Dreaming of an Island vacation

Freezing rain, flash freeze, deep freeze, snow, chipping ice of the driveway in the January thaw… who ISN’T dreaming of an island getaway right about now? The Island we’re dreaming of isn’t south, though, it’s east – we’ve just booked a cottage for our first visit to Prince Edward Island in summer of 2014.

Yay!

After a week of googling, I’m pretty sure I’ve visited every.single PEI vacation rental website on the Internet. In fact, it was only through diligent (Beloved might say obsessive) googling that I realized the first cottage we were about to book had also just been posted to not one, not two but three real estate websites as for sale. You can imagine my dismay when the second place I fell in love with was, ahem, also listed as for sale somewhere. Lucky for us, the third time was the charm and we’ve locked in a four-bedroom ocean-side cottage just outside the fishing village of Murray River on the southeast shore, and the owner assured me she has no intentions of putting it up for sale. Morning coffee watching the fishing boats heading out to sea? Hells yes!!

And there’s a little wooden staircase heading down the cliff to the sea so we can invest some more family time in the habit we picked up in Nova Scotia – beach combing for sea glass and other treasures.

Searching for sea glass

So here’s my dirty little PEI secret – I have long called myself a lover of Canadian literature but I have never *squirms in shame* read Anne of Green Gables or anything else by LM Montgomery. I know!! The good news is, we have six months to get through as much of her oeuvre as possible, reading to the boys at night.

So we’re thinking a day in Charlottetown, maybe a day taking in the touristy fun around Cavendish, a day exploring up the east coast past Panmure Island up to the point… and a lot of aimless driving and discovering. Care to share your favourite PEI tips? Bonus points for photo hotspots! (Ha, as if I have not intentionally chosen the singular most photogenic province for our family vacation!)

Author: DaniGirl

Canadian. storyteller, photographer, mom to 3. Professional dilettante.

11 thoughts on “Dreaming of an Island vacation”

  1. Now, we definitely HAVE to get together!! we did 2 weeks in PEI this summer. I have TONS of ideas for you ๐Ÿ™‚ such a magical place!

  2. Ha! I saw your Pinterest board and was wondering if you were going. So are we!! We booked for August in Canoe Cove. Though now I am fretting because I didn’t ask if they were planning on selling. Eek. Our no.2 choice was in Murray River. Keep pinning stuff. I’ve createdmy own board too. Happy travels!

  3. We spent a week last summer in the Cavendish area. While in Charlletown, make sure to do the COWS Ice cream tour and also the PEI Brewing company tour. They have root beer on tap for the kids. If going to Avonlea village, plan to be there the whole day, and to arrive just prior to opening as it is an outdoor performance, in small parts over the whole day.

    Enjoy. We loved it (though did not have to worry about our rental being sold as we stayed in a small cottage complex that was amazing)

  4. Basin Head is far and way one of my favourite places on the Island. And lunch or dinner at Lobster on the Wharf in Charlottetown. We know the owners and the food is yummy!!!

  5. Ha, that’s the first time I’ve used Pinterest in a couple of years – seems benign enough and not likely to violate anyone’s copyright. ๐Ÿ˜‰ We’ll have to share tips, Julie!

    Sarah, yes please!

    Carly, I heard Basin Head and Panmure Island are incredible. So excited!

    I just spoke to the rental agent – she’s going to borrow some bikes for the kids while we’re there. How awesome is that? Is it July yet?????

  6. you’ll have an awesome time – I love that part of the Island! (we spend our summers in eastern PEI, just south of Souris).

    There are a few funky shops in Murray River/ Murray Harbour (including an old church converted into a antique shop). We love the Belfast Mini Mill too (lots of fun even if you’re not a knitter — fun animals and they used to have a tea room but it wasn’t open last year).

    I love Panmure and it will be good for both sea glass and photography; Basin Head is beautiful (as is the provincial park nearby); the north coast is also beautiful for photography. have fun!!

  7. We went in 2007 and there was an island-wide program promoting visiting the lighthouses…we brought home pretty prints of the lighthouses – earned by visiting x number of them. We made a picnic lunch each day and went to a different area to explore.

  8. Love that you’re reading Anne of Green Gables with your boys. Another two options are to watch the movie (it’s very loyal to the book) and to get the book on CD. We drove a lot when we were in PEI so we listened to the book while we drove.

    I agree that Basin Head is beautiful. The “singing sand” at Basin Head is the prettiest beach I’ve ever seen and is wonderful for walking.

  9. I absolutely recommend reading the Ann of Green Gables books with your kids before you go! My mother had done the same when I was young and it made our trip to PEI all the more special ๐Ÿ™‚

    Thank you for reminding me of that found memory@

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