the Artful Suite - boutique accommodation with handmade furnishings & art.

Nice house on a quiet spot, far from the city noise but close enough to almost everything if you have a car. Our host was realy friendly, helpfull with lots of information and willingness to help us have a nice vacation. The suite was verry clean and well equiped, and the muffins Norma left for us on the kitchen table were fantastic. All six of them !

The house was really quite amazing. It is on a quiet street and very near to the beach. Norma was there for our check in and she went through everything with us. There are a lot of things that other homes don't have but Norma had everything cover. She even baked us some Sunshine Muffins (they were great)!

The home has wifi and Telus t.v. - there isn't air conditioning but we were there when it was quite warm and because the suite is below the main home - you didn't need it at all. There is a ceiling fan in the living room and there is a portable fan in the bedroom. That was really all we needed to stay cool.

We will definitely request the home when we go back to Nanaimo!

Lower level suite with convenient parking. Main drag for access.

Nice place run by nice people...who could ask for anything more

Norma and Bob Waddell's 'Artful Suite' is just that. It is a wonderful and spacious accommodation, with every comfort and convenience you could imagine or wish for. There was absolutely nothing wanting, including a well-stocked kitchen looking out over a garden (with complimentary cream, coffee and muesli), a cozy bedroom and its double bed, and a delightful living area with gorgeous West Coast art adorning the walls (my favorite was a pair of hummingbirds in flight) and beautifully worked wooden furniture. A treat for the eye as well as a lovely respite from the workaday world.

A former resident of Nanaimo and an avid birder, I chose the suite due to it proximity to Pipers Lagoon, which is a short stroll away. And this did not disappoint. With bracing mid-winter winds off the sea, it brought joy to my heart, as I saw such a variety of things that will soon be gone once spring sets in. A variety of sea ducks - harlequins, buffleheads, red-breasted mergansers and the occasional grebe or loon. There are also oystercatchers, sandpipers, and a resident eagle or two. A very large sea lion was roving around the shores on any day I chose to come there. After a leisurely amble along the spit (enclosing the lagoon and opening to the sea on its southern side), a hill of rocks forms a barrier to a small island. If you have the ambition (and shoes) to clamber over the basalt, you'll reach an island which harbours rare Garry Oak habitat. It is a treasure to which I return, time and time again, and made especially wonderful by topping off each hike with a warm cup of tea in the Waddell's inviting suite.

And, of course, all of this is a mere 10 to 15 minutes away from any Nanaimo destination - the downtown, nearby shopping malls, other nature spots and in the summer, any number of beaches and lakesides. I am so grateful to Norma and Bobb for all their thought and care which made for a truly a memorable stay that I hope to reprise.