Hidden Valley Resort
Encyclopedia
Hidden Valley Resort is a holiday resort in Huntsville, Ontario
, Canada
, about 225 kilometers (140 mi) north of Toronto
. It is situated on one shore of Peninsula Lake
, which is also home to the nearby Deerhurst Resort
.
Hidden Valley is currently operated by Sequel Hotels and Resorts – previous owners include Best Western
and Holiday Inn
– who, in early 2006, completed a C$
500,000 renovation project. Along with a 100-room four-star
resort
hotel, Hidden Valley boasts two pools (one indoor and one outdoor), a fitness centre and meeting rooms; a variety of water sports on the lake, which include windsurfing
, canoeing
, kayak
ing, pedal boats
, and swimming; tennis
courts, beach volleyball
and horseshoe
pits; Birches, a value-priced restaurant, focusing on creativity; and an expansive sandy beachfront.
The resort also includes three rows of townhouse
-style, semi-detached
condominium blocks (making up approximately 80 units in total). Each block contains up to four single residences, which are stacked into four-storey buildings, other than the lakefront properties. Each individual unit generally occupies two storeys of a building, and has its own entrance. While the condominium units share the same amenities with the patrons of the hotel complex, these units are no longer owned by the hotel, but rather are privately owned and rented.
During the winter months (December–March, as conditions allow), the Hidden Valley Highlands Ski Area, established in 1965, is open for downhill
and cross-country
skiing
and snowboarding
. The region has a maximum vertical drop of 327 ft (100 m), with a top elevation of 1,276 ft (390 m). The area consists of four ski lifts and thirteen trails – four rated Green Circle (beginner), four Blue Square (intermediate), three Black Diamond (advanced), and two Double Black Diamond (expert). As well, there are locations for toboggan
ing and ice skating
, and snowmobile
trails available.
Nearby attractions include 36 holes of championship golf at the Deerhurst Lakeside and Deerhurst Highlands golf course
s, and Algonquin Park.
Huntsville, Ontario
Huntsville is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located north of Toronto and south of North Bay....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, about 225 kilometers (140 mi) north of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. It is situated on one shore of Peninsula Lake
Peninsula Lake
Peninsula Lake in the District Municipality of Muskoka, is one of the Muskoka Lakes.Peninsula Lake is a mid-sized cold-water lake located just east of Huntsville, Ontario. Municipal jurisdiction is split between the Town of Huntsville and the Township of Lake of Bays...
, which is also home to the nearby Deerhurst Resort
Deerhurst Resort
The Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ontario is two hours north of Toronto in Ontario's Muskoka region, bordering the Algonquin Provincial Park. The resort dates from 1896 when it was first opened by English entrepreneur Charles Waterhouse...
.
Hidden Valley is currently operated by Sequel Hotels and Resorts – previous owners include Best Western
Best Western
Best Western International, Inc. is the third largest hotel chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The chain, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free...
and Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
– who, in early 2006, completed a C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
500,000 renovation project. Along with a 100-room four-star
Star (classification)
Stars are often used as symbols for classification purposes. They are used by reviewers for ranking things such as movies, TV shows, restaurants, and hotels. For example, one to five stars is commonly employed to categorize hotels.-Restaurant ratings:...
resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
hotel, Hidden Valley boasts two pools (one indoor and one outdoor), a fitness centre and meeting rooms; a variety of water sports on the lake, which include windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
, canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
, kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ing, pedal boats
Pedalo
A paddle boat or "pedalo" is a form of waterborne transport, primarily for recreational use, powered through the use of pedals....
, and swimming; tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts, beach volleyball
Beach volleyball
Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
and horseshoe
Horseshoes
Horseshoes is an outdoor game played between two people using four horseshoes and two throwing targets set in a sandbox area. The game is played by the players alternating turns tossing horseshoes at stakes in the ground, which are traditionally placed 40 feet apart...
pits; Birches, a value-priced restaurant, focusing on creativity; and an expansive sandy beachfront.
The resort also includes three rows of townhouse
Townhouse
A townhouse is the term historically used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in many other countries to describe a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. Most such figures owned one or more country houses in which they lived for much of the year...
-style, semi-detached
Semi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
condominium blocks (making up approximately 80 units in total). Each block contains up to four single residences, which are stacked into four-storey buildings, other than the lakefront properties. Each individual unit generally occupies two storeys of a building, and has its own entrance. While the condominium units share the same amenities with the patrons of the hotel complex, these units are no longer owned by the hotel, but rather are privately owned and rented.
During the winter months (December–March, as conditions allow), the Hidden Valley Highlands Ski Area, established in 1965, is open for downhill
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
and cross-country
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
and snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
. The region has a maximum vertical drop of 327 ft (100 m), with a top elevation of 1,276 ft (390 m). The area consists of four ski lifts and thirteen trails – four rated Green Circle (beginner), four Blue Square (intermediate), three Black Diamond (advanced), and two Double Black Diamond (expert). As well, there are locations for toboggan
Toboggan
A toboggan is a simple sled which is a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people down a hill or other slope for recreation. Designs vary from simple, traditional models to modern engineered composites...
ing and ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
, and snowmobile
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
trails available.
Nearby attractions include 36 holes of championship golf at the Deerhurst Lakeside and Deerhurst Highlands golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s, and Algonquin Park.