I hope you all had a great weekend! It was the long Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada so today is really like a Monday for me. Posting on Tuesday has nothing at all to do with the fact that I’m soooo behind in blog world. The truth is that I have so much cool stuff to share with you but no time to sit down and blog about it. These things don’t just write themselves you know. And that’s exactly why I was lonnnnnng overdue for a weekend away. Make it a girls weekend in Prince Edward Country, even better!I’m a pretty spontaneous person, which has it’s pros and cons but I can tell you from experience that I’m the minority, especially now that many of my friends have settled down and started multiplying. So when I sent out an email just a few weeks ahead asking if my gal pals were up for a girls weekend in lovely Prince Edward Country I was pleasantly surprised to get a bunch of ‘I’m in’ almost across the board. See, sometimes planning just complicates things. Here’s a tip – don’t give options or your inbox will be maxed out in no time and it may involve some kind of social spreadsheet nightmare. Go with something like “yo! Who’s in for an awesome weekend at this awesome place on this date? Let me know by tomorrow”. You may be surprised. People already have too many decisions to make, just make it for them, trust me.
So our awesome place was Prince Edward County and we stayed at this super cute Air B’nB. It was perfect. We made our breakfasts and dinners at home then had lunch out while we were wandering around the beautiful countryside and wine county. The owners, Natalie and Matthew were great. We never met but we knew they were cool because of their great taste in home decor. The house was on a stunning piece of waterfront property and oozed with vintage inspired details.

If you haven’t been to or heard of Prince Edward County and live within driving distance I highly recommend you check it out. It’s a great mix of picturesque countryside mixed with antiques, art, and enough wineries to get you right sloshed. Not that we did. We’re adults. But we did get ourselves a private driver for the day because that’s what you do when you visit 5 wineries in 5 hours. This way, we could all have a drink and be merry together, rather than having someone be a designated driver. It also means we didn’t have to worry about parking anywhere!
Say hi to (below left to right) Josie, Krystin, Emily, Kim and that’s me hanging off the end.

My two favourites wineries of the day were By Chadsey’s Cairns and Norman Hardie. The first is on a great property with a barn and some other old buildings full of character with a Clint Eastwood look-a-like ready to serve you some wine samples. Norman Hardie was an ok winery but they had a cool little restaurant set up in the cellar area and served wood oven pizzas that were to die for. Make it your lunch destination for sure.

We made a stop at Dead People’s Stuff antique shop. The name is pretty self explanitory. They had a great vintage tea cup collection and a mantique section that will make the bearded hipsters go nuts.

I don’t mean to be one of those braggers but I’m totally going to be. I’ve been going up to PEC for about 10 years and it’s been pretty much an amazing kept secret until this year when its cool factor skyrocked with the opening of the Drake Devonshire Inn. It’s an ultra cool, hip, unique, amazing hotel brought to you by the same ultra cool, hip, unique and amazing people who run the Drake Hotel in Toronto. It does not disappoint people. Good luck getting a room but going for brunch will give you enough of a taste to come back for more.

It’s honestly is an overload for the senses. The amazing decor and art, the delicious food, the waterfront view. Like seriously. When can I move in?

Lake or Lobby? It’s a tough call. We managed to squeeze in both. Even though it was October it was a sunny warm day so we took an extra coffee to go and enjoyed it outside on the beach. As if.

It wouldn’t be a Drake establishment without their now signature vintage photobooth. In case you’re wondering, yes you can fit 5 curvalicious ladies in an insanely small photobooth. Seriously, just go to the Devonshire. It’s worth the 2.5 hour drive from the city.

Sunday afternoon came way too fast and before I knew it I was saying goodbye to my gal pals who all came from Ottawa. It was just too beautiful of a day and I just wasn’t ready to head home so I stuck around for an extra few hours. I thought it was a perfect time to pay a visit to the newly opened location of Coriander Girl in Picton. I’ve been such a big fan of Coriander Girl since it opening in Toronto 7 years ago and I when I heard it was opening a shop in PEC I knew I would have to pop in.

I got to meet Harry the Bunny, finally! He’s an Instagram star. I also got to meet Alison, the Coriander Girl herself. She was so friendly and without skipping a heartbeat we were chatting away like old friends. (side note – if you’re a Chatelaine reader you probably saw Alison, her hubby and her drop dead amazing house in last years holiday issue)

The shop was warm, welcoming and full of antiques and pretty blooms – exactly what you would expect from this Coriander Girl. Alison really got me inspired about my own creative passions and her story was exactly what I needed to light the fire under my behind. It’s so great to see creative people making a living doing what they truly love without making so many compromises that bury their original vision. Way to go Alison! Needless to say the weekend away was exactly what I needed. It had equal parts relaxation, tipsiness, girl bonding time, laughs, good food all wrapped in a beautiful setting. Even if it meant I had to work by butt off when I got home, it was totally worth it. Cheers to girls weekend in Prince Edward County!