Two of you

A weekend, the cottage, the lake.

A two-bedroom cottage set back under the cedars, sixty feet from the dock. Forty-five minutes from Victoria, and as quiet as you want it.

The Cottage living room with the woodstove and cedar shingles

01 — The shape of it

Two bedrooms, one fireplace, no audience.

Two bedrooms, one fireplace, no other guests on the property if you book the whole place. Forty-five minutes from Victoria, but the cell signal is your choice. The cottage is its own building, sixty feet from the dock, with a private deck and a wood-burning fireplace that does most of the work in winter.

We built this place for exactly the kind of weekend where you don't change out of a bathrobe until noon. The cottage is separate from the main house, so there's nobody to perform for.

Cottage bedroom with linen sheets and west-facing window

02 — The cottage

Cedar walls. A bed that faces west.

Cedar walls, a wood stove, a window that frames the dock. The fireplace draws hard once it's lit; in January it heats the whole cottage on its own. The bed faces west. Sunset lands in the room around eight in July. Our advice: start the fire about 20 minutes before you settle in. It takes that long to really warm the room.

Two bedrooms means you can split rooms if one of you snores. Most couples don't.

One king bedroom and one double bedroom, with linen sheets in summer, flannel in winter.
Full kitchen — induction range, French press, Nespresso.
Wood-burning fireplace; firewood stacked by the door.
Private deck, lake-facing, with two Adirondack chairs.

03 — What's here

The small things we stock so you don't have to.

Two bedrooms

One king, one double. Linen sheets in summer, flannel in winter. Blackout blinds in both — June light starts at 4:45am here.

Full kitchen

Induction range, French press, Nespresso. Salt, pepper, oil, dish soap. Cook without a grocery run; bring your own wine.

Sauna and hot tub

Use of both on the main property, or book the whole estate to keep them private. The lake is fifteen feet from the sauna door.

Lake and dock

Lake towels and a hammock by the dock. Two paddleboards on the cleats. The water hits 22-24°C by late July.

Wi-Fi, if you want it

Fibre across the property. Strong cell signal. Both work if you decide they should.

Wood-burning fireplace

Firewood stacked by the door. Twenty minutes to fully heat the room. Does most of the work from October through April.

Golden hour at Shawnigan Lake, the dock and house in evening light

04 — 48 hours, the loose version

Skippable in any order.

The point is the lake, not the itinerary — though we will write down where the dock chairs catch the best of the morning sun, if you ask.

Friday evening — Stop at Unsworth on the way up. Their patio closes at 8pm in summer. We usually grab a bottle from their cellar door to bring back to the cottage.
Saturday morning — Coffee on the deck. Swim if it's June or later.
Saturday afternoon — A cellar door at Blue Grouse, then a long walk on the Kinsol Trestle (twenty minutes south).
Saturday evening — Dinner at Genoa Bay Café (twenty-five minutes east, by car or by boat).
Sunday morning — Sauna, swim, hot tub. Drive home slowly.

05 — The four things you'll use most

Sauna, hot tub, dock, kitchen.

In that order, by Saturday night.

Finnish sauna

Seats six, holds eight (you'll have it to yourselves). Hits 90°C in forty minutes from cold. The lake is fifteen feet from the door. We put the sauna there on purpose — most couples do sauna-then-lake-then-sauna until they lose count.

Hot tub

39°C year-round. We keep it facing west, so on a clear evening you watch the sun go down behind the ridge while the lake turns gold. In February you can hear the ice clink on the rim of the cover when the temperature drops past freezing.

Private dock and beach

Sixty feet of shoreline. We keep two paddleboards on the dock — early morning, before the wind picks up around 10am, is when the lake is glass. A swim float sits thirty feet out. The water hits 22-24°C by late July, warm enough that you don't gasp jumping off the dock.

Kitchen

Induction range, French press, Nespresso. Pick up halibut at Cowichan Bay on the way in; the fishmonger closes at five.

Cedar grove behind the cottage on a quiet afternoon

06 — The valley

Twelve wineries within fifteen minutes.

Cowichan is the warmest valley in Canada. Twelve wineries within a fifteen-minute drive. Unsworth, Blue Grouse, Merridale Cidery, Averill Creek. Most pour from eleven to five; some close earlier in winter. We send every couple the same Google Maps list with our favourites pinned.

Pick up cheese at True Grain in Cowichan Bay and charcuterie at Hilary's. The Genoa Bay Café is twenty-five minutes east — by car, or by boat in summer if you charter from the dock.

Unsworth Vineyards (kitchen and cellar door).
Blue Grouse Estate (tasting room and patio).
Merridale Cidery (food, fire, cider on tap).
Massage and bodywork in Mill Bay, on request.

07 — What people come for

Anniversaries are the biggest one.

Honeymoons in October. The rest is whatever weekend you needed.

Honeymoons

October mornings, fireplace lit, no schedule. Most honeymoon stays book five nights or more. We swap the summer linens for flannel in October — it makes a difference.

Anniversaries

The most-booked occasion here. Couples often return on the same weekend year after year. We've had two couples book their third anniversary in a row — same weekend, same cottage.

Proposals

End of the dock at sunset is the obvious one. Brianna will make sure you're alone.

Babymoons

Hot tub off-limits in the third trimester; everything else is fair game. The bed is firm.

Phones off

Cell signal is strong across the property. Wi-Fi works if you decide it should.

No reason at all

The most common reason. A November weekend, the fireplace, and nothing on the calendar.

08 — Inside the cottage

Trust the photographs.

View Full Gallery

09 — In their words

4.96 across 24 reviews.

"This place is stunning and we loved every the incredible details put into the property! The Host was very kind and responsive and willing to work through details with us in a respectful way. Amazing!!!!"
Alan Airbnb Guest

10 — Pricing

Two ways to book it.

Below our Airbnb rate when you book direct — there's no platform fee for either of us.

Cottage only

$999/night shoulder

$1,999/night peak (June–September) · Sleeps 4

Two bedrooms, full kitchen, fireplace
Private deck, lake-facing
Shared use of sauna and hot tub
Two-night minimum (three on summer long weekends)
Cleaning fee $200

Hold a weekend

Whole property

$3,500/night shoulder

$7,500/night peak · Just the two of you, the whole estate

Cottage and main house, both buildings yours
Sauna, hot tub, dock — nobody else on the property
Sixty feet of private shoreline
Two-night minimum (three on summer long weekends)
Cleaning fee $650

Take the whole place

Fully refundable up to 30 days before arrival; cancellations within 30 days are non-refundable. 50% deposit confirms the booking; balance due 30 days out.

Add-ons through Brianna: private chef dinner, in-cottage massage, wine country driver. Tell her what you want; she'll line it up.

11 — Hold a weekend

Send Brianna the weekend you're after.

She replies within four hours, holds the calendar for two days, and won't tell anyone what you're up to.

Request a weekend +1 (236) 638-1478