Elora Mill Hotel & Spa- Elora, ON

Elora, Ontario is just about the perfect destination for a weekend adventure. Easily explorable on foot, it features outdoor activties, outstanding architecture, and charming hotels. The most well known, Elora Mill Hotel & Spa, is a destination unto itself. Everything at Elora Mill is exceptional.

Plans for the original mill actually predate the town of Elora. In 1832, a Scottish Naval Captain, William Gilkison (cousin of Guelph founder John Galt), purchased 13,816 acres around the falls of the Grand River, and laid out a new town he called Elora (after the ship his brother captained). To encourage settlement, he opened a sawmill and general store. Although he died just months later, the new town thrived.

The predecessor of today’s mill was constructed in 1843 by Charles Allen, who sold the property just three years later to J.M. Fraser. In 1851, Fraser commisioned a new mill, handbuilt by Scottish masons out of native limestone. This mill was also short lived-it was destroyed by fire in 1859. Quickly rebuilt, the new expanded facility functioned as a gristmill, sawmill, whiskey distillery and wool factory.

In 1944, the old mill was sold to M.R. Drimmie & Sons, who continued to operate the property as a grist mill, grainery and lumber company until the early 1970s. In 1975, after an extensive renovation, the property first opened as an inn. Under a succession of owners, the century old mill suffered from deferred maintenance and slowly deteriorated over the next several decades.

In 2010, the bankrupt hotel was purchased by the Pearle Hospitality group, who spent the next 7 years restoring and updating the property. In 2018, a new boutique hotel and spa emerged.

With only thirty rooms, its seems almost impossible to land a reservation at Elora Mill, even with its prohibitively steep nightly rate (which is understandable, a restoration this well done was not cheap). The guest rooms here are well designed and actually feel luxurious- a rare thing these days at any price point. The spa is absolutey divine. The restaurant has both stunning views and delicious food – also a rare thing these days. I absolutely cannot wait to return.