Ahhhhh...perfect.
If you desire a true sense of what Minnesotans know as the North Shore, come to the Old Shore B&B nestled in a wooded grove along the pebble beach of Lake Superior. The views are marvelous, the setting secluded and the activities romantic.
Relax in Adirondack chairs surrounding a campfire on grassy banks overlooking the beach, or listen to the crashing surf while reading on the cedar deck. Then stroll along the private beach looking for polished stones and agates.
Sign up for an hour long private sauna, and at the appointed time slip into the provided robes and slippers to make your way outside to the sauna. Sit naked in the sauna and breathe deeply until you feel like you're about to explode, then run to shore, disrobe and jump into icy Lake Superior! That's the traditional Finnish sauna, as your hostess will enthusiastically explain. Then warm up with a fire on the beach and roast marshmallows to make s'mores, (all necessities provided). Or grab some home-made cookies and head upstairs to view Saturn through the telescope in the sunroom. Starry skies are incredible from here.
Those are the wonderful activities you can do here. Our hostess was energetic and almost insistent about us trying the traditional Finnish sauna, so of course we signed up. We didn't need an hour in the steamy sauna before we were ready to escape to the beach. How freeing it felt to run naked on the secluded beach under a moonlit sky! It was romantic, fun and adventurous.
This contemporary home was recently built to be a B&B, and thus has a perfect layout. Three bedrooms are upstairs along with a sunroom, and a larger suite on the main floor is adjacent to the great room and dining room. Rooms are tastefully decorated with a Northwoods theme and thankfully absent of any frills, florals or knicknacks. Colors range from hunter green, navy blue to burgundy. Even husbands not normally fond of B&B's will enjoy this one. The great room has a massive stone fireplace and walls of windows overlooking Lake Superior with soft couches for reading the assortment of books on the local hiking trails, flora and fauna. Sliding doors lead to the wrap around deck and sauna, and additional sitting areas scattered throughout the grounds.
Breakfast was served at 8:30am and included homemade muffins, bread, pancakes, sausage, juice and hot chocolate or coffee. The hostess is very organized, and asks you to mark what you want the next morning. She also offers a trail lunch which was much better than our expensive trail lunch from the acclaimed CoHo Bakery in Tofte!
This gracious hostess will also willingly transport you to a trailhead within a ten mile radius, so that you can complete a thru hike instead of backtrack. She is full of ideas and recommendations.
A great place, highly recommended! Definitely our favorite B&B along the North Shore!