Visited in early September when the leaves were beginning to change into their Fall colors, with some light rains, lots of big clouds with the suns rays intermittently piercing through. Beautiful time of the year to visit both the cottage and Victoria in general.
The cottage itself is, as described, in a relatively remote location a good distance away from the city, but not too far either. We drove to and from greater Victoria 3 of the 4 days that we were staying at the cottage and enjoyed the 20-25 minute drives especially when traversing the windy roads through the cool, serene forest to get to the cottage. Only about 15 minutes away from Butchart Gardens.
The location is a wonderful reprieve from the hubbub of big city living and offered some of the most stunning views I've ever witnessed of mountains, hills, and ocean. Absolutely gorgeous. It's one of these places where you can easily spend the entire day exploring the various trails nearby, reading a book on the dock, or just sitting on the porch, staring out into the ocean and mountains. It is very quiet there and indeed gets pitch dark at night, but the cottage is well-lighted, with wifi, warm running water and all things necessary to promote coziness.
I highly recommend this place as a true get a way experience, especially for those wishing to take a break from the raucousness of urban living.