the harbour · the bay · the island, BC
A small cedar cabin
where the otters come by.
Six hundred square feet on the shoreline of the harbour, built by hand as a boathouse and kept ever since with the same care. Kayak up to the front deck on a high tide. Sleep under the skylights. Take the sauna after a cold swim.
Availability & rates
Pick your nights. See the whole price.
Every rate below is Island Guest House’s own published pricing. Choose two dates and the total works itself out — season, extra guests, both taxes and the deposit — before anyone has to send an email.
Choose your dates
The rates, in full
| Season | Months | Per night | Per week | Extra guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | June – September | $209 | $1,315 | $20/night · $10 under 12 |
| Shoulder | March, April, May, October | $179 | $1,125 | $20/night · $10 under 12 |
| Winter | November – February | $149 | $935 | $20/night · $10 under 12 |
Booking terms
Rates are for double occupancy and exclude 8% PST (BC accommodation) and 5% GST. Two nights minimum on every stay. A 50% deposit confirms the reservation; the balance is due on check-in.
Deposits are refundable 30 days or more before the stay date. No pets and no smoking in the cabin.
Weekly rate beats nightly
Seven nights at the high-season nightly rate is $1,463. The published weekly rate is $1,315 — a $148 saving. The calendar applies the weekly rate automatically at seven nights, which the current site leaves guests to work out on their own.
Photographs
Every photograph Island Guest House has.
These seven are every photograph inside the pages of the current website, shown here at their true size. There is exactly one more — the header banner — and it is a 770 × 288 letterbox strip. That is the entire library. Not one of these is large enough to fill a phone screen, which is why this page is built around a drawing instead of a picture.
In guests’ words
People write things like this.
This is such a lovely cottage in an ideal setting. We were able to enjoy not only the delightful scenery but also the diverse wildlife.
Serge and Janis Geoffrey
A truly remarkable place, well designed with so many thoughtful touches. We appreciated the peaceful atmosphere.
Aaron Sheppard & Alana MacArthur
Absolutely breathtaking! Thank you for your kindness, generosity and help finding things!
Kirsten & Graham Stewart
Thanks for a lovely stay in your beautiful cabin. Gorgeous setting, very comfortable and beautiful.
Ann Marie Dryden
We had a most wonderful & remarkable 3 days here. Thank you for your hospitality.
Charmaine T, Nancy C & Aaron Y
Kayak to the door
On a high tide guests paddle right up to the front deck. The beach is a few steps from the brick patio, and the spit Provincial Park is a short way up the road.
A seaside sauna
Six people fit. There is a hot-and-cold outdoor shower with an ocean view beside it — which is, on a cold clear evening, the whole reason to come in winter.
Birds at the doorstep
Otters, herons, scoters, Pacific and common loons, harlequins, mergansers and eagles all make their homes in the harbour and the bay.
The cabin
It began as a boathouse.
Island Guest House was built by Jack and the owner Mar with their good friend Ernie — a boathouse with outdoor sleeping and picnic space above, nestled among the cedars. Six hundred square feet on two levels, a gas fireplace, and windows facing the water.
Upper level
- Queen Murphy bed in oak — folds into the wall
- Vermont gas fireplace and a heat pump
- Spiral staircase down to the beach level
- Oak floors and trim throughout
- Large windows and skylights, panoramic view
- Deck for morning coffee and bird watching
- TV, DVD and stereo with a good selection of films
- Three-piece washroom — shower, sink, low-flush toilet
- WiFi
Beach level
- Six-person sauna
- Outdoor shower, hot and cold, with an ocean view
- Custom alder wood cabinetry
- Four-burner gas stove with oven, microwave, two fridges
- Four-seat dining table — easily moved out to the deck
- Queen couch/futon
- Large deck leading down to the beach
- Private lawn and brick patio, stairs to the shore
In the tree canopy
The warm living room is open and bright, with natural light from several large windows and skylights that look down to the beach and out towards the spit, the outer islands and the coastal mountains.
Island Guest House was built with care and is tended to with mindfulness, ensuring a wonderful experience for neighbouring islander or world traveller alike. This cabin with a story is a special place for the creation of new stories.
The birds of the harbour
Otters, herons, scoters, Pacific and common loons, harlequins, mergansers and eagles make their homes in the harbour and the bay, and in the nearby bird sanctuary at Mittlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park.
Getting here
the coast, then ten minutes of water.
the island sits across the channel from the coast, on the east coast of the island. The ferry crossing is ten minutes. Getting to the coast is the longer half of the trip.
The ferry to the island
| Route | Crossing | Sailings | Capacity | Reservations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the coast → the cove BC Ferries route 23 · 1.8 nautical miles | 10 min | About 18 round trips daily, roughly hourly | 47 vehicles | None — first come, first served |
You cannot reserve this sailing
Route 23 takes no reservations at all — boarding is first come, first served, and the boat holds 47 vehicles. Weekday mornings (7–9am) and late afternoons (4–6pm) are the busy windows. In summer, arrive 10–15 minutes before the sailing you want.
This is the single most useful thing a guest can be told before they set out, and it appears nowhere on the current website.
There is no Uber or Lyft on the island
Ride-hailing on the island operates in Greater the nearest town only. There is no Uber or Lyft on the coast or on the island. the island Taxi and Tours will take you anywhere — call 555 555 0100 — but there is no app, and a vehicle is effectively required to reach the cabin.
From the ferry to the front gate
- You land at the cove. Travel up the hill to the plaza.
- Head north — left in front of the grocery store — onto the village road.
