There are so many options for the visitor to Prince Edward Island. You can stay at five* Inns, rustic B&B’s, hotels, motels, or maybe you want to tent it at Lord Selkirk Park in Eldon, which is located about thirty minutes east of Charlottetown just off the trans Canada. It depends on your budget and on the type of PEI vacation you’d like to experience. Is it all about being near the mini-putts and go cart tracks that characterize the bustling Cavendish  north shore, or do you come to PEI to experience the natural flow of the lifestyle, less crowded beaches, and maybe some clam digging on an endless sand bar at low tide?? Different strokes for different folks, but whatever you seek, you’ll find what you’re looking for on Canada’s Island Paradise.

Have a look at some of the videos on the site to learn more about PEI holidays and places to stay. And feel free to call or email with your questions if you’d like some inside information.

 PEI Barns

  I spent a few days scouting PEI barns about a year ago. The call had come in from a commercial production house in Toronto asking for someone to travel around the Island looking for the perfect barn to Star in a Frito Lay Potato Chip TV ad. I think we take our gorgeous barns for granted, but they are a huge part of the rural scenery, from Tignish to Souris, and points between. 

The production company was picky and would send me back out on the hunt, from sunrise to sunset, for about three days. I was beginning to lose hope because the perfect barn had to be located next to a vibrant green PEI potato field, and we were well into October.  Most of the potato fields were long harvested or at least turning brown by this date, although I kept the faith.

All of a sudden, as I passed through the quiet and picturesque community of Fredericton, PEI, I caught the view off to the side, as the sun hit in a stunning evening moment. This amazing red barn stood in command of the terrain with a potato field, still green in colour, nearby. I snapped the  beast of a structure from all angles and rushed to the nearest computer to email the shots to the waiting Torontonians. Success, they love it. They’ll be on the first flight into Charlottetown in the morning to start the job. It looks like I was hired. A group of about ten people flew in the next morning and I greeted them equipped with two huge SUV’s and a couple of assisstants. The hotel rooms had also been booked late the night before and now we headed to Fredericton, PEI after a quick coffee stop. The next three days lacked sleep, but pumped a lot of Toronto dollars into the local PEI economy and the people of Fredericton will be talking about those few days for a long time to come. I also know a lot more about PEI’s unique and colourful barns.

The PEI Hobby Farm Dream

There are so many people living urban lives who, either openly, or very secretly, have the fantasy of living on a small hobby farm in rural PEI. Maybe it’s from watching too many ‘Road to Avonlea’ reruns with Sarah Polley and quietly wishing for a less chaotic way of life, but I know you’re out there. I get calls and emails everyday from people in Alberta or BC or Ontario or Europe asking about small plots around five or so acres with an old farmhouse and a barn and an outbuilding, so they can keep chickens and a few sheep. 

Life in the city is getting a little less safe and maybe just too busy. A lot of people get to a certain point in life and simply want to simplify. Maybe it’s the dream of running a B&B, the desire for clean air, or maybe a wish to stop fighting traffic in the daily commute? It’s understandable though. We weren’t really designed to live in a concrete environment. Some love it, but some need that five acres and a trip back in time. The good news is Prince Edward Island property is still a great deal and coming to PEI is like traveling thirty years in the past.

Get in touch today if you secretly or not so secretly wish to flee the urban chaos for a more simple lifestyle on Canada’s Island Paradise. Affordable hobby farms still exist! I am always happy to talk about PEI with anyone who wishes to learn more about this amazing Island. As far as I’m concerned, It’s Canada’s Island Paradise. Call Hamish any time 902.659.2778.

Prince Edward Island has some amazing homes tucked away in quiet coves along the shoreline and this is one of the most unusual beach houses you’re likely to find anywhere in PEI. It’s built on stilts and is located near Souris, PEI, and rents for around $4500 a week to tourists who want serious luxury on one of the most beautiful stretches of beach on the Island. 

The views are spectacular thanks to the stilts (actually, telephone poles) that suspend this sprawling PEI Beach Home in the air. You might want to split the cost with another family or two, but your vacation on PEI will provide memories to last a lifetime, or until you come back.

Check out the video for this PEI home on this site.

Prince Edward Island offers some exceptional sights after a storm, especially if you cross country ski or show shoe on a backwoods trail like this one in eastern PEI. If you have ever wondered how many hares are hopping around, just count the footprints in the snow as you make your way through the woods. You might not see them, but you know you’re surrounded. Prince Edward Island is paradise, whatever the season.

PEI Ice Fishing

This was February 2009 on one of the coldest PEI days I can remember, which made me feel safe on the ice as I walked with my friend, John, across an inlet of the Northumberland Strait. The Strait averages about sixty feet deep between Nova Scotia and PEI, so it heats up in summer and offers the warmest waters north of the Carolinas, and in winter it can freeze pretty much from province to province. The burgeoning coyote population on PEI got its start when the canids first trotted over the ice one winter from Nova Scotia. Once you have coyotes, you’ll always have coyotes. They are here to stay.

PEI is having an easy winter in 2010 and the ice on the Strait probably isn’t thick enough to hold me, let alone the smelt shack, and the propane heater that makes it possible to stay out a bit longer to try and spear another frying pan load. Nothing beats smelts dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and fried up to a crisp in a cast iron frying pan. ‘Some good’, as they say on the island.

