PEI 2026: North Rustico Home Swap

On our third day in PEI amidst torrential rain and gale-force winds, we spent the morning visiting the art gallery in the Confederation Centre of Arts in Charlottetown followed by a leisurely lunch before finally heading to our home swap cottage in coastal North Rustico. The original plan had been to set out as early as possible to maximize our time in the area by exploring the PEI National Park between North Rustico to Cavendish. But given the inclement weather, we flipped the entire trip.

Having front-loaded our outdoor activities during our first two sunny days by driving out from Charlottetown to go on strenuous nature hikes and beach walks, we decided to ride out the worst of the storm by loading up on groceries and relaxing “at home” the next day while enjoying our accommodations. After our vacations in the past few years, we continuously talked about slowing down and allocating some rest time on our trips. This gave us the perfect opportunity to do so and it did not feel like a “waste of money” since the home swap did not involve paying for our living quarters.

Driving north from Charlottetown towards North Rustico, we stopped at Gallant Country Food Market in Rustico to pick up enough food and snacks to tide us over for that evening’s dinner plus breakfast, lunch and dinner the next day. Our home swap host told us that she provided coffee so we just needed milk, juice, fruit and vegetables, and something more substantial for dinner. We found some lobster rolls that were a step down from the ones we had earlier in Charlottetown and Covehead but were not bad for something from a grocery store. We also bought a bag of frozen breaded clams to continue with our seafood eating agenda. Next, we stopped at Olde Village Bakery in North Rustico and picked up some muffins and pastries for breakfast. At this point, it was pouring rain and the wind was gusting so hard (trending at 90km/hour!) that our umbrellas were useless. There was no point trying to explore more of the little town so we just grabbed our food and headed for the home swap.

When we were selecting potential home swap locations in PEI to request a guest points swap, we considered several areas including Georgetown and Stanhope. In the end, we decided to concentrate on North Rustico because it is on the coast with easy access to all sections of PEI National Park and is a quick drive from Charlottetown. The vibrant fishing town of North Rustico itself has much to offer including quaint shops, seafood restaurants, walking trails, red-sand beaches, scenic harbour views and even a small community theatre.

Our home swap lodging was the sweetest little vacation property with an outdoor deck, patio furniture, and a barbeque. Unfortunately, we were not able to use any of these amenities during our stay because of the weather. Luckily, the interior was stylishly, comfortable, functional, and easy to keep clean. This was perfect since we planned to stay a day and a half inside waiting out the storm. We had a full kitchen and eating area, plenty of couches and chairs in the living area to spread out, two bedrooms to choose from, and use of a washer and dryer. There was strong WIFI which was important since the cell service in the area was spotty. We were able to surf and play games on our phones and I worked on my vacation blogs on my laptop. We even managed to cast streaming services from our phones onto the TV. Our only issues came when we lost power a few times. The first two times were during the day and the power came back within seconds. The last time was most stressful since it occurred at night and lasted several minutes. As we sat in the dark, we tried to calculate how much battery power we had left on our phones and my external power pack. But luckily, the power did come back and we were OK for the rest of the evening.

By our fifth day in PEI, the storm had subsided and although it was still drizzling, we were able to venture out to explore the area. Just a few blocks from our cottage was Harbourview Drive, a scenic street following the coast where shops, restaurants and fisheries can be found. Cricker’s Creamery is a popular ice cream shop that uses milk and ingredients sourced from local dairy farms. They serve hard and soft-serve ice cream, flurries, milkshakes, sundaes and dipped cones. I loved the cow and calf sculptures positioned in front of the store which were whimsically dressed up in rain ponchos after the deluge. Nearby was Rustico Bay Wool Sweater Company which specializes in handmade local and Canadian wool sweaters, blankets and accessories, including the classic “Doyle Curl Neck” sweater, named after Doyle’s Cove in PEI National Park.

Tide and Tales is a popular bistro, bakery and independent bookstore that sits in a historic harbourside building a short distance from the wool store. There were some really good-looking muffins, baked goods, sandwiches and even smash burgers that would have made great meals for our day spent inside our home swap, but we didn’t make it this far in the pouring rain. There were some cute books too including the punny “Stan of Green Stables”.

Located on the boardwalk that runs along the harbourfront on Harbourview Drive is a group of local artisan shops at North Rustico Seawalk Park including a surf shop and a café. We visited the Harbourside Boutique where I bought a cheery sundress with pockets that was 50% off and Rich bought a bar of goat milk soap with a lobster carved on the side. We would actually stop at the company that produces this soap a few days later. We also checked out Seawalk Studio which had a variety of paintings, ceramics and other artworks, many of which represented views of PEI scenery. One beautiful work of crashing waves was actually a weaving while another depicted the iconic Teapot dune that was destroyed by Hurricane Fiona in 2022. I liked the tiny ceramic geese including one decked out like Anne of Green Gables with her trademark red braided hair and straw hat.

