Viamede Resort Review: All-Inclusive Ontario Vacation Destination

We spent the weekend in the North Kawartha’s enjoying one of Ontario’s finest all-inclusive vacation spots — Viamede Resort. I was lucky that I had adventurous parents who loved to spend their weekends in tents with their four kids. It instilled a passion in me for rustic destinations, night skies that were littered with a million stars, and days spent frolicking on lake beaches where you could see the fish swim between your feet. 

Viamede Resort was by far one of my fave places to visit. It is a year-round resort that caters to guests all seasons and also does work retreats, plus there is a spa on the property. While there I think we saw two different bridal parties bonding and enjoying the resort. 

The atmosphere was a mix of families, young and older large parties of people and even what looked like retirees. Even though it was a mish-mash of folks I found everyone pleasant and they all looked to be enjoying their time. I think the parents in the group were as amazed as I was at the sense of adventure in their kids because I was not the only one who was sitting on the beach letting her kids tackle new passions like the kayaks and paddleboards.

In trying to write this review of Viamede Resort  I realized that there was so much I was not going to be able to fit in and if you do have additional questions about our trip that I didn’t cover please comment below.

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Accommodations at Viamede Resort

From what I could see there are 3 different types of accommodations at Viamede Resort and they all look like they have their benefits although I did not see any other rooms other than our own cabin (more below). The main building has rooms that also have sliding doors to access the big deck out back. I honestly had visions of coming back alone to stay in one of these rooms so I could hunker down and write while watching the beautiful lake views. 

There is also another large building reminiscent of a strip motel that had plenty of rooms although again, I have no idea how the rooms look inside. From what I saw in our cabin you can expect great beds and really good toiletries that totally play with Viamede’s dog-friendly policy. 

Cottage 404

We stayed at cottage 404 which is conveniently located right by the beach and playground. It is a large three bedroom cottage with two bathrooms that sleeps 8 although with our cosleeping family we totally could have fit into a two bedroom cottage for the weekend. I really love that it had a full sized fridge and oven with fully stocked cabinets for both indoor and outdoor cooking —there are also two BBQs outside surrounded by patio chairs to lounge on. 

The bedding, towels and mattresses were all newer and modern while the rest of the cottage had a loved and well cottage-y feeling to it. We even got to enjoy the fireplace on our first night as it got chilly out and I love that they kept wood, scrap paper, fire starter and matches in the room to make it easily accessible. It was perfection from the moment we arrived till the moment we checked out. 

Water Fun

I did not want to leave the beach and what it had to offer. Although it is not huge it is large enough for you to comfortably relax on and it was nice and sandy with most stones inside the water. I loved that it had a large selection of canoes, kayaks and paddle boards for the guests to use as they pleased. You didn’t have to sign anything out, could use them all day long if you really wanted to and could try something new. 

It was so nice to be able to teach my kids how to kayak while we glided out on the lake. I sat on that beach and watched as my 4 kids, born and raised in the city, take to the water with ease. I watched my two oldest get on the paddle boards and start by doing small ovals in the shallow portion of the lake only to be doing huge half circles around the floating trampoline by the time we left. 

Also, floating trampoline in the lake <3

My husband and son also managed to get the resort manager to take them out for an impromptu mid-day fishing trip while I stayed in my quiet little cove with the three youngest. Once my kids got tired of the beach they gravitated towards the playground right beside the beach and I am grateful I could continue to keep an eye on all of them from in the water. 

Pools, Gym, Steam and Sauna Rooms

I realize that the lake is not everyone’s slice of cake and some people may prefer to lounge poolside. Thankfully Viamede has two options —one outdoor and one indoor/outdoor pool for your choosing. We never sway at the outdoor pool but it was surrounded by lounge chairs, towels and umbrellas.

We did manage to make it to the indoor/outdoor pool though and loved that it had a cool little doorway where you can swim from inside the building to the outside patio. My husband took advantage of the steam and sauna rooms and I really liked that they were enclosed with glass so when one of our kids decided to swim out to the outdoor section he could watch them while continuing to steam.

We did not use the gym but I did pop in to get some photos. There is ample equipment if you like to get your daily workout in while on vacation. Lots of natural sun too!

