Question About Visiting Canada

[mjaclyn]

Hi! I know this board is for Canadians looking to visit WDW but I thought my question would have a better chance getting answered here...

DH and I were thinking of renting a house on the beach in PEI next summer but don't really know where to begin. We've never visited there but have heard wonderful things about it. Does anyone have any information about renting or know where I can look? Also, what is the best time of the summer to go? Any help is greatly appreciated!! Thanks so much!

 

[Northstar]

Hi! I know this board is for Canadians looking to visit WDW but I thought my question would have a better chance getting answered here...

DH and I were thinking of renting a house on the beach in PEI next summer but don't really know where to begin. We've never visited there but have heard wonderful things about it. Does anyone have any information about renting or know where I can look? Also, what is the best time of the summer to go? Any help is greatly appreciated!! Thanks so much!

Here's your online starting place: Tourism PEI You can get lots of information about things to do, attractions, how to get there... or you can go right to booking accommodations through this official tourism website. Choose "cottages/vacation rentals" from the drop-down menu under Type of Accommodation.


My family stayed in Charlottetown this July so I don't have any recommendations about renting beachside. I'm sure somebody on the friendly Canadian board will come in with more experience and specific recommendations.

I recommend... go in July or August, and eat lots of Cows ice cream while you're there!

 

[sympatico]

You can also get info on the TripAdvisor forums for PEI:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g155022-i619-Prince_Edward_Island.html

 

[braddillman]

Just back from a long weekend in PEI. Also been many times before (I'm from NS).

Driving times are shorter than you'd think. Examples: 40 minutes bridge to Charlottetown, 40 minutes Charlottetown to Cavendish.

If you stay somewhere in the 'middle' of PEI, you're not far from anything.

I think north shore is prettier but the water is much colder. Now I prefer south shore for warmer water, e.g. Chelton Beach between the bridge and Summerside.

One thing my family never misses is the cheese lady in North Winsloe, maybe 20 minutes from Ch'town.

My daughter was playing soccer in Hunter River, so we stayed at Central Maple Cottages and we were pleased (very simple and clean, nice location near the soccer fields, no pool or beach though but as I said not too far from either north or south shore).

 

[zarvgirl]

I was born on the island and have spent most of my lifetime here.
I currently live in Summerside (2nd largest city on the island) raising a family of 3 children.

There are many beautiful options for beachside. As mentioned above beachside is divided into two parts.
North Shore- beautiful sandy beaches, colder water, more concerns with riptides etc. This is the Atlantic Ocean side. Areas I know and would suggest, Darnley, Thundercove, Cousin's Shore all the way along until Brackley etc. The closer you are to the Cavendish area the more expensive.
South Shore- again many beautiful beaches, warmer water, This is the Northumberland Strait side. Suggested areas Chelton Beach (this is the beach I would take my family most often), Cape Traverse

I am not very familiar with areas closer to Charlottetown or farther East on the island but do know there are many beautiful areas for me yet to explore.

Look at the websites suggested. If you would like to PM me, I will try to answer any questions I can. I am bias to the island and am so happy to be living here. I have been fortuate enough to visit and live throughout Canada and visit much of the US and parts of Carribean and South America. I love it here.

Zarvgirl

 

[irisesareblue]

Be sure to check out the homeaway website or vrbo which are the "rental by owners" website - they are great resources and there are lots of reasonable places available.

We went to PEI a few years ago and stayed near Prince Edward Island National Park - from this area (Cavendish) we visited Anne of Green Gables and had a great lobster supper (google PEI lobster supper). We also went to Charlottetown and visited a great museum downtown called Founders Hall which gives an overview of Canadian history - this is great for a rainy day - Charlottetown is the birthplace of Canada! My kids loved this place - it was very interactive.

Have fun planning!

