Didn't last a full week at the cottage

In fact, we bailed four days early.   Remember how excited I was to rent a cottage?  Well, this place was a major disappointment.

It looked identical to the photos, except under a layer of dirt.  Dingy.  The bedding and couches were clean - and that was it. The first few hours after arriving, I wiped down windows, doors, counters, furniture, floors, shelves, kitchen sink...and barely scratched the surface.  My Dad and I tackled more cleaning the next morning.  Despite this, ants took over my purse. I couldn't get the ancient vacuums to work (there were three- irony?) . The basement had a definite dungeon vibe. I am a clean freak, yes...but my husband and parents were also uncomfortable with the grime.

The other disappointment was that Upper Buckhorn Lake is REALLY weedy.  You couldn't swim.  We splashed around close to shore, played frisbee, threw rocks.  I really wanted to swim off the buttertarts I ate in abundance, but it wasn't possible.

So, if you are still interested in Bill's Cottage, let me add this.  The place may be right for you if:

- You are used to wearing shoes indoors, so dirty floors aren't a big deal
- You think cleaning the grills on the BBQ is a waste of good flavour
- You just want a tan, man
- You love old magazines and architecture books (there were stacks of Maison Francaise from the late 70's, for example...but spiders live in them)
- You want to get away THIS WEEKEND**, and you don't really care about all this stuff as long as you are out of the city

The place is COOOOL, just past its prime.  It was a much older version of what the website shows (I looked fantastic 5 years ago too!)...

Amazing design, crazy perfect decorating (perfect!)...just needs a deep cleaning...

**We were supposed to check out on Sunday before noon


(I know several people who would have driven back the first night...Liz - you would have flipped; oh and all photos were taken AFTER I cleaned...I was deeply satisfied after cleaning that glass wall between kitchen and dining room)

Cottage

We are slowing down our search for the perfect 'cottage.' We started to realize how many options are available, and we don't want to invest before we know exactly what we want.   Except its hard to know what we want, since we have very little experience cottaging.  So I am reaching out to you, in the hope that you can share some of your experience with us!!!

I gave up the idea of rustic, no electricity, off the grid living...and I have swung into the other camp: I want luxury!  Why so extreme Shannon? Because BUGS FREAK ME OUT!!!  (So do fish and any type of marine life but that's another story)...I simply can not except bugs...I refuse to live in harmony with bugs...I need a bug free environment.  Yes there is a large gap between luxury and bug infested...but I want AMAZING-WOWEE!!*

We are also tired of renovating.  We don't want to worry about maintenance and renovations on a second property.  We want to arrive, put our trunks on, and relax.

Luxury and maintenance free?  This does exist in Muskoka...there are fractional ownerships galore, as well as a few subdivision style cottage communities, or we can rent, or visit resort type lodges.

Four 'cottages' in one villa, on the beach, near bracebridge...fractional ownership...
2100 sq ft 3 bedroom - full kitchen

So this is where we need you!  Please share with us, what are you looking for in a cottage? how do you spend your time while you are at the cottage? At what age do kids get bored of the cottage? What do your kids love about the cottage (or what did you love about the cottage when you were growing up)?  How often do you get away?  Have you ever considered a fractional ownership?

I was going to put up a poll, but I really want to ask these open ended questions and hear from you!!!  Maybe you can also tell me what you think about the above villa/fractional ownership (purely based on one picture, a picture that's worth a thousand words!)  Thanks in advance for sharing!!!!!!!

This could be me!

*I probably sound a bit spoiled and you are right, I TOTALLY am!  We want a place we can share with friends and family, and really relax and enjoy ourselves for at least one week, maybe two every summer... and I want that place to be beautiful!  And close to the beach....We aren't likely to go every weekend because we have so much going on in the city...the occasional thanksgiving dinner hosted up north, or a New Years spent skating on a frozen lake would be nice too!

We're back!

We escaped the city (and the heat) for an extended weekend and headed to Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville.  Deerhurst has been on our radar since they listed 100+ very affordable (and nearly immediately sold out) vacation condos for sale a few months ago.

So what did we think?  Great family vacation spot.  Ridiculous amenities (meaning there is a TON of stuff to do if you are sporty/outdoorsy and not pregnant)....and its BIG (they have a shuttle bus).

Would I recommend it?  That depends...the place didn't actually have a lot to offer our small family (Two adults and a toddler)...it may be the ideal vacation for someone with older kids who can go on the bike tours, or help groom horses in the stables, or hummer rides in the bush, or canoeing, or sailing etc...

...but the place has its draw backs....paper thin walls and ceiling ...and you spend equal amounts of time staring at nature, as you do walking through parking lots (its such a large resort that people have to park SOMEWHERE...errrm, I mean EVERYWHERE)...

...they also neglected to vacuum the kid's playroom during our three day stay...nor did they rake/clean the beach at night and reset the lawn chairs (I like a fresh beach each day...picky, I know!)  With that said, we had a great time!!! I have NEVER laughed so hard as I did watching my husband try and climb onto one of the floating rafts in the splash zone! 

...and I love what the designer guys are doing with the decor!  The common area of the sports villa is beautiful!

Would I go back? Maybe when my family is a little older...

Have you been to Deerhurst? What did you think?

Cottage

We are thinking about getting a cottage up north (muskoka)...ok, what I should say is I REALLY REALLY PRETTY PLEASE want a cottage in the muskokas...

I don't know the first thing about finding a cottage.  I suppose "get a real estate agent" is good advice.  Maybe "convince your husband" comes slightly before that...

I day dream about spending two months of every summer with the kids, lakeside, in a small dwelling, something that keeps the bugs away while you sleep.  Indoor plumbing and a roof that doesn't leak are suggestions...I am not sure that we NEED electricity...but, I think you need power to keep the hot water tank humming (I definitely NEED hot water, don't I?)...Candlelight scrabble games, and songs around the bonfire are enough evening entertainment for me.  No internet, no TV, no coffee machine, no stove, no video games, no movies, no air conditioning, no rice cooker, no hair dryer...these are city perks! 

I want to fill the crooked, hand painted (by me) kitchen cupboards with thrifty mix n' match dishes...and drape the most garish floral tablecloths over the dining room table that came with the property (we would need at least two table cloths because the table is ridiculously long, in fact although its in pretty good condition, the last owners didn't take it because it was just too big...it was probably built by their handy uncle)..

I volunteer to mow the lawn, tend to the tomato plants and herb garden, repair the screens on the windows and caulk everywhere (to keep the bugs out)...but I may need some help to repair the old dock...

I will give the exterior, and interior, a nice fresh coat of paint...and wouldn't the old hardwood floors be charming painted a soft green colour?...I will scout for the perfect pull out couch bed (a comfy one, brand new, for guests) and scour garage sales for pre-loved coffee tables and a chair...

I'm not worried if the drive, the lack of electricity, or the slanted floor of the screen porch keeps some visitors from returning...I know my idea of cottage living is not for everyone!

I haven't spent much time wondering how the laundry gets done, or where the groceries come from, or how much sunscreen & polysporin you need to bring with you to last the full season...I'm not sure what we will do about the leaky faucet (let it keep dripping or consult the old TIME LIFE diy books sitting on the windowsill?) ...I'm not really pre-occupied with these details.

Am I looking for a brand new winterized four bedroom modern home on the water, or a condo at blue mountain?  They are shiny and new and convenient.  Except I want rustic, old, and comfortable.  I am not looking to duplicate what we have in the city, I want an escape. You know when you take a deep breath in and then slowly exhale, you know that moment of relaxation and release you get from such a simple exercise? This is the feeling I want to capture in our cottage.