Escape to this peaceful all-season home on the Rideau River, only 30 minutes from Ottawa's heart. Enjoy a warm welcome with modern kitchen amenities, a gas fireplace, and an outdoor fire pit along the riverfront. Take in serene views of the water from our cedar barrel sauna or 4-season sunroom.
Reviews
9.69.6 out of 10
Exceptional
Entire home
2 bedrooms1 bathroomSleeps 6100 sq m
Popular amenities
Kitchen
Washer
Dryer
Free WiFi
Air conditioning
Outdoor Space
Add dates for prices
About this property
Entire place
You'll have the entire home to yourself and will only share it with other guests in your party.
Rideau River Retreat - Waterfront Home
Relax with the whole family at this peaceful all-season home on the Rideau River, only 30 minutes from the heart of Ottawa and 5 mins to Kemptville. Take in the river view while relaxing inside our Cedar Barrel Sauna or sipping morning coffee on the dock. Easily explore the neighbouring towns of Manotick and Merrickville or boat, fish, kayak, or canoe in the middle of the largest stretch of the Rideau River (46km of open water from Manotick to Burritts Rapids).
Smart lock entrance- no key required!
Plenty of parking available. Requires car or taxi/uber to travel to and from destinations. No local city bus access.
An Ice Fisher's Dream!
Home includes modern kitchen with top of the line appliances (gas range, oversized fridge, dishwasher, and Nespresso Virtuo coffee machine), queen main bedroom, and 4-season sunroom with large windows overlooking the water. Warm up indoors by the gas fire place or watch the sunset by the outdoor fire pit along the riverfront. Step into the cedar barrel sauna to take in the spectacular river view, available for guest use all year long.
House sleeps 6-7: queen bed in main room (2), double bunk plus single in second bedroom (2-3), and queen pull out couch in living room (2).
Ice fish on the river during winter months (equipment and license required).
Dock use available in the summer along with canoe, kayaks, stand up paddleboard (SUP) and life jackets of all sizes.
High speed internet access- use of your streaming service on our ROKU TV.
Washer and dryer also available for guest use.
Car, taxi or Uber required
Property amenities
Pool/Spa
Sauna
Internet
Available in the cottage: Free WiFi
Parking and transportation
Parking on site
Kitchen
Coffee/tea maker
Cookware, dishware, and utensils
Dishwasher
Kitchen island
Microwave
Oven
Refrigerator
Stovetop
Toaster
Dining
Dining table
Bedrooms
2 bedrooms
Bedsheets provided
Bathroom
1 bathroom
Hair dryer
Towels provided
Living spaces
Dining table
Fireplace
Entertainment
Games
Smart TV
Outdoor areas
Barbecue grill
Garden
Patio
Laundry
Laundry facilities
Washing machine
Comfort
Air conditioning
Heating
Pets
No pets allowed
Suitability/Accessibility
Smoking not allowed
Services and conveniences
Iron/ironing board
Location highlights
On a river
On the waterfront
Safety features
Carbon monoxide detector (host has indicated there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property)
Smoke detector (host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property)
You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools
Pets
Pets not allowed
Children and extra beds
Children are welcome
Events
No events allowed
Smoking
Smoking is not permitted
Important information
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has indicated there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit
This property is managed through our partner, Vrbo. You will receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, where you can change or cancel your reservation
About the neighborhood
Located in Kemptville, this cottage is on the waterfront. The area's natural beauty can be seen at Besley Woods and Ferguson Forest, while North Grenville Archives and North Grenville Historical Society are cultural highlights. Visit our Kemptville travel guide
Is Rideau River Retreat - Waterfront Home pet-friendly?
No, pets are not allowed at this property.
How much is parking?
Onsite parking is available at the property.
What time is check-in at Rideau River Retreat - Waterfront Home?
Check-in begins at 3:00 PM.
What time is check-out at Rideau River Retreat - Waterfront Home?
Check-out is at 12:00 PM.
Where is Rideau River Retreat - Waterfront Home located?
Situated on the waterfront, this cottage is steps from Besley Woods and Rideau Canal. Ferguson Forest and Pirate Cove Marina are also within 2 mi (3 km).
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Rideau River Retreat - Waterfront Home Reviews
Reviews
Exceptional
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travelers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.
This property exceeded our expectations for a get-away cottage by the water! Everything matched the original description with high levels of cleanliness. This cottage has eveything you may need and more for a family vacation. Would come back again!
The property is in a quite, relaxing neighborhood, but still only a couple minutes away from grocery stores, cafes, restaurants, and more. This is place is great for people like me and my friends who wanted a nice getaway that feels enough like a cottage without going too far from civilization. Communication was always top notch and owner went above and beyond to make sure our stay went smoothly.
