Name: Seaside Cottages
Address: 17310 Parkinson Rd, Juan de Fuca Electoral Area, Juan de Fuca Electoral Area, Juan de Fuca Electoral Area, V0S 1K0, Canada
Rating: 9

Smoking areas

Garden

Express check-in

No elevators

Reception desk

General

Family room

Rooms

Restaurant

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Parking

Family/Kid Friendly

Kids

Pets allowed

Pets

Extra decontamination measures

Contactless check-in and/or check-out

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the cottage

Seaside Cottages

Juan de Fuca Electoral Area

Absolutely beautiful. This is a must stay. We stayed in suite #11 on the cliff that over looks the water, hot tub and a fire pit was the icing. The room had everything thing u needed, the Coastal Cafe is a cute quant cafe around the corner serves up 'hot' delicious breaky. 
We will be back 


Stunning

Two good friends and I recently had a spectacular stay at Wild Renfrew.  The cabin was quaint and well appointed with everything we needed.  We especially loved the covered deck with propane fire so, despite it being October, we could sit outside all day and evening enjoying the "TV" that mother nature provided for us:  sea lions, otters, birds and eagles - absolutely gorgeous!

We had cabin #2 in the lovely inlet overlooking the ocean, mountains and rugged coast line.

The staff at check-in were helpful and courteous and I enjoyed myself so much that I will be booking the location again for my husband and I in the next weeks.

Renfrew itself is for nature lovers, and is a glorious location.  It's similar to Tofino without the amenities or tourists.  Cell coverage is limited to none.  We could text but not receive any phone calls or call out.  You must also come prepared with your food and any other needs as there is limited to no shopping - worth every effort!

Wild Renfrew - we will be back!

Absolutely amazing accommodation in a beautiful location.
We stayed in an ocean facing cottage with hot tub and all I can say is wow!!
Fire pit out on deck was lovely and we sat out there morning and evening and enjoyed the amazing views, seeing a harbour seal from the hot tub.
Stunning Bathroom, cottage was well equipped and spotlessly clean would highly recommend. 

Amazing ! 

We stayed three nights in a two bedrooms and one living room, cottage.
The cottage had a breathtaking view from its windows and balconies. 
Port Renfrew is one of the nicest places I have ever stayed at, and our cottage at Wild Renfrew was one of the nicest accommodations.
Dipping yourself in the hot tub, which was located on one of the balconies, during any time of day or night, and especially after a hike in Juan de Fuca or any other place around it, while watching the green hills running into the blue water of the sound, is as great as it sounds and even more.
All facilities were convenient and the cottage was warmly decorated.
There are no cons to the place but two assisting comments - our cottage was one floor above ground level, with some stairs leading to it. Therefore one should bear in mind that one will need to carry ones luggage up.
Secondly, when we stayed there was only one restaurant in the whole area - a very nice one, I should add, but if it is already closed for the day there are no other choices.

One of the must stay places in a lifetime.

Absolutely stunning. My wife and I stayed at the Seaside Cottages for 2 nights a few weeks ago with our children (5 & 9). We all had a WONDERFUL time. The beds were very comfortable. The bathroom had good water pressure. The kitchen was clean and the coffee/tea was well stocked. The wifi worked well and the cable tv was a huge bonus because we needed TSN to watch the Women's World Cup. We spent our evenings on the balcony overlooking the port with a toasty propane firepit to keep us warm. Even with none of these amenities and touches, waking up to that view would've been worth the price of the room. 10/10.

Breathtaking View

Wild Renfrew was our first stop on a month long adventure through Canada and Alaska and wow - we are so glad we prioritised exploring Vancouver Island, particularly Port Renfrew.

Wild Renfrew was so beautiful, peaceful and the perfect winter getaway! The views were incredible and were even more amazing when keeping warm in the hot tub or enjoying a wine by the fire. 

We were in the Penthouse Seaside Cottage. This was spacious, clean, cosy and comfortable. All amenities were available and we were captivated by the views and loved relaxing inside the cottage. 

It was great to be so close to amazing hikes and we loved the Port Renfrew Pub! Try the risotto! Everything you needed was right there.

A perfect stay that we loved every minute of. Thank you Wild Renfrew!

Perfect Winter Getaway

Described as simple by our travel agent, we would rank the wharf side room we had at a higher level. The bed was comfortable and the room had everything we wanted for our two night stay including a kettle for us English tea making addicts. There was also an easy to use gas fire which was need as the evenings got colder.
There was also a small outside sitting area overlooking the inlet which was equipped with a small gas’ pit’ which enabled us to enjoy a glass a wine or cup of tea while watching the seals and birds and even a couple of otters enjoying the water.
A slight draw back at this time of year - September - are the eating opportunities. They are limited and not directly on site. In the evenings, it was just the Renfrew pub, just a little way away on the wharf, with meals needing to be ordered and eaten before 8pm while for breakfast it was basically Tommi’s, which is not open everyday. Having said that, we managed to dine whilst there and enjoyed ourselves so no real complaints at all.

Enjoyed our stay.

