Our Cottage Life

Both my wife and myself grew up spending our summers at a cottage. Plenty of space to roam, lots of swimming, no deadlines or schedules. As a kid it was idyllic. So why you may ask why we insist that we will never own a cottage?

The Cost

If you want a cottage that’s waterfront, all season, reasonably modern and within an “easy” drive of Toronto you’ll be looking at mid-$700,00s in Kawartha Lakes to well over $1,335,00 in Muskokas*- before you furnish it or do any renovations.

The Travel Time

Unless you plan to buy a cottage very close to where you already live it may astound you how much time you’ll spend going to and from your cottage. In the GTA unless your budget is over $1M (and you’re not expecting luxury at that price point) you’ll probably need to plan for at least a 3 hour drive. Each way.

The Ketchup Factor

“I thought I told you we needed more ketchup when we left last weekend”. Feel free to insert any pantry staple of your choice but the point is that unless your cottage is in a town forgetting an essential adds up to extra driving time and more frustration. And you definitely don’t want to forget something vital at the cottage (stuffie, homework, laptop) only to realize it halfway home.

Missed Opportunities

If you’re tied to one place and one place only it’s harder to justify vacationing anywhere else.

So if we’re not going to buy a cottage but we love the freedom, what do we do instead? Rent overpriced (and increasingly banned) AirBnBs? Nope.

Welcome to Wander The Resort

Lakefront cabins √

Multiple pools √

Bar service on the beach √

Boat rentals (free for overnight guests) √

Scandinavian-inspired thermal spa (opened recently) √

On the shores of West Lake in Prince Edward County around 2 hours from Toronto are a collection of Scandi-inspired, fully-equipped cabins with multiple pools, saunas, restaurant and beach sports.

The cabins are comfortably furnished with lots of cosy throws and oversized pillows. Some of them even have hanging chairs which are ideal for curling up in with a good book. There’s a dining table, loungers and a firepit on your deck.

There’s even a full kitchen, including a dishwasher. Although you may not get much use out of it given the deliciousness of Wander’s own restaurant, Gather, as well as some great options in the nearby town of Wellington which has an outpost of Toronto’s Drake hotel and a local favourite – La Condesa.

The cabins have 2 bedrooms, 1 with a queen or king size bed and the second has a queen sized bed plus a twin bunk. There’s only 1 shared bathroom located between the bedrooms.

Interior cabin photos courtesy of Wander the Resort. Once we’re inside our luggage explodes and it’s impossible to take good photos

The beach entry is a bit rocky and weedy so bringing watershoes is a good idea. They also anchor mats/float pads in the lake (the type varies each summer). With plenty of comfortable loungers and umbrellas this is a great way to kick back and relax. They also have sand toys and various games including giant connect 4.

Between the pools, lake, fishing from the dock and SUPs our kids are exhausted by the end of the day.

In the evenings they light a series of fires and there are s’mores kits to roast over the large beach fire or at your own cabin.

Wander has quickly become our favourite city-escape. There’s no laundry on-site so we usually only stay 2 or 3 nights but it’s great for a taste of cottage life without the hassle. No winterizing, putting in docks or property taxes required.

*Ontario cottage regions where waterfront property prices spiked and declined – Cottage Life