 

[mjaclyn]

Thank you SO much for the information!! I've always loved Anne of Green Gables ever since I was a child and visiting PEI has always been something I've wanted to do. We have two small children so being right on the beach (or within walking distance) would be the best for us. We'd also like to be close to Cavendish by car because we do plan on seeing the sights as well. I was looking on the Canada Select website as well as Homeaway and a few others. I also ordered the brochures and books from the PEI tourism website. Has anyone ever heard of, seen or stayed in any of these properties?

http://www.peivacationrentals.com/gentle/index.html

http://www.peivacationrentals.com/angies/angies.html

http://www.peivacationrentals.com/victoria/index.html

They all seem to be beachfront which is great, I'm just not sure how close they are to Cavendish.

The warmer waters sound great on the South Shore...how far is that from Cavendish and Charlottetown?

Any info would be so helpful! Thank you!

 

[striker3636]

We spent 3 weeks on the east coast last summer, and a week in P.E.I. My DH was raised in PEI and it was great to go back and see all his old haunts. We used the Provincial Park near Cavendish as our home base. The Cavendish area is a very popular destination, very busy and expensive, but it is still a nice area to stay in. My DH was amazed at how "touristy" it has become in the past 20 years. As pp have said, PEI is not very big, and as long as you pick something central, it isn't a really long drive to anywhere. Check out PEI on Google Maps to see how close each of your properties are to Cavendish. As well, have a close look at your beach access for your rentals. A place with a waterfront view may not have access to it - some may have steeper clffs or some may have slopes to the beach. My kids were 7 and 9 when we were there, and had no problem swimming in the water. It depends on what your kids are used to, I guess. My kids will swim in anything! We had lots of fun just playing on the beaches, and going "clamming". If I can remember it, later I will post the name of a restaurant with a great lobster dinner (just can't remember if it was in North Rustico or not) Sorry, I can't help you out with info on rentals - we are campers and bring our home on wheels with us! Have fun!

 

[zarvgirl]

http://www.peivacationrentals.com/gentle/index.html

http://www.peivacationrentals.com/angies/angies.html

http://www.peivacationrentals.com/victoria/index.html

They all seem to be beachfront which is great, I'm just not sure how close they are to Cavendish.

The warmer waters sound great on the South Shore...how far is that from Cavendish and Charlottetown?

Any info would be so helpful! Thank you!

Hey there,
PEI girl here again.....
I checked out the cottages you posted.
#1-gentle- this is on the Northshore, beautiful beach, along the area I originally suggested for this side of the island. You would be about 20 min. to Cavendish along one of my favorite Island drives. And about 50 min. to Charlottetown.
#2-Angies-this is again on the Northshore, the hebrides complex it described is a like a private island in New London Bay (being the bay water is a bit warmer) it does have lots of amenities, the beach isn't quite as nice (I think). Closer to Cavendish. (about 15 min)
#3- Victoria- This is on the South Shore, farther west than Summerside, so farther away from Cavendish (about 45 min) and also farther from Charlottetown.

South Shore options/areas you may want to consider are the Chelton beach area, Augustine Cove. Great views of the Confereration bridge, nice beaches, warmer water. You would be about 30 minutes across the island from Cavendish and about 45 minutes to Charlottetown. Unfortuately the drive across the island isn't the most straight forward with country roads. Still pretty though.

I just spent a week in Cavendish at the family cottage. Children ages 4, 9, 11. As PP stated Cavenish is very touristy, groceries, etc. are all more expensive in this area. Things we traditionally try to do each year, Shining waters Family Fun Park, has a water park and other activities, we were able to spend the day packing a lunch. Sandspit, like a clean Carnival, we spent about 4 hours. Cow's Ice Cream is a must!! And for this family with several golf fanatics we were at the golf course!!

I guess if I were to make a list of quessential PEI things to hit:
-a day at the beach, lunch, sunscreen, snacks packed!
walk on a beach at sunset, or my favorite family time at the beach is late afternoon, early evening, after a warm Sunny day.
-Cow's Ice Cream
-See Anne Play- whichever one
-smores at a campfire with the roar of the ocean near by.
-have some seafood, mussels, lobster, scallops.
-stroll around the small town of Victoria by the Sea, beautiful shops, homemade chocolate, fish and chip shack
-buy some PEI pottery, nothing like your morning coffee in one of these cups.

Good luck planning.
Please keep asking questions.
zarvgirl