Almost at the tip of North Rustico Harbour on Court’s Wharf is Seagull’s Nest Gift Shop, a nautical and souvenir shop open since 1984 inside a historic, old fishing warehouse that dates back 150 years.  The shop features unique, hand-painted nautical murals and props created by a local artist as well as nautical and coastal souvenirs, local PEI crafts and clothing including sweatshirts, rain gear, socks, and hats. A menacing shark’s head with an open mouth is cheekily mounted on the façade by the entrance.

The North Rustico Harbour, nicknamed “The Crick” (creek) by locals, is centred around a working harbour established in the 1700s with a multi-generational lobster and mackerel industry. The harbour supports 40 local fishing vessels with a lobster season in May/June and catches of mackerel, cod and Bluefin tuna in the summer months. You can buy fresh seafood directly from the boats or from the colourful fishermen’s huts lining the water. Several buildings offer deep-sea fishing excursions. One of the highlights of the harbour is the 1.1km wooden boardwalk known as the Rustico Promenade that connects the town and harbour to North Rustico Beach.

We took a stroll along the boardwalk and passed some scenic views of North Rustico Harbour and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We came across the Seawalk Park Gazebo which acts as a viewpoint, rest stop and rain shelter. Along the length of the path are heritage relief sculptures carved into local sandstone by a local artist. We found carvings of Indigenous people, a sailing ship, a fish and a heron. In the marsh, we spotted a live Great Blue Heron with its neck raised looking for food. Then we had an unexpected surprise when we saw the six-foot-tall bronze sculpture of a 1920s Acadian fisherman in the middle of the water. The sculpture was erected in 2018 to mark over 250 years of fishing heritage and honor the region’s founding Acadian families and fishermen.

As we got closer to the harbour, we noticed the whimsical sign and art in front of the local artisan workshop PEI Wooden Lobster Buoy. There is a cutout of a fisherman in bright yellow rain slickers and a sign indicating “Friends Gather Here”. Right at the tip of the Court’s Wharf is Outside Expeditions where we were planning to rent bicycles during our stay in North Rustico before the inclement weather and high winds nixed those plans. By the beach is the North Rustico Harbour Light, a classic 52-foot-tall wooden lighthouse dating back to 1876 which guards the entrance of the channel.

A path from the lighthouse leads to North Rustico Beach, a quieter, less crowded setting than the more popular Cavendish Beach to the west. Looking back across the red sand towards the lighthouse and the town, you see a very picturesque vista that sums up PEI’s beauty. In a grassy patch by the lighthouse is a whale’s jawbone that has been here since 1969 and has become a local landmark marking the start of the beach. Further inland at 130 Lantern Hill Drive is an architecturally unique building known as the “Rotating House”. This is a 5000-square-foot rental apartment built on a motorized disc that turns 360-degrees, taking 45-60 minutes to complete a rotation.  Four luxury 625-square-foot rental units are available and the rotation allows each unit to have access to views of the sea, red cliffs and harbour.

We ate well in Prince Edward Island and stuck to our goal of consuming some sort of seafood with each major meal. This continued during our stay in North Rustico which has multiple seafood restaurants. Fisherman’s Wharf Lobster Supper is a well-known dining hall open since 1979 with a massive seating capacity for up to 500 people. A main course of a whole lobster (1, 1.5 or 2 pounds) is accompanied by a large buffet of salads, mussels, corn on the cob, clam chowder soup, nachos, and a variety of desserts. If lobster is not your cup of tea (although then why go to a restaurant called Lobster Supper?) you could alternately order scallops, snow crab, breaded haddock, breaded shrimp, chicken, or steak as your main. Because there was so much seating, we were able to walk in last minute without a reservation. The long lineups at the buffet stations were a bit worrisome since we had a time constraint to get to the theatre after dinner, but the lines moved quickly.

We ate at our first “Maritimes Lobster Supper” years ago when we visited Hubbards, Nova Scotia’s Shore Club. For us that was the gold standard as we were presented with substantial lobsters that were stuffed full of meat, large juicy mussels and a delicious no-bake blueberry cheesecake for dessert. The atmosphere there was folksy as we sat at communal tables with red and white checkered tablecloths. By comparison, this lobster supper felt very commercial and the size of it made as feel like we were in an assembly line. It was probably the wrong season but the lobsters and mussels were not as meaty. While it is always a treat to eat an entire lobster, the experience did not quite measure up to our memories of Hubbards.

