Hello fellow humans & welcome to my first blog post! Here's everything you need to know about Mayne Island, BC and the Airbnb I stayed at:
Overview:
Mayne Island is small, quaint island that’s just 2 hours from Vancouver. Ferries don’t frequently go to the island throughout the day, so my boyfriend and I woke up early to catch the 9am ferry in Tsawwassen. If you plan on visiting the island, I’d definitely recommend checking the ferry schedule beforehand. I booked the ‘Cob Cottage’ on AirbnbPlus for 2 nights. There’s not many Airbnb’s on the island, but there is a few locally owned hotels/lodges. One thing I will mention before giving you guys a run down of the Airbnb/island is that Mayne Island is a super small town. They have a population of just over 1000 people, and every shop and restaurant close early. As someone who lives in a city with 24/7 stores and restaurants, it was a total change of pace. But, I do have to say, getting out of the city and taking a step back from the craziness of work/school/life was just what I needed.
The Airbnb:
As mentioned, I booked ‘Cob Cottage’ on AirbnbPlus.
This is the booking link: https://abnb.me/g3mcC46GA2
You can also sign up for Airbnb to get up to $62.00 off your first stay with my link: https://abnb.me/e/82NbdT9GA2
I was initially drawn to the architecture of the house because it looks like a giant mushroom. It totally makes you think you stumbled onto the property from a fairy tale. The house has 2 floors: the living space, kitchen and bathroom downstairs, and the bedroom and 2 patios upstairs. My favourite feature was the fireplace. I took some videos of the house so I’ll attach a mini house tour below:
The property also has lots of farm animals on it. The owners leave you a basket of fresh eggs from their free range chickens that you can see running around the property. I’m obsessed with farm animals so this was definitely a bonus for me. When I woke up the second day and looked out the window, I saw a llama and a bunch of sheep grazing on the lawn right in front of the house. I immediately ran downstairs and grabbed the bag of carrots and apples I brought (yes, I was fully prepared to feed the animals), and ran outside to say hello. The animals were super stoked I brought them some snacks.
The Town:
My absolute favourite part of the island was the farm that was just up the road from our Airbnb. It had cows. Not just regular cows, but highland cows. And, baby highland cows. Cows are my favourite animal (can you tell?). After feeding the cows some apples and petting the calves, my boyfriend and I grabbed food at the Bennett Bay Bistro. To us this place had the best food on the island. There’s only 2 restaurants, so we were able to eat at both. The Bennett Bay Bistro also has an amazing patio/ocean view, and is also attached to a small resort and spa. Definitely a cool place to check out.
What To Do:
As literally every shop on the island closes early, you have to find a lot of things to do by yourself. This was awesome for my boyfriend and I, as it gave us lots of time to relax and not worry about ‘missing out’ on any of the attractions the island had to offer. The Airbnb doesn’t come with a TV, so you definitely need to go with someone you can easily talk to. Sasha (my boyfriend) and I spent our time cooking each other breakfast or dinner, playing with the farm animals, sitting by the fire, walking around the forest, and having a few drinks and talking the night away. The Airbnb does have WiFi however, so you’re still connected to the internet world if you need to catch up on work emails or check what your friends are doing on Instagram.
The Verdict:
I loved the atmosphere of this island so much. I definitely am glad I got to experience all it had to offer. I wouldn’t necessarily stay here more than once a year (as there's not a whole lot to do), but it’s definitely a destination spot everyone should check out if they want to unplug from the real world for a while.