Beautiful view, cozy space, comfortable bed — couldn't ask for much more! The on-site restaurant does stop serving food a little on the early side, so be sure to make note of that when making your dinner plans, and the kitchen was a little sparse in terms of cooking tools, but those are only very minor complaints.

Great waterfront cabin

For context - We were on Island for 12 days. We backpacked (so are used to roughing it when we know what to expect), stayed here, and also stayed at the Fairmont Empress (pre-backpacking) and Magnolia (post backpacking) in Victoria (both of those stays were excellent, with the Magnolia providing better value in our opinion)

Location - Views were even better than the room we stayed at when we were at the Ventana Big Sur (California). I would say views were different, but on par with when we were at the Salish Lodge and Spa (Washington), and the Grand Hyatt Kauai (Hawaii). The room was spacious, full of light, and modern. This was the most special aspect of the stay at the Cottages and would be enough of a reason for us to return. The hot tub, fire pit, and toiletries met expectations/were accurate to their website/Instagram postings. 

Value - We spent 2 nights at the Seaside Cottages. Including food costs, all around costs, we spent the same amount as 2 nights at the Magnolia in Victoria, and 1 night at the Fairmont Express. Magnolia was the best value of the 3, even keeping in mind the remote/serene location of the Seaside Cottages likely drives prices up. 

Communication - 
Website - "Know Before You Go" section was helpful in setting appropriate expectations re housekeeping, cell phone, pub hours, and grocery/supply access. 

NOTES: It may be helpful to know that even though the West Cost Trail Bus directly stops at Wild Renfrew's check-in area, because of on check in/out times and bus schedules (7 hours and 45 minute gap between the two), and check-in area having no space/being unwilling/unable to hold any luggage except on their deck area, the Cottages appear to cater to folks with a car. 

Walking distances to the visitor center, grocery, post office, botanical beach, Pacheedaht campground,  etc. were approximately between 2.5km - 5km, 1 way. Doable for folks who like to walk, and surprisingly, several folks in town stopped and offered rides. 

Perhaps a missing customer base to consider: international couples traveling for longer periods of time (needing to bring all their stuff with them/so not 100% comfortable leaving everything on a public deck), without a car, who are not going direct to Victoria after hiking the West Coast Trail and who want to spend money/do all the things in Port Renfrew. We would have been willing to pay for luggage storage this time if that was possible or in the future e.g.  if we decided we wanted to do the Juan de Fuca right after - storing packages of dehydrated meals to pick up post West Coast Trail, etc. I'd rather pay to stay at a unique location like this than for a rental car to sit in a parking lot for a week...

I understand that the Fairmont is a much bigger operation, but in contrast: 
Traveling internationally, I was worried about bringing 1 weeks worth of dehydrated meals on the plane trip. The Fairmont accepted 2 boxes of dehydrated meals a month before my stay (I was worried about shipping delays), stored the items, and had a message ready on my room phone upon checkin to have them brought to the room. The next morning was an early checkout, we needed to be at the bus no later than 6:35 AM. Even though it was unorthodox/not a listed service, they were willing to pack to-go breakfasts for us, deliver them to the room at 6:25 AM, so we could walk to the Capital City Bus Station (very conveniently located across the st from their back entrance/closest hotel to the station) on time and well fed (there were no stops on the bus for breakfast or lunch - did not get to final destination until after 1PM, so having a fresh breakfast before a week of dehydrated meals was SO SPECIAL)

Brochure - instructions for safety info, fireplace, check-in/out, cleaning, etc. are very direct and clear. However, see above "Notes" and below "In Person" re "excellent customer service" or references to "mak[ing] your stay spectacular" in the brochure.  

Phone/Email - excellent. Prompt and helpful answers to all questions. Although it does not say in their "Know before you Go" section of their website, there is wifi at the check-in area. Despite the email you receive that will say that check-in is completely no contact and instructions will be by email only days before your arrival, it does not have to be that way. We were worried about receiving instructions only days in advance because we would have been on the West Coast Trail with no reception/wifi. They resolved this worry quickly and courteously. 

In person - depends who's at the front desk. This was a VERY mixed bag for us. We felt on at least 2 occasions that we were met from an attitude of no before people were willing to provide helpful information/problem solve with us.

Setting Expectations

We stayed in the luxury tent. The tent was well appointed with a king bed, a wood stove, coffee maker, and covered front porch with a propane fire pit.  We had a lovely stay, but there were a few issues.  First of all, the tent comes with a port-a-potty outside.  It had not been serviced recently and reeked badly.  The urinal clearly had dried urine in the bottom of it.  And what you could see when you opened the lid for the seat.....YUCK!! For what is charged to stay in the luxury tent, this should be serviced between EVERY customer.  The carpets had not been vacuumed.  I set my suitcase on the floor and knelt in front of it to get something out.  When I stood up, the legs of my black pants were covered with pet hair.  And finally, while the bed came with an electric blanket, the controls only worked for one side of it.  So 1/2 of the blanket was heated, the other was not.  LIttle things, I know, but they definitely made our stay a little less enjoyable.

Seaside Cottages

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