Booking a rental cottage for a vacation in Ontario has just become so much easier. With an abundance of sites and listings, it can be a laborious process going through each one, checking prices and hoping there is availability. Then there is the time taken for your enquiry to be answered, if you are lucky enough to get an answer at all. After all that, you’ll probably have to mail in or fax an agreement before your booking can be confirmed.

We just got rid of all that time consuming searching and paperwork. Just take a look at our new site at www.clrm.ca – here’s what you’ll find:

Completely up to date availability – our availability is live, so as soon as an online booking is made, the calendar is updated. Search for the actual dates you want or for a start date to see all the cottages we have available at that time.

Compare feature – sometimes it’s nice to see a few properties side by side on a page so you can compare features and prices. The compare feature allows you to do just that.

Advanced search options – if you are looking for something in particular, perhaps a pet friendly cottage, or one with internet access, just use the search facility to find one that has the features you want.

Online booking – no more rental applications or faxing paperwork back and forth. Just use the simple online form to reserve your cottage – fill in the names and ages of your group, and providing you don’t exceed the maximum occupancy or other noted restrictions, your reservation is confirmed immediately.

We’ve Stayed Here cottages – where you see the red We’ve Stayed Here badge, it means a member of our team has actually stayed a night or more in that property. All our cottages have been personally inspected, but where we can, we stay there overnight to get the full guest experience.

Trip planning – if you need to rent a boat or a snowmobile, want to book a cruise or a fishing trip, or just want quick information on what is in the local area, check out our cottage region pages. We’ll be adding to those all the time to bring new events and attractions so you can plan your trip well ahead of time.

Packing List – you can find a lot of vacation packing lists online, but ours is the only one that focuses on vacation rental packing. We know what you should take since we’ve stayed at a lot of vacation rentals, so our list is comprehensive and includes everything from things to pack for a rainy day to a terrific food list so you don’t forget anything you need for cottage catering. Our unique packing list is sent free to all our rental guests.

Take a look at the site and let us know what you think. We need and value your feedback and will put all suggestions into a monthly draw for a $50 cottage rental voucher – redeemable against your booking.

  Imagine a moonlit winter’s night with a fresh fall of snow on the ground and the clearest sky you have ever seen filled with a million stars. A bubbling hot tub awaits. This is what you could experience with a winter cottage rental in Ontario. Peace, tranquility and relaxation are the order of the day as you unwind from the stresses of everyday life in front of the warmth of a wood stove or open fireplace.

Now think how much fun it would be to enjoy Christmas or New Year with your family at a rented cottage. Check our just-published Festive Availability and book now for your fabulous winter break. Call or email us with any questions you have, and book today!

If you haven’t heard about Geocaching yet, then it’s time you did. This is THE activity for the family, it gets the kids outdoors and away from the TV; teaches them navigation and geography; is great for all ages, and you can do it anywhere in Ontario. In fact, as geocaching grows in popularity across the world, Ontario has one of the largest concentrations of caches anywhere and it’s catching on fast.

For me, the fall is the best time for geocaching. There are no bugs, it’s nice and cool for a hike and there is little traffic. What better idea than to rent a cottage for a few days and get the family out of the city for some outdoors time.

To find out more, go to Geocaching.com and check out the great video that shows you how to start; then read my article on Geocaching at the Cottage; and visit Geocaching Ontario for details on competitions and new Ontario caches.

You can either plan all this yourself, or choose a cottage that provides a Geocaching Package. This can include a rental GPS unit with instructions, a list of caches in the area, maps, and a couple of trinkets to start you off. Once you’ve found the first cache, you’ll be well on your way.

Give us a call if you want more information. We have plenty of availability for November and watch out for our Specials Page with discounts for November rentals.

It’s coming to an end……

Back to school next week……

It’ll be winter in three months time…….

Oh my – this is all a little scary – and yesterday I saw leaves drifting off a tree that was fast changing colour.  But wait!  You can still rent a cottage to enjoy the last long weekend of the summer.  We’ve still got a range of lakefront cottages to rent from 3rd – 6th September.  Take a look at our last minute page and book now.  These won’t last for long.

   I love my job!  From the time spring arrives to mid-summer, I spend most of  my time travelling the length and breadth of Ontario viewing new cottages to offer for rent.   It’s exciting to find one that we know will become a firm favourite with our guests, and the aptly named Hastings Hideaway on Steenburg Lake, south of Bancroft is one of those.

With four bedrooms and two bathrooms; a living and a family room and a delightful sun room, this is a great location for two families vacationing together.  The established perennial gardens, and great swimming from the shoreline and off the dock makes this a super choice for parents and children alike.  It has just been listed at $2200 per week and has availability for July and August.  Call us on   1 866 323 6698 for more details.

We’ve just listed this great cottage on Whitestone Lake with a terrific sandy beach.  I was there a few weeks ago on a beautiful sunny day, and wish I could have stayed for a week.  The best bits are the lawn and beach; big deck with plenty of seating; the sun room which has a TV and games system, and the big bedrooms.  In fact there’s nothing not to like about this cottage! At only 20 minutes to Parry Sound, there’s all the facilities of town within easy reach, and a couple of great restaurants in Dunchurch if you don’t want to travel too far.

