Caruso’s On King Bed and Breakfast and Serenity Spa
Picton, Prince Edward County
By Keely Kemp
We all experience the dream. Sitting in traffic on our way home from another stressful day we think, “There’s got to be a better way to live this life!” Many of us just dream. Others, like Deb and Rick Caruso, make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. On December 15, 2000, the Carusos chucked it all in and took an early retirement. Deb left behind a commuter’s, frenzied world of finance and her position as a Credit Manager. Rick retired his Captain’s helmet after 31 years of brave service with the North York Fire Department. Ahead of them, was a new adventure with the manifestation of their dream.
Without realizing it, Deb and Rick were preparing for the transition from the corner office and fire hall to the gentler lifestyle of Bed and Breakfast and Spa owners. Years before the dream asserted itself, Deb was unwittingly well on her way to her second career. To deal with the high stress of work and family, she began alternative health treatments that developed into a passion for the practice. “One day my massage therapist asked me, ‘Deb, have you ever thought of doing this for a living?’ I looked at her like she had three heads! ‘Are you kidding? I’ve worked for 23 years in the most conservative line of work – in finance. I just couldn’t imagine massaging naked people!’” she says with a big laugh. But, the seed was planted, and soon, she was enrolled in a part-time course. It wasn’t meant to be a career; it was just for fun. “It took on a life of its own, and soon people were booking appointments. I laughed because they wanted to pay me!” says Deb.
Rick and Deb were at a point in their lives when they were ready for change. One day a neighbour mentioned her Bed and Breakfast dream which sparked the imagination of Rick and Deb. “Being Italian, we always had the family over. We love to entertain and host family and friends. We thought, wouldn’t it be great to do that for a living?” The idea began to take shape until they had a vision of a Bed and Breakfast and Spa. Where and when, they did not know. Deb did know what her “Out of Africa” and “Garden of Eden” themed rooms would look like, and over time, she lovingly purchased and crated the perfect furnishings until they could be placed in their new home.
The quest for the perfect house in the perfect town began. Returning from a visit in Vermont with the same friend who planted the idea, Deb and Rick stopped in Picton for dinner and reminisced about summers spent with the children at Sandbanks Provincial Park. They fell in love with the county all over again. Six months after retiring, they were ensconced in their newly acquired Century home. Rick spent a year renovating and, on August 1, 2002, they officially opened.
The Carusos offer a relaxing retreat for frazzled adults year round. Because they were once ‘one of us’ they know what we need: aromatherapy massage, reflexology, hot stone treatments, soaking in a hot-tub under the stars, and scrumptious breakfasts in a beautiful Century home in one of Ontario’s loveliest regions. Deb and Rick deliver it.
Changing their lifestyle and opening their home to guests from around the world is their dream come true. “When we’ve got our feet up, or at the beach, or watching something like 911 and what the firefighters are going through, we definitely know that we made the right decision,” says Deb. “We have wonderful experiences with our guests. They come as strangers and leave as friends. I can’t believe we did it!”
For information on rates and packages contact:
Caruso’s On King Bed and Breakfast and Serenity Spa
41 King Street
PO Box 118
Picton, ON, K0K 2T0
Tel: 613-476-9986
Email: relax@carusos-on-king.com
Website: www.bbcanada.com/carusos