EXPERIENCE ALL-ROUND COMFORT AND HAPPINESS AT LAUREL’S COTTAGE ON VANCOUVER ISLAND

It’s rare are to find a B and B whose hosts open up their heritage home to you in a casually warm way; you’d be hard pressed to find its comparable, including its unbeatable location.  Perfectly situated in Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Laurel’s  Cottage is a lovely nook is a short walk from Qualicum Beach’s colourful shops all quietly competing for your attention alongside a cluster of eateries scenically bordered by a gentle shoreline blessed with a six-kilometre-long public bay that is municipally protected.  Is it any wonder royalty came here! The Crown Mansion Hotel just near Laurel’s Cottage hosted the King of Siam, and many celebrities who came to golf and enjoy ocean-side pleasures that to this day boast zero-level pollution. Go beachcombing! Relax, picnic, search for shells and sand dollars while enjoying the warmest sea water in Canada 

Vancouver Island is a mecca for writers and artists. In fact, Laurel’s Cottage is a stone’s throw away from the Old School House Arts Centre, a century-old school at one time. Watch artists paint and sculpt year-round in this inspiring landmark.  

Hosts with the Most

Laurel and Réal

               Their convivial personalities put you at ease every moment of your stay.


Laurel’s sparkle is matched by her intellect. She's a part-time sociology professor at a nearby college, and knows so much about Vancouver Island history, highlighting poignant pieces of information most visitors don’t know about; and is happy to share it with guests. A Vancouver transplant, she and Real turned the 1983 home into their own B and B almost three years ago. She genuinely wants to guide you as you explore the island and its sites.  For several years, Laurel led educational tours and fact finding missions in Guatemala, so helping others is second nature to her. Real moved from St. Jean, Quebec. A colourful character with a great sense of humour, Real is unique.  I mean how many of us can meet a motorcycle dude who also cooks, is a highly skilled handyman (take a look at the outdoor pergola and the front fountain he built. And he gives great hugs that make you feel welcome.  

 Easy conversation, excellent hospitality and sweet rooms

Your B and B pleasure begins when the couple greets you, then opens doors to your cozy room upstairs.  If you want your own private bathroom, ask for the biggest room.

Downstairs, pleasurable places of rest await you: a big living room area for reading, TV watching or garden gazing by a bay window that also offers a peek-a-boo view of the ocean.

                                                                      Interior Charm 

 

                                                              


                                                                 Bedrooms are upstairs

 

 

                                      Yummy breakfasts served right at your seat

Réal serves up brilliant breakfasts that alternate between crepes with home-made wild black berry jam; Real picks the berries himself. 

Every day offered a  tantalizing array of eggs, bacon, toast with ham, cheese and fruit arrives on your plate. 

                                           Servings were presented with meticulous care

 



Sometimes, he makes a croissant filled with ham, bacon, cheese with fruit on the side. While I was there had gotten up very early to prepare their on-the-road box breakfasts two fishermen had to get up real early to embark on a guided trip. Laurel and Real had their box breakfasts hot and ready to go

Sweet greetings and goodbyes and everything in between make for  delightful memories at Laurel’s Cottage.

For reservations, email: laurelscottage@telus.net
  Call (604) 761-7067

Out and About: sites that dazzle your senses

Only twenty minutes away past Qualicum Beach’s trendy boutiques lies the Island’s greatest natural tree treasure. Cathedral Grove covers 301 hectares of land within Macmillan Provincial Park, and it’s bursting in beauty with a humongous amount of towering trees, specifically the Douglas Fir. One is 800 years old, and others average the 300-year-old mark.  Red cedar and cedar also grow here. Amazing moss covered branches and giant tree trunks mesmerize the visitor who are dwarfed by the size of Douglas firs. Cathedral Grove is actually the remnant of a forest fire that ravaged ancient Douglas firs over 350 years ago. What stands today is a incredible canopy forming at every turn, a cathedral of glorious trees. And you are standing admits it.


 

                                         
                                                                               
                                                                                     Cameron Lake
 


On the way to Cathedral Grove, you’ll pass Cameron Lake. Its vast shoreline holds its own mystery. No one is able to measure the lake’s depth. There’s a cozy serene place to stop and simply gaze out into lake and forest rising above it. Picnic here and swim.  Cameron lake became the burial place of a train that ran off the track. To date, the train has never been found – a lake with its own black hole?

