Luxury Real Estate in Ontario With Premium Cottage Living

When it comes luxury real estate in Ontario, Canada - Lake Muskoka, Lake Rosseau and Lake Joseph have been a favourite for the affluent Canadians ofr more than 2 centuries now.

The Big Three Lakes is the most exclusive and highest priced area of Muskoka, which is Canada’s version of New York’s Hamptons.

Lake Muskoka, Lake Rosseau and Lake Joseph represent the heart of Ontario’s Cottage Country, which has been a playground for the wealthy since the 1800s when the first resorts were built.

“Visiting the Big Three Lakes is like stepping back to a simpler time of cottaging with your family, or it can be a new aspirational hosting and waterfront jet-set lifestyle of the rich and famous,” said Ross Halloran, broker and senior vice president of sales for Kolbuc Halloran Team-Muskoka Sotheby’s International Realty. “It’s really up to you and the health of your bank account.”

Boundaries

The Indian River connects Lake Muskoka to the south end of Lake Rosseau via the locks in Port Carling, and people then travel by boat from Lake Rosseau to Lake Joseph.

Lake Muskoka is bounded on the south by the town of Gravenhurst, on the north by Port Carling, which is known as the “Hub of the Lakes,” on the east by Highway 118 and on the west by Highway 169.

The north end of Lake Rosseau is near the village of Rosseau. The lake is bounded on the west by Peninsula Road /Highway 7, Highway 632 and Windermere Road/ Highway 4, on the east by Highway 141 and on the south by Port Carling.

Lake Joseph is bounded on the north by the District of Parry Sound, on the west by old Highway 69 (Lake Joseph Road), on the east by Peninsula Road, Highway 7 and Highway 632 and on the south by Port Carling.

Price Range

Prices in the Big Three Lakes range from C$900,000 to C$16 million (US$688,620 to US$12.24 million), according to Tracy Stewart, a broker with Johnston and Daniel Rushbrooke Realty in Port Carling, who noted that the average price is about C$1.7 million.

Ms. Brown said the top can go up to C$25 million.

Ms. Stewart added that the average waterfront list price in 2020 was C$1.760 million and the average waterfront sale price was C$1.703 million.

The year’s highest price, set in July 2020, for a Lake Rosseau property, was C$16.25 million.

“Lake Joseph and Lake Rosseau are quite similar in pricing,” she added, noting that “Lake Joseph is perhaps slightly more exclusive, and Lake Muskoka is slightly behind in the third ranking.”

On any of the three, though, “it would be exceedingly rare to find something under $1 million,” she said. The higher prices typically are for a newly built house of 8,000 square feet with six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a large water frontage and acreage. Generally, Ms. Stewart added, such properties include a three-bay boathouse with an upstairs apartment.

Condo developments and condo hotels are priced lower. Ms. Stewart said that units at the JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa are C$150,000 to C$200,000.

Fractional ownerships at the Rocky Crest Golf Resort on Lake Joseph are C$23,000 to C$45,000; at the Windermere House resort on Lake Rousseau they’re C$90,000 to C$499,000; and at The Muskokan resort club on Lake Joseph, they run C$75,000 to C$140,000.

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Listed for CAD$8.995 million, this 7,835-square-foot cottage, built in 2011, is set on 4.4 acres. It has eight bedrooms and six bathrooms and 10 parking spaces.

Listed for CAD$8.995 million, this 7,835-square-foot cottage, built in 2011, is set on 4.4 acres. It has eight bedrooms and six bathrooms and 10 parking spaces. Viral Realtors

Housing Stock

Mr. Halloran said there are about 4,500 custom lakefront cottages on Lake Muskoka, approximately 1,500 on Lake Rosseau and some 1,300 on Lake Joseph.

“U.S. patrons of Muskoka built historic summer cottages whose design and architecture were inspired by the Hamptons and Cape Cod,” he said. “Many of them are still lovingly curated and maintained to this day.”

Noting that each cottage/home in the Big Three Lakes is unique, Ms. Stewart said that “there’s a lovely mix of traditional ‘Olde Muskoka Cottages’ and new architectural mansions.”

Ms. Brown said most of the properties have 200 to 400 feet of waterfront frontage. The larger properties, she said, are coveted because they allow room for boathouses that include living space on the water.

“Exposure is also an important consideration as most buyers want optimal sun exposure with premium prices coinciding with all-day sun and sunsets,” Ms. Brown said.