On our last day in North Rustico, we had lunch at the newly opened Rustico Cannery and enjoyed it much more than the lobster supper. Located right by the water on Court’s Wharf, it is a modern restaurant with an open kitchen, wood-planked walls decorated with local art, and tables by large windows with great views of the harbour. On a nicer day, there is a large outdoor patio deck directly above the water where you could watch fishing boats head out to sea during the day or experience the sun setting during dinner. The bathroom stalls are decked out like ship cabins with opaque ocular windows and brass nautical hardware. Below the bar are examples of locally sourced oysters including ones from the adjacent bay where oyster traps are visible from the windows. The oysters on display include Lucky Limes, Raspberry Point, Irish Point, Rustico and Pickle Point. The bartender explained that the oysters varied in taste and salt level depending on the type of water that their beds were found in.

Rustico Cannery offers fresh, locally caught maritime seafood including freshly shucked oysters, oysters broiled with bacon, butter and breadcrumbs, tuna carpaccio, lobster rigatoni, fish cakes, and more. They also offer a curated list of handcrafted cocktails. As Rich had to drive back to Charlottetown and then the airport after lunch, we both ordered non-alcoholic mocktails including the Captain’s Punch (PEI rhubarb, strawberry, lemon, soda) and the Dry Dock (PEI blueberry, lime, ginger beer). Since we already had an oyster-dominant meal when we visited Malpeque Bay, we decided to try other seafood. We started with Cajun crab dip topped with cheddar, breadcrumbs, pickled shallots and cherry tomatoes served with sourdough and naan. For our main course, we both ordered the panko-crusted haddock with pickled beet remoulade, jalapeno relish, confit potato and coleslaw. These choices were delicious and this restaurant is a great new addition to North Rustico’s dining scene.

As avid patrons of live theatre, we always look for an opportunity to watch a play or musical while on vacation. We were particularly thrilled to learn that the Watermark Theatre was located just a block away from our home swap cottage. Founded in 2008, this is an acclaimed professional company that puts on plays during summer months in the 110-seat thrust-stage theatre. Initially launched as the Montgomery Theatre which produced works written during the lifetime of L.M.Montgomery, it was renamed and rebranded in 2013 and now focuses on a broader range of classic and contemporary plays.

We were lucky enough to secure tickets to one of the final performances of the last show of the 2026 summer season. Bed & Breakfast is a comedy written by Canadian actor and playwright Mark Crawford in 2015 about Brett and Drew, a gay couple living in Toronto who struggle to purchase a home amidst the high-priced and overly competitive real estate market. When Brett unexpectedly inherits his aunt’s house in an unnamed rural town 3 hours from the city, the couple decide to move there, renovate the home and set up a bed and breakfast establishment. What follows is a hilarious social comedy as the couple from the big city experience fish-out-of-water situations, make new friends, but also encounter homophobia in the small town. The play is all the more impressive given that in addition to the central roles, two actors hilariously play all the other quirky characters of varying genders, ages, and backgrounds, including townspeople and the eccentric patrons of their bed and breakfast. The talented actors rapidly switch roles and, on several occasions, even hold verbal discussions and physical interactions with themselves while playing multiple characters at the same time. 

In addition to being a laugh-out-loud, feel-good play, the plot includes a moving tale about being outwardly gay in rural Canada that gives it depth while commenting on identity, tolerance, and finding community. The play premiered in 2015 in Ganaoque, Ontario, where Crawford starred as Brett, before touring regional theatres and festivals across Canada. In 2018, the show was added to Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre’s season.  During its run at Watermark Theatre, the roles of Brett and Drew were played respectively by Montreal actors Chris Barillaro and Jonathan Patterson, who are married in real life. On its opening night, a special fundraiser was held where 50% of the proceeds from that performance were donated to support Pride PEI. We had a wonderful time at this show, making it one of the highlights of our trip.

PEI 2026: Greenwich Trails in PEI National Park, Original Richards, Dunes Studio Gallery

PEI National Park stretches 40km along the north shore of Prince Edward Island with three distinct sections including Cavendish-North Rustico to the west, Brackley-Dalvay in the centre, and Greenwich to the east. For the second day of our trip and the last forecasted day of sunshine, we drove from Charlottetown to the eastern end of PEI National Park to hike on the Greenwich Trails. On the way back, we made stops at Dalvay by the Sea, Original Richards for lobster rolls and Dunes Studio Gallery and Café. We were lucky to be visiting PEI at the tail end of the summer season, since the “Canada Strong Pass” initiative which gave free access to Canadian National Parks was still in place until September 7. This meant we could enter PEI National Park for free, both to hike on the Greenwich Trails, and to visit Cavendish and Brackley Beach portions of the park during the next few days.