                                                                

                                       The Pièce de la Résistance: Tofino

Driving past Sproat Lake, the rain forest scenery becomes more and more majestic with rushing waterfalls, gorgeous trees, thickets of green towering over rivers and rapids. It’ll take a good two hours to reach Tofino – a surfer’s paradise. It’s part of the Pacific Rim Park Reserve. Tofino town itself sits at the tip of the island’s peninsula. When the waves recede during the tide, an enormous beach of smooth sand is revealed on Long Beach, the most popular of three.  Here, Incineration Rock juts up out of the sea. Like a proud beacon, it beckons daring folks to climb up to get an unparalled view of miles and miles of ocean and the brave surfers who form a spectacle in their own right.

                    

   Parksville

Only eight kilometers away from Qualicum Beach is the growing town of Parksville. Head for Rathtrevor Beach and Little Qualicum Falls. Enjoy their natural astounding beauty.

                                                                   Rathtrevor Park


 

 

Little Qualicum Falls 

 

 

Scott Lissa: A Realtor who lives in Nanaimo, BC. He Takes Care of You

      He knows Nanaimo real estate like no other

It’s rare to find an agent who appreciates your nervousness and confusions as an out-of-town client in need of just about everything, including escorting you everywhere. Lissa not only picked me up at the Nanaimo Airport, but he brought me to my B and B.

The first day was pretty much hit and miss as I really did not know where I wanted to live. 

Scott literally goes the extra mile for you. He took me to towns around Nanaimo, including Qualicum Beach and Park City, even Ladysmith and Chemainus on the way to see a house on Salt Spring Island.  accompanied me there, paid for all gas and even the boat ride over to the island. I wish he had had more time with me, but the guy is super busy. But, I really did not see a house I wanted and he had no more time for second visits. 

It rained most of the time I was there, and Scott decided to blame it on me. Yes, he does have a sense of humour underneath that serious expression. I believe Scott really cares about the person he works with. He does get busy, so book him up well in advance.

All and all, he showed me some darn interesting houses, most of which sold as soon as I had returned to Montreal. I was not ready to make an offer; it was mainly an exploratory trip to even see if I liked what I saw. I began to love the laid-back charm of each place I saw along with the friendly manner of people I met.

He seems to know so much about BC real estate and the laws, so out-of-towners would do well to pick his brain. In the end, he didn’t find me the house that made my heart stop, but that is partially because prices out there are much higher than out east.

Scott is a pleasure to use as an agent. His intentions to find you a house are sincere, and he DOES NOT pressure you. I think that is what I liked the most about him.

He works with many non-BC residents and of course locals as well. If he’s out to make a fast buck, he sure doesn’t show it. His patience is awesome. 

Ask him though to make listings on hard copy for you and to show you where you are on the map area if you are really new to it all.

                                          

Scott Lissa

Home Specialist                            Email him

                                            slissa@460realty.com

                                                  https://www.nanaimore.com

             ·         1551 Estevan Rd #202

                 ·         Nanaimo, BC V9S 3Y5

                         ·         M: 250.618.5158

                                     ·         O: 250.591.4601

                

Armand Heights is Salt Spring Island’s Dream B and B

   YOU COME FIRST HERE!

Imagine staying in the loftiest of spots – 1000 feet above sea level on Salt Spring  Island, British Columbia  – an  idyllic place brimming beautifully with bounteous gardens, birdsong and  rolling hills topped with trees competing with outstanding ocean and mountain views . Blue hues and pillowy clouds float overhead. Welcome to Armand Heights... and its wonderful owner, Irina Florecke 

Irina Floreke

                                  Irina is full of humor and adorably genuine.
                             
                                        

Even with the rain, the view is spectacular

Garden Splendour

Nestling on six acres of land, the area literally bears fruit to the island’s most fertile of areas. Irina Floreck, Armand Height’s vivacious, totally generous and prodigiously hard-working owner Irina takes care of this land and you.  This is the place to relax and feel on top of the world in every way.  Don’t be surprised if you find yourself just wanting to hang around the grounds and Irina. 

