Bobcaygeon resort evolves to spectacular spa
Facility’s heritage and ambience remains open to the public to enjoy
Eganridge Resort may sound posh and private, but these days, the focus is more on being warm and welcoming.
“For some reason, we’ve acquired this reputation that Eganridge is for members only,” said general manager Jason Friedmann. “But everything is open to everyone.”
The Bobcaygeon-area facility — which also features a golf course and a recently expanded and upgraded spa — has come a long way from its early beginnings as a hockey camp.
It’s been an evolution more than a century in the making, during which Eganridge has served a diverse range of visitors and patrons for everything from enjoying a brew and the view to fine dining, weddings and corporate outings, to Windsor Arms teas and crosscountry skiing.
It all started with the Dunsford family, which settled on the Sturgeon Lake property in 1837. Updated over the years with a special eye on maintaining the original structure and heritage, the Dunsford’s log manor home continues to provide accommodations.
In the early 1900s, many of the log home’s rooms were converted into hotel rooms — it currently has six suites — and a number of cottages were added to the property.
In the 1960s, the property operated as the Beehive Resort and Restaurant owned and operated by Len Carey and Mavis Fuller, who also owned the Rockland House Hotel in Bobcaygeon.
The property was later purchased by future Hockey Hall of Famer Allan Stanley, who left the NHL in 1969. Stanley ran the site as the BeeHive Campground and, for more than 20 years, it also served as a hockey camp.
In the late 1980s, John Egan bought the property and set about to completely overhaul the buildings.
The original barn was converted into the main room — the original beams serve as a spectacular focal point — and an addition in 2001 created space for hotel rooms, a spa and a ballroom.
Like virtually every place else, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, operations at Eganridge came to a screeching halt. Making lemonade out of the lemons, Friedmann and the staff took advantage of this time to tweak a number of amenities.
“The spa had opened in 2002 and, other than a few design changes when it was operating as the Cosmopolitan Spa — which later moved into Bobcaygeon — it hadn’t been touched,” said Friedmann.
Courtesy of recently completely upgrades, the spa now features a steam room with aromatherapy, two saunas — one that can be booked privately — and themed treatment rooms. Water offers a Swiss shower, while Earth can accommodate two people — and a new gym.
The mani/pedi salon not only comes with a spectacular view, but it’s also one of the few spas in Ontario that are licensed, noted Friedmann.
While Eganridge is open to everyone, there are social memberships available that offer special discounts and offers.
“Truthfully, the only thing better than the view, the ambience, the massive wine list and our Red Seal-certified chef, is you don’t have to pay for parking,” quipped Friedmann.
For more information, visit eganridge.com.