The Greenwich Trails are a set of 3 hiking trails of varying lengths and geographic points of interest. The most popular is the Greenwich Dunes Trail (4.4m round trip) which features a floating boardwalk leading to Greenwich Beach. The Tlaqatik Trail (4.7km loop) is peaceful and pastoral, passing through agricultural fields and coastal woodlands that run along the edge of the peninsula overlooking St.Peter’s Bay. The name means “Gathering Place” since this is once where the Indigenous people set up seasonal camps. The Havre-Saint Pierre Trail (1.1km) is the shortest and most historic as it overlooks and is named after the site of a 1720 French colonial settlement which abuts Indigenous archaeological digs.  Placards explain the historical, cultural and archaeological connections that the Mi'kmaq people have with the land. Parks Canada has partnered with the Mi'kmaq community to maintain a hand-constructed birch bark wigwam at the start of the trails.

Walking along the 1.1km packed gravel, tree and shrub-lined path from the parking lot towards the start of the Greenwich Dunes Trail, we passed through a few clearings that provided views of St. Peter’s Bay and the colourful buildings in St. Peter’s Harbour. At one point, we came across a swath of pink-purple fireweed plants before reaching a long wooden stationary boardwalk that cuts through a forest of spruce, birch and maple trees. This was the start of what would lead to the iconic floating boardwalk that spans Bowley Pond.

The 700-metres Floating Boardwalk is the highlight of park, zigzagging over the pond and marshes without disturbing the sensitive wetland and dune ecosystems underneath. It is designed to move with water levels.  Plastic floats are attached beneath the planks to provide maximum buoyancy to the boardwalk above the water. Flexible hinge joints absorb foot traffic, heavy winds and small waves without tilting or snapping. The boardwalk is dismantled before winter to protect it from intense storms and freezing, then replaced in the spring. As you walk on the floating platform you can see lush vegetation and wildlife on either side. Further in the distance are giant parabolic sand dunes that rise up to 65 feet high, resembling small mountain ranges.  Some of the dunes have distinct ridges of sand separated by sparse patches of grass.

At the end of the floating boardwalk is a steep sandy incline, with ropes on either side to help in the ascent, leading to a set of stairs that descend over a coastal sand dune. At the bottom is Greenwich Beach, a pristine white-sand beach with gorgeous views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Someone had built a lean-to out of logs halfway between the stairs and the water, making for a nice shelter from the sun. We found a long log to sit on and admired the scenery while marveling at how empty the beach was on such a nice day.

Heading back the way we came, we retraced our steps along the Greenwich Dunes Trail. It was interesting that although we were walking along the exact same path on the floating dock, the views looked totally different going the other way. We spotted more wildlife in the water including ducks and geese and the curvature of the long bridge over the pond was more pronounced.

We next set out on the Tlaqatik Trail which was pretty but lacked the awe-inspiring experience of walking on the spectacular boardwalk on the Greenwich Dunes Trail. We did spot a heron and found binoculars that gave us a good view of a far-off lighthouse. This loop was 4.7km after already walking 4.4km on the previous trail, so the last bit became a bit of a trudge to complete. Despite that, we decided that we might as well finish off with the last loop since the Havre-Saint Pierre Trail was only 1.1km. Here we were rewarded with views of what we decided were lobster boats at work.

Dalvay-By-the-Sea is a historic Queen Anne Revival-style hotel, sitting on 120 acres of land, which was originally built as a summer home for Scottish-American Industrialist Alexander Macdonald in 1895. It passed through multiple hands after his death in 1910, until it was converted into a boutique hotel in 1935 and acquired by the Government of Canada in 1937. The hotel is now part of the PEI National Park and offers 25 historic guest rooms and eight 3-bedroom cottages. Along with a bar, lobby, library and dining room, the hotel provides access to sandy beaches, nature trails, croquet, tennis, kayaking, canoeing, and bike rentals. This site was featured in Anne of Green Gables movies and was visited by Prince William in 2011. We were hoping to stop by for a quick drink and snack in the bar but arrived too late. We settled for a quick peek at the downstairs rooms before continuing on our way.

