The Trans Canada drive can be a daunting one, but sweet finds like the English River Motel make the perfect break.
Between Thunder Bay and Dryden
There isn’t much civilization in Northwestern Ontario, although the scenery is stellar, and since dusk can quickly turn to absolute blackness, driving at night turns into more of a risk than a leisurely Sunday drive. So, when traveling, it’s a good idea to bunker down for the night and continue your travels in the morning. But, if dusk or fatigue happens to hit between Thunder Bay and Dryden, good luck trying to find a clean, mind-easing, reasonably affordable bed.
To save you the trouble of looking, there is a great place directly in the middle. Two hours between each city lays the English River Inn, a family owned and run motel that makes quite a few downtown Toronto hotel rooms look like hovels.
Nice Room for a Low Price
Pulling into the motel parking lot, there is a cute little lake on the right hand side and the 13 room motel on the left. Nothing too out of the ordinary yet, the architecture is pure door-lined motel style, but the first wave of comfort and ease will come when you meet Bruce and Lois, the owners of the English River Inn. Bruce could quite possibly be one of the nicest men in Ontario and his friendly greeting is only complemented by the low room rates he offers.
At $58 for a double room and $52 for a single, the rooms are a good size and are extremely clean and well maintained. This also includes free wireless internet.
Includes Complimentary Continental Breakfast
After a much needed restful night, it’s a nice treat to be able to enjoy a hearty breakfast on the road. The English River Inn has renovated an old guest room and created Guest Services, a little, cafe-style breakfast nook, complete with coffee, cereal, English muffins, bagels, toast, waffles (frozen), juice, milk and a variety of spreads.
Grab a complimentary newspaper and a small table by the window to fully enjoy a quiet breakfast while occasionally peering out onto Umber Lake.
And for the traveler looking to load up on snacks for the next stint of the road trip, the motel offers a number of packable foods to purchase. Based on an honour system, the Guest Services room provides chips, cereal and snack bars, pop, bottled juices and chocolate milk. There are even frozen foods you can prepare right on the premises.
A Motel Run by Honest and Decent People
While eating breakfast and flipping through the paper, Bruce, the owner, came into the breakfast room and started preparing a plate of food and a cup of coffee. Bruce confessed the breakfast was not for him; he was making it for and delivering it to a biker who had been holed up in his room for five days. The motorcyclist had fallen off his bike just up the Trans Canada Highway, cutting and scratching up his leg and pulling a muscle up the side of his torso. He was bed-ridden, planning to rest and mend before carrying on. Bruce had been catering to him the entire time.
With the free internet connection, the biker had downloaded a copy of War and Peace and planned to read the whole thing while recovering. Bruce joked that he was the motel servant.
Seeing Bruce shortly afterward, with a mop and broom in hand, he again joked, “Now I’m the maid!”
The English River Inn proves to be nicer and more affordable than most of the motels in the area, but it is truly the welcoming and open hearts of the owners that make the experience a memorable one. And with economic times being a little tough right now, it won’t leave a strain on the bank account. Although business may be a little slower than usual, Bruce is optimistic that times will get better. He should be because the English River Inn is definitely a place that should be visited when passing through.
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