Together
VRBO is part of the HomeAway family, the world leader in vacation rentals with over 1 million listings. We offer the largest selection of properties for any travel occasion and every budget. We’re committed to helping families and friends find a perfect vacation rental to create unforgettable travel experiences together.
Harmony House, peace on South Bay, Pelee Island
| Sleeps | 10 |
| Bedrooms | 5 |
| Bathrooms | 1 |
| Half Baths | 1 |
| Space | 2,200 sq. ft. |
| Property type | cottage |
| Minimum Stay | 3 nights |
Overview
5 Bedrooms, 3 Baths, (Sleeps 10) rents weekly in summer. 3 nights off season
Harmony House on the South Bay of Pelee Island is a place to unwind, unplug and reconnect. It's a place for families large and small, for couples, for hikers, bicyclists, fishermen, swimmers, sunbathers and bird watchers. (PLEASE NOTE. Our large cottage only rents for 1or 2 week sessions during the summer season. No weekends. GO TO RENTAL RATES TO SEE WEEKLY RATES IN CANADA $) Thanks....oh, and by the way, this is not a B and B.
The five-bedroom cottage sleeps 10 and has a fully equipped kitchen, living room with fireplace and a family room. The family room is air-conditioned but because of the constant breeze from the lake all the rooms are usually cool and comfortable.
Outside, where you'll probably spend the most time, is a large grassy lawn with shade trees, and an observation deck overlooking Lake Erie and the clean blue water that stretches as far as you can see. In the morning from the deck on the break-wall, you'll take your cup of hot tea and watch flocks of geese, cormorant, great blue herons, gulls and egrets feed in the sandy shallows. In the afternoon you can sunbathe, read, play cards or swim in the warm shallow water. Perhaps you'll take a bike ride along the shore to the public beach, or the old lighthouse. Maybe you'll want to tour the winery, or go to the museum which tells about the history of the island and about the endangered and rare wildlife that find a home here. Some days may want to rent bikes or kayaks. or perhaps charter a boat and go fishing.
Pelee is famous for rare birds and butterfly migrations so bring your binoculars. In the evening you'll watch the sunset from the deck and roast marshmallows over a campfire or if you're in the mood, head for one of the local restaurants for a fish dinner and some music. Before bed go back out to the deck to look at a sky full of stars.
The cottage has 5 bedrooms, one with a king bed, one with queen, one with full size, and two with twin beds. There is a laundry room with washer and dryer. Also available, TV and VCR. If you have a boat you can dock at Dick's Marina, which is a short walk away. You can fly to the island or make reservations for the ferry, which runs several times daily, from Canada or Sandusky, Ohio. It's also possible to fly from Port Clinton, Ohio or Windsor CA.
Keywords:
About Tom and Patsy Harman
The Harman's, Tom and Patsy and three grown boys (and now grandkids) have been coming to Pelee Island since Tom was in his OB/Gyn residency at Case Western University in Cleveland. We now live in WV but get to the island fairly often. Tom is still in practice and Patsy, a nurse-midwife, works part time in the office and is an author of memoirs and novels.
Tom and Patsy Harman purchased this cottage in 2002
Why Tom and Patsy Harman chose Ontario
What we love about Harmony House is the peace and quiet. The South Bay is not crowded with beach houses like some parts of Pelee Island. We have 2 1/2 acres of lawn and trees. The bay attracts all kinds of water fowl, so bring your binoculars!
What makes this cottage unique
The house is larger than most cottages on the island and can host about 10 people. There are two living rooms so you don't all have to sit in one all the time. There is no screened in porch, so if you can bring a screen tent you might like it. From our deck on the breakwall you can see both sunrise and sunset. We see bald eagles, geese, ducks and even pelicans on the bay nearly every day. We love it.
Amenities
Pelee Island Cottage Accommodation and Amenities
- cottage
- Guests provide their own meals
- 2200 sq. ft.
- Max. occupancy: 10
- Minimum Age Limit for Renters ...
- pets considered ...
- children welcome
- non smoking only
- Beachfront ...
- Lake View ...
- Lakefront
- Rural
- Adventure
- Away From It All
- Family
- Historic
- Romantic
- Air Conditioning
- Clothes Dryer ...
- Fireplace ...
- Heating ...
- Living Room ...
- Parking ...
- Telephone
- Washing Machine ...
- Coffee Maker
- Cooking Utensils
- Dishes & Utensils
- Kitchen
- Microwave
- Oven
- Refrigerator
- Stove
- Toaster
- Dining Area
- seating for 10 people
- 1 Bathroom,
- 1 Half Bath
-
Bathroom 2 -
toilet
Bathroom 1 - toilet , combination tub/shower
- 5 Bedrooms, Sleeps 10
-
Bedroom 1 -
1 king
,
Bring your own sheets, pillowcases, and towels.
Bedroom 2 - 1 queen , Bring your own sheets, pillowcases, and towels.
Bedroom 3 - 1 double , Bring your own sheets, pillowcases, and towels.
Bedroom 5 - 2 twin/ single , Bring your own sheets, pillowcases, and towels.
Bedroom 4 - 2 twin/ single , Bring your own sheets, pillowcases, and towels.
- King size beds (1), Queen size Beds (1), Double Beds (1), Twin or Single Beds (1)
- Books
- DVD Player
- Games
- Television
- VCR
- Video Library
- Balcony ...
- Bicycles ...
- Deck / Patio
- Lawn / Garden ...
- Outdoor Grill
- Communal Pool ...