                                                     Irina with grape leaves from her garden
                                                               

                

                                                            

                                                Enjoy the gifts growing on her land

                                                       Time to make a toast

After arriving, Irina soon led me to her cozy wine cellar laden with shelves of wine bottles full of her home-made wines. Using the fruit from the trees that grow on her property, she produces these wines all on her own. From pear, plum and passion fruit, to apricot, grape,  apple and pomegranate,  these wines have taken first prize on the island for six straight years, until she recently decided it was time to put the cork permanently on her  contest entries  during Saltspring’s Fall Fair contests, so others could take the win.

Irina’s cakes breads, cookies and pies also garnered island acclaim.  Her Xmas cookies became a huge hit often made with berries growing wild at her place. No fruit falls on the land unused. After all, it’s been designated as an agricultural farmland, and for 21 years, it’s benefited from Irina’s brilliant green thumb.

 Soon after purchasing Armand Heights, she hatched a plan. Why not raise chickens? The eggs she collects are eaten by her guests and residents of the island that she sells at the Tuesday  Farmer’s  market in town and  in unmanned little stalls for people to pick up their eggs using the honour system of payment.

Tuesday's Farmer's Market

Laurence Popoff lends a helping hand

 But perhaps what has guests gawking the most - before stepping inside their room  -  are the 200 different varieties of roses she grows, includlng hybrids. Adding to this flourish of  colour are kiwi, pawpaw, cherry and hazelnut trees and the list goes on.  

 Room Luxury: classy, clean and ultra                                  comfortable

  Four spacious suites offer spectacular views of the sea and mountains. Sit on your balcony or luxuriate in the outdoor Jacuzzi while imbibing Irina’s complimentary wine. 

The beds are huge, and my bed (Ocean Vista Room) – perfect for the romantically inclined -boasted a thick blanket inside the satiny cotton. This unique blanket was made from organic wool as was the mattress. I slept like a lamb (no pun intended). And what a view to wake up to!

Each room is impeccably clean with just the right amount of high-end furniture and art - all awesomely appointed. Bathrooms are big with huge showers. Mine had   ahis and her sink plus a big Jacuzzi. Irina even supplies gorgeous cotton bath robes,slippers and top-of-the- line toiletries including, cleansing Micellar water. Each room comes with a sleek TV, microwave, fridge, coffee make, and of course WiFi is everywhere. Floor to ceiling windows offer serendipitous views.

                                                  A well-seasoned Chef 

Talk about being pampered. Irina  brings her gourmet home-made breakfast right to your room. 

photo credit: Laurence Popoff

                                          She bakes her own bread from scratch.

Dinners are delectable, so  if you want to eat  dinner here, just let Irina know ahead of time. One night she made borscht. Unbelievably savory!

and used the caramelized onion sauce from part of the borsch as a dressing for my fresh filling and delicious. seasoned with herbs from her garden.   Her dinners are so delicious, no one wanted  to drive into Ganges town to eat out .  Part ham herself, I asked her to pose for me before she went  of to volunteer at the thrift shop in Ganges. She indulges you all the time but still makes room to give back to the community. 

“I love to make people happy, to make sure everything's perfect, especially for my guests“

Although Heights is a peacefully tranquil cocoon for total unwinding, it's only a 7-minute drive away from Ganges, the main town. 

If you like to hike and/or swim in a lake, just step outside Armand Height's door; you’ll find it all here. Armand  Heights is your paradise.

                                                        reservations@armandheights.com

Visit the website: www.armandheights.com

HEROINE WITHOUT A HELMET

Are we women drawn to helping others whom we don't even know, no matter the danger we might put ourselves in? 
 Ask yourself:
Do you create your your own dare? Think of your experiences, your drives that plunged you into the unknown. how long did you think about it before actually doing it? Not long, right? What happened? Did you have to sacrifice pieces of friendships by doing it? Did others disdain you for your courage that they did not have?

Has the terrible visited your health, and the journey into deterioration gets worse every day as does the pain? Are you still working on climbing up that daunting mountain to make your health better? Do you despair when you slip back down a bit?

Has hope gotten you through the day or simply that you do not know what will happen to you that day. You are a heroine with little protection, and that defines you: valiant, strongly independent and full of tears to shed fears that do nothing to shield you from anything. You see, you are a heroine without a helmet. Embrace it, as you are a rare remarkable human being; you just don’t know