Nick and I decided early in our relationship that we’d rather have experiences together than give each other things. For Christmas last year, we both gave each other trips. My gift to Nick was a weekend away at the West Baden Hotel and Nick’s gift to me was a weekend away at a cabin in Wisconsin. We went to West Baden on New Year’s Day and the trip to Wisconsin was scheduled for June.

Nick researched several options, but he knew Canoe Bay was the one. He wanted something secluded, near water, and somewhere we could explore on our own.

It was an eight hour drive from Indy, but worth it. When we were less than an hour away, we got off the highway and realized we were in the middle of nowhere. It really is secluded, so it’s not the place to have a medical emergency. That aside, it’s gorgeous everywhere you look. Once you reach the long driveway that leads to the 300 acres of remote land, you’re surrounded by trees.

Everything about it made Canoe Bay my dream getaway. The meals are served in the clubhouse located in the middle of the property and are prepared with organic produce from the nearby gardens. Nick even requested gluten free entrees for me and it was so nice to have the option. We started every meal with bread (gluten free crackers for me) and french salty butter.

The chef prepared an amazing four course dinner each night and it was the highlight of our day. Our first night was a panko crusted mahi mahi and the second night we had perfectly prepared steaks. I had gluten free chocolate chip cookies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert on the last night of our stay and you couldn’t even tell they were gluten free. I ate one cookie and you better believe I stuffed the second cookie into my pocket for later.

Nick encouraged me to ask for the recipe and the staff said they would email it to us. Sure enough, we had the recipe by the time we got home.

The staff left a basket of breakfast offerings at our door each morning with the set menu for dinner that night. There was also an option to order in lunch, which we did one of the days. Our cabin had a full kitchen, but we only packed a few snacks.

The rest of our days were spent canoeing (it’s Canoe Bay after all), hiking (aka taking a leisurely walk in the woods), exploring the library, and reading our books on the porch. No children are allowed, so it really is a quiet oasis. Other guests were friendly, but everyone did their own thing. It was an introvert’s dream and a trip we will never forget.

Xx, Libby