Riding the bus to school through Haileybury as a child, Samantha Babin would gaze up at 620 Lakeshore Rd. South and think, “I'm going to own that house one day.”
Back then, it probably seemed far out of reach for the girl raised in North Cobalt by young parents of modest means who lived unhoused for parts of her childhood.
“My parents did such a good job providing for us that we didn't realize we were homeless,” Babin recalled. “So essentially, it wasn't until as an adult that I knew it was kind of weird growing up that we stayed in a camper for, you know, six months out of the year. But it was just fun, right?”
Babin couldn't explain what drew her to the grand mansion, built in 1906 by an early mining baron on the shores of Lake Temiskaming. She just knew that she hoped to some day call it hers.
Since leaving the community nearly two decades ago, Babin has worked hard to build a comfortable life for her and her family, building up a nest egg along the way.
“[My parents] would always just say, dreams are free. They always encouraged me to dream big,” Babin said. “And my grandma used to always tell me, sometimes, if you wish hard enough, wishes would come true.”
In May, Babin's dream did come true when she became the new owner of Presidents’ Suites, an accommodations business serving leisure and business travellers looking for short- and long-term stays in the area.
SEE: Suites offer comfort for weary business travellers
Established in 2004 by Nicole Guertin and Jocelyn Blais, the business steadily grew to include multiple historical homes that offered guests the amenities of a hotel with the intimacy of personal apartments.
The business thrived for close to 20 years, regularly earning five-star reviews from clients.
But after Guertin's untimely death in 2021, Blais began divesting the properties, and 620 Lakeshore Rd. South — fondly known as The Villa — was the final home to be sold.
Babin said she first saw it listed for sale in early 2024, but the timing was off, and she didn't have the finances to acquire it.
Later that fall it came up again, and this time she and her husband were ready to take the plunge. But her initial inquiries returned some bad news: a group of potential investors were coming from Toronto to look at the property.
“And that's when I felt like I was losing my dream,” Babin said.
So, she picked up the phone to contact Blais directly and planned a visit to the home, ready with a personal appeal.
Babin shared with Blais her childhood dream of owning The Villa, her story of growing up in the area, and made a proposal: she could meet his asking price, but she could not go over, so her initial offer would also be her final one.
He accepted, and the deal closed on May 9 ― her birthday.
“I can't believe that it actually happened the way it did,” said an eager Babin, still giddy from the excitement of acquiring the home.
“And now that we have it, we want to bring it back to the way it was prior, to when it was in its full glory.”
In addition to offering vacation and business rentals, Babin envisions The Villa as an ideal venue for various celebratory events, like birthdays, baby showers, bachelorette parties, and girls’ weekends, along with specialty experiences.
First up is a tea party, themed around the popular TV series “Bridgerton”, a fictional drama that takes place in Britain during the Regency era. Guests would enjoy high tea in the home's decorated main hall before venturing outdoors to play lawn games.
Babin has teamed up with The Lavender Fox, a teahouse in nearby Cobalt, where she will source her tea for the events and have some on hand for purchase at The Villa.
“I'm excited to have the time to start putting things into place,” Babin said. “I really want to bring the community together so we can all work to provide services.”
Babin also wants to capitalize on the home's prime waterfront location, and she's already acquired a fleet of kayaks that will be available for rentals and guided tours.
Users will be able to reserve their kayak online, get a code to unlock it, and then launch their craft from the Presidents’ Suites lakeside dock.
Those who choose a tour will get to see views normally hidden from the road, Babin said, including the unfinished Peter Grant mansion; Farr Island, whose ownership remains with Blais; and Devil's Rock, where Babin said groups will stop for a picnic before hiking up the rock to take in the views from its summit.
Over the next five years, Babin wants to acquire additional historical homes, much like her predecessors, to grow her accommodations business. And she's expressed an interest in purchasing Farr Island if Blais ever decides to sell.
The family has relocated to Haileybury from Quebec and are temporarily staying in one of The Villa's suites while they get the business off the ground. Babin has left her position in the distance learning department at Northern College to work on Presidents’ Suites full time, while her husband will commute back and forth to carry out his policing duties in Quebec.
Although she had always hoped to move back home, Babin said there wasn't any urgency — until Presidents’ Suites came up for sale. It was then she knew the timing was right to make her long-held dream become a reality.
”I've been gone for 19 years, and just being back home, it's nice,” she said.
“I want to dig my roots back into the community and offer the community this beautiful place and have it as a place where anybody can come and rent and feel comfortable.”
