There are thousands of cottages available to rent in Ontario. The most popular cottage rental site lists over two thousand, and there are dozens more websites listing a whole range of cabins, cottages and waterfront homes! Most of these are on or near a body of water, so most Ontario cottage vacationers look for waterfront properties. Standards vary widely, from rustic cabins without hydro or running water in remote and tranquil locations, to palatial mansions on busy and popular lakes. There are rocky shorelines, sandy beaches, wide open vistas and heavily wooded hideaways. Cottages can be reached by navigating twenty kilometers of winding and undulating dirt roads, by water taxi, or can be found relatively near a major route. Interiors often remain embedded in the seventies – the heyday of orange and green cottage décor, or have been renovated to either restore the original features or to reflect city styles of modernism. Facilities vary from the basics – an indoor washroom and cooking facilities – to the luxurious. Rental cottages featuring ensuite bathrooms with Jacuzzi tubs, wide screen entertainment systems, and even hi- speed internet access, are becoming more common. In fact, there is still something for every need, providing you are willing to pay the price if what you need is a replica of your city villa.
Where do you start?
So with this huge range of choices, just how do you start looking? Note that I say ‘how’ and not ‘where’. This is because your job will be made so much easier if you have already defined your criteria – what you want in a cottage and the facilities you must have; decided on your preferred location and the area you want to visit; and most important of all, have set a budget. That’s the subject of today’s post.
What should you expect to pay for your rental cottage?
Setting a rate is not an exact science for cottage owners, since there are rarely two the same. Some aim too high based on how much their neighbours are getting, without considering a real comparison of features; others underestimate their rate and you may find a rare bargain. For good value and realistic pricing, the agencies are probably the best places to go. Each cottage will have been personally inspected and a rate set according to a range of features and facilities, as well as occupancy levels.
Here’s a basic guide although not definitive it will give a good idea on how much you could expect to pay.
$750 – $1000 may get you a small cabin in the popular areas with minimal facilities, or one with a few more features but not as good waterfront. Tomorrow’s post will be looking at lower priced cottages in more detail.
$1000 – $1500 should provide at least a three bedroom cottage, one bathroom, moderate facilities probably including satellite TV and maybe a dishwasher. This is the rate range where you will find the most cottages; because of this it is a more competetive area so you can often find some good deals if you are prepared to compromise on some of your criteria in order to have great waterfront, for example.
$1500 – $2000 brings you to the start of the higher end properties and you should expect waterfront to be attractive; the cottage to have at least three good sized bedrooms, more than one bathroom; upgraded facilities, and to be well decorated and equipped.
At $2000 and above there are many variables that can affect the pricing. Sandy beaches, private location, hot tub, sauna, extensive decking and Muskoka rooms, and higher accommodation numbers.
If you are vacationing with another family to save money, be sensible on how much that saving might be. If you have a total of 8 people (including children) think about renting a cottage that sleeps at least 10. You’ll need extra space believe me. Don’t expect to pack more kids into a smaller cottage by using air beds – not only will you be overcrowding the property, you’ll find it pretty uncomfortable after a few days. My suggestion is that you budget around $2500 for a dual family vacation – at $1250 per week per family you could get a superb cottage with space for all.
Setting your budget before you start looking at cottage rental websites will save you a lot of time. Over the rest of this month I’ll be looking at each price range in more detail and making some suggestions.
