Cottage Country Resort near Algonquin Park

Somewhat remote Yet, close enough for even a few days away...

The local area is a haven for those wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of more populated areas as our local municipality only has a population density of about 4 for each of its almost 1,300 square kilometers. As one who has done a great deal of driving in cities, I just love the thought that the nearest stop light is almost 50 km away.

We have good highway access from major population centers; e.g. Ottawa (a little over 2 hours to the east) and Toronto (about 3 hours to the southwest) and in fact many of our guests come from these centers or even further for weekend or mid-week breaks when these are available (outside of the summer high season).

Island in the center...

We have about 1,500 feet of lake frontage on the south shore of peaceful, largely undeveloped Purdy Lake which has a surface area of 1.sq km and is about 1km by 1 km. Since almost all other cottages are also on the south shore you look out onto the uninhabited island in the center which has a setting of sparkling water and a backdrop of mainly forested Crown lands - thousands of Maple trees (the vista of colors in the fall is breathtaking). Many people row or pedal over to explore the island - If you do so, please don't start a fire or disturb the nest of the loons which is along the shore of the island.


Motor boats are allowed on the lake; but, there are not that many and we do our bit to minimize noise pollution by only supplying motorless water craft. The lake does have lake trout which (as we have been told) attests to the cleanliness of the water.

Sugar Bush...

Our retreat has only 6 cottages/houses on about 20 acres of land of which about half is cleared. The center part is a former sugar bush and actually the former boil down building where the sap from the maple trees was boiled down to make maple syrup is on your left as you come down the center driveway.

Enjoy cottage life in comfort...

Getting away from the hustle and bustle of normal life to the relaxed cottage life at Blue Moon Retreat does not mean roughing it. All cottages are completely equipped with standard appliances (e.g. fridge, range, microwave, coffee maker, electric kettle, toaster, satellite color TV, VCR) and furnishings and are finished and decorated in line with being part of a country getaway (you'll love the duvets). The 3 largest units (Shangri La, Chalet and Maples) additionally have dishwashers. Also, Shangri La and Chalet have a washer and dryer.
     
Many of our guests comment favorably on how well equipped the cottages are and especially mention as an example the leisure time extras (e.g. cards & board games). Each unit has its own library of books and videos - these go from a limited selection to quite extensive.

Of course, barbeques are absolute necessities at a cottage and you will have your own gas barbeque with free propane. For many of us, roasting marsh mallows and singing songs around the evening campfire are absolute musts and you can do this with your own fire pit (and free wood).

Treat that special one(s) (& yourself) to the luxury...

For those fortunate enough to stay in Shangri La, the cathedral ceilings, large fieldstone wood fireplace, 2 person shower, DVD player, lakeside boathouse retreat and private hot tub in its own cedar paneled room will bring hours of enjoyment. While those in the Chalet will no doubt enjoy the cathedral ceiling in the living room, Jacuzzi tub, gas fireplace and 52'' color TV.

The extras that make it really unique...

We believe that when you are in the country, you should be able to enjoy nature even when indoors and have many patio doors to bring the outside in - in fact, we have so many patio doors I now have the local nickname of Patio Pat. In some of the cottages, you can lie in bed and watch the lake or the woods through the patio doors - a favorite way to start the day for Fran - she just loves lying on the pillow top king size bed and watching the lake through the 2 sets of patio doors in the master bedroom of Shangri La.

For work and pleasure we have traveled extensively and have incorporated many ideas of the best of what we have encountered. During these travels, we have picked up many reminders and artifacts which are used in the decorating of the cottages - the mixture of these with the Canadian country items is quite interesting. Check out Fran's world plate collection (ceramic, wood, metal, pewter..) and Pat's African wood carving collection in Shangri La.

All inclusive...

Fran and I have traveled extensively and have developed a dislike for places which offer many extras; but, all (or most) are at extra cost and you end up always reaching into your pocket for more money. Accordingly, everything at Blue Moon is included at no extra cost (the only exception is for call charges for any long distance calls you may make).

Cleanliness a key priority...

We have tried to develop a friendly 'home away from home' that people will want to return to year after year. To us, as with many people, cleanliness is a key priority and we pride ourselves on maintaining a high standard in this important area.

For our younger guests...

There are 3 playgrounds for our younger guests. Shangri La and the Chalet have their own playgrounds and there is a larger central one for the other 4 cottages. These are set away from the water for safety reasons. Each playground has a swing set, slide and sand box. We believe we may have 3 of the largest sandboxes in Ontario as the smallest one is over 250 sq ft and the largest one is over twice as big.

