Cedar Meadows takes the plunge: new outdoor spa, chalets decades in the making.

• Author: Stewart, Nick
• Position: TIMMINS

The idea of building an outdoor Scandinavian spa and a handful of high-end chalets at the Cedar Meadows Resort & Spa has been something Richard Lafleur has had his eye on for nearly 20 years.

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With the Northern Ontario-themed spa having opened in December and the five chalets all but completed, that dream has become a reality.

"I've always wanted to offer the full range of what Northern Ontario is about," said Lafleur, owner.

"There's so much about the region that we take for granted because we live here, and I always planned on bringing that here in a broad way, and now I can do that."

When Lafleur put together his master plan for Cedar Meadows in 1992, part of his vision included a "full-service hotel and spa." His aesthetic spa, which was finally built and opened in 2007, offers such services as manicures, pedicures, body wraps and massage therapy.

The other components involved the recently opened outdoor spa, as well as five long-term stay lodges, on which construction is well underway. The province is lending a hand on these efforts with $400,000 through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.

Construction began in September in anticipation of finishing by the end of February so as to capitalize on snowmobile season. Stretching into mid-March, this period finds these outdoorsy travellers filling up every corner of the hotel over a six-week period.

However, it's business travellers that Lafleur mainly has in mind with this project. Making up 70 per cent of his customer base, such clients sometimes stay up to eight months, often making use of the hotel's suites.

This occasionally makes the suites unavailable to be offered as part of the spa or "love and romance" packages, which are currently being snapped up at a rate of eight to 10 a week.

As the suites were not built for extended stays and are "not conducive" for them, the lodges solve multiple problems said Lafleur.

When complete, each will feature a full kitchen, washer and dryer, fireplace, and 42-inch television, as well as a queen-sized bed located in a loft-style perch. Although there's no whirlpool, said Lafleur with a chuckle, the Scandinavian spa is a short walk away.

This, too, has been a growing drawing card for the hotel, which doubled its overall Christmas-season sales over 2009.

After strapping on their swimsuits and venturing into the outside Timmins air - which regularly reaches between -20 and -30 Celsius -users of the spa walk the...