I just returned from a lovely vacation with my family in the Kawartha Lakes of Ontario. It was wonderful to get away after the year-and-a-half we’ve had! Our vacation almost didn’t happen. We had originally booked a cottage in January, but the owner sold the cottage in May so we were up the creek without a paddle! I contacted a cottage rental agency in mid-May and was advised about a few available properties, but they either were not large enough for our family or they were four hours away!
We decided to ask my stepmother if we could rent her cottage, but she advised us that she was having a water/mould problem repaired and she didn’t know when the repairs would be completed. Luckily, at the beginning of July, the cottage rental agency phoned and advised me about a last minute cancellation for a cottage in the Kawarthas: the cottage had four bedrooms, a sandy lake bottom, two bathrooms, a/c and the most important, we were allowed to bring one dog! Yayyy! Sometimes the universe comes through and provides you with what you need.
I am the type that likes to be organized before I go on vacation so I made a list of what to bring to the cottage. You might find my list helpful if you are planning a cottage vacation. Despite making my list, I still forgot to bring a pair of long pants for the evenings. As a result, I have about eight mosquito bites on my legs!
The weather during our week away was pretty good – 28C-30C – although we did have two days of rain. On those days, we went into nearby Fenelon Falls for shopping and also stopped at an Amish farm to buy organic fruits and veggies.
The cottage turned out to be gorgeous – fully equipped with everything we needed including a dishwasher, washer and dryer!
We enjoyed having our morning coffee on the dock and listening to the calls of the loons. We saw three of them swimming nearby one morning and heard them late at night too!
We ate our lunch and some of our dinners on the patio near the cottage, which gave us a panoramic view of the lake. We also barbecued several of our meals and had one dinner on the picnic table down by the water. On the days with rain, we had our dinner at a large antique dining table in the dining room. It was so great to have so many places to have our meals!
The water was shallow at the dock so it was easy to climb down the ladder to go for a swim. My sister’s dog Riley loves the water so she bought him a lifejacket and he was able to go swimming too!
The cottage was equipped with two kayaks, which my sister and I took out for a morning ride on our second day and then later on in the week. Kayaking on that lake was lovely as you could see several birds on the lake up close!
The living room had a large sectional couch and a 50″ Smart TV so we were able to watch the first week of the Tokyo Olympics in the evenings.
We loved our cottage rental on Balsam Lake! I now think that it was a good thing that our first cottage rental was cancelled as that cottage had many stairs to get down to the lake and I don’t think I or my family members would have enjoyed that. Have you gone on vacation this summer? Please let me know where you went in the comment section below.
My goodness, it looks like you had a lovely time on vacation. It’s such a beautiful place and that water would be refreshing right about now as it’s super hot out.
Yes, we had a great time. In fact, I wish I was still there as it’s super hot where I am too! Cheers, Lori
Looks like a lovely place to visit. It sounds like you had a nice time there. That’s great you had access to the water.
Yes, it was a lovely cottage. I love swimming so I always look for a place right on the lake. Cheers, Lori
This sounds and looks like a wonderful vacation. I always love when I can be by the water!
I absolutely love being by the water too! Cheers, Lori
I’m happy to hear that it all worked out for your family, this looks like such an amazing experience.
Thank you; yes, it all worked out in the end! Cheers, Lori
What a lovely place to have a vacation. I love sitting on the front porch and watch the view.
I also love sitting on the front porch to see the lake. There was a patio table with umbrella so we had breakfast on the porch. Cheers, Lori
Thanks to the last minute cancellation, you would have missed this great deal if it wasn’t. Great place!
We totally would have missed out if the other party had not cancelled! I am thankful to them lol. Cheers, Lori
Seems like you guys enjoyed the place so much. The view is so fantastic
Yes, we really enjoyed it! I love the view too! I miss it now! Cheers, Lori
Sounds like you had a wonderful time. I would love to go kayaking out there!
Kayaking was great on this lake because we were at the end that wasn’t too busy with boat traffic! Cheers, Lori
Seems such a relaxing adventure, I just wish we can also have the same here soon !
Yes, it was super relaxing. I didn’t do any work: just went swimming, read, went kayaking and then ate lol. Cheers, Lori
What a beautiful experience, I’m glad that you were able to push through with the vacation. It’s a well-deserved getaway for you and your family.
Thank you. I’m so glad we were able to get away too after the year-and-a-half we’ve had! Cheers, Lori
How fun, it’s amazing how things aligned at the right time. Sounds like a cozy getaway and much needed after the year and half. Wonderful to read about your experience.
Thank you. I feel the same way about things aligning perfectly for us! Cheers, Lori
Sounds like you had an amazing time! I’ve been looking for a way to get out there myself. The kayaking sounds so fun, and the scenery is unbelievable. You must have really pushed through your fear of heights in order to enjoy such a breathtaking experience- congratulations on taking that leap with this vacation and all it has given you!
Yes, we had a great time! The kayaking was wonderful! Cheers, Lori
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