My wife and I have been to Haida Gwaii numerous times, and this time we were bringing some friends along for their first visit.
We couldn't have picked a better place to serve as our base for introducing them to the islands!
Catherine, the property manager, was fantastic. She met us at the gate and gave us a tour of the house. To say we were amazed would be an understatement. The house is spacious, everything was clean, and anything we could have wanted was there. During previous communications with Jody (owner) and Catherine, I had mentioned that we would likely go crabbing, and asked if there were nets available. When we arrived there were two brand new nets, a large outdoor propane burner and a large stock pot for preparing our catch outside (which is the best way to do it)! I had also asked if there was a slow cooker available, and Catherine lent us hers for the duration our stay.
The bedrooms and bathrooms are large and comfortable. Each ensuite has jetted bathtubs (the ladies loved these) and showers.
I like to cook, and finding that the kitchen had an eight burner/dual oven gas range had me looking forward to getting started on the meals. The kitchen is quite large, with lots of counter space, and three of us could get around in it without getting in each other's way.
The deck is large and affords a great view of the ocean, and it only takes a minute to walk to the beach to start looking for agates, or just walk for miles.
For nature lovers, the forest around the house is perfect for bird and wildlife watching. During our stay we saw (just from the deck) Bald Eagles in the trees around the house, two very friendly crows who would greet us on the deck most mornings, Pacific-slope Flycatchers, Orange-crowned and Townsend's Warblers, Varied and Swainson's Thrushes, Pacific Wrens and Red Bellied Sapsuckers. The small Coastal Blacktail deer were also frequent visitors to the front lawn, where they would happily munch away on the grass and surrounding vegetation.
To sum it up, this was a perfectly delightful experience, Jody and Catherine are amazing and gracious hosts, who did anything they could to make our stay enjoyable. Although I have made many visits to Haida Gwaii, this will rank as one the most memorable.