The location that we had chosen for our late lunch/early dinner was Richards Fresh Seafood on Covehead Wharf. Richards is famous for seafood and especially its lobster rolls. This particular location is also known as “Original Richards” since it is the first location that opened in 1976 in a classic, red, canteen-styled fish shack sitting on a working fish dock. Although two more locations have been opened in Brackley Beach and Victoria-by-the-Sea, this original location still holds special status with locals and travelers alike, and has become a mecca for seafood lovers due to its unique location and cool vibe. It was originally opened by a local fisherman and his wife as a spot to serve other fishermen directly off their boats.

When we arrived, there was a lengthy lineup out the door and down the long ramp leading to the eatery. We joined the line and waited over 20 minutes before reaching the front to place our order. At that point, we were given a pager and took a seat to wait for our food to be prepared. When the pager buzzed and we finally picked up our lobster rolls wrapped in grease-proof paper, we found that the hype was warranted and the wait was worth it.  We each had a bun teeming with large chunks of lobster meat, along with fries and a small coleslaw. We ate several lobster rolls during our PEI trip but this one was by far the best.

Cove Head is a scenic stop with Covehead Wharf and Harbour on one side of the road where Original Richard and other shops and eateries are found, and a picturesque lighthouse with a path leading to Covehead Beach on the other side.  The wharf was severely damaged by Hurricane Fiona in 2022 and construction to repair it continues today. A nominal parking fee is collected when entering the wharf, which is used to fund help the repairs. A painting in the seating area of Original Richards depicts the wharf, beach and famous Covehead Bridge which was commonly used by thrill-seekers for jumping off into the swirling waters before guardrails were added and fines imposed to prevent this.

The site of the lighthouse at the entrance to Covehead Bay dates back to 1879 when two wooden masts hoisted lanterns to guide ships. Lighthouse keepers would physically move the lanterns across the sand dunes to align with changing tides. The current 8.2 metres, red and white wooden lighthouse was erected in 1975. It is still active today and is managed by the Canadian Coast Guard. A pyramid-shaped housing at the top holds an electric lantern which projects a flashing white light every 5 seconds, visible to ships up to 7 nautical miles away. The historic, revolving “bulls-eye Fresnel lens” is over 100 years old. On the side of the lighthouse is a plaque that commemorates one of the worst maritime disasters in PEI history. The “Gale of 1851” raged for two days, destroying 80 ships and claiming 150 lives. Covehead Beach is a quiet stretch of white-sand beach with shallow water surrounded by dunes. An interesting tour group was also visiting the beach when we were there.

Our last stop of the day was at the Dunes Studio Gallery & Café near Brackley Beach. This is a well-known gallery selling decorative arts and crafts including paintings, sculptures, prints, woodworking, textile, glass and pottery. It also sells clothing, jewelry, artisan soaps, decorative candles, custom-made furnishings and more. The space includes a café and a gorgeous outdoor sculpture garden. The gallery is owned by local potter Peter Jansons who operates a pottery’s studio on site along fellow potter Joel Mills. Their works source the pottery on sale in the shop including wheel-thrown bowls and tableware, unique vases and organic shapes with rich glazes. Jansons’ life-partner Nash designs the vibrant, eclectic clothing line for both men and women, featuring specific collections like Pena, Hot Flash, and Bali Boy.

The gallery showcases works by over 50 Canadian artisans alongside exotic global imports, especially from Bali, Indonesia where Peter and Nash travel to each year to source items for the shop. The gallery is full of eclectic items including a rendering of a peacock sitting on a tree branch which is made entirely with layered feathers. One section of the gallery called the “Island Art Gallery” focuses on works inspired by the beauty of the East Coast. Another section features hand-carved Southeast Asian teak artifacts, global home decor pieces, and eco-friendly furniture made from repurposed, decommissioned Indonesian fishing boats.

As interesting as it was to walk through the various gallery spaces, what was most spectacular is the vast garden area behind the gallery which features gorgeously landscaped water gardens, fountains, ponds, sculptures and wild, outdoor furnishings. Each pond is surrounded by bright floral arrangements, lush plants, water lilies and grasses. Look closely and you can find a Buddha, totem or crane sculpture rising from the water or peeking out from behind a bush.

The outdoor furnishings in the garden are custom-made through collaborations with Southeast Asian artisans who create nature-inspired pieces out of heavy, rustic teak wood and reclaimed boat wood. The natural oils and rubbers in teak prevent the wood from rotting when exposed to outdoor elements and form a weathered, silver-grey patina over time. Although some of them look wild and wacky, visitors are encouraged to sit and interact with the functional pieces, which are all available for sale.

Throughout the garden were many more sculptures made from wood, stone and cement. There were Southeast Asian-inspired motifs, ones made to look like Easter Island heads or ancient or prehistoric artifacts, woodland sculptures, regional “Dunes” people and more. There was something new to discover at everywhere that you turned.

