Waterfront Cottage with Sauna, Kayaks and Fire Pit

Gorgeous film-themed cottage home nestled into natural landscaping on the lazy Mississippi River, home to tons of wildlife. Perfect for quiet retreats and active family vacations, there's plenty to do from kayaking to exploring the Ottawa valley to relaxing in the hammock. Each room is subtly themed after films like The Life Aquatic, Amélie, and The Big Lebowski—a perfect backdrop for unique vacay photos. Packed with amenities like wifi, Netflix, BBQ, fire pit, sauna, kayaks, games, and bikes. The space The Good Northern is a 2-bedroom, 1.5-bath cottage situated at the end of a private road in the island community of Glen Isle, just minutes from Almonte and Carleton Place and nestled in the natural splendor of the Ottawa Valley. The Mississippi River runs through our backyard and is home to wildlife like beavers, loons, geese, bullfrogs, and otters. Each room in the home is subtly themed after a film or tv series that we love, yet also designed to be comfortable and livable with plenty of seating and things to do. While you'll spend a lot of your time outside, the cottage has two spaces that allow you to enjoy the outdoors even if it's raining or buggy: a sun room with panoramic views of the lake and a screened-in 3-season porch (May to October only) with views of the lush landscape. The main bedroom features a queen Endy mattress and a sitting area. The second bedroom has a double memory foam mattress. The main upstairs bath is a full bath with tub and shower. There is a small powder room off the kitchen on the main floor. The living room features a tv with AppleTV, Amazon Prime TV, and Netflix and a small reading nook with toys, games, and books for children. The sunroom has ample seating, board games, and a working bubble gum machine. On the back porch, facing the river, you'll find a patio dining set and Napoleon BBQ. The kitchen has everything you need to prepare meals: fridge, stove, oven, microwave, kettle, french press (coffee), teapot, utensils, dishes, glasses, pots, pans, coffee, tea, salt, pepper, oil, baking sheets, etc. In the garage, you will find seasonal activities including bikes: three adult bikes and one youth bike. While we have a limited number of helmets, we advise that you bring your own for the best fit. We also have a regulation corn hole game and beanbags to carry out onto the lawn. In the garage, you can play a round of darts or foosball. Garage activities available May to October. Outside, we have two kayaks and a canoe with paddles and adult and youth life preservers (May to October only). There is a fire pit for use (purchase your own firewood locally), for evening bonfires when local bylaw permits. We have installed an outdoor sauna for guest use. Guests must agree to sauna rules upon booking. These are: - Children 18 years and under are not permitted in the sauna. - For your safety, follow general health and safety guidelines for saunas (guest manual has full details). - Wear a swimsuit and sit on a towel when using the sauna. - Do not leave wet towels or swimsuits on the sauna floor or benches. - No food or drink (except water) is allowed in the sauna. Use only plastic drinking vessels for water—no glass or metal. - No shoes or sandals in the sauna—please remove ALL footwear outside. - Do not pour water on sauna rocks. This is a dry sauna powered by an electric heater and water could cause expensive damage. - Use sauna at your own risk. Guest access Access to the property is by car only—it is not accessible by public transit. Most local amenities are accessed by car but bike trails off of Glen Isle Road will take you into downtown Almonte or Carleton Place. Parking at the property is strict: there is no street parking as the road is narrow and gravel. There is driveway parking only for two smaller cars/SUVs or one larger truck/van. The speed limit on the road is 25km/hr—please respect this at all times as the road is a shared space for pedestrians, children playing, and the odd stray chicken. :) Other things to note Our space is perfect for staging creative photo shoots of your family vacation, with lots of props and film-themed sets. Share your experiences by tagging us at thegoodnorthern on social media.