Interior of a $6.2 million, seven-bedroom lakefront mansion in Muskoka.

Interior of a $6.2 million, seven-bedroom lakefront mansion in Muskoka. MUSKOKA/CHRISTIE'S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

What Makes It Unique

“We have a saying here—‘Muskoka … once discovered never forgotten,’” Ms. Stewart said, adding that “there is something truly special about a cottage property that brings family and friends together in a way that no other type of real estate ownership can.”

She said that like the rest of Canada’s Cottage Country, the Big Three Lakes area, which is only two hours north of the Greater Toronto area, is “known for its stunningly rugged landscape and natural splendor that is a wonderful combination of windswept pines, granite shores and shimmering waters.”

Mr. Halloran added that, “nothing says Muskoka like fishing in the morning, waterskiing and waterboarding during the day and barbecue dinners capped off by roasted marshmallows and S’mores at the fire pit at night.”

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But the serene scenery is only part of the allure of the Big Three Lakes.

“It’s a down-to-earth environment with a welcoming local community,” Ms. Stewart said. “You can be as social or as reclusive as you want, and no one would bother you either way.”

She said the famous and the locals blend to such an extent that “the older gentleman beside you in the plaid jacket and Wellies at the local farmer’s market could be worth billions and you would never know it.”

Ms. Brown said that “what makes these three lakes unique is they are large enough on their own, yet you can boat from Lake Rosseau into Lake Joseph or from Lake Rosseau into Lake Muskoka at the locks of Part Carling. You own on one lake, but you can boat to all three.”

She added that “you go out for boat rides just to tour the lake and potentially drop in at a friend’s dock for a cocktail. You can also boat to various amenities, including shopping, restaurants and golf courses.”

Set on 2.7 acres, this 2,815-square-foot cottage, which has six bedrooms, four bathrooms and eight parking spaces, was built in 2013 and is listed for CAD$3.495 million.

Set on 2.7 acres, this 2,815-square-foot cottage, which has six bedrooms, four bathrooms and eight parking spaces, was built in 2013 and is listed for CAD$3.495 million. Get Noticed Media

Luxury Amenities

The Big Three Lakes area is designed for leisurely, luxurious living. There are two private country clubs in Port Carling. Port Carling Golf & Country Club has an 18-hole golf course, a fine-dining restaurant, a health club, tennis courts and a villa; Muskoka Lakes Golf & Country Club features a 70-par, 18-hole course, a waterfront clubhouse for special events, six clay tennis courts, one hard court and two pickleball courts and offers sailing and swimming lessons.

Ovinnbryd, in Lake Joseph’s Foots Bay, features a 72-par, 18-hole course designed by Thomas McBoom.

The area offers a variety of outdoor activities. Within a 10-minute or less drive, residents can access Torrance Barrens Dark-Sky Preserve in Gravenhurst, Hardy Lake Provincial Park and Huckleberry Rock Lookout Trail.

There are a number of museums around the borders of the Big Three Lakes.Muskoka Lakes Museum, in Port Carling, has, since 1964, been showcasing exhibits that illustrate the settlement and development of the lakes district. Bala’s Museum, which was opened in 1992 to showcase artifacts from the area, is in the restored 1920s home where “Anne of Green Gables” author L.M. Montgomery dined during a 1922 vacation.

Muskoka Steamships & Discovery Centre, which is at the Gravenhurst Wharf, has exhibits of replica steamships and vintage wooden boats.

Steamships at Gravenhurst Harbour of Lake Muskoka in Ontario, Canada.

Dining options include Crossroads, which is in the Town of Rosseau and serves dishes made from local products; Teca, which is at the JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa on Lake Rosseau, serves Italian fare; Portside Fusion, which is in Port Carling, focuses on dishes that reflect Muskoka’s culture; Richwell’s, which is in Port Carling, has a varied menu, including Italian dishes; Rosseau Grill, which is at Windermere House resort on Lake Rosseau, specializes in fare that uses fresh ingredients; and The Water’s Edge Wine Bar and Grill, which is at the Lake Joseph Club, offers salads and steaks and of, course, wine.

For shopping, residents head to the boutiques of Port Carling such as the women’s clothing stores Bridgeport Muskoka and Ohm Life and the interior design studio Muskoka Living.

Rosseau Lake College, a private co-ed boarding and day school for students in grades seven to 12, is on Lake Rosseau.