We stayed at Strongwater our very first night in British Colombia after a long day of driving and ferrying from the Vancouver airport. This place has so much charm and character.
First, let me say that leading up to our visit, my communications with the owner/operator were pretty lax and informal. I didn't get an official confirmation of my booking other than an informal back and forth inquiry email that later served as my confirmation. This same relaxed feel continued when we arrived.
The property has 11 campsites and 7 cabins. We booked a cabin, which was very reasonably priced. When we arrived, we made our way up some stairs to the "office" having to side step at least six or seven chickens that were just hanging out on the stairs. Hilarious. There was a note on the door that said check-in at the Skookumbus (an old painted bus that serves as a little roadside food stand - cute!). There we found Cheyenne and a few friends and family all hanging out around a picnic table. She was very friendly (and as expected extremely casual and informal). We made our way to our cabin encountering all manner of farm animals - chickens, roosters and baby ducklings - cute!
Once we saw our little cabin we fell in love! We were in No. 4 (see map), which was one of the most secluded. I will say that none of the sites (both campgrounds and cabins) are particularly secluded and a few of them are pretty much right on top of others. I think the understanding, though, is if you're staying here, you're doing it for the charm, the price-point and the community feel of it all, which Strongwater has in spades.
We had a restful night sleep in our adorable little cabin, though the described King Bed was just two twin beds pushed together. There were a few moments of being stuck in the crack, but otherwise we stayed warm and really enjoyed the whole feel of it.
Checkout was, once again, extremely informal. We approached Cheyenne the night before we were scheduled to leave (as we were getting up really early the next morning) and found her around a campfire up at the Skookumbus hanging out with family and friends (pretty much right where we left her, haha!). I essentially just handed her the cash for the room, which she then directed at some other responsible person in the circle that I hadn't previously met. We thanked everyone for the great time and that was it.
Even though we were there for less than 24 hours, we really enjoyed our stay. Personally, I would have liked a bit more of an organized structure to the payment system and the check-in and check-out process, as well as a little less nonchalance towards their guests, but it didn't bother me too much! I just interpreted it as that laid back B.C. vibe. Definitely put this on your B.C. checklist! read more