Elora Mill Hotel & Spa: Review

Have you heard of the Elora Mill Hotel & Spa in Elora, Ontario? This hidden gem is where Alex and I went for our “mini-moon”; the 2 days right after our wedding. I’ve been wanting to share a full Elora Mill hotel review in case you want to check it out as well. Before we get to it: you can check out all of my travel reviews and related posts under the travel heading here on LLB. Now let’s get to it!

Elora Mill Hotel Review

Location:

First things first, this old-mill-turned-boutique-hotel is located in the tiny town of Elora, Ontario. It’s just under two hours away from Toronto, abut it feels like you are a world away. Elora is the cutest little town- full of boutique shops, way more ice cream shops than seems possibly reasonable per square footage, and beautiful views of the Elora gorge.  Staying here really is a great way to get away from the city and unwind.

Amenities / Spa:

One of the draws of the hotel (aside from the view which I’ll speak about below) is the spa. The spa is currently open (with COVID protocols in place) and is good; but nothing particularly spectacular. It’s what you’d expect from a hotel spa. They do have a pool and hot tub as well, both of which are great. They are located in the BEST spot, overlooking the gorge, and unlike many hotel pools are actually open pretty late (midnight I believe).

The View:

The biggest draw, of course, is the view overlooking the Elora Gorge. I don’t think much needs to be said about this; the view speaks for itself! What I will say is that even if you don’t get a hotel room with a view (more on that and $$$ below) the views are amazing from both the pool/hot tub area and the restaurant so you can get your ‘view time’ in!

Hotel Rooms & Price:

I must say, staying here is not cheap. Hotel rooms start at $400 a night (in the Mill Bedroom or James Ross House) and go upwards of $1500 a night for a weekend night in the Solarium Suite. Pro tip though – if you can sneak away early, Thursday nights you can often get a Solarium Suite for $900-$1000 a night.

We chose to stay in one of the three Solarium Suites since it was our honeymoon after all! The real draw of the three solarium suites is that you get the best views on the property right from your room. So is it worth it? …

Elora Mill Hotel Review:

I would say yes! If you’re willing to make the  splurge for this room, it is 10/10 worth it. The customer service when you are in one of these three rooms is unparalleled. The staff at the hotel will go out of their way to accommodate your requests. For example, we asked for late checkout which they were not able to do (sadly) but to make up for it they gave us access cards to enjoy the hotel pool and spa for the entire rest of the day. So we basically got an extra day of hotel enjoyment for free. They also gave us a free appetizer during our dinner in their restaurant (in addition to the welcome food platter and bottle of prosecco!)

The view, as you can see in the picture above, is truly stunning. I moved one of the arm chairs right up to the window and enjoyed my coffee there in the morning. We also moved the bench from the foot of the bed to the window and curled up right by the window to enjoy champagne before dinner.

The other big draw of the Solarium Suite is the space! We LOVED having a whole separate living room and the freestanding bathtub is a nice perk. It’s rare to have a hotel room of this size and feel like you actually have space to live!

Overall, we had the best time on our mini-moon here! I would recommend this to anyone looking for a honeymoon, babymoon or relaxing getaway spot.

Honeymoon / Life Updates:

Alex & I had the most relaxing two days at Elora Mill and then headed to Toronto for two nights before flying back to Vancouver. We had so much fun – and yes that is a COFFEE POPSICLE in my hand. *life changing* lol.

We are in the last minute frantic crunch now getting ready for our actual honeymoon – we are going to Italy and Greece for a full month!! We leave on Monday and I can’t believe how much we need to get done before then. Including, you know, planning our wedding 2.0 which is happening October 8th. Eeek! Despite being stressed I am getting really, really excited for our honeymoon. I haven’t had a month vacation all at once since… well, ever lol. Stay tuned for travel updates and, of course, all things fashion with the F-U-N outfits I’m planning on wearing in Europe!

Ps. Fellow brides, you may want to check out this post on gift ideas for a bride-to-be. I definitely bought myself most things on this list haha. You also need the bride swimsuit I’m wearing in the above photos – it’s actually great quality and has the prettiest open laced-up back and flattering cut!!