AMENITIES The cottage has 2 bedrooms - an upstairs loft and a downstairs room. Each has a queen bed. There are also two portable beds, so six people is really the maximum that can comfortably stay. There is one bathroom. The living room is open, with 18 foot ceilings and glass all along the front wall. The view from the living room is the bay, the ocean, and the forested tip of the island. No other houses are visible. A wood stove in the living room provides ample heat in the colder months, but just in case, there are individually controlled electric baseboards in each room. The cabin is of course fully furnished - right down to the corkscrew and the garlic press. High quality fresh linens and towels are provided. Laundry of sheets and towels will be taken care of for you, but if you would like to wash your own personal items, there is a small washer and dryer. A wrap-around deck provides a great place to dine in the warmer months, and a great place to watch the ocean even in the colder months. A barbeque is available to cook the fish you just caught, or the steaks you just bought, in case the fish all got away. WEATHER The Gulf Islands are in the warmest part of Canada. You may have heard that Vancouver gets a lot of rain, but those rain clouds sail right over Mayne Island and don't drop anything until they hit the mountains of the mainland, leaving the islands with a dry climate. So much so that it can be a problem in summer (you'll have to go easy in the shower!). Summer temperatures are hot during the day, but cooling off at night. Winter temperatures rarely go below freezing, and you'll hardly ever see snow here, so a weekend in the winter can actually be quite cozy, specially when you throw some logs on the fire. KAYAKING The Gulf Islands near Vancouver contain some of the best ocean kayaking areas anywhere. The water is pristine, the wildlife abundant, and views of the surrounding islands are stunning. Sightings of seals, sea otters, and various sea birds are common, and most animals will let you get quite close. Kayaks can be rented on the island for anywhere from an hour or two to several days. You can even rent kayaks for your entire stay and dock them in front of the cabin. You can take day trips and come back each evening to the comfort of the cabin and a nice fire in the wood stove. For those keen to try fishing, you can catch tasty rock cod while kayaking in the bay in front of the cabin. Your views of the islands from a kayak will vary from completely wild forested areas roaming with deer, to picturesque bays populated with cottages at the waterline. There are several restaurants that will let you beach your boat so you can stop for a restful lunch. WILDLIFE Hunting is not allowed on Mayne Island, so the wildlife are pretty friendly. The deer will often wander onto the property to see if there's anything to eat. There's a colony of seals living just across the bay from the cabin. You can watch them from the deck, and you can hear them barking at night. You can also see bald eagles soaring overhead, and sea otters are occasionally seen at the water's edge. HIKING Mayne Island is mostly forested and offers plenty of opportunities for short hikes. The highest point on the island is Mount Park and a hiking trail up the mountain leads to wonderful views of the surrounding islands. The roads on the island are very quiet, so a walk along a road can also be a pleasant hike. The forest cover is mainly Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar, with Arbutus trees near the coast. The centre of the island is host to large stands of enormous fir and cedar, giving a hushed and cathedral-like atmosphere to the area. Since there is no hunting on the island, the wildlife is tame, and you are sure to see deer and other animals on your hike. BIKING If you'd like to bring bikes to the island, there are plenty of back roads to cycle along - actually, there is nothing but back roads. They are somewhat hilly, so you'll certainly get a workout. You can also take bikes on the ferries that travel to the other Gulf Islands, where there are many more miles of excellent biking roads.
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Spend your next vacation at this extremely private oceanfront cottage.
It's available for weekends or longer at an affordable price.
 Located on an island off the coast of Vancouver, Canada, the cottage can be reached by a 20 minute seaplane ride from Vancouver airport, or a ferry ride from the city. Vancouver airport has direct flights from many cities:
The ferry ride from Vancouver to the island takes between 1 and 1 1/2 hours, but don't let the length of the ride discourage you - it's a breathtaking ride through amazing scenery.
The cabin is located on Mayne Island, a small island with a year-round population of about 900. Mayne Island is located in the Gulf Islands, a chain of islands off the southwest coast of British Columbia. The American part of the chain is known as the San Juan Islands. The cabin is on a dead-end road, with just a few other houses nearby. The lots on three sides are wooded, so no neighbours are visible. The fourth side is of course the ocean.
This cottage is family-owned, and is rented out when not otherwise in use. As I'm sure you can understand, we don't have time to respond to emails unless there is a serious interest. Please take the time to browse the site to become familiar with the cottage. Ask friends who have been to this part of Canada what it's like. This will give you a better idea of whether you want to rent it. After having done this, if you have further questions, we would love to hear from you. Please drop us a line at:
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