Straight from a fairytale, this cozy cottage oasis might be just what you need.
Airbnb recently released its list of the most wish-listed stays across each province and territory in Canada, and a magical cottage on Mayne Island has not only made the list, but is the top in BC.
It’s known as Cob Cottage, and is a unique earth cottage that has been hand-sculpted using locally sourced, sustainable materials.
This stunning haven features a central living space, wood-burning fireplace, cantilevered slab stairs and a loft bedroom.
The average cost is around $200 a night, though there are discounted rates for last-minute cancellations if you’re lucky enough to find them.
This particular Airbnb is often booked nearly a year in advance.
Victoria Buzz had the pleasure of speaking with Superhost Alexis Borsboom, where she shared some of the history and significance of a ‘cob’ build, which is a sustainable style of architecture.
“Almost every culture has some form of earth and building, like every culture has some form of bread. It’s one of those things.”
She added that ‘cob’ is Welsh for ‘lump or mass’ and is the practice of using a mix of sand, clay and straw to build. Ianto Evans brought this particular style to the west coast, and is inspired by British Isles earth and building.
For Borsboom, it has been a fascination of hers for many years—having initially stumbled upon cob houses in a magazine when she was a teenager.
“I met my husband at a cob building workshop through Cobworks…and that’s how we ended up on Mayne Island,” she said.
“The cob building movement was very rooted in smaller, more environmentally friendly, kinder ways of building and living.”
Most of the materials (if not all) are locally sourced, upcycled or recycled. The windows, for example, are repurposed as opposed to thrown away.
She mentioned that there are many workshops offered year-round, and it’s quite easy to find them once you know what to look for.
Cob Cottage was constructed in 1999 by her mentors at Cobworks, Tracy Calvert and Patrick Hennebery, and Evans himself also helped.
Borsboom has been renting it on Airbnb for at least 10 years, and before then it was a long-term rental. She shared that their choice to switch to short-term rentals came after she had twins.
When asked how long it took for Cob Cottage to gain widespread popularity after its Airbnb launch, Borsboom said that it only took a few months.
“I think it’s pretty unique, and it makes me feel good about the world knowing people are drawn to the idea of life in a house made of earth on a small island,” she said.
“We have people from all over the world come. It helps feed that optimism—the idea that we are collectively still dreaming a more sustainable dream.”
Similar to other Airbnbs, they make sure to leave a guestbook that people can sign and share their experiences from staying in the cottage.
Borsboom laughed and said one of her favourite entries is from a little boy that came to stay with his family a few years ago, and features numerous drawings of pooping sheep.
“He was very into watching the sheep poop. He was that age.”
The guestbook dates back many years, but all of the messages carry a similar theme, with guests expressing thanks for the peacefulness, connection, reflection and nature.
Borsboom looks forward to continuing to provide a space for people to unwind, and perhaps inspire others to live similarly and build more cob houses.
She hopes that others will also see what has drawn her to Mayne Island, and she passionately expressed her gratitude for the island’s community, in-the-present living and surrounding natural beauty and animals.
So, if you’ve been bearing the stress of every-day living for far too long and need that perfect getaway, Cob Cottage is the place for you.
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