Style destination: Muskoka

Day one: Stay at the Touchstone

Check into the stunning Touchstone on Lake Muskoka resort in Bracebridge, Ont. If there’s a group of you, opt for one of the treetop villas, each of which offers a 270-degree view of the lake and private hot tub. Let vacation mode sink in while luxuriating on the beach, on the dock, in the infinity pool or at the spa.

Grab lunch at Marty's World Famous

For lunch, head to Marty’s World Famous, and don’t skip the sweets – chef Michael Smith once called owner Marty Curtis “the Michelangelo of butter tarts,” and when in Rome.... Once you’re fully fuelled, go for a hike along one of Bracebridge’s many sylvan trails. My favourites are Strawberry Point Trail, which culminates in a pretty picnic and swimming spot on Lake Muskoka, and Wilson’s Falls Trail, which takes you along the Muskoka River to a rushing waterfall.

Tour Muskoka Brewery

Treat yourself to an afternoon tour of Muskoka Brewery (and pick up a six-pack of its award-winning cream ale while you’re at it), then indulge in some retail therapy at Simply Cottage, which specializes in cottage-chic decor and is located in the historic Muskoka Foundry, built in 1904. Return to the resort’s Touchstone Grill for dinner, timing it to enjoy the sunset with dessert.

Day two: Shop in town

Take a scenic 12-minute drive to the neighbouring town of Port Carling, pausing on the way at Jon Partridge Pottery, a small studio on a quaint farm (the showroom is in an old chicken coop) with picture-perfect country gardens tended by Jon’s wife, Suzann. Shop the town’s quintessential cottage decor stores, Muskoka Living Interiors (left), Peaks & Rafters and Lock + Quay, which have outfitted so many of the cottages that grace our pages.

Grab an ice cream on the dock

After you’ve worked up an appetite, grab a sandwich on freshly baked bread at Abbey’s Bake House and then meander to Mooskoka’s to enjoy an ice cream on the docks while watching the boats pass through the locks between Lake Muskoka and Lake Rosseau.

Tour the lake

Enjoy the late afternoon sun touring the lake on one of the classic wooden boats that hark back to the 1930s through to the ’50s from Muskoka Launch Livery (arrange for your boat rental to be dropped off in advance).

Dine at Water's Edge Wine Bar & Grill

Cap off your day by the water with dinner at Water’s Edge Wine Bar & Grill, located at the meticulously manicured Lake Joseph club. (Pro tips: Get the tuna, recommends executive chef Derry Sylvester; amateur sommeliers will love the extensive wine list.)

Day three: Hop aboard the RMS Segwun

Check out of the resort and head toward home, stopping en route in neighbouring Gravenhurst for one last dose of lakeside living. Sit down for lunch at Taboo Muskoka’s Boathouse restaurant or kick it cottager style and wait in line at Shelby’s Chipwagon for the best sweet potato fries and poutine in town. Then, hop aboard the grand RMS Segwun, North America’s oldest operating hand-fired steamship (and the source of the infamous “toooot-toot-toot” steam whistle sound that’s as synonymous with Muskoka as the call of the loon at dusk). The iconic tour is a Muskoka must.

What to pack

Sunbathing, swimming, boating, hiking and shopping: Prep for hot days, cool nights and maximum time outdoors. What to pack 1 Chic shades: Ray-Ban round metal sunglasses, J.Crew, $178. 2 Natural bug spray: Outdoor body mist, Modern Apothecary, $12. 3 Shopping tote: Everything tote, Province of Canada, $48. 4 Picnic blanket: Pendleton hacienda blanket, Roots, $365. 5 Stylish shoes: Sperry Authentic original Lisbon Umbrella 2-eye boat shoes, Gray Malin, $110. 5 Beach towel: HBC collection beach towel in chunky, Hudson’s Bay, $40.