It was obvious that Meghan and her husband invested a lot of time and effort to create a relaxing and comfortable home for their guests. Great location within a half-hour drive to Ottawa, so we could experience the quiet comforts of country living and all of the benefits that the city had to offer. I would definitely recommend staying here and may return again some day
We had such a wonderful experience. Our host Meghan was always quickly available and provided all the information we needed for a trouble free stay. The cottage is lovely and is the perfect place for both winter or summer getaways.
This vacation rental was an absolute delight, exceeding every expectation with thoughtful touches like a welcome gift of wine and a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. The host stands out as the best we've encountered—attentive, welcoming, and ensuring a seamless stay. Everything one could need was readily available on-site, from a fully equipped kitchen to ample amenities, making it unnecessary to leave the property.
Michelle C.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2025
From a partner site
10/10 Excellent
Corinne B.
Sep 2, 2025
Guest
Loved it! Wish we had more time. So lovely and rekaxing. The perfect getaway.
Quiet & Private: Ideal location for exploring Ottawa ON (try Union Street Kitchen's croissants before a guided tour of Rideau Hall). Also, just a short drive & quick border-crossing to the Frederick Remington Museum (western art & sculpture) in Ogdensburg NY. Local recommendations include the lamb rosemary meat pies made at B&H Grocery and the Tip-to-Tip trail, an easy 3-mile canal hike in Burritt’s Rapids. Many thanks to our exemplary hosts who quickly resolved any minor issues.
The little cottage was a very good and welcome chill time. The little touches left by Meghan were so appreciated. The cottage was very clean and we had everything we needed. Thank you both!
Mona K.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2025
From a partner site
10/10 Excellent
Martin S.
May 29, 2025
Peaceful Waterfront Getaway
My partner and I spent a few days and nights here on the water and absolutely loved our time. The included canoe was awesome and we spent hours on the dock watching the water. Cannot recommend highly enough!!!
Our stay at the Rideau River Retreat was good. The cottage was fully stocked with all the cooking, linens and toiletries needed.The host Meghan was quick to respond before and during the stay to ensure everything went well. Thank you.
It is a beautiful and peaceful. Just what we were looking for. We fished from the dock... bbq and had a lovely fire. It is supper clean. It looks even better in person. Comunication was excellent. It was our first time using vrbo. We are already looking forward to next year.
This house was very cute and cozy upon arrival, and our first 24 hours there were great. Unfortunately, on the second morning, we woke up to mouse feces in the kitchen, dining area, and sunroom--yuck! The host brought mouse traps for us to use, but it was really difficult to enjoy the rest of our time. I also felt that the host minimized the significance of this issue, and I was shocked that no compensation was offered. We understand that mice can sometimes happen in rural areas, but there should have been some kind of notice or warning in the house instructions, since it is clearly an ongoing issue. Disappointing experience--would not recommend.
We stayed over the holidays and it was relaxing and extremely cozy. We were really grateful that the host even had a Christmas tree for us. That made it perfectly festive.
We loved our stay at the Rideau River Retreat. It was a great place to use as our home base for Ottawa tourism. We also enjoyed Kemptville itself. Meghan was a great hostess. She was easy to communicate with and very helpful. The handbook for the stay was one of the most complete I’ve seen and very helpful! I highly recommend this lovely spot!
This property was perfect for our needs. It was close to Ottawa where our Aunt was celebrating her 100th birthday and he was a spot where we could breath after an unexpected death of our family. The host was very accommodating to our needs. Enjoyed the kayak. To hot for the sauna but I’m sure would be nice in the shoulder season or winter. Loved the sunroom.
Karen L.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2024
Verified
2/10 Terrible
Ralph b.
Jun 16, 2025
Liked: Check-in, location
Disliked: Cleanliness
This is the first time I've had to post a negative review, and I don't like leaving negative ones, but I am unhappy I spent so much money on this place and wish I had been warned as well. I would not recommend staying here if you plan on having many people or if you plan on cooking. The outside is lovely, the pool is gorgeous, has a lot of backyard games and plenty of parking. Location is good. The inside is not as well stocked. The floor was so dirty that I couldn't go barefoot from the first day. There were no washcloths, we had to search for hand soap, no shower soap, no top sheets on the bed, we had to put them on ourselves, coffee canister empty, no laundry or dishwasher soap, couldn't use microwave and oven at the same time or the fuse would blow, kitchen is not well stocked for that many guests or cooking. 2nd shower didn't work for our stay, so some of my guests went to a motel, incurring extra costs. Owner says it was just worked on so my guess is that the air wasn't blown out of the line before we came, so that's all we got, but the people after us apparently got water. Handle came off at one point so we stopped trying as to not mess it up further. 16 cannot sleep here comfortably. Owner ad still says they have two futons, but they are not in the house. I knew this beforehand because I asked since the photos didn't line up with the listings, but letting others know since it's still on their page.