SPECIAL ESSEX COUNTY & PELEE ISLAND SECTION
The Best Vacations Start Right Here
From Inns, B&Bs, Campgrounds and RV Parks to Hotels, Motels, Cottages and Beach Retreats, Where To Rest Your Head For The Night Cover Story By Dave Hall
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ow that pandemic restrictions have been lifted in virtually every segment of society, it’s well past time to start enjoying what the towns of Essex County and Pelee Island have to offer. Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island (TWEPI) recently launched a new campaign, My Happy Place. They want you to share your happy place and favourite places in Windsor Essex, and discover new places you may not have heard about or visited in the past. The website, MyHappyPlace.ca, features event information and trip inspiration ideas. You can also WIN cash to spend at some of your Happy Places. Register for the Find Your Happy Place passport for free, then check in at particiating locations as you explore Windsor Essex this summer. The more places you check in the more you can win — 15 check ins will let you pick a $25 gift card of your choice, and 25 check ins will let you select a $50 gift card of your choice from their online store, all for free! (Campaign runs through October 2022.) And there is so much to discover in the region! From challenging golf courses to award-winning wineries, and from family festivals to special events, there’s something for every age and taste. In order to encourage Ontario residents to spend their vacation time closer to home this year, the provincial government has instituted a staycation tax credit allowing individuals to claim 20% of eligible accommodation expenses on next year’s income tax return. Expenses include those claimed for accommodation at hotels, motels, resorts, lodges, bed-and-breakfast establishments, cottages, campgrounds, and vacation rental properties. “The credit encourages people to travel locally and encourages overnight stays, which is the best way to see what our region has to offer,” explains Gordon Orr, Executive Director of Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island (website: VisitWindsorEssex.com). “Gatherings are slowly returning and there’s no better way to see this region than to stay in one of our many hotels, motels and B&Bs, all of which have something unique to offer.” Orr adds that many people have been
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Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island (TWEPI) is hoping you can find your next happy place in the region this summer. One possible suggestion is Amherstburg’s Dancing Swallows Vineyard, (shown) one of 20 wineries in the EPIC Wine Region. Graphic courtesy of TWEPI.
saving their money or spending it on their homes and gardens, so he feels people are now ready to start spending it on themselves. “There’s a pent-up demand and I think we’re going to have a great summer season in Windsor Essex,” Orr believes. The tax credit applies to short-term stays between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022. You can claim up to 20% of your overnight accommodation stays or eligible expenses, of up to $1,000, as an individual, or $2,000 per family. It’s expected the credit will provide an estimated $270 million in support to about 1.85 million Ontario families. (NOTE: For more information on the eligibility requirements, visit: Ontario.ca/page/ontariostaycation-tax-credit). Over the years in the July/August issue of Biz X, our cover stories have highlighted where to go and what to do. With the new staycation tax incentive, what better time to focus on where to stay? And, as the saying goes, there’s no place like home! There are any number of accommodation options throughout the county, and Biz X magazine has put together a short list of possible suggestions. Many are members of the Windsor Region of the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association (ORHMA), which represents more than 2,000 businesses across the province. BIZ X MAG A Z I N E • J U LY / AU G U S T 2 0 2 2
“In Essex County, we had a busy year last year because our members provided quarantine accommodations for many people,” reports Dharmesh Patel, Chair of the Windsor Region ORHMA branch (ORHMA.com), as well as General Manager of Leamington’s Quality Inn, 279 Erie Street South. “Now we’re hoping that many local residents take advantage of the shopping, dining and accommodation options throughout our region,” he adds. “It’s time to taste what we have to offer once more.” Absolutely! Let’s meet the individuals running some of the area’s accommodations where everyone is welcome to stay this summer.
Seacliffe Inn 388 Erie Street South, Leamington
This hotel dates back to before the turn of the 20th century, when an inn named the Erie House was built on a piece of property previously known as Seacliff Farm, according to a comprehensive history on the hotel’s website. Over the years, the property has been known successively as the Dew Drop Inn, Bay View Hotel and finally the Seacliff Hotel, although nobody seems to know why or when the second “e” was added. It was purchased by the Towle Group in 1986. “It’s a great setting, right on the water,”
