When you grow up in a place like the world-famous Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island, it’s easy to take your surroundings for granted. What’s a bunch of trees and a shoreline, anyway, right? Wrong. Even living just a few hours’ drive away in Halifax for the past ten years has changed my perspective.

The community I grew up in, where my parents still live, is part of a region known as St. Ann’s Bay, and it is rich in culture, community, and craft.

When I do get home to visit (which, I’ll admit isn’t as often as I probably should!), it’s often hard to find time to do much beyond visiting family and taking a few hours to unwind over the course of a weekend. But this past weekend, we decided to do something different.

My parents surprised us with a two-night stay at Raven’s Rock Country Cottages, just a few kilometres from their home, to give us a mini-vacation from our mini-vacation. I can’t even tell you how much we enjoyed it!

While we always hit our favourite breakfast spot, The Dancing Moose, it’s very rare I do any of the more “tourist-y” activities in our area… but I might need to start!

We settled in a little later than anticipated and each enjoyed a lovely warm shower before we picked a thriller on Netflix to watch. Being in the woods in the dark made the scary movie all the more fun! We pulled out the couch and curled up under a spare blanket with snacks and beer and put our phones away.

These cottages are roomy, modern, cozy, and well-stocked with everything you need for a comfortable stay away from home. Barbecue? Right outside the door! Washer and dryer? You betcha. A full-sized fridge, stove, and microwave? All within arms reach of one another! Honestly, I couldn’t see any reason I couldn’t have lived there forever! Plus, the view from the front deck was so beautiful – even with the snow. We stayed in Cottage One, which would easily six people between its two beds and large pull-out couch.

The Cottages are located just behind the Wreck Cove General Store, where you can buy snacks and get gas, located conveniently on the Cabot Trail. If you’re a snowmobile enthusiast, you can enjoy easy access to trails that lead into the Cape Breton Highlands. Sound too good to be true? IT IS TRUE. And Brent and Jenn (the owners) always have hot coffee and great food in the Store, like lobster sandwiches and chilli!

Even though I always know I have my childhood home to go to, it’s great to know there’s another option for when we want to be home but still have a little space. I can’t wait to go back – and next time, I’ll enjoy more of the things I’ve taken for granted!

P.S. This post is NOT sponsored. I just like to share a good find when I happen upon one.