Lakeside Canadian Log Cabin (40 minutes from Mont Tremblant)

Beautiful Canadian log cabin overlooking a small lake. Across the lake is crown land, so views are of pristine wilderness, consisting of birch, pine and maple tree forest. The lake contains many inlets and a resident loon.

The beachfront is sandy and shallow for approximately 4 metres before falling off abruptly. Plenty of room for children to play or build sand castles in the sand or splash and wade in the water (supervised). The dock is T-shaped, and it is deep enough to jump, dive or fish off the dock's end. The rental includes access to a canoe (3 people) and kayak (1 person) for exploring the lake's inlets, waterfall and beaver lodges.

The cottage is situated on 3.5 acres of forested land, with a large garden and plenty of space for lounging or playing ball. We built a stone fire pit on the property which guests can use. There are also abundant raspberry bushes (wild and cultivated) in season, as well as a small budding orchard. The cottage is surrounded by a terrace, and includes a barbecue and gazebo (for eating outside without being bothered by mosquitos or flies).

Inside, the cottage is large and spacious, with a fully equipped chef's kitchen (including gas Viking Range). The main room also has a gas fireplace and modern Scandinavian wood burning fire, surrounded by a semi-circular sofa.

Upstairs are three bedrooms (two Queen beds (one room with a child's crib), and one children's room with 2 twin beds). In the basement are children's toys, a TV and a fourth bedroom (1 Queen bed) which leads out to the lake through French doors (there is a toddler bed in the basement also that folds out into another twin bed).

There are 2.5 bathrooms: a large bathroom upstairs with 2-person jacuzzi tub and shower, a half bathroom on the main floor, and a bathroom in the basement with shower and 4-person cedar sauna.

In the small town of La Minerve (10 minutes' drive), you will find a grocery store with a small SAQ (for wine and beer), a garage (with gas station), a delicious Belgian bakery, a hardware store, and a general store.

The cottage is a 45 minute drive to Mont Tremblant (with its world-class restaurants, hiking, biking, and skiing), a 20 minute drive to Labelle (and the 'Linear Park' of the Petit Train du Nord, a 200-km bicycle and cross-country ski trail that runs through the Laurentians).