Touchstone on Lake Muskoka: A Retreat from Toronto

Enter a world where you can own a piece of a small exclusive resort on crystal waters and sandy beaches. You can visit it whenever you want and never have to worry about cooking, cleaning or maintaining it. Welcome to Touchstone.

If you thought cottage life was about small cabins with rusty hinges, outhouses and animal trophies – you were dead wrong. Today, a cottage can be a luxurious retreat that can feel like a resort or even a spa. This is the impression that the Touchstone Muskoka cottages give you. Walking into the palatial homes, you feel overcome with a sensation of awe and wonderment. Touchstone goes beyond the typical cosy cottage and offers exquisite city-style living on a spectacular backdrop of a beautiful serene lake and tall, stately pine trees. You can choose between a suite in a condominium style building, a townhouse or a beautiful villa, either at the top of a hill looking over the beautiful surroundings, or right on the edge of the sandy beach and shimmering lake.

Inside, you’ll find your weekend retreat home fabulously decorated and furnished, ready for you when you first arrive. A team of professional designers from Brayton and Hughes has ensured that each room feels rustic yet chic. They draw upon 19th-century designs that marry elegance with country living. The result is stunning.

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It’s not just the beauty of these cottages that will impress you, though. The term ‘luxury living’ truly applies to this well-appointed community. When you first arrive at Touchstone, a concierge will greet you and you will be assisted with your belongings. Once you arrive inside your home, you need not worry about having to cook up a meal or even leave the comfort of your cottage to seek out fine dining. Delicious gourmet meals can be delivered straight to your door. Don’t worry about cleaning up afterwards. Housekeeping services are provided to all the suites and homes. You can even get your laundry or dry cleaning picked up and delivered back to you during your stay.

Beyond your comfortable and luxurious home, you’ll also be able to enjoy elegant dining and sumptuous spa treatments. The 7,000-square-foot spa offers unending variety – everything from soothing massages to refreshing body scrubs and wraps and all the hair and nail treatments you need to make yourself look and feel fabulous.

You also don’t have to worry about becoming out of practice with your game while away from home. There are tennis courts available on site at Touchstone and just a few minutes away, there is a multitude of golf courses for you to choose from. Some courses are very exclusive and carry $85,000 membership fees. Others may be less private, but all are beautifully kept and offer fantastic games. You can even have your tee time coordinated for you by a golf valet before you’ve left Touchstone.

The beautiful landscape and pristine lakes surrounding you will leave you breathless. The Touchstone cottages are placed on the shores of the secluded Lake Muskoka, located six kilometers from the closest true city – Bracebridge. If you’re coming from Toronto, you still only need travel for two hours to reach this hidden paradise where you can truly relax. You don’t need to plan a long trip to Hawaii or Panama to get the full experience of being pampered at an exclusive resort.

Not to mention that you’ll be living alongside some of the hottest celebrities. Muskoka is known to be a favourite spot for the famous to get some real R&R. With the Toronto film business booming, you never know who might end up at the cottage next to yours. Often nicknamed Toronto’s answer to the Hamptons, Muskoka attracts everyone from professional hockey players to famous actors. Rumours of sightings of Kurt Russell, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Kate Hudson abound. With the exclusive restaurants and about a dozen golf courses to choose from, you can see what attracts out-of-town stars to this northern retreat.

Everything about Muskoka screams luxury. Even the sparkling lakes look like they could be formed of Perrier. In a time when clear, clean water is at a premium, Muskoka really has it made. In fact, you’ll be hard pressed to find any of those shabby old cottages lining the lakes. Of course, staying at a Touchstone residence will leave you hard pressed to find anything more luxurious, except maybe for Kenny G’s private island and mansion-like cottage. Then again, you may find that the brand-new, opulent and beautiful homes of Touchstone even rival Kenny’s famous lodgings.

www.touchstoneonlakemuskoka.com