I can't help but hum a few bars from Irving Berlin's White Christmas during my stay at Rowena's Inn by the River.
The fluffy flakes don't fall, but I imagine this verdant estate beneath a blanket of snow, transformed into a winter wonderland like the Vermont lodge in the movie classic where Bing Crosby finds romance on a snowy Christmas Eve.
During spring and summer, Rowena's - a boutique resort in Harrison Mills, 90 minutes east of Vancouver by car - bustles with weddings, golf parties and international vacationers. But autumn and winter, when golfers head South with their scorecards and the resort takes on a restful air, is when Rowena's becomes an ideal retreat for couples in search of a romantic getaway.
I learn about the property's history over afternoon tea with the inn's gracious hostess, Betty-Anne Faulkner, who with her husband Doug, was a longtime resident of West Vancouver until the couple's retirement to the property in recent years.
Betty-Anne spent her childhood on the 160-acre estate developed by her parents, who built a grand English-style manor on the remote property and filled it with antiques.
Betty-Anne and her brother Ivan turned the manor into an inn after their father's death in 1992, installing five elegantly appointed guest rooms in the main house. Sandpiper, the resort's 18-hole golf course was completed a few years later, followed by the conversion of the gatehouse into a twobedroom suite and the opening of four guest cottages tucked into a forest grove.
Nelson's Cottage was my lodging during a recent weekend stay with my hubby and after a forest stroll, we wandered back there to sit and read by a roaring fire while enjoying a selection of cheeses from The Farm House and chilled wine from the valley's Domaine de Chaberton, which was complimentary with our stay.
Later, we sampled more regional cuisine during dinner at the River's Edge, the resort's fireside dining room which is offering a Taste of Fall menu highlighting Fraser Valley produce along with the Okanagan's Grey Monk wines through Dec. 23.
There was even more farmfresh fare to enjoy when we awoke the next morning to find a wicker hamper at our cottage door, heaped full with fresh baking and preserves, pancakes, eggs and sausages, fruit, juice and a large thermos of steaming hot coffee.
We couldn't help but to linger awhile before packing up for the short drive home, savouring the tastes of fall and the delicious solitude of our weekend getaway.
To learn more about Rowena's Inn, visit www. rowenasinnontheriver.ca.