Standing in the garden and looking back on the building that backed onto the gallery, we could see the personal apartment where Peter and Nash live, and the pottery studio where Jansons creates his wares, along with Joel Mills. In one of the windows, we could see stacks of unglazed ceramic vessels. Had we been there at the right time, there might have been an opportunity to watch live demonstrations by the master potters spinning clay on their potters’ wheels.

The Café/restaurant consists of a two level dining space serving locally inspired cuisine by Executive Chef Norman Day, with dishes often presented on the gallery’s own handmade pottery. It is too bad that we had already gorged ourselves with lobster rolls from Original Richards and were not in the position to partake in a meal here.

Following our visit to Dunes Studio Gallery, we returned to Charlottetown. We were happy that we were able to take advantage of two days of bright sunshine, since we knew that a large storm was due to arrive the next day.

PEI 2026: Thunder Cove Beach, Malpeque Bay Oysters

We booked two nights at a boutique inn in Charlottetown for our first two days in Prince Edward Island (PEI), with the full intent of exploring the province’s capital and largest city before heading off to our home swap location in the coastal village of North Rustico. But forecasts of torrential rain and wind for the duration of our stay in North Rustico made us up-end our plans. During our initial two sunny days, we would drive from Charlottetown to go on hikes and visit red sand beaches and dunes before returning at night to sleep. Then once we reached North Rustico, we would go on activities that were at least partially indoors or otherwise less exposed to the elements. This impromptu plan gave us two sunny days to enjoy PEI’s natural beauty.

On the day that we landed, after picking up the rental car, grabbing a quick bite to eat while we explored the Charlottetown harbour, then dropping our bags off at our accommodations, we set out for our first outdoor adventure. We would drive an hour north-west to Thunder Cove Beach to see red sand beaches and dunes, then another 15 minutes to Malpeque Bay to eat (what else?) Malpeque oysters!

PEI is known for its red sandy beaches and sand dunes, a result of the iron-rich minerals in its underlying rock and sediments which have oxidized and rusted over millions of years to create the crimson red hematite mineral in the sandstone. The strong waves of the Atlantic ocean break down the red cliffs along the shoreline to create red sand. One of the most beautiful and dramatic locations in PEI to see red sandstone cliffs, sea stacks and sand dunes is Thunder Cove Beach in the coastal community of Darnley. Parking along the side of Thunder Beach Road with the rest of the vehicles, we arrived at the top of the sand dunes and looked down upon the vast (and uncrowded) beach area by the water. The sand of the beach actually looks more tan or grey in colour since the red sands are intermixed with sediments, shells, and other minerals washed in by the tides. But up top by the dunes, the sand is definitely red, as are the cliffs that we see in the distance. Because of the precariousness of the shifting sands on the dunes, there are warning signs of danger and threats of fines for climbing on these, but the rock cliffs seemed to be fair game.

Coming down the main trail to the beach and turning left, we followed the rock formations until we came across a series of sea caves, hollowed out by relentless thrashing waves. We had checked the daily and hourly tide reports for this area to make sure we were there during low tide and would be long gone before the rising tides washed away our access. Scooting under a rock formation with a narrow layer of sand that was already quite close to the gently lapping waves, we got to the other side where we were blown away by the gorgeous red cliffs surrounding us.

Rather than retrace our steps along the beach, we tried to take the “high road” along the top of the sea caves and were rewarded by some spectacular views of the ocean and other cliffs. But then we had to find our way back down again and luckily reached a section that was just low enough that Rich could slide down from a seated position and then I could take a leap into his arms.

An iconic view that unfortunately no longer exists is the “Teacup Stack” that once stood out in the water off Thunder Beach and was shaped like a giant teacup and saucer.  Post-tropical storm Fiona destroyed the stack in 2022, leaving only the saucer. However, many images and artistic representations of it can still be seen in the local art galleries and shops.  We would see a similar stack later on in North Rustico, at Mackenzies Brook on the Gulf Shore Parkway but it was too bad this one would never be seen again.

After descending from the cliffs, we spent more time exploring the beach area in the other direction as the sun started to go, forming cool shadows in the sand. At one point, we came across a tidal run-off stream that blocked further access unless we wanted to get our feet wet, which we didn’t. At low tide, the water, which originates from marshy wetlands and ponds behind the dunes, flows towards the ocean. This is a dynamic stream that shifts, widens and deepens or dries up depending on the storm patterns, wind and rainfall. As the sun continued to set and the tide continued to rise, we returned to the original jutting rock formation and saw that it was no longer easily accessible with deeper waters and stronger waves blocking the path. This was a fantastic experience and we were so lucky to have a sunny day to explore this area.

