The Lakeside House.

The Lakeside House.

Six bedrooms. Nine beds. Four baths. Two acres of west-facing waterfront on Shawnigan Lake — the sunny side. Sleeps twelve in the main house, sixteen with the cottage next door, and book it that way for a wedding party or three generations under one roof.

The lake is forty steps from the back door — we counted in summer barefoot. Wolf range, Sub-Zero, an island that seats six. A Finnish sauna and a hot tub at the dock. Forty-five minutes from Victoria International, ninety from the Tsawwassen ferry. Two-night minimum. No parties, no pets. Year-round.

We've assigned this room a hundred different ways over seven years. The list below is what tends to work — grandparents on the main floor for the stairs, the bunk room for kids who'll be up first, the studio for the cousin who said maybe and then said yes. Move it around; the keys all work in every door.

Sleeping arrangement.

Six bedrooms, nine beds, four baths. Sleeps twelve.

• Master suite (main floor) — King, ensuite with soaking tub and rain shower, private deck — the door is the closest one to the kitchen, which is why the grandparents usually end up here, or whichever couple wants first crack at the coffee.
• Lake bedroom (upper) — King, ensuite, west-facing windows.
• Cedar room (upper) — Queen, ensuite, forest views.
• Garden bedroom (upper) — Queen, shared bath.
• Bunk room (lower) — Four single bunks, two over two. Reading lights and curtains, because the cousin who reads until midnight should not be the cousin who decides bedtime for everyone else. Our youngest insisted on her sixth birthday in there and slept through the loons. Sleeps four kids; sleeps three kids and one tolerant teenager.
• Studio (lower) — Queen daybed with twin trundle. Doubles as a reading room and the spot for the cousin who said maybe.

Crib and toddler gates are in the boathouse — tell Brianna which bedroom the crib is going in and we'll have it set up before you arrive, no charge. The plug-in nightlight in the lower hall is bright enough for a 4am bottle and dim enough that nobody else wakes up.

A Saturday in July.

• 7am — Coffee on the dock. The lake is glass until eleven. Loons calling from the south end. The kettle is the loud one — close the bedroom doors first.
• 9am — Pickleball before it gets hot.
• 11am — Swim. Water hits 24°C in late August, warmer than the Pacific gets all year — the kids will tell you the moment it crosses.
• 1pm — Lunch on the deck. The BBQ is propane.
• 4pm — A cellar door at Unsworth, ten minutes south. Or Blue Grouse, twelve.
• 7pm — Dinner from the Wolf range. The kitchen seats six at the island.
• 9pm — Sauna at the water's edge. Forty minutes to ninety degrees from cold — turn it on after the cellar door at five and it's ready by seven. Holds eight, comfortably six. Eight minutes in, then the lake, then the hot tub. The eucalyptus is on the shelf to the right of the heater.
• 10pm — Hot tub on the deck above. Stars from the dock — far enough from Victoria to see them.

The kitchen.

Wolf six-burner range. Sub-Zero fridge. Double ovens. The island seats six and faces the lake. Cookware, dishes, glassware for twelve. Espresso machine, blender, stand mixer — the appliances you'd actually use. Propane BBQ on the deck — every sunset shows up uninvited. The good knives are in the block, the everyday ones are in the second drawer down. The third drawer sticks; lift it slightly. The propane BBQ tank is full when you arrive.

Living spaces.

Open great room, floor-to-ceiling windows, stone fireplace, seating for twelve — there's split alder stacked under the eaves, enough for a long weekend. Home theatre with an 85-inch screen and tiered seating, better than most cinemas and you can pause it. Ping pong in the games room. A gym off the lower hall, so you can pretend you'll use it before spending the afternoon on the dock instead.

Not for you if.

• You want amplified music past 10pm. Cowichan bylaw, and we share a road with neighbours we'd like to keep — the party doesn't end at ten, it just moves to the firepit and the sauna.
• You want a hotel experience with daily housekeeping. We're a private home, cleaned between stays.
• You're bringing a dog. Ours are at our place ten minutes down the road — but the carpets are old and the lake is unfenced. There's a great kennel in Mill Bay we can text you the number for.
• You need step-free, single-level access. The main house has stairs.