The June Motel, Beaver Valley: A Tranquil Riverside Retreat
To celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary, my wife and I decided to plan a fall getaway to Ontario’s cottage country, a few hours north of the Greater Toronto Area. To fully experience the cozy fall vibes, we knew we had to find a hotel or AirBnb that would surround us in fall foliage, provide ample opportunities for enjoying the outdoors, and offer a tranquil, relaxing space to celebrate (and recharge). After searching throughout Ontario’s various cottage country locations, my wife stumbled upon a cabin-inspired motel with a familiar name in a not so familiar location: The June Motel, Beaver Valley.
For those of you with Netflix subscriptions, you may recognize The June Motel name from the show Motel Makeover. The series follows The June Motel founders as they remodel a decrepit motel in Sauble Beach, Ontario into a trendy, go-to destination. For those of you who are from Ontario, you may also be familiar with The June Motel’s first motel location in Prince Edward County, one of Ontario’s premier wine destinations.
When my wife showed me The June Motel’s new location in Beaver Valley, I firstly had no idea they even had a Beaver Valley location, and secondly I had no idea where Beaver Valley was. It turns out Beaver Valley is only about an hour and forty five minute drive north of Toronto. It’s also very close to one of Canada’s most popular ski destinations, Collingwood. With the prospect of a trendy, June Motel-designed retreat, an easy, short road trip, and the potential for some great fall colours, we booked a two-night stay for the following week.
The Location
When you drive north from Toronto towards Collingwood, you typically cruise down a lot of country roads lined with farm fields. As you pull into Collingwood, the terrain is pretty flat, except for the escarpment on the horizon, which is where Blue Mountain Ski Resort is located. The drive is nice and all, but also a little predictable. This is the kind of vibe I anticipated as we started our road trip towards Beaver Valley. And the drive was, as predicted, basically like this - that is, until we reached Beaver Valley.
As our GPS stated that we were about 15 minutes from The June Motel, Beaver Valley, the flat, country roads started to wind and climb up the escarpment. Green, orange and yellow trees sprouted from the sides of the road, as we climbed higher. The road weaved closer and closer to the sky. As our car reached the apex of the road and started to descend down a long hill, a large valley filled with trees opened across the landscape to our left. Behind it, the escarpment rose into peaks across the blue skyline. As we drove closer and closer to The June Motel, I realized that, despite its proximity to Toronto and Collingwood, Beaver Valley was basically a little slice of mountainous paradise.
A few minutes later, we cruised into the downtown area of Beaver Valley, which really only consisted of a couple restaurants, a general store and a cafe that (at the time of writing) was under construction. About two minutes later, two yellow reflectors protruding from the long grass on the side of the road flickered in the sun. We pulled into The June Motel’s gravel parking lot.
The Motel
The deep black, lodge-like motel is nestled amongst the trees and shrubbery surrounding the property. A gold sign emblazoned with “The June Motel” greets you as soon as you park, as well as a set of doors that says “Parlour.”
The Parlour is one of the hotel’s many communal areas, offering a small kitchenette with a fridge, automatic espresso machine, and daily pastries between 8-10 AM, a bar area with wine glasses, cocktail tools, an ice machine and a filtered water tap, and several sitting areas to enjoy your food and drinks. Like most of the motel, the parlour is decorated with a cozy cottage / cabin aesthetic. Wall panels are painted a warm beige. Vintage fishing rods, cross country skis, snow shoes and tennis rackets adorn the walls. A stone fireplace warms the room. The bookshelf even includes a set of popular board games (Scrabble, Monopoly, etc.) disguised as vintage books!
The eight hotel rooms are all located on the back side of the property behind the parlour. As with most motels, you access your room from the outdoors. The cozy cabin aesthetics continue in the rooms. Our room featured the same wall panels as the parlour throughout, a gingham quilt on the bed, vintage photos above the bed, and an arched-tile entry into the shower. The motel provides two complimentary local beers in your mini fridge as well. The owners also gave us a bottle of sparkling rose to celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary, which we greatly appreciated! The last thing I’ll say about the rooms is that the beds were extremely comfortable. We both had great sleeps throughout our stay.
The motel itself is really cool, but the property is what really shines at The June Motel, Beaver Valley. The motel backs onto a river, which runs at a steady pace, providing a constant trickling sound that you can hear around the property. The escarpment rises behind the river. Beavers, yes beavers, hang out and create dams near the motel. The property is filled with Muskoka chairs and tables so that you can enjoy your complimentary beers near the river. The hotel even has a dock with a ladder into the river if you want to take a dip!
Back towards the hotel, a communal patio provides two communal fire pits along with ample seating. The motel provides firewood, fire starters and even smore kits every night.
Health & Wellness
One of the things we loved the most about our trip to The June Motel, Beaver Valley, was how relaxed and refreshed we ended up feeling. A big part of that was simply being able to sit by the river and just listen to the water trickling past. For peak relaxation, try doing a meditation near the water.
Beyond just the general relaxing vibes, the property also offers a few ways for you to relax and recharge your body during your stay. The motel boasts a sauna with a big glass viewing dome so you can watch the river while you sit in the heat. The upstairs floor of the Parlour houses a studio space, complete with yoga mats and a TV where you can stream yoga classes.
Nearby Restaurants
Now, the motel does have a small kitchenette, but there isn’t a stove or microwave to heat up or make food. To stay full during your stay, you can stock up on some sandwiches before you arrive and store them in your mini fridge or the Parlour’s communal fridge, or you can head into Kimberley to try one of the local restaurants. The drive from the motel to Kimberley takes about two minutes. Walking there, however, would take about 20 minutes down a fairly busy road. We didn’t try this, but I would recommend driving if you’re going to head out for dinner.
Being a (very) small town, Kimberley only really has a couple of restaurants. We ate at Justin’s Oven, which is a cozy, cabin-like restaurant offering a range of staples, including burgers. They also offer pizza on Fridays. We both found the food here delicious and reasonably priced.
Located in a retro-looking tavern with a neon sign above the door, Hearts is another local restaurant with good reviews. We never dined here, as the menu looked a bit limiting and some of the options seemed pricey, but, from what I’ve read online, it’s a good dinner option.
If you’re looking for a good coffee, you can also check out Valley Espresso. While it’s technically about 15 minutes away from Kimberley, you won’t mind the commute as the drive there is pretty scenic. The inside of the cafe somehow blends cozy, cabin vibes with tropical aesthetics. The coffee itself is really good. If you’re hungry, order the bagel with cream cheese. It’s honestly the best bagel and cream cheese I’ve ever had.
Conclusion
The June Motel, Beaver Valley provides a tranquil escape for both travel photographers and nature lovers. Located a short drive from the Greater Toronto Area, The June Motel, Beaver Valley is the perfect spot for a quick weekend trip away from the city. While you’re there, ensure you enjoy the motel’s health and wellness features, including their riverside sauna and yoga studio. With your complimentary welcome beers in hand, head down to the Muskoka chairs by the river and listen to the water trickle past. Lastly, make some smores at the campfire each night. At the end of your trip as you drive out of the valley, you’ll leave feeling refreshed - and also a little surprised that your whole folk-inspired, mountainous river adventure went down about two hours north of Toronto.