While planning our visit to Thunder Cove Beach, we realized that we would be very close to Malpeque Bay, home to the Malpeque oysters that we often order in Toronto. It delighted us to think that we could dine on Malpeque oysters fresh out of Malpeque Bay! Malpeque Bay is protected from the Gulf of St. Lawrence by a long sandspit and dune, providing sheltered salt marshes, tidal flats, and shallow estuaries that oysters and many other species need to grow and thrive. The spit protects oyster beds from strong waves while still allowing tidal exchanges that provide plankton as an ongoing food supply.  As we approached Malpeque, we passed by the Keir Memorial Museum, housed in a Presbyterian Church, displaying artifacts depicting culture life in Malpeque. Across the street is the beautiful Gothic Revival-styled Princeton United Church, one of many gorgeous churches that we saw during our visit to PEI. At the picturesque bay, we chose the Malpeque Oyster Barn to have our dinner.

Malpeque Oyster Barn is a seafood and oyster restaurant known for its oysters but also offers meals featuring lobster, mussels, scallops, chowder and other seafood as well as selling fresh seafood on site. Because it is located right on the harbour, the people lucky enough to score a window seat are probably looking out at the oyster beds that sourced their meals. We were lucky to get a seating at all since we had not decided to visit this area until the night before and it was too late to make a reservation because the restaurant only accepted them by phone. We snagged the last table in the last seating and helped close down the place. We ordered a dozen small Malpeque oysters and a half dozen small quahogs (marine clams) for appetizers, then doubled down on the Malpeques by selecting pan-fried breaded oysters served with crostini and salad. Rich ordered a blueberry ale, the first of many on this trip, and for dessert, we shared a rhubarb crisp topped with whipping cream.  This marked a nice end to our first day in Prince Edward Island and we made the most of the (soon-to-be-gone) good weather.

PEI 2026: Home Swapping Once Again

Back in 2007, my husband Rich and I read in the newspaper about Geenee, a free home swap website. Having recently watched the romantic comedy “The Holiday”, we were intrigued by the idea of home swapping and decided to try it. We signed up for Geenee and were able to arrange a reciprocal exchange with a couple in Chicago and another one with a couple in Paris. But no more opportunities arose after that. Deciding that people on a free site might have signed up just to check it out and would not be as serious about swapping, we switched to Love Home Swap, a fee-based home swap site. With this company, we went on some amazing exchanges including the trips to the South of France, Antwerp (Belgium), Amsterdam and Venice. But all of these swaps were a result of others reaching out to us. Since we were retired and flexible with our time, we accepted any appealing requests that we received yet were unable to secure any swaps based on requests that we initiated. By the end of 2017, I was tired of having my requests rejected or even worse, ignored, so we decided to move on from home swapping.

In 2023, the French company Home Exchange, already the largest global home swap site, further expanded by purchasing Love Home Swap. What is intriguing about this home swap platform is their focus on non-reciprocal guest point swaps as opposed to trying to find a reciprocal match. You receive guest points for hosting guests at your place and then can use those points to stay at a totally different location, eliminating the need to find someone to swap with who also wants to come to your home. About 80% of Home Exchange swaps are based on guest points so it is an integral part of the culture of this site. This makes it infinitely easier to find a match. When you sign up for a membership, your home is assessed for “guest points value per night” based on the desirability of your location, the number of bedrooms available and other amenities. You are given a starting set of guest points (up to 800) that would be enough for a swap of 3-5 days.

We decided to dip our toe back into the home swap game by giving Home Exchange a try. We created an account and added our home for free. This allowed us to see what potential swaps were out there for us to request and also placed our home online for others to see before committing to purchasing the membership (at a cost of $235 USD a year). You can specify on a calendar which days your home is available for a points swap, a reciprocal swap, either type of swap, or is not available at all.  I asked a friend who was already on Home Exchange to refer me and we both received 250 extra guest points. This brought my total to 1050 points which would be good for almost a week stay at many locations, all without having to host a swap myself. If this all sounds good and you would like to try it, sign up at homeexchange.com, use my code annie-f5651 and I can refer you for bonus guest points! 😊

Because we had short mini-vacations planned in mid to late August to go to the Blyth Theatre Festival and to visit our friends in the Haliburton Highlands, we indicated our availability for guest points swaps during these periods. We were pleasantly surprised that within the first couple of weeks of signing up, we had two requests to stay at our home during these periods. For hosting these two swaps of 3 nights each, we received 501 points per swap. Now we had more than enough to try to arrange a trip for ourselves.

