The lodge building at Poets Cove. Unfortunately the lower level marina pub was closed but the spa and restaurant were open. 
A view looking towards the separate structure where a cafe and second outdoor pool are located 
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
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 them 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 this was the 50th anniversary of the day we met, I proposed a last minute weekend getaway since there wasn't anything in my diary for the weekend. Since I also like to mix work and pleasure, I proposed two nights at Poets Cove, a resort that I thought could be a model for a planned future resort at Furry Creek. We booked the resort for Friday and Saturday nights at an exceptionally low winter rate, and the ferries.
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 Terminal City Club dinner talk about the past and future of the Downtown Eastside on Friday evening! 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 considerably more experience owning SROs in the DTES agreed to fill in for me. Thanks Robert!
Poets Cove. The Poets Cove Resort & Spa is generally considered the Gulf Islands' premier luxury resort. As noted on the Tripadvisor website, it is tucked away in Bedwell Harbour on Pender Island, and offers a luxurious combination of 22 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 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 dis suggest that it would be a good gesture to add a couple of signs along the route and when you need to 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. A king bed room was just fine. The room had many attractive design features. The toilet is separated from the vanity and bathtub. There is also a large separate shower. The room had a small refrigerator, coffee service, desk with plenty of plugs to charge things and a fireplace. There was a large partially covered terrace overlooking the ocean.
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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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| Some of the villas that offer two and three bedroom accommodation |
Some of the larger villas and cottages have their own hot tubs.
There are also two and three bedroom villas and cottages available but we didn't really need that much space. Also, I liked the idea of being able to walk down the corridor to the dining room that served breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu was limited, but the food was very good. I can recommend the seafood chowder and west coast pasta dish with mussels, scallops in the shell, salmon, shrimp and a very good cream sauce. I also enjoyed a good steak the first night.
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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 hotel, I asked about the need for 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.
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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.
There is golf on the island, but unfortunately there was so much rain the course was closed.
Notwithstanding these shortcomings, it 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.
Given the weather and driving conditions, it seemed too attractive to simply walk down the hall to the restaurant where there were plenty of good food and drink choices.
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 where the rates are very reasonable.
Another photo from the website.
