Lake Cowichan

"There’s a lot to like about this spacious, well-furnished lake house that we stayed at for three days in May. There were just the two of us, so we only used a portion of the house during our stay. You could see Lake Cowichan (and the mountains on the other side of the lake) from much of the interior of the house as well from the large front deck. The extensive grounds leading down to the lake are well cared-for and it was fun to ride back and forth to the waterfront with the golf cart. The docks weren’t in position for the season yet, so we didn’t attempt to carry the paddle boat down to the lake. There are many options for relaxing outside the house (in fact, the choices were a little overwhelming—we counted 12 different places to sit or sit and eat on the grounds and deck). The kitchen was outfitted well and we enjoyed making our own meals (especially after picking up groceries at the amazing Saturday Farmer’s Market in Duncan). Because the house is off the grid and has a unique water system there were a number of special instructions we had to follow during our stay, including daily flushing of the water filter in the crawl space below the house. The owner took the time to show us what needed to be done when we arrived (but I’d have appreciated a little more information about these requirements in the listing.) We had a few minor issues with this lovely accommodation, which would be useful to know before booking: The last 4 kms of the road to the house is gravel, which mades the last part of the journey dusty and slow in our small car. This also kept us from heading out for many local excursions. Guests have to bring our own sheets and towels, which we found irksome. We don’t have king size sheets so had to make do with flat queen sheets from home, that didn’t fit the bed in the master bedroom. No kleenix or paper towels were supplied, so we had to purchase our own. Although we paid a significant cleaning fee, guests are asked to vacuum or sweep before leaving, which doesn’t seem fair. The house doesn’t have a washer and dryer (not that the listing claims that it does), but I imagine this would make longer stays more challenging. The house and location are lovely and we really felt like we got away from it all. While we do plan to come back to explore this area again in the future, we’ll be looking for other accommodation to better suit our needs for the price we paid."

"This property is a great location! We stayed for three weeks, making this our 'home base' for jaunts to Victoria, Nanaimo, Parksville, Rathtrevor, and others. The house is quaint and totally served our needs. A huge television for our Netflix binging in the evenings. A gorgeous property in an idyllic country setting, while still a five-minute drive into town for Starbucks. The owners were friendly and knowledgable about the area. We would definitely recommend this rental!"