we opted for a staycation at Sauble, one of my favourite places in Canada (yeah, I said it). With a newborn, it was a different kind of trip than my wife and I usually take. We traded surf boards and gravel bikes for diaper bags and strollers . But with a little surf vibe injected into this impeccably located cottage, we both agreed it had hints of our stay in Rincon.
We love that no matter which window we looked out, all we could see were trees. That’s pretty unique for Sauble. It is also unique to be such a short walk to both the water and the main strip without feeling like you’re next to the main strip. The cottage is tucked away a short jaunt (do people still say jaunt?) from everything, so we could walk wherever we wanted.
Katelyn and Adrian know how to run a vacation spot. They’ve put a lot of thought into their Surf Haus. Not only is it extremely clean, it’s comfortable and fully stocked. They even left us a thoughtful note and bottle of wine to kick things off in style. I like a nice bottle of white as much as the next guy, especially one from an Ontario winery. I also brought along a couple brewskies from Three Sheets Brewing just down the road in Port Elgin to sip around the campfire.
We loved walking the neighbourhood and settled into a game of ‘which cottages we’d buy if we had a million dollars’. Sadly, running Rrampt has not made me a millionaire, so it’s all just a dream. But that’s why renting a cottage at Sauble is great – you can enjoy the luxury without the hassle of the upkeep.
Wherever you want to go in Sauble, you can likely walk from the Surf Haus Maybe you’re headed to The Dunes for some live music, Casero Taco Bus for a burrito, or to Jack n Jills for some beach gear. Maybe you want a smoothie from The Wellness Refinery or a great Italian dinner at Gigi’s Italian. That’s where we were going on Saturday afternoon. The thing about going for dinner with a newborn is that you have to go early since bedtime is 7pm. We went at 4pm when they opened, and put simply, we love this restaurant.
We love it’s layout, which was carefully designed for a great atmosphere, we love the service, which was the best service we’ve had in a long time. But the food! Wow, starting with the Negroni menu to the calamari to the pizza, everything made for a great dining experience. I have to mention the tiramisu as well – I’m not much of a dessert guy, but this one was tasty as hell. We’ll be back 100%.
The great thing about Sauble is that the evenings offer unbeatable sunsets, and since we filled our bellies with so much food we needed to walk it off. Our daughter slept through the sunset, but we both enjoyed the solitude of the beach in May. I knew how busy it would soon be.
Every time I visit Sauble, it seems there’s something new. Gigi’s was the one were excited about, the CB Coffee Club was a nice surprise, as was the new Jack n Jills location on the Southampton Parkway, but the development beside Fire + Dough was completely unknown to me. I hadn’t heard they were redeveloping that property. I asked Even Baulch at Gigi’s about it and he told what was coming. I won’t spoil the surprise for you, but let’s just say it reminded me of my youth at the Amusement Park, and my ten-year-old self thought: cool. I appreciate that Sauble is catering as much to the kiddos as the grown ups.
The fire pit at Sauble Surf Haus was perfect for a Saturday evening. I’ve built my fair share of campfires, so I got a good one going. My daughter isn’t onto solid foods yet, but when she’s old enough, I can see us roasting a mean marshmallow or two at this place. I will definitely bring her back here when she’s older. I can’t wait to get her on a board, and my wife is keen to get her swimming as soon as possible, so Sauble will be seeing us lots. Maybe a stay at the Sauble Surf Haus will become our annual tradition.
The great thing about staycations is that there’s no long drive on the Sunday. We could sleep in a little and take our time packing up. That’s exactly what we did. It’s always sad leaving any beach, let alone one of my favourites.
I may not have it in the budget to buy a nice cottage in Sauble right now, but we did buy a lottery ticket on our way out of town at the convenience store beside Moonfire. If it’s a winner, we’ll be buying our own place at Sauble. But until then, we’ll be renting the Surf Haus in the summers.
You should too: Here’s how
Words and photos by Jesse Wilkinson
Have a retreat you think we should be rraving about? Let us know at info@rrampt.com