So, if you want good fishing, great swimming in a quiet bay, and a superb  location, we recommend The Sharicton to you!  It will sleep up to 8 people in 3 bedrooms + a den and has a full bathroom and powder room.  All for $1700 per week.

There was a neat article on the Fodor’s blog about running on vacation and it got me thinking about how great it is to exercise in cottage country in the fall and winter.

I love to run, and my favourite route is the 4km road that leads down to my cottage on the Crowe River. At this time of year it’s the most tranquil and peaceful route you could imagine. The only sounds might be a woodpecker tapping away at a tree, or a chipmunk rustling in the leaves. Coming around a corner to see a group of deer grazing by the roadside is one of those idyllic moments that are hard to forget. On a cool day there’s little that beats a good run finished of with a soak in the hot tub listening to the flow of the river over the nearby rapids. The few hills just add to the variety and interest of the run – not too difficult but enough to make it a great workout.

If you are a runner and want to get away from running in town; having to slow for crossing a road or maneuvering around pedestrians, why not give yourself a break and enjoy some great cottage country routes. Osprey Cottage is available for short breaks and so are many others in our cottage collection. Just give us a call and let us help you arrange it for you.

Photo of Shoe Tree on Highway 62, Ontario by 1ncognito

The weather is set fair, you’ve been given an unexpected week of vacation, or you’ve just decided that you’d rather spend your holiday fishing and swimming, than repainting the kitchen. Renting a cottage sounds a great way of taking a week of relaxation so how do you go about finding one?

Most cottages have been booked up for months, particularly those with prime waterfront on the popular Muskoka Lakes. However there are often new cottages coming onto the rental market and most of the rental agencies and private owner websites have last minute listings. There’s a lot of people looking for late availability so here’s a few tips to help:

Don’t ask for a discount or a deal for a prime week.

I’m getting around 50 enquiries a day at the moment for last minute rentals mainly for the last week of July and first week of August. There is just too much demand for an owner to offer a deal, and unless the cottage is still vacant a few days before the week starts, I wouldn’t hold out much hope that you’d get one. There is also a risk that you offend the cottage owner which doesn’t do much good.

Be straight with your numbers

When the owner or agency asks you how many people you have in your group, don’t hesitate and say you are not sure yet. This sounds immediate alarm bells in the owners mind that you might just be planning a party at his cottage. Be honest about the number of adults and children in the group. And, yes, children do count! The maximum number a cottage will accommodate is usually determined by the capacity of a septic system to support usage over the week and is not negotiable.

Don’t be too choosy

At this late stage, you might have to abandon some of your criteria such as wanting air conditioning, or a sandy beach. There is very limited choice and the cottages that remain are often the last to go for a reason. Perhaps there is a short walk to the water, or a shared beach; there may be close neighbours, or limited facilities. You need to be decisive at this time, so know what you are prepared to sacrifice to get a cottage for the week you want.

Mention the dog!

Pet friendly properties are usually the first to be rented, so you may find it more of a challenge if you have a pet you want to take with you, as many cottages will not accept them. When you are speaking with an owner or agency, mention any animals at the outset. Don’t leave it until you are ready to make payment to tell them Fido is coming.

Pay promptly

An agency will normally ask for a credit card payment on booking, however a private owner may not accept credit card bookings and you’ll need to send a cheque by Express Post. Don’t expect a cottage to be held for you if your payment is delayed – there are plenty of other people waiting to take the week you want.

Picture this scenario: you arrive at your vacation cottage after a long car journey; the kids are excited, the dog has caught on to the mood and is leaping around the back of the car, you are tired after the long drive and in desperate need of a long cold drink. You open the back of the car and the dog disappears; the children jump out and as they race to the water, one of them trips on a rock and is now crying and bleeding from a scraped knee. And then you realize you’ve left the code for the cottage lock box at home. Not a good start to a long planned vacation.

Preventing this situation happening means doing a little forward planning with the family so that everyone has a task on arrival at the cottage.

Give one person responsibility for the key, or access details to the cottage and make sure he or she also has any other important cottage information close to hand once they’re seated in the car before you leave.

Don’t let it jump free from the car without it being fully under control. Cottage country smells; the local animal population, and the lure of the water are usually enough to get Rover pretty excited, so it’s worth taking a moment or two to get him acclimatized.

Walk the property as a family and check out the terrain and waterfront, noting any potential danger areas, such as slippery or submerged rocks in the water, and tree stumps around the cottage. Look at the dock and deck and, depending on the children’s ages, remind them of any safety points they should be aware of.

Read the Cottage Guide; it’s the user’s manual for the property the owner has carefully prepared to make your stay trouble free. Pick it up and scan it for essential information as soon as you arrive, then once you have unpacked, poured that cold drink and feel a bit more relaxed, read the guide cover to cover. Then pass it on and make sure every member of the group reads it too. It will contain important information on cottage systems, property boundaries, instructions on using appliances and watercraft etc.

Check all appliances are functioning and note any damaged items. You will probably have lodged a damage deposit with the owner, so let them know within the first 24 hours if there is any appliance not working or if there are substantial stains or marks on furniture or carpets.

Check the property boundaries and remind the children about respecting the neighbour’s privacy and boundaries.

Taking 10 minutes on arrival to get your bearings and familiarize your group with the layout and terrain of the property may save you hours of stress and potential disaster recovery.