A big favourite of our younger guests is catching small rock bass right off the docks (note - fishing rods not included).

At & On the water...

Many of our guests enjoy fishing for small mouth bass and lake trout - some of them swear that the best spot is just off the west end of the island while others claim the best spot is close to the mouth of the creek coming into the lake.

 Even those that don't fish, can have hours of enjoyment using the complimentary canoes, row boats and pedal boats - we encourage everyone for safety reasons to always use the provided life jackets. Please discuss special life jacket requirements with JoAnne before your arrival so that she has a better chance of accommodating them. The water craft for Shangri La and the Chalet are stored at their own docks with a 3rd dock serving the other cottages.

With over 1,500 feet of frontage there are several places to access the lake with the best place for little ones being the small but sandy beach which is directly overlooked by Sunset and High Noon. Those a bit older love the swimming rafts as a base for swimming, diving and lounging.

Treat your senses...

As you can see, sunsets over the lake can be quite magnificent. One of the joys of being at a cottage is sleeping in; but, we do encourage you to get up early at least one morning to enjoy the morning silence and mists only broken by the cry of the loons - what a great way to recharge your batteries.

On the clear nights, the star gazing can be quite spectacular - I find the Milky Way especially inspiring. You may even be lucky enough to see the Northern Lights.

As you are truly in the country there is an abundance of wildlife. There is quite a variety of birds with our favorites being the blue jays and the hummingbirds. It can be quite interesting to try to identify the tracks of the different animals. There are normally deer tracks as we are located in a deer yard - a place where deer herd in the wintertime. When we were there last Christmas, Fran and I were thrilled by the full set of antlers on the buck which came out to feed at the edge of the forest.

Wellness Spa...

The cedar lined wellness spa with its 8 person hot tub, sauna and sitting/lounging areas is a favorite all year round; but especially outside of the summer high season when there can be a bit of a nip in the air. The spa is open from early in the morning to 9:30 at night. In addition, Shangri La has its own private hot tub.

How to fit it all in...

Those looking for more active pursuits will enjoy the tennis, beach volleyball, basketball hoop, badminton and horseshoes facilities.

In addition, there is so much to do year round in the area (we will shortly be adding a whole section on this) , e.g. Algonquin Park, wolf howls, canoe trips, horseback riding, dog sledding, ATV tours, family rafting, fall colors and studio tours, snowmobiling with ready access to the 20,000+ km of groomed Ontario trails.

Your hardest decision of the whole break/vacation may be deciding what to do next.

Good year round access
Services are not too far away...

Our country getaway is in the hamlet of Purdy (don't blink or you will miss it) which is between the towns of Barrys Bay (25 km to the east) and Bancroft (about 46 km to the south west). We enjoy good year round access as the driveways come directly off of County Road (formerly highway) 62.

The closest services (country general store, gas station, restaurant..) are in Combermere, 7 km to the east on County Road 62 which then continues on to the larger center of Barrys Bay (about another 18 km) which has most services which you would need (e.g. supermarkets, restaurants, drug store, hospital).

For the history buffs...

County Road 62 which runs beside the property actually follows the route of the Petersen colonization road which the government built in 1858 - 1863 to open up the southern region of the Precambrian Shield. The road ran for 114 miles and was built at a cost of $39,000. Settlers came to take advantage of the free land grants; but, much of the land was of poor quality (as evidenced by the number of rock fences) and thus most of the cleared fields are once again part of the forests.

At about the time of the building of the Petersen Road, Pat's Irish ancestors settled on Hickey's Hill along the Hastings Road (currently the highway between Bancroft and Maynooth (originally Doyle's Corners)) - the side road is now called Hickey Road.

While about the same time, Fran's ancestors (Skebo and Peplinski) settled in the Wilno area along the Opeongo Road. Wilno (on the Ottawa side of Barrys Bay) was the first Polish settlement in Canada and in the surrounding area you can still see some of the crossroad crosses where the settlers gathered for Sunday services as in the early days the closest church was just too far away.

Polish is still spoken in the area and the still strong connection to Poland is still very evident if you take the old Barrys Road through Kazuby to Barrys Bay. If you do take this drive, take a few moments to visit Crooked Slide Park which commemorates the days when lumbering was so important to the area. At that time, the rivers were used for transporting the logs and the slides were built to get the logs by the rapids.