Kids Club

Viamede also has a kids club during the summer months and I gladly dropped mine off. My oldest was a huge fan of spending time with the other kids in the main building. They played games and ate cheese pizza. On our second night there the three oldest had a movie and pizza night that let us have four hours of kids-free magic which would have been perfect to visit the high-end Mount Julien restaurant or spa on site, instead, we enjoyed the lake views from The Boat House restaurant. 

Entertainment 

The main building has movies, books and board games galore that you could borrow and take back to your room or on an adventure. There was darts, foosball, table tennis and a giant Jenga-like game that the little kids adored. Although there is wifi we couldn’t connect properly in our cottage and I was glad we couldn’t.

I think having all of these games on hand was great in case there was bad weather you could still be entertained. I enjoyed my coffee lounging on a couch while the kids burned off some of their extra energy.

The Farm at Viamede Resort

I was pretty excited to check out the farm at Viamede and so we ended up heading out to it the first evening we were at the resort. A short walk from the main building (5 minutes tops) we encountered some fun (and fluffy) chickens, quails, and pigs. The kids were pretty amazed at how friendly the pigs were as they came right up to the fenced enclosure and liked to have their backs scratched. I do recommend wearing bug spray if you are venturing out this way to ensure you can spend as long as you want out there without being eaten alive by mosquitos. We learned the hard way.

Dog-Friendly 

Dogs are not only allowed at Viamede (cottages only) but encouraged. Our weekend was full of beautiful dogs that came along to vacation with their families. Viamede provides its clients with dogs dog beds, treats, doggy bags, leashes and food dishes, with a bit of advance notice. They also have this beautiful fully-enclosed off-leash dog park and lots of trails for your fur baby to explore. 

I am most impressed with the fact that they donate $10 to the Maggy Fund in support of the Golden Rescue which brings over injured dogs from Istanbul and helps pay for their vet care. As a dog mom, this warms my heart and I loved seeing the dog bowls with water placed in busy spots on the property. 

Mount Julian Restaurant

My husband had dinner at Mount Julian on the day we arrived and said his 7-course tasting menu was one of the best meals he has ever had. They do 5-, 7-, and 9- course tasting menus here that can be paired with wine. This is also a child-free dining experience so if you have kids plan to have them in Kids Club during meals. 

The Boat House 

So we had 5 meals at The Boat House which we loved dining at thanks to the airy feel of the joint. Located right on the water you can enjoy meals both inside and out on the patio and it made for some pretty special meal times. Portion sizes were small for our family but we are big eaters so I do suggest you either get the dessert or appetizer with meals.

You can even order from the BBQ menu at the Boat House so you can grill up some fare at your cottage. Plus they offer picnic lunches if you want to go out exploring for the day which we didn’t get but they looked amazing.

Breakfast

Breakfast was served buffet style in the main building and it was amazing each day. My family was over the moon at the never-ending container of bacon that seemed to be replenished by the bacon fairies when we were not looking. I appreciated the fresh fruit, perfect eggs and never ending coffee. Speaking of coffee you can always get a hot cup of it in the main building + there is a really good selection of teas. 

Exploring

Although we did explore out to the farm we did not do the trails around Viamede any justice. I missed the foraging missions in the forests due to being enamoured with the beach — small regret — but my son did go on a nature hike with the staff and learned about edible plants and how to start a fire. There is a calendar in the front foyer that lists the daily activities and it is my belief that manager Ben can be asked to go on impromptu hikes and fishing trips when he is not busy with work.

I also saw some bikes out front that I think are available to guests. Following with the thought that anything on the resort was available to guests you could also take advantage of sports like basketball, tennis, volleyball, badminton, frisbee and archery by getting the equipment you needed from the front desk. I think I would probably need a week to do everything that Viamede has to offer. 

If you want to check out how our stay was you should head on over to our Instagram account and check out our Story highlights under the VIAMEDE circle here. If you are ready to book your stay at Viamede Resort just click the link below. 

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Aneta Alaei

Aneta is a Toronto-based mom of four that loves a good meal, great company, and learning something new. In her free time, you can find her trying to keep yet another plant alive.

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