- At the stop sign there is a coffee shop on your right and the elementary school across the street. The gas station sits behind the coffee shop.
- Drive past the school, keeping it on your left, then take the first left after the school onto the shore road.
- Follow the shore road past the police station for about 10 km, and you will arrive in the bay.
- At the bay village grocery store, turn right onto the main road.
- About 1 km along, Island Guest House is on your left at the main road. Look for the carved sign above the gate.
Winter tires, October to March
the coast requires winter tires — M+S or the three-peak mountain snowflake, with at least 3.5 mm of tread — on designated highways from 1 October to 31 March (30 April on some mountain routes). Sections of the island highway are designated. Fines run $121–$598.
Rental cars in BC do not come with winter tires by default. Guests driving up in winter should request them when they book the car.
the island
What there is to do, and who to call.
the owner and Jack have been writing this guide for years. It is the best thing on the current website — and it is buried three clicks down, on a page search engines have no reason to find.
Two guest discounts nobody can find
Island Cycle gives 15% off all rentals to Island Guest House guests and friends. the local First Nation & Rentals gives 10% off kayaks, paddleboards and canoes. Both are real, both were negotiated by the owners, and both are currently one sentence deep inside a long page. On a rebuilt site they belong on the booking confirmation and in the pre-arrival email.
On the water
the local First Nation & Rentals
Sit-on-top kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and canoes, right in the harbour — the water in front of the cabin. 10% off for Island Guest House guests.
555 555 0100A kayak outfitter
Four tours a day, from a full day on the water to the sunset paddle. The east coast of the island is some of the best sea kayaking on the island.
example.com ↗A whale-watching operator
Orcas (killer whales), grizzlies, bald eagles, seals and sea lions — and five sets of tidal rapids on the only tour of its kind anywhere.
example.com ↗A charter operator
Fishing from a 21-foot Boston Whaler Revenge, from the strait to the island, the Outer Islands and the inlet.
example.com ↗A river tour operatorAdventures
Guided rafting from whitewater to serene scenic floats, and snorkelling with thousands of returning salmon. Seniors welcome.
example.com ↗An island tour operator
Family tours at a fair price — ocean trips for up to ten, gentle canoe trips on the lakes, and mountain biking for everyone.
example.com ↗On land
the spit Provincial Park
The long sand spit that shelters the harbour and makes the view from the cabin. A short way along the main road.
the local cultural centre
The museum and interpretive centre for coastal Nations culture at the point, with a potlatch collection, displays on the Hamat’sa ceremony, and a carving and artists’ centre.
555 555 0100Island Cycle
Rentals, repairs, new and used bikes, and the largest range of electric bikes in the area. 15% off rentals for Island Guest House guests and friends.
example.com ↗Where to eat
a local inn
The community-owned hub — pub, lounge and a more upscale restaurant, with music on Fridays and events through the week. Their adventure centre books trips of all kinds.
example.com ↗Kameleon
Free WiFi and gluten-free friendly, with a breakfast menu as good as the rest — lemon ricotta French toast, huevos rancheros and proper espresso.
555 555 0100Café Aroma
Great location and a great feel, on the route from the coast ferry across to the Cortes ferry.
Useful numbers
| Service | Where | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| the island Medical Clinic | the cove plaza, by the pharmacy | 555 555 0100 |
| People’s Drug Mart | the cove — also the only place to buy cell minutes | 555 555 0100 |
| the island Taxi and Tours | Anywhere you need — especially home from the pub | 555 555 0100 |
| Isletech Auto Service | Across from Aroma Coffee Shop | 555 555 0100 |
| Melary Towing | BCAA certified | 555 555 0100 |
| the island Station | Gas and propane — no diesel on the island unless it’s for a boat | 555 555 0100 |
| the island Library | the bay, next to Terry’s Take-Out | 555 555 0100 |
| the island Credit Union | 24-hour ATM, by the Saturday farmers’ market | 555 555 0100 |
| Orca Laundry | Full-service laundromat, the cove plaza | 555 555 0100 |
Every number above is a tap-to-call link. On the current site not one phone number anywhere is clickable — guests have to copy them out by hand, on a phone, standing on a ferry.
Territory
Whose land this is.
the island is the territory of the First Nations of this coast, part of the wider coastal Nations. It is unceded — no treaty was ever signed for it, as is true of most of the coast.
This page is a draft, not a finished statement
The words below were written by someone who does not live here, as a starting point only. An acknowledgement written by a stranger and published without conversation is worse than none at all. If you want this page, the right next step is to take this draft to the local First Nation office and let them tell you what it should say.
The Nations of these waters
- the local First Nation — based at the point on the island. This is the Nation whose territory Island Guest House stands in.
- the local First Nation — the coast, across the channel.
- A third Nation — the third of the Nations of this coast.
Two of the places already recommended in Island Guest House’s own guest guide are the local First Nation: the local cultural centre at the point, and the local First Nation & Rentals in the harbour — the same stretch of water the cabin looks out over. The relationship is already there. This page only makes it visible.
Draft wording
Island Guest House stands on the shore of the harbour, in the unceded territory of the First Nations of this coast, and in particular that of the local First Nation, whose village is at the point. We are grateful to live and host guests here.
Fifty words. No formline borders, no borrowed imagery, no design pastiche — only plain type, which is the respectful default until a Nation says otherwise.
If you want artwork on this site
Commission it from a local artist and pay for it. There is a carving and artists’ centre at the local cultural centre, twenty minutes down the island. Anything else — a stock formline border, a clip-art thunderbird — does harm and is immediately obvious to anyone from here.