Viva Villa
Approx. 7 km from M'Chigeeng, on Lakeshore Road
Tel: (705) 282-2896
Open seasonally

Viva Villa is located between the two tiny towns of M'Chigeeng and Kagawong, on Manitoulin Island. It's a little oasis set back amongst the trees and located right on the water. Perfect for a peaceful getaway.

Gerry and Ria, the hosts, greeted us along with gentle resident pooch Maggie. Gerry took us for a tour around the property with Maggie tagging along.

We stayed in the cottage called The Doe - and what a beautiful cottage it was. Made entirely of pine, and with its own private deck situated on the waterfront, it was the ideal setting for some quiet downtime.

The place is well-stocked with plenty of amenities: microwave, cutlery and dishes, refrigerator, stove, satellite TV... and there are comfy couches so that you can kick back and relax.

Note that there are no telephones in the cottages, nor is there cell phone coverage in the area. Pay phones are available in the towns, and internet access is available at the Kagawong Public Library.

Viva Villa has canoes and a paddleboat available for guest use. They even provide lifejackets in the cottage! On one gorgeous sunny morning, we slipped the dogs into their lifejackets (you'll have to provide your own doggy lifejackets) and took them out for a paddle.

This place was definitely pet-friendly; while we were there, 2 of the other 3 guests had dogs with them, and of course Maggie was around to pay us a visit. The dogs could even play in the water if they wished (of course, we had brought plenty of dog towels just in case they did!).

Gerry recommended driving to the pretty little town of Gore Bay, located about 20 minutes from Viva Villa. So we set out in search of something to eat one evening and came upon the Rocky Raccoon Cafe. We had initially intended to do take-out, as we didn't want to leave the dogs trapped in the car... but the friendly staff -- and even the talented chef! -- urged us to bring the dogs up onto their wrap-around deck. We could have a window seat, overlooking both the water and our dogs, who sat contentedly in the fresh air while we ate. The friendly waitress even brought the dogs a container of water to make sure they were comfortable. Delicious food! They're located right on Water Street, in a unique building -- you can't miss them.

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Review: Viva Villa on Manitoulin Island, Ontario

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