Since we had already taken our major vacation of the year in May with a 2.5-week trip to Copenhagen (still working on those blogs), followed by a bunch of mini cottage and theatre trips within Ontario, we decided to be conservative in our quest for our first home swap request with a shorter trip closer to home.  Rich has repeatedly voiced his desire to visit Prince Edward Island (PEI) since this is the only province in Canada that he has not yet been to. We searched for members on the Home Exchange website whose homes were in PEI, using each home’s location map to isolate those in the specific area that we were interested in, then filtered on places that had availability in early September when we wanted to travel (while the weather was still relatively warm). We came up with 3 or 4 possibilities and messaged each of them asking if we could arrange a non-reciprocal swap using our guest points. 

To our delight, we received a positive response and arranged for a 4-night stay in a quaint 2-bedroom cottage in the coastal village of North Rustico, PEI for a total of 600 guest points. We actually had enough points to complete this exchange even if we had not hosted twice ourselves, since we received 800 points just for becoming members. This one trip more than paid for our annual HomeExchange membership. But with our two hosting exchanges and bonus referral points, we now still have enough points after this swap to try for a 7-10-day trip somewhere in Europe next year. To fill out our PEI vacation, we booked a 2-night stay in downtown Charlottetown in a boutique inn prior to traveling to the home swap. We would need a car to get from Charlottetown to North Rustico and debated whether we should have the car while in Charlottetown or return to the airport to pick it up before heading to the home swap. In the end, we decided to have a car while in Charlottetown since the hotel had private parking included and it would save us from taking taxis from the airport to our hotel and back again to pick up the car later.

For the weeks and then days leading up to our vacation to PEI, we fretfully followed the weather forecast, which flipflopped on a daily basis along with our hopes and emotions. One day the forecast would call for rain for the entire week while the next day indicated sunshine. But as our departure date got closer, it became evident that while it would be sunny for our two days in Charlottetown, a huge storm was headed for North Rustico and we would face four days of extreme rain and wind during our time there. This was unfortunate since our plans for Charlottetown consisted of going to shops, restaurants and art galleries while the North Rustico days involved mostly outdoor activities including hikes, beaches and bike rides. As the forecast for the severity of the rain shifted for each day in North Rustico, I continuously juggled our planned activities in a desperate attempt to position our longest outdoor activities on the days with the least precipitation. Due to the predicted gale-force winds, we totally gave up on plans to rent bicycles but hoped we could salvage our hikes.

Then on the night before we were to fly, I had an epiphany. PEI is the smallest province in Canada and the driving time between any two locations is relatively short compared to the commutes that we were accustomed to in Toronto. We could invert our trip based on weather by front-loading our outdoor plans. From Charlottetown during the sunny days, we could drive for 30-50 minutes to reach red-sand beaches and National Parks closer to North Rustico.  Then from North Rustico, we could focus on indoor activities, potentially even driving back to Charlottetown to visit museums in the rain. The fact that we had decided to rent a car immediately from the airport to drive around Charlottetown made this plan viable and this turned a potentially disappointing trip into a wonderful and memorable time.

This trip was so last minute that we were at the mercy of whatever flights to/from PEI that we could find. On the way out, we selected a Porter Airline flight (luckily with a last-minute seat sale) that departed at 8:40am. Because of the early take-off time, we could not use our usual transportation route of taking the subway to Kipling station followed by the Red Rocket Express Bus, since that would not get us to the airport early enough. Instead, for the first time, we went via the UP Express since this service started earlier. If we caught on the first southbound subway train from St. Clair station at 5:48am, we could make it to Union station in time to catch the 6:15 or 6:30am UP train and get to the airport just after 7. We would still need to take an airport shuttle from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3. All went well as we caught all of our connections and got to Pearson Airport in plenty of time to zip through the Nexxus security line. The flight was smooth and uneventful and we landed in Charlottetown airport to glorious weather.

As it turned out, we were fortunate to have such an early flight which took off without issue, since later that day, Toronto experienced one of the worst storms in 100 years. Between 4:30pm-6pm on September 2, 2026, Toronto was hit with 126 mm of torrential rain along with destructive, high-velocity winds peaking at 110 km per hour, causing major floods, power outages, structural damage and over 140 flights canceled. So, although we caught the tail-end of this storm several days later in North Rustico, we were lucky to make it PEI at all and enjoyed two days of bright sunshine and warm temperatures before the inclement weather arrived. I will try to quickly finish writing about this impromptu home swap trip to PEI before resuming my Copenhagen blogs (with the hope to finish those before next year’s big vacation). I am also excited about trying for our next home swap opportunity in 2027.