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| The lodge building at Poets Cove. Unfortunately the lower level marina pub was closed but the spa and restaurant were open. |
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| A view looking towards the separate structure where a cafe and second outdoor pool are located |
Introduction.
Sally and I met at a party at her apartment on February 1, 1976. I can remember it as if it was yesterday. At the time she was living with Maxine and I immediately liked both of them since Maxine was just like me, and Sally was the exact opposite. (I suspect I made the right choice, although I do enjoy getting together with Maxine whenever I am in London.)
While we got married on December 3 five years later, we celebrate both dates as anniversaries.
Since there wasn't anything in my diary for the weekend and February 1st was the 50th anniversary of the day we met, I proposed a last minute weekend getaway. I also like to mix work and pleasure, so I proposed two nights at Poets Cove, a resort that I have often thought would be a model for a resort which we are planning in the Furry Creek community. We booked the ferries and the resort for Friday and Saturday nights at an exceptionally low winter rate.
It was therefore a bit of a shock when, on Thursday afternoon, I received an email from a colleague to tell me that there was now a waiting list for my forthcoming Friday evening Terminal City Club dinner talk on the Downtown Eastside's past and future! I had agreed to do this last year, but didn't put it in my calendar, and completely forgot about it. Fortunately, a colleague with considerable experience owning and renovating SROs in the DTES agreed to fill in for me. Thanks Robert!
Poets Cove. The Poets Cove Resort & Spa on Pender Island is generally considered to be the Gulf Islands' premier luxury resort. As noted on the Tripadvisor website, it is tucked away in Bedwell Harbour and offers a combination of 22 well-appointed Lodge Rooms, 9 Villas and 15 Cottages. The resort also has a spa and offers a full-service 110-slip deep-moorage marina and a Canadian point of entry customs office for CanPass users.
The resort is on the South Island, about a 22 minute drive from the Otter Bay Ferry Terminal. Unfortunately, there is no signage along the route to let you know you are heading in the right direction. There isn't even a sign just before you need to make a sharp right hand turn into the driveway. I suspect I am not the first person to drive right past the resort, and did suggest to the weekend manager that it would be a good gesture to add a couple of signs on trees along the route and at the turn. If nothing else, it's good marketing!
We decided to stay in the main lodge where there are well-appointed rooms but no suites. We booked a standard the king bedroom and it was just fine. It had many attractive design features including a toilet separated from the vanity and bathtub. There was also a large separate shower. The room included a small refrigerator, coffee service, and a large desk with plenty of outlets to charge things. And of course, a gas fireplace. There was also a large partially covered terrace overlooking the ocean.
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| Some of the larger villas and cottages have their own hot tubs. |
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| Some of the villas that offer two and three bedroom accommodation |
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| Next to the restaurant was a cozy bar area where an intriguing menu was offered including seasoned popcorn, yes popcorn, devilled eggs with smoked tuna, olives, excellent chicken wings |
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| While the dining room was empty when I took this early morning photo, it was generally full when we enjoyed breakfast and dinners |
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| The spa features this hot tub set amongst the rocks and also a steam shower set into the rocks. |
Although the spa was open, it was fully booked for the weekend and I was unable to have a massage, which I would have liked since since earlier in the day the price of gold and silver had crashed and the TSE was down 3.3%.
When I booked the accommodation I asked whether I needed to make restaurant reservations but didn't think to ask if I needed to reserve spa facilities. I suggested to the front desk they might mention this to future guests, especially when the spa has limited staff.
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| A view of the children's pool which was closed for the winter |
Since it is winter, other facilities were not open including a lower level pub, cafe and children's outdoor pool. Also, the tennis court was too wet to play. There is golf on the island near where the ferry comes in, but unfortunately there was so much rain the course was closed when we hoped to play.
Notwithstanding these shortcomings, Poets Cove and Pender Island was a most enjoyable place for a romantic anniversary weekend. There are some very nice shops and facilities on the island including another pub where sadly we missed their first Friday night Drag Show, and a community centre where a belly-dancing event was held Saturday night. There is also a winery, cidery, and distillery. (Given the weather and driving conditions, we preferred to simply walk down the corridor to the restaurant where we didn't have to worry about having too much to drink.
This summer we will hopefully return and enjoy more of what Poets Cove has to offer. But I can highly recommend the place for a weekend getaway, especially in off-season when the rates are very reasonable. You can find details here: poetscove.com
Another photo from the website.
