Hello, it’s a great day to start a project.
The Art of Retreat: 6 Wellness Getaways in Canada Where Architecture Blends with Nature
Where architecture meets nature, luxury takes the form of calm — a refined invitation to reconnect and renew.
Text : Marie Charles Pelletier
More than ever, we yearn for tranquility. For that inhabited silence where only the wind, the creaking of wood, or the slowing of our own breath remain.
We long for places that bring us back to what is essential: where our greatest concern is tending the fire, where our mornings unfold in the rising mist, and where open space alone teaches us to slow down.
Searches for “cozy cabin trip ideas” have increased by 10,000% among Canadians. Behind these searches lies a deeper quest: a collective yearning to escape the everyday noise of daily life and reconnect with nature, without sacrificing beauty or comfort.
Because true well-being isn’t found in escapism, but in the way we inhabit the world.
Nestled in the forest or soothed by the sound of a stream, today’s nature retreats do more than offer shelter; they awaken our presence. During these wellness retreats, each beam, each material, each shaft of light becomes an invitation to breathe, to pause, to simply be. Their architecture becomes an extension of well-being, a design vision that Ateliers Jacob also embraces: creating places where beauty is experienced before it is seen.
Here are six architectural retreats that each, in their own way, embody the art of the refuge.
6 Nature-Based Wellness Retreats to Discover in Canada
1. Forest Wellness Retreat: Trout Point Lodge – Nova Scotia
Category: Relais & Châteaux lodge, forest immersion
Nestled in the heart of a centuries-old forest—a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve—Trout Point Lodge celebrates nature in all its forms. Its solid wood architecture is bordered by the Tusket River. Its cuisine draws inspiration from the Atlantic Terroir. Forest bathing, kayaking, yoga, each activity becomes a ritual. Luxury here is discreet and deeply rooted in nature.
↳ troutpoint.com
2. Designer Micro-Chalet: La Cime – Sainte-Béatrix, Quebec
Category: Forest Micro-Architecture
Designed by naturehumaine, this treetop micro-chalet celebrates simplicity and the art of being. Minimalist yet warm, La Cime plays with light, height, and silence to blend seamlessly into the landscape, creating a visual continuity between interior and exterior. A refuge designed for relaxation, slowing time and listening to the rustle of leaves.
la-cime.ca
3. Cozy Chalet and Sustainable Design: Habitat Lanaudière (BESIDE Habitat) – Rawdon, Quebec
Category: Contemporary Biophilic Architecture
Designed by APPAREIL architecture, these chalets nestled in a century-old forest are based on a clear conviction: slowing down to live better. The omnipresence of wood, the large windows opening onto the forest, and the sauna are all details that embody a sustainable, simple, and profoundly human design.
beside.earth
4. Luxury Nature Retreat: Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge – Tofino, British Columbia
Category: Luxury Nature Retreat, Relais & Château Member
Accessible only by seaplane, Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge defines the concept of a retreat. Its 1,000 sq ft pavilion tents, with custom-made furnishings and heated floors, blend seamlessly into the coastal forest, bordered on both sides by the ocean and the mountains. In this unique setting, tranquility and adventure coexist in the salty air, while every moment invites contemplation.
clayoquotwildernesslodge.com
5. Wellness Getaway on the Wild Coast: Nimmo Bay Resort – Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia
Category: Sustainable and Introspective Luxury
Hidden deep in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia, Nimmo Bay is a well-kept secret. The forest cabins and seaside cabins echo the surrounding wilderness, awakening the senses through scent and texture. Each experience offered here contributes to cultivating a sense of unity between nature and its visitors. In this rainforest, silence settles in like a presence, and the essential is revealed naturally.
nimmobay.com
6. Wellness Retreat in Nature: Fogo Island Inn – Newfoundland and Labrador
Category: Icon of Canadian design in the wilderness
Perched between the rocks and the horizon, the Fogo Island Inn stands as an ode to place. Its modern architecture is rooted in local craft culture and celebrates the landscape through white wood, handcrafted cedar panels, and expansive windows that invite you to contemplate the sea, the cliffs, and the northern sky. Between tradition and innovation, solitude and community, light, wind, and sea shape an experience deeply rooted in presence.
fogoislandinn.ca
Design that Reflects Our Inner Nature
Each of these nature retreats tells the same quiet story: of returning to nature, of restoring balance between human and environment. Their architecture doesn’t impose itself; it recedes to better reveal the beauty of the place.
This is also what Ateliers Jacob seeks to convey: creating spaces that breathe as much as they bring people together through sustainable design where the materials are felt, where light flows freely, and where every detail reminds us that beauty often emerges naturally from calm.
Ateliers Jacob Portfolio
