Always thinking of the next fun thing to do at Fern Resort #OntariosAllinclusive

While at Fern Resort, the only thing we thought of was vacationing! The mood is all set from the time you walk into the resort till the time you check-out. This resort is all inclusive, so all the meals and activities are taken care of. This made my husband and I feel at ease since we didn't need to worry about the meals, and were able to participate in the activities we wanted to, and children were able to do activities they wanted to. 

We have stayed at a few resorts in Ontario, however our stay at Fern Resort was different. Our daughter had fun at Fern Resort last winter when she went for a school conference and loved her experience. She was delighted when we planned a trip to check it out this summer. 

Fern resort is on 200 acres overlooking Lake Couchiching, just outside of Orillia, Ontario in Ramara. There are 103 rooms with 80 of these rooms having a lake view. The accommodations are in either the Main inn, Hearthside inn, Fireside inn, Bayshore cottages, Firewood inn, Twin Fern, Edge water chalets, or Sweet fern. 

The resort had a charm from over the years. The beds were comfortable, and the room had a fireplace, television, fridge, coffee machine, iron, hair dryer, WiFi, and a walk out balcony. Although, the room in the Hearthside inn we stayed at had everything we needed the furniture and the décor were dated. 

Everyday, they have an orientation tour during check in time we can join. During this tour a staff member takes the guests around the property to show where the activity and event areas are. They also have a history walk, which was a wonderful learning experience. It gave us an insight about the property which has been welcoming guests since 1895. Over five generations, for 123 years the Downing family has owned and operated Fern resort.

The best part is, the resort has activities for every age divide by age group; playvillage for children 0 to 5, Squirts program for 5 to 7 year olds, junior program for ages 7 to 9, youth program for ages 10 to 12, and a teen program for ages 13 to 17. They also have complimentary nighttime babysitting, which allows parents to relax and take the time to enjoy themselves.

We enjoyed the family night entertainment - each night they have something different at Bergwens theatre. We watched Mega Magic by Magician Mike D'Urzo. This interactive show combined comedy, magic, mind control, and illusions which was fun to watch. He got the audience involved, and kept everyone engaged. The second night we were there, we could not stop laughing at the hilarious Craig Douglas a professional comedian juggler. Going inside the Bergwens theatre made us feel like we are stepping into a time period from long ago because of its layout and décor, which was cool.

We liked cooling off inside Mary Lou's to play billiards, ping pong, retro video arcade, and going for the night family games like concentration and jeopardy. They also have fun family activities at night like silent disco which brings different families together. We also enjoyed the different bingo sessions they had throughout the day.

The waters of Lake Couchiching makes a beautiful beach for everyone in the family to play and swim in. The property has a two kilometre lakefront, and two different outdoor swimming pools one with a slide and the other with a diving board. They have a separate wading pool for younger children. There is an outdoor hot tub as well. If you forget to bring your own towels, we can get pool towels at the front desk.

They have a recreation centre with different fitness equipment, a spa with different services, indoor pool, indoor hot tub, jacuzzi, sauna, and a steam room. I like that they have coin-operated washing machines and dryers we can use to easily wash and dry swimming clothes if we are staying for a few days.

Fern Resort has a galore of activities suitable for every age, as well as family activities every day of the week rain or shine. We liked getting the Daily Buzz, a newspaper printed with the daily activities in the morning at breakfast, which helped us decide which activities we want to participate in. 

We had lots of fun joining the fun watercolour painting workshop and learning a few techniques from the artist. The instructor showed all of us the steps, and had all the supplies ready. We found the simple instructions easy for people of all ages to follow. We had a good time with everyone encouraging each other and having fun.  

When my children saw fishing at the boat docks they were very eager to try, and had a lot of fun. Children will love being able to catch and release lots of small fish. The kids who came to fish at the dock, were similar in age so they were able to make friends with each other and enjoy the experience. I like how the staff encouraged the children to put a live worm onto the hook and catch the fish with an easy kids fishing stick, and then release it. We spent hours fishing! We also spent time kayaking and paddle boating. They also have canoes and paddle boards that everyone will enjoy taking out on the lake. 

If you don't want to participate in the planned activities, there are lots that you can do on your own from sports like basketball, badminton, volleyball, 5 hole golf, tennis, cricket, paddle bikes, bikes, and many more. We can borrow the equipment we need from the sports cottage between 9 and 5 p.m. 

They also have other games like giant checkers, chess, horseshoe toss, bocce, pickleball, and more. So there is always something to do. 

They have an extensive 6.5 kilometres of wooded McBain Circle Hiking trails. We enjoyed biking through the trail and spotting lots of birds. 

One afternoon the children got to ride a pony which they loved. I like how they have something exciting everyday. 

They have special programs and extreme sports supervised by a staff member such as axe throwing, archery, batting cage, yoga, paintball, high and low rope course, vertical playground, and more. For an extra fee, we can also take private tennis lessons, do waterski, wakeboard, or be part of activities such as going on a cruise and fishing.

We like that there are different choices for meals to suit everyones dietary preferences. The staff were very accommodating and polite. For breakfast, they have a wide choice of options from a menu or we can help ourselves to the buffet. For lunch, we can order from the 3 course meal and enjoy it inside or request to have a barbecue meal outside. 

The 4 course dinner menu also had different options, and the menu is on a rotating basis. Children are welcome to come half an hour earlier and eat from the kid's buffet.  

The meals were filling and delicious. In order to serve the guests, they were asked to come for their meals within the times they had posted. Lunch was from 12 to 1 p.m. and dinner was between 6 and 7 p.m. There is a 24 hour coffee station in the Main inn that we can help ourselves to. We were glad there was an opportunity to place an order to purchase their delicious sweet rolls, sold by the dozen to bring home. It was a yummy treat we enjoyed sharing with family and friends.  

There is so much to do at Fern Resort, that we barely spent anytime in the room. After the night activities, we were quite tired and headed to bed quickly so we can get a goodnight sleep and be ready for the next day's activities.

The resort has lots of washrooms in different areas, so we didn't always have to go to the room when we were enjoying the activities. Their check out time is at 1 p.m., however if you want to stay a little longer and do any of the activity at the resort we can do so. 

The feeling of connecting to people and the long history at Fern Resort was immediate. It made it so much more fun to enjoy everything they offered. We met people who had come for the first time and many that have kept coming for decades. Our time at Fern Resort was indeed FERNtastic! Thank you to all the staff that made it memorable.

Disclosure: This post is in partnership with Fern Resort. Please note that all opinions and thoughts expressed are my own. All rights reserved on photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2010 - 2018. Please Ask First