As of Friday, June 5, short-term rentals in Ontario are allowed to reopen, meaning those summer stay-cations can come to fruition after all. The announcement was made on Twitter by the minister of economic development, job creation and trade, Victor Fedeli.
NEW! Short term rentals including lodges, cabins, cottages, homes, condominiums and B&Bs will be allowed to resume operations in Ontario starting June 5 at 12:01 a.m. pic.twitter.com/wIRVGpMPNE
— Victor Fedeli (@VictorFedeli) June 4, 2020
With this good news, we decided to look back at our favourite cabin getaways and picked our top three to book right now. With so many Torontonians mourning the loss of their summer vacation plans, dates from June through to August are filling up fast.
A tiny cabin in the woods
Komoka | 2 hours
ÂFernwood Hills is a family-run operation by Lee Mann and his parents Ron and Celia. The cabin was first created for day use as it doesn’t have a washroom — guests use the washroom in the facility just up the lane — but then guests started asking the Mann family to stay the night. Perfect for singles or couples, the cabin is just the right place to breathe, think and relax. For those looking for a romantic getaway, the Manns know how to turn up the heat. The team will string the cabin with little lights and have a grazing platter waiting when you arrive, using their own farm fresh eggs and food from their market garden. Even the charcuterie boards themselves are made by Lee using fallen trees on the property. The family will even put together a dinner for two to be enjoyed inside this secluded retreat. For those looking for more comforts of home, the larger studio loft with additional amenities can also be rented. Just a perfect cabin for two.
An architect-designed gem
Highlands East | 2.5 hours
Joe Magrath spent his summers on Contau Lake in the Haliburton Highlands for as long as he could remember. When he and his wife, Sharon Leece, had the opportunity to scoop up a 99-acre woodland in the area, they jumped. Next, they partnered with international award-winning architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson to create the Bear Stand. The name comes from the hunting legacy of the area — original hunting stands used by generations past can still be found in the woods of the property. This vacation cabin offers 1,300 feet of lakeside shoreline and more than five kilometres of hiking trails and wetland boardwalks, but it’s what’s inside that really ups the wow factor: a sumptuous master suite with all the luxuries: a sauna, three fireplaces, a six-person lakeside tub and spa-like amenities from the rain showers to the Egyptian cotton towels. Magrath and Leece say they wanted to create an indoors-outdoors vacation home in the heart of nature that fused their passion for contemporary design with a pristine natural environment. They did just that.
Escape to a secluded lake
Godfrey | 3 hours
Marla Isaacs discovered Bob’s Lake when her eldest child was four years old — he is now 42. They rented a property on the lake for a decade before deciding to buy their own. Now they own five cottages and have created a lakeside retreat like no other. The Great House is perfect for a family getaway with six bedrooms. The town of Westport is just a 20-minute drive away, and there you’ll find a craft brewery, and just 10 minutes further is the Kilborn’s store and restaurant. Babysitting services are also available if you want to leave the little ones in the cottage while the adults go explore. What else? The staff will even prepare meals and baked goods if you put in the request.