Hockley Valley Resort in Ontario offers a four-season getaway combining championship golf, farm-to-table dining, a European-inspired spa and nearby Adamo Estate Winery. Award-winning travel writer Anita Draycott returns to the resort to discover what has changed and what continues to make this countryside escape special.
I hadn’t visited Hockley Valley Resort for a few years and was delighted to discover how much had changed. Adamo Estate Winery, which began with its first vineyard plantings in 2012, is now firmly established just down the road, while the resort continues to expand its year-round activities and amenities.
The spectacular scenery hasn’t changed.
Hockley Valley Resort in the Hills of Headwaters
Located less than an hour from Toronto, near the town of Orangeville in the Hills of Headwaters, Hockley Valley Resort is surrounded by the rolling countryside of southern Ontario. The area boasts the highest elevation in Southern Ontario and is the source of four major river systems: the Nottawasaga, Credit, Humber and Grand.
The Adamo family purchased the resort in 1985. Over the years, the family made significant improvements to the property and later established Adamo Estate Winery, inspired in part by Mario Adamo’s roots in Calabria, Italy.
The Adamos sold Hockley Valley Resort to the Sunroy Group in 2019, but their Italian influence and passion for food, wine and hospitality can still be felt throughout the property.
Farm-to-Table Dining at Hockley Valley Resort
One of the first things you notice as you enter the property is the resort’s organic fruit and vegetable garden.
The two-acre farm produces herbs, heirloom carrots, beets, tomatoes and other seasonal fruits and vegetables for the resort kitchens. When ingredients aren’t grown, made or baked on the property, Hockley Valley supports local farmers, producers and artisans.
During summer, we enjoyed wood-fired pizza baked in an outdoor brick oven in the middle of the glorious setting. It felt like the Italian countryside. The pizza garden is open Fridays and Saturdays for lunch, July through September.
Farm-to-Table Dining at Hockley Valley Resort. Photo: Anita Draycott©
Cabin and Babbo Restaurants
Hockley Valley Resort’s signature restaurant, Cabin, showcases the property’s farm-to-table philosophy, while Babbo Wine Bar & Patio offers a more casual setting for food and drinks.
At the entrance to Cabin, a dedicated room for aging cheeses and artisan salumi serves as another reminder of the Italian culinary traditions that have influenced the resort.
Hockley Valley Golf Course
The Hockley Valley Golf Course is one of the resort’s main attractions for avid swingers. Mario Adamo, a passionate golfer himself, hired renowned Canadian golf course architect Thomas McBroom to design an 18-hole championship course that follows the property’s natural contours. The challenging 6,620-yard roller coaster has nary a flat lie.
The course is pretty in spring and summer and absolutely magnificent in autumn, when the surrounding trees flaunt their fall colours.
Number 10 uses all the elements of the natural topography, with tees elevated 300 feet above a green cleverly carved out of a slope. A river runs down the left side of the signature 17th fairway that’s very much in play. McBroom’s 18th grand finale is a par-four with the pristine Hockley River cutting across the fairway at the 125-yard marker. Your final approach shot is all carry over water to a generous green.
This is a challenging course and if playing it reminds you of playing on a ski hill, you’re right. In winter, this terrain becomes an alpine playground.
Views of Hockley Valley Golf Course. Courtesy Photo
Spa at Hockley Valley Resort
The 8,000-square foot European-inspired spa offers a welcoming and relaxing atmosphere where guests can linger in the lounge or out on the balcony overlooking the swimming pool. After a day on the links or slopes, a soothing massage is the ideal antidote to weary muscles.
Swimming pool at the Spa at Hockley Valley Resort. Photo: Anita Draycott©
Adamo Estate Winery Near Hockley Valley Resort
Just down the road from Hockley Valley Resort, Adamo Estate Winery adds another compelling reason to plan a getaway to the area.
Wine Tasting at Adamo Estate Winery
Adamo Winery offers some tantalizing experiences. You can take a Platinum Tour & Tasting ($80 per person Saturday and Sunday afternoons) that includes a welcome glass of bubbly, tastings in the vineyard and Barrel Room Library, a shared charcuterie board and more premium vintage tastings at the bar.
I enjoyed the unique Wine & Chip Tasting: four estate wines (Frizzante, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon) are paired with four different flavours of gourmet potato chips (smoked Gouda, Salt & Vinegar, Spicy Calabrese and Dry-Aged Ribeye). This savoury experience costs $49 per person. For those with a sweeter tooth, consider the Chocolate and Wine Tasting.
Wine Tasting at Adamo Estate Winery. Photo: Anita Draycott©
When I visited on Friday evening, Adamo Winery hosted a Seafood Social with live music. The Seafood Tower with freshly shucked oysters, steamed mussels and clams, marinated crab leg, raw Ahi tuna and all the fixings is a memorable feast paired with appropriate estate wines.
Adamo Estate Winery has seasonal culinary events and live music throughout the year, making it worth checking what is happening at the winery when planning a stay.
A complimentary shuttle runs between Hockley Valley Resort and Adamo Estate Winery on Fridays and Saturdays, making it easy to combine the two experiences without driving.
Buon appetito.
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Travel writer Anita Draycott was hosted by Hockley Valley Resort, a member of Resorts of Ontario. All opinions and editorial content are her own.
