Lakatoro - A Cabin On Hornby Island

Lakatoro Cabin in its private wooded surroundings.

Email Wendy Edwards at Wendy@magicislandrealty.com or phone toll-free (888) 821-8222 [(250) 335-0423 from outside British Columbia] for reservations from June 25, 2006 through the summer/fall. The weekly rate for the Summer, 2006 season is CAN$750.

Wendy provides on-island management for Lakatoro, ensuring that our guests enjoy the best of accommodations.

"Lakatoro" is situated in a wooded setting. It is a 10 minute walk from the Sandpiper Beach Access or a short bicycle ride from two of Hornby Island's beautiful sand beaches on Tribune Bay.

The two-bedroom cabin sleeps four. It is fully furnished including tableware and kitchen appliances. Two outdoor decks have tables, chairs, and a propane barbecue.

Guests provide their own towels, pillows, sheets, and bedding.

The cabin is serviced by it's own well and has a four-piece bathroom with electric hot water and flush toilet. Each room has baseboard electric heating for cool fall nights.

The Master Bedroom contains a Queen-sized bed. A sliding glass door opens to a private deck.

The second Bedroom has two bunkbeds suitable for older children built into the upper walls. Each Bedroom has a chest of drawers.

Cable TV, VCR, and DVD are provided in the Living Room (Movies can be rented at the Co-op Store a short drive away). The couch folds out for an additional bed. A ceiling fan provides an additional breeze when desired.

Lakatoro's fully furnished kitchen contains a range, refrigerator, microwave oven, toaster, electric kettle, and a full set of cookware and tableware.

The dining room seats four.

Hornby Island truly provides the best of two worlds: Development is strictly controlled so that the Visitor experience harkens back to a time prior to overbuilt tourism "features". Yet, Hornby's permanent community welcomes visitors to share its full range of unobtrusive public facilities and amenities, including:

• The Co-op Store with a full range of groceries, hardware, and beverages. A bottle of British Columbia wine is the perfect accompaniment to a meal of local oysters and organic vegetables.

• Several roadside markets offering island-grown organic produce.

• The twice-weekly open market where local produce, artwork, cooking, and crafts vie for attention.

• The Co-op Gas Station.

• A Bakery/Pizzeria.

• The Ford Cove Convenience Store.

• The "Thatch" Pub and Restaurant.

• The Community Centre, where first-run movies are shown twice-weekly and an amazing variety of cultural events are held each summer.

• Numerous Artists' Studios showcasing a variety of media and techniques.

• Three of British Columbia's best sand beaches (one clothing-optional). Sunbathe, watch the kids play in Big Tribune Bay's shallow warm water, throw a frisbee, fly a kite, or swim.

• Kayaking and canoeing around the coast.

• Hiking or mountain-biking in the interior.

• Snorkeling and SCUBA diving.

• Watching aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic wildlife while doing any or all of the above.

Your Hosts, Stan Combs and Holly Morgan

In 1986, a friend suggested we take the family to Hornby Island rather than our usual long drive from Southern BC to the beaches of Southern California. Apon arrival, we couldn't believe what we had been missing: beaches, snorkelling, hiking, art, cultural events, and all without tacky tourism development! Over the years we returned with our growing girls and then without them after they left the nest. Little has changed.

Now, we are pleased to share our favourite BC vacation spot with you.

What the Heck is a "Lakatoro"?

Hornby Island isn't the only Pacific island we have enjoyed with our family. In the late '80s, we worked for two years for the Canadian international development volunteer organization CUSO in the archipelago of Vanuatu (located south of the equator between Fiji and northern Australia). The name of the village where we lived on the island of Malekula was "Lakatoro". Some of our experiences there are posted on the web site "Vanuatu - A Canadian's Perspective".