Find a cottage getaway online

It’s cottage time. Each weekend, the highways leading out of the city are packed with city-dwellers seeking their escape. If you want to join them, but don’t have a family cottage, try the Internet. It’s a great aid for making summertime cottage plans. 

Most cottage vacationers are looking for a weekend get-away close to their hometown, so we have broken down our list of recommended sites by province. However, there are a few good national listing sites for would-be buyers and renters such as:

• CanadaRentals.com (http://www.canadarentals.com/ )
• Cottage-Rentals (http://cottage-rentals.com) lets you search all of North America, Mexico, the Bahamas, Australia and more.
• Holiday Junction (http://www.holidayjunction.com/) offers listings in Canada, parts of Europe, the US and Costa Rica.
• Cottage Link (http://www.cottagelink.com/) and Cottages on the Web (http://www.cottagesontheweb.com/sales.htm ) offer an excellent choi of cottages across Canada for rent or sale. 
• Cottage.ca (http://www.cottages.ca/ ) has listings of cottages for rent and for sale across Canada. You can search by region, type of cottage, even by body of water!

Provincial listings
Here’s the run-down on cottage rental information, province by province:
British Columbia:

• Great Spots! (http://www.greatspots.com/vacation/10N1.htm ) has more than 150 beautiful vacation properties to choose from in an online catalogue.
  The site says properties are carefully selected for their location, quality and value, and are inspected by the web site managers if possible before they are listed.

Alberta:

• Fishing Alberta offers a small list of fishing cottages.
• 1-2-C Vacation Properties (http://www.1-2-c.com/canada/alberta.htm ) features individual cabin listings for rent by owner, as well as a ‘wanted ad’ section.
• Alberta TourWorld (http://alberta.tourworld.com/ ) has a good set of cottage links for Alberta.

Saskatchewan:

• Cottage Canada (http://www.cottage-canada-usa.com/saskatchewan.htm )
• 1-2-C Vacation properties (http://www.1-2-c.com/canada/saskatchewan.htm ) have a small number of listings for Saskatchewan.

Manitoba:

• Cottage Canada (http://www.cottage-canada-usa.com/manitoba.htm ) 
• Tourworld (http://manitoba.tourworld.com ) have a small number of fishing cabin listings at (Tourworld Fishing Manitoba ).

Ontario:  

• Cottage-resort.com (http://www.cottage-resort.com/ ) has lots of listings.
  You can search by location, town or map. There are listings for family vacations, romantic getaways, fishing cabins, specials, golf resorts and learning vacations. There is a listing of handicapped-accessible facilities.
• Tyler’s Cottage Rentals (http://www.cottagerentals.com/ ) has listings for Ontario, Quebec, Eastern and Western Canada and Southern destinations around the world.

Quebec:

• Quebec Accommodation and Lodging (http://www.quebecweb.com/oignons/introang.html ) mainly focuses on hotels but has good listings of cottages as well.
• Holiday Junction (http://www.holidayjunction.com/canada/cpqbyr.html ) and
• Cottage Link (http://www.cottagelink.com/ ) also feature sections on Quebec.

East Coast:

• Cottages Unlimited (http://www.cottagesunlimited.com/rentals.htm ) has listings from Ontario, Quebec, PEI and Cape Breton.
  There are some Nova Scotia cottages on:
• NovaScotia Listings (http://listingsca.com/Nova-Scotia/Travel/index.asp ).

Preparation, advice
Once you have bought or reserved a cottage rental, you’ll need supplies, tips and advice to maximize your holiday enjoyment.

• Cottage Country Online (http://www3.sympatico.ca/cottagecountry// ) features a General Store with products of all kinds for improving cottage life.
  They have everything from alternative energy sources to fire and security supplies to cement and waterproofing supplies.

There are listings of events, a discussion forum, and an article on the legal issues involved with buying and maintaining your cottage.

• Homes and Cottages Magazine (http://www.homesandcottages.com/ ) offers some good online tips, and an ‘Ask an Expert’ page with over 10 years worth of ‘Q&A’ tips.
  Looking for a quiet way to get around the lake?
• Try a SpinCraft Electric Boat (http://spincraftboats.com/ ).

Tips for first-time renters
Renting a cottage is not like staying in a hotel. You are one step up from ‘roughing it’. Don’t assume that linens, blankets, pillows are supplied, especially if you are renting a single cottage from the owner.

You may need to bring toiletries, sundries, cutlery and tableware, too. Ask in advance if there is a grocery store nearby, just in case your Great Canadian Hunter/Fishers come back empty-handed.

Televisions, VCRs and telephones are not provided in all cottages. Cablevision and Internet access is rarely offered. You should ask in advance if you plan to bring pets or visitors.

Don’t assume that the cottage owner has insurance for your contents. It may be prudent to bring your own bottled water and first aid supplies.

If you plan on bringing your own boat, make sure to ask about ramps, and local restrictions. For example, Ontario has recently implemented boater licensing. And on the Great Lakes, there are boating and fishing limitations due to low water levels.