When I moved to the US from Canada eight years ago, I quickly learned that several words have different meanings between countries. One of those words is “cottage.” Growing up just outside of Toronto, I’ve always known a cottage to be a vacation home—a second property to escape to when you need to touch grass, most often large and luxurious enough to house an entire friend group, located near a lake for swimming and boating, and with a firepit out back to drink Molsons and Mooseheads around. But Americans, I found out, think of small, simple structures when they hear the word “cottage.” Something more akin to a shack than a multi-level lakehouse. But that’s all changing now that Heated Rivalry has taken over screens, hearts, and minds on both sides of the border.
The television show, which focuses on the queer love story between two pro hockey players—based on author Rachel Reid’s popular Game Changers book series—sees protagonists Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov bring their relationship to a climax when Ilya decides to fly out to visit Shane’s multi-million-dollar cottage outside of Montreal, Quebec. Showrunner Jacob Tierney has shared that the cottage scenes were actually filmed in the neighboring province of Ontario, at a private property called Barlochan Cottage in the Muskokas, a lakefront region about two-ish hours north of Toronto that defines “cottage country” for many Canadians—myself included. And viewers have fallen head over ice skates for what they’ve seen on the screen.
As a Canuck who has spent time in both the Muskokas and Montreal (I went to McGill, where Shane’s dad played hockey, humble brag), I went ahead and scouted out some of the most exquisite cottages for rent across Ontario and Quebec, should you be after a little romantic rendezvous—or just a G-rated escape into nature—of your own. Much like Hollander’s hideaway, many of the properties on this list boast floor-to-ceiling windows for gazing out at the lake, modern kitchens for whipping up delicious tuna melts, and plenty of cozy lounge spaces for…relaxing. Read on for some of the finest Canadian cottages on the market—trust me, you’re going to want to book one before hockey season ends and cottage season begins.
We’ve selected these listings based on Superhost status, ratings, amenities, location, decor, editor stays, and previous guest reviews.
