5 Ontario Cottages You’ll Want to Live in Full-Time

By Josh Sherman | 5 minute read

Taking its design cues from the mid-century modern style, this vacation home is just one of the upscale recreational properties that you’ll find on the market in Ontario’s cottage country right now.

Leading up to the summer vacation, the real estate market in Ontario’s cottage country has been off to a tepid start, much like the weather across the region.

Non-waterfront residential sales clocked in at 29.5% below the 10-year average in March, while waterfront properties tanked 25.9% under the long-term norm, according to the latest data available from the Lakelands Association of Realtors (LAR), whose territory includes popular holiday getaways like Lake Simcoe, Muskoka, Wasaga Beach, and more. “March posted another month of below-average sales activity for waterfront and non-waterfront properties, although you can’t buy what isn’t there and we’re still not seeing any meaningful return of new listings to the market,” said Matthew Lidbetter, president of the LAR, in a statement.

Despite a dearth of new listings, exploring the current inventory of cottages available for sale on Wahi still yields some stunning — if not exactly affordable — results. From a modern, eco-friendly cottage with uninterrupted lakefront views to an entire private island, scroll down to see five cottages that you’ll definitely want to live in full-time.

1. 1250 Waldmere Rd.  

Address: 1250 Waldmere Rd.

Area: Bracebridge

Bathrooms: 7

Bedrooms: 8

Listed for: $11,995,000

There are downsides to owning islands. Sometimes, regulations limit what can be built. Then there’s the accessibility issue. It’s not like you can just drive over. But what if you could own an entire peninsula?

That’s what’s up for grabs with this massive lakeside compound, which is built on a roughly 8.5-acre private peninsula that provides more than 2,180 feet fronting Lake Muskoka. The main cottage is 11,500 square feet in size and has unique amenities including a circular art gallery and a Sicilian-inspired chef’s kitchen.

The compound also encompasses a three-bedroom secondary cottage and three-car garage with another private suite above it. Naturally, the cottage comes with a boathouse, with room to store four watercraft, as well. If that wasn’t enough, visitors to the property are greeted by a 20-foot stone waterfall and a view that the listing description says will “captivate your senses.” Priced at nearly $12,000,000, it’ll likely captivate any future owner’s wallet, too.

2. “The Hockey Taj Mahal”   

Address: 569593 Sideroad 6
Area: The Blue Mountains 

Bathrooms: 3

Bedrooms 3
Listed for: $6,800,000

And now for something completely different. The other cottages on the list are all winterized, so they could be enjoyed during the colder months — but none can quite compete with this property located at 569593 Sideroad 6 in the Blue Mountains. The listing dubs the recreational home as “The Hockey Taj Mahal,” and it’s easy to see why.

The 3.5-acre parcel of land includes multiple buildings. A three-bedroom ski chalet and, across the yard, a secondary structure that houses a three-on-three hockey rink, change room, showers, and a game-viewing gallery with its own bar. Waiting in this building’s storage area, there’s a shiny new Olympia Zamboni to clear the ice. 

For those seeking off-site activities, the cottage is a stone’s throw from Osler Bluff Ski Club and a roughly 15-minute drive to Blue Mountain Resort or the beach in Collingwood.

3. Kennisis Lake Contemporary Cottage   

Address: 3196 West Shore Rd

Area: Haliburton
Bathrooms: 5

Bedrooms: 5

Listed for: $5,995,000

Off of Kennisis Lake, the second-biggest body of water in the Haliburton Highlands, you’ll find this contemporary mega cottage. Built in 2018, the luxe home was treated to upgrades last year, including a new wet bar.

It may lack some of the quaint design cues other properties possess, but that appears to be done intentionally. It’s been designed for modern entertaining, and the main floor is an entirely open-concept space, with finishes reminiscent of what you’d find in upscale new-build homes around the Greater Toronto Area.

4. Moss Island   

Address: 31 Moss Island

Area: Seguin
Bathrooms: 3
Bedrooms: 4
Listed for: $4,950,000

We’ve mentioned some problems associated with owning your own island. But there are also obvious perks, such as a level of privacy that even the most exclusive land-locked enclaves can’t compete with. The 3.5 acres that make up 31 Moss Island are a short trip by boat from Rosseau Marina, and the only other nearby residence is on an entirely different island.

The roughly 2,500-square-foot renovated cottage’s interior boasts many of the treatments you’d expect from an upscale vacation property: character touches like vaulted beam ceilings, wood panels, and a grand stone fireplace, and modern comforts like a high-end kitchen and redone bathrooms. Outside the earthy-hued abode, a full-sized sports court has been installed, creating a secluded venue for outdoor sports like basketball, badminton, or even pickleball. The court complements other outdoorsy amenities like a wraparound deck, dock, and boathouse.

5. Tallpines

Address: 1085 Grace Rd.
Area: Minden Hills, Haliburton 

Bathrooms: 4

Bedrooms: 4

Listed for: $3,950,000

It’s all about the lake views at 1085 Grace Rd., a 4,200-square-foot all-season cottage built in the mid-century modern style. Perched on the northwestern edge of Soyers Lake, off Dummitt Bay, the home has been laid out so that all of its main rooms look out onto the water (if you ever tire of the view — unlikely — there’s a 22-foot drop-down high-resolution screen for movie nights). 

The home, known as Tallpines, is nestled between towering pines on a quiet country road. It offers uninterrupted access to nature, with a sprawling outdoor dining area, fire pit, and trails. To the back of the lot, you’ll find an expansive dock and boathouse, complete with a hot tub, outdoor shower, and sauna.

Tact Architecture, the designer and builder behind the home, took pains to make the project more eco-friendly. It’s heated and cooled by a geo-thermal heat pump rather than, say, gas or a traditional air-conditioning system.