5 minute read
Hit the snooze button
Seven great sleepovers on P.E.I.
Story and photography by Shelley Cameron-McCarron
In Prince Edward Island, should you stay in a floating red cedar wine barrel or a lighthouse? Or maybe in a former general store where a 1957 Bentley whisks you for supper? It’s all possible on P.E.I., which has a diverse, growing mix of places to stay.
You can slumber in converted wine barrels on the water at Nellie’s Landing in Murray Harbour or book into the six-room Fortune Bridge House, with chauffeured service to the Fireworks Feast at the Inn at Bay Fortune. Spend a night in a chuckwagon at Marco Polo Land, in yurts at Nature Space EcoResort, in off-grid micro-cabins at Meridian 63 Tiny Cabins in Strathgartney Park, and in small shanties at the aptly named Shanty Stay in Souris. In capital Charlottetown, the former Notre Dame Academy is now the swank Sydney Boutique Inn and the venerable Rodd Charlottetown is recently renovated.
Sleep in the treetops
Please your inner nature lover with luxury camping at Treetop Haven, an all-season property with a wooded walking trail for guests in Mount Tryon (a 10-minute drive from the Confederation Bridge). A stay in the property’s five TreePODs (geodesic domes with full kitchens, bathrooms, and living space) brings the feel of the outdoors in with large bay windows and a wraparound deck (hot tub and barbecue included). Two cozy cabins also have outdoor hot tubs, ideal for unwinding amongst the trees and under the stars.
Cabins importantly do not feature Wi-Fi or television. “We promise you’ll love the freedom that comes with disconnecting from the digital world. Bring along a pile of books, your journal, a deck of cards, or your favourite board games,” says owner Sheila Arsenault.
Coastal calm
Near P.E.I.’s eastern tip, and 10 minutes from East Point Lighthouse, the 12-room North Lake Beach Motel is extensively renovated with rooms showcasing a flair for the coast.
“We are the closest motel to the beach on the Island,” according to managers Dave and Tracy Clark, and rooms reflect this coastal calm with white décor, white linens, and delicate touches of colour. Some rooms offer kitchens, decks with fire feature tables, and air conditioning, but “opening the window and hearing the waves crash the shore and feel the night breeze is incredible, ” says Tracy. Beside North Lake Harbour, P.E.I.’s second largest working harbour, lobster fishing is abundant here and in fall, Dave says, “it’s the bluefin tuna capital of the world.”
Glamourous city adventure
In P.E.I.’s tiny capital Charlottetown, Slaymaker & Nichols Gastro House is an elegant three-room inn in a 1912 home, over one of the city’s most popular restaurants. It takes its name from an 1864 travelling circus and playful nods abound, including rooms named after a showpiece horse, General Scott, and trick rider, Caroline Nixon. In the onsite restaurant, detailed service leaves diners swooning. Retiring upstairs, guests can scour the inn’s vinyl-record collection (Lionel Richie! The Shirelles!) for their in-room record players, perhaps smiling as they’re serenaded to sleep by Elton John: “She’s got electric boots, a mohair suit…oh B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets…”
Cookies and cottage stay
Making fond memories seems part of the DNA at Kindred Spirits Resort, a quiet, 2.6-hectare property in the heart of Cavendish that serves fresh-baked cookies door side as a parting gift. An inn and two- and three-bedroom cottages, some with hot tubs, fill the grounds, which neighbour Anne of Green Gables Heritage Place. Down a dirt lane off busy Route 6, Kindred Spirits is convenient to North Shore attractions yet feels worlds away. Laughter echoes from the pool and playground, and guests cook lobster feasts and play lawn games. Inn rooms include breakfast, and the fully-equipped cottages have verandahs with barbecues and deck chairs, prime perches for stargazing.
Sleep in a lighthouse, see stellar sunsets
For those who love falling asleep to the sound of the sea, try beachside West Point Lighthouse Inn & Museum, off Route 14 in Western P.E.I. The distinctive black-and-white beacon is the island’s tallest tower at 20.6 metres. The inn has two tower rooms, the Keepers Quarters and The Tower, and 11 seaside rooms with patios overlooking the Northumberland Strait. “We have the most incredible sunsets,” says general manager Kendra
Smith, “amazing to watch right from the comfort of your own room.” Continental breakfast and museum admission are included, and it’s worth climbing the lighthouse’s five floors for eagle-eye views and extensive exhibits. One package even includes a proposal option (swoon) at top. Events are planned this year to mark the lighthouse’s 150th anniversary.
Wrap yourself in old world glamour
For a night of timeless sophistication, Dalvay by the Sea, a former Victorian summer home turned seaside heritage inn, is a must visit. Across the road from the beach in Prince Edward Island National Park’s eastern end, the elegant north shore 1895 Queen Anne Revival boutique inn (it was the White Sands Hotel in the Road to Avonlea TV series) captures the imagination with its large verandah and inside foyer opening to warm wood walls, stone fireplace, and sweeping staircase. The MacMillan Dining Room invites lingering over faultless halibut or astonishingly good goat-cheese fritters.
Serenity over St. Peter’s Bay
What’s better than the deep relaxation of cycling through P.E.I.’s first Nordic spa? That would be keeping the bliss going by staying overnight, mere steps away. Accommodations at Mysa Nordic Spa & Resort overlook spa grounds and the beauty of St. Peter’s Bay, along Points East Coastal Drive. While you don’t need to stay to access the spa, it’s an inviting option especially after a soothing treatment.