- churches
- live theater
- marina
- museums
- playground
- restaurants
- ruins
- winery tours
- bird watching
- boating
- scenic drives
- shopping
- sight seeing
- walking
- wildlife viewing
- ATM/bank
- groceries
- medical services
- cycling
- fishing
- freshwater fishing
- hiking
- hunting
- jet skiing
- kayaking
- pier fishing
- sailing
- swimming
- water skiing
Reviews
4/5 -
(5 traveler reviews)
peaceful bliss on Lake Erie
Had a great vacation at Harmony House. Since it is on the south side of the island it does not get the traffic as on the west side of the island with the dock and businesses or the north side of the island with the restaurants (not that there is a rush hour in those areas). The deck on the sea wall is a great place to relax and read or soak up the sun. Read all the books by the property owner in addition to other books in the bookcase. Also lots of videos and dvd's available if you want to watch movies. Lots of land between houses so there is a lot of privacy. All the restaurants on the island have great food and desserts. Grocery store is handy if necessary though we bought the bulk of our groceries in Leamington before we got on the ferry. Fully equipped kitchen if you want to cook your own meals, which we did many times. Hope to be back soon!
Peaceful enjoyable time
We had a wonderful quality time at the Harmony House. It is located at the southern side of the of island which is very quite area away from the mildly more active Northern and Western sides. The following are the positive and the constructive comments:
* The owners are wonderful friendly couple! they stayed in the barn, but we hardly noticed them. We actually asked for some extra favors since they were reachable :)
* The island is very peaceful place, the shops close anywhere from 2pm, 4pm and very few later. The co-op has some essentials (eggs, milk, baking materials, and some snacks) But for our party of 10, we brought two big coolers and few bags full of food. We ended up buying milk. The trash dumpster has short operating hours and takes $3 per bag but free for recyclables, we took some trash in the trailer back to Ontario.
* The house has a large yard for kids to play around, located on a 15 KPH (10 mph) dirt road.
* Is on the edge of shallow beach that you can walk down the stairs and into a 100 ft length of shallow water. Which starts rocky then gets sandy further in. The stairs could use an update as few steps had some nails sticking out and the last cement step is tilted downward and slippery
* it's right next to a deserted marina which is great if you have a boat and want to drop it off. It is deserted so it's free to park, however it is pretty gone in terms of docking areas, so you probably want to lift off your boat out of water, park it in the northern marina, or enjoy a little swim back and forth to your boat
* The house has 5 bedrooms and 10 people can sleep in comfort. There are 5 small window A/C around the house which are sufficient when it's not too hot outside, but you will need to keep the bedroom doors open upstairs since only 2 out of the 4 rooms have ACs. We would appreciate more cleaning to be done prior to our stay. Carpets could use an update, and please remove the carpet from the half bathroom! More lighting needed around the house. charcoal grill works fine, the gas grill needs replacement.
* Water from the filtration system, although potable, had very strong sulfuric odor. Leaving the water in a pitcher for a while solves it, but we ended up filling water from a water machine on the W shore Rd. I think the filtration system may need some tuning.
* For fishing, go the Northern side of the island. Nothing bites on the southern side.
It was a great time to unwind and unplug!
Recommended!
As close to the water as you can get without sitting directly in it!
We were delighted. Wonderful deck atop the breakwater makes this a fabulous spot if being outside is your thing.
Spacious accommodations. Not fancy but sturdy and practical. Well provisioned kitchen (including labeled cupboards & drawers) made it possible to easily execute all our cooking plans. Lots of storage for food. Outdoor grilling: charcoal grill superior to the propane in function.
House was very clean and tidy for our arrival. Movies, games and books available. Electric fireplaces made for cosy nights. Common areas are well setup and allow for togetherness without sitting on top of each other. Expansive property goes right to the water's edge. Decent fishing right next door at the abandoned marina. Well situated to move easily around the island.
Owners communicative and responsive. Would stay here again!
Harmony House best location and property on Pelee!
Harmony House has been a favourite of mine for # of years. I believe it offers the best of location and amenities on the island. The lookout deck, located on the lake offers amazing sunset dinners and bird observations.
The cottage is like a home away from home, it has everything one could ask for and more, with it's own privacy for family reunions or friends seeking a place to enjoy themselves.
I can't wait to return, the only negative thing about Harmony House is that one has to Leave Eventually!
Harmony House stay
We had a pleasant stay at the house. We were not able to enjoy all the benefits as we were at a wedding for the weekend and were away from the house a lot. It, therefore, was quite expensive for our stay. I do have to say that I was quite uncomfortable having the owners stay in the barn on the property, though. It felt like they were able to invade our privacy. This was especially true when the sliding glass door was open to the barn. There was nothing that said they could do this, or would do this until the weekend of the stay. Also, the house did not seem 'to code' with respect to the staircase (very steep) and definitely the lack of smoke and CO detectors. The ones there were visibly and deliberately dismantled. Very unsafe and needs to be dealt with asap before another stay. I would have liked to discuss this with the owner but was unable to do so. Overall, I would stay there but with no owners on the property and working alarms in the house.
Map
Pelee Island is in the Western Basin of Lake Erie. There is something magical about an island. Maybe it's the light. This is a quiet place with about three places to eat, a few lively bars and a winery. If you like peace and quiet and want a time to relax and reconnect this is for you.
Photos
Rates & Availability
- Available
- Unavailable
Additional information about rental rates
| Pet Fee | $50 |
| Damage Insurance | $59 |
Owner's Cancellation Policy
You might like these similar properties
- 3 Bedrooms
- Sleeps 6
- 42
- 3 Bedrooms
- Sleeps 12
- 8
- 3 Bedrooms
- Sleeps 8
- 3
You might like these similar properties
- 3 Bedrooms
- Sleeps 6
- 42
- 3 Bedrooms
- Sleeps 12
- 8
- 3 Bedrooms
- Sleeps 8
- 3
Request to Book