I love a mild PEI winter and they all seem mild the past number of years. Only January and February seem to have a few biting days, but next year I’ll hope for a quick cold snap, allowing me check in to the ’Smelt Hotel’ for a few days of waiting and watching, until a smelt or two slowly swims towards my bait bundle. At that magic moment I aim my spear and hopefully hit the mark…then head home for breakfast.  

Prince Edward Island is one of Canada’s most spectacular Islands. Vancouver Island is also a beautiful place, but  has become increasingly expensive and populated in recent years. The west coast also boasts the Gulf Islands that sit between Vancouver Island and the mainland. These islands command enormous real estate prices in exchange for a peaceful enough existence. A small hobby farm on Mayne Island was recently advertised in Harrowsmith Country Life Magazine for well over 2 Million. Big Bucks! Another unfortunate aspect of the west coast Island lifestyle is that surrounding waters are incredibly cold for swimming- even in mid-July. That said, the sailing culture of the west coast islands is a great lure, but even the elite can find these prices a bit O.T.T!

It is hard to compare Prince Edward Island to Vancouver Island and the other Gulf Islands. They are very different, but the once peaceful, affordable, and underpopulated west coast seems to have lost much of its lustre for those seeking an idyllic seaside lifestyle. A trend is afoot, as BC residents of  Vancouver Island, and elsewhere, pack up the car and head east to places like PEI, where one can still find peace, a healthy lifestyle, and affordable real estate, without a burgeoning population. And let’s not forget PEI’s vibrant arts, theatre and cultural scene.

PEI deserves the Title of Canada’s Island Paradise for obvious reasons. Although Canada boasts magnificent Islands from coast to coast t coast, Prince Edward Island allows us to revisit a more simple time, when people smiled more and helped their neighbours, and  young families or retirees could afford a house near the sea to call home.

Canada’s Island Paradise is a registered Federal Trademark belonging to Hamish Redpath, the owner of this website.

PEI is a gorgeous place to live and this November is further proof that we’re living in Canada’s Island Paradise! Some may joke that PEI has its weather challenges outside of typical summer months, although others know better. It could all be part of a great conspiracy to keep this Island Paradise the best kept secret this side of the Rocky Mountains? The cost of living is incredibly reasonable compared to an urban existence and it’s simply a great place to call home.

Maybe it is a conspiracy? That might explain why this brilliant Island remains relatively underpopulated, inexpensive, and peaceful. The problem is, however, that this amazing island attracts visitors for its world class golf, theatre, and music- not to mention- scrumptious lobster and seafood… so how long can you keep all of this quiet, while at the same time market yourself to the much needed tourist traffic? People are beginning to take notice of our attractive way of life, underrated weather patterns, and affordable coastal real estate.

Maybe we just have to accept that PEI will no longer be able to remain some secret paradise and future growth from excited newcomers is inevitable. Hopefully we can ensure that our Island province develops and evolves in a way that can retain all of its glory intact, allowing all Islanders, new and old, to continue to cherish this special place.

PEI B&B Profile

It’s tucked away in the northeast corner of PEI, not far from the quaint town of Souris, where the ferry departs for Quebec’s Magdellan Islands.  Murray and Kerry Howarth stepped back from successful military careers in Alberta to pursue their PEI dream.When they first set eyes on their old homestead they knew it was meant to be. It even included two cozy cottages that they now rent out on a weekly basis and the main house is a heritage B&B with all of the character of another era. 

Kerry stuns her guests with delectable homemade meals and baked treats and Murray insists on a hands-on approach when it comes to hosting guests. The proprietor is always happy to discuss the local history and all that is amazing about this magical island. You will often find Murray guiding guests along the local trails or fishing on the nearby trout pond. "It gives us great pleasure to know that people have come here to have a real break from their chaotic lives and are going home happy, rested, and with fun memories.",  says Murray. "The PEI pace of life, especially around here, brings you back to earth quickly.

For more information on Howarth House B&B and Cottages please see their video on this site …..PEI Vacation Rental TV (to the right>>>>>)

Go East Young (Older) Man/Woman

Moving to Prince Edward Island from Canada’s west coast seems to be the trend these days. It might have something to do with the out-of-sight real estate prices, especially BC waterfront and water view land. And the cost of living in Alberta, especially in the North where the good ‘oil’ jobs are, is getting out of hand. It’s no wonder people are packing up their cars and trucks and heading for Canada’s Island Paradise…PEI! For the longest time people have headed west to carve out a new beginning, discover new opportunity, and enjoy the laid back western lifestyle. How times have changed!

The BC population just grows and grows and grows, leading to high housing costs, more stress, and making it hard to get away from it all. Try to find a private spot on a river just outside of Vancouver during the salmon run. It’s impossible to find enough room to cast a line, let alone find some solitude. There are simply too many people competing for the ‘healthy BC lifestyle’.

PEI offers the affordable dream to anyone who truly seeks a healthy laid back lifestyle in one of the few North American seaside paradises that isn’t overcrowded. It’s actually like traveling back 30 or 40 years to a simpler time, although the new Starbucks in Charlottetown still reminds you that a Latte is close at hand, if you so choose to indulge after your few hours of fly fishing on a quiet, undisturbed stretch of river.