The Lakeside House.
Six bedrooms, a chef's kitchen, sauna, dock, and sandy beach. The lake out every west-facing window. Available on its own — or paired with the cottage next door, for up to eighteen.
When's it free?
Synced from Airbnb. Click a range to hold dates — Brianna replies within four hours, no deposit yet.
The Lakeside House.
Six bedrooms. Nine beds. Three and a half baths. Two acres of west-facing waterfront on Shawnigan Lake — the sunny side. Sleeps up to fourteen in the main house, up to eighteen with the cottage next door, and book it that way for a wedding party or three generations under one roof.
Twenty steps from the kitchen door to the dock — sand all the way. Lacanche induction range, Sub-Zero, an island that seats six. A Finnish sauna and a hot tub at the lakefront. Forty-five minutes from Victoria International (YYJ); from Tsawwassen, a ninety-minute sail plus a fifty-minute drive. Two-night minimum. No parties, no pets. Year-round.
The room everyone ends up in.
Lacanche induction range. Sub-Zero fridge. Double ovens. The island seats six and faces the lake. Cookware, dishes, glassware for twelve. Espresso machine, blender, stand mixer — the appliances you'd actually use. Propane BBQ on the deck — every sunset shows up uninvited. The propane BBQ tank is full when you arrive.
Floor-to-ceiling windows. Seating for twelve.
Open great room, floor-to-ceiling windows, stone fireplace, seating for twelve — there's split alder stacked under the eaves, enough for a long weekend. Home theater with an 85-inch screen and tiered seating, better than most cinemas and you can pause it. Ping pong in the games room. A gym off the lower hall, so you can pretend you'll use it before spending the afternoon on the dock instead.
Six rooms. Sleeps fourteen.
We've assigned this room a hundred different ways over eight years. Grandparents on the main floor for the stairs, the bunk room for kids who'll be up first, the studio for the cousin who said maybe and then said yes. Move it around; the keys all work in every door.
- Bedroom 1 (main floor) — King, ensuite — closest to the kitchen, which is why the grandparents usually end up here, or whichever couple wants first crack at the coffee.
- Bedroom 2 (upper) — King, ensuite, west-facing windows.
- Bedrooms 3 & 4 (upper) — Queen each.
- Bedroom 5 (lower) — Double bed.
- Bunk room (lower) — Two bunk beds (four beds total). Reading lights and curtains, because the cousin who reads until midnight should not be the cousin who decides bedtime for everyone else.
Crib and toddler gates are in the boathouse — tell Brianna which bedroom the crib is going in and we'll have it set up before you arrive, no charge.
A soaker tub with a window.
Two bedrooms have full ensuites. The master tub is a deep soaker by a window — the room you'll find empty when everyone else is already out on the dock. The remaining four bedrooms share a full bathroom upstairs, plus there's a half bathroom on the main floor for whoever doesn't want to wait in line at breakfast.
Twenty steps from the kitchen door.
The dock is sixty feet of cedar pointing west into the lake, deep enough at the end to dive off without checking. Sand all the way from the back door, real sand, not the gravel most island lake properties settle for. Water hits 22°C by late July and peaks at 24°C in late August — warmer than the Pacific gets all year.
Coffee on the dock by seven. Sauna and hot tub at the water's edge by ten. The west-facing windows mean every sunset shows up uninvited.
Ninety degrees in forty minutes.
The Finnish sauna is cedar with a proper Harvia stove — 90°C in about forty minutes from cold. Turn it on after the cellar door at five and it's ready by seven. Eight minutes in, then the lake, then the hot tub. Six-person tub on the lakeside deck, angled for sunset, running year-round.
A Saturday in July.
- 7am — Coffee on the dock. The lake is glass until eleven. Loons calling from the south end.
- 9am — Pickleball before it gets hot.
- 11am — Swim. Water hits 22°C by late July and peaks at 24°C in late August — warmer than the Pacific gets all year, and the kids will tell you the moment it crosses.
- 1pm — Lunch on the deck. The BBQ is propane.
- 4pm — A cellar door at Unsworth, ten minutes south. Or Blue Grouse, twelve.
- 7pm — Dinner from the Lacanche. The kitchen seats six at the island.
- 9pm — Sauna at the water's edge. Eight minutes in, then the lake, then the hot tub.
- 10pm — Hot tub at the lakefront, looking out over the lake. Stars from the dock — far enough from Victoria to see them.
Inside the house.
Amenities.
Rates.
Peak season
June – SeptemberShoulder season
October – MayTwo-night minimum, three on summer long weekends. Cleaning fee $450. Fully refundable up to 30 days before arrival; cancellations within 30 days are non-refundable. 50% deposit confirms a booking; balance due 30 days before arrival. Inquire first — Brianna will hold the dates while you decide, no deposit yet.
Not for you if.
- You want amplified music past 10pm. Cowichan bylaw, and we share a road with neighbours we'd like to keep — the party doesn't end at ten, it just moves to the firepit and the sauna.
- You want a hotel experience with daily housekeeping. We're a private home, cleaned between stays.
- You're bringing a dog. Ours are at our place ten minutes down the road — but the carpets are old and the lake is unfenced. There's a great kennel in Mill Bay we can text you the number for.
- You need step-free, single-level access. The main house has stairs.
Hold a date.
Tell Brianna which weekend you have in mind. She'll come back within four hours with a real quote and the dates held for two days — and if she's at the lake, she'll walk you through it on the phone.