Where do I start?
Barbara and Glenn have taken a little patch of paradise and made it even better. We needed a place to switch off and chill out, and this is certainly the place for that. I don’t remember the last time I relaxed this much on a holiday. The Boat Shed is everything you would expect from these photos and reviews – plus more. Barbara is a terrific host; she responded quickly to all my messages, and was enormously helpful in our planning for an entire week on the island. During our stay, she was also keen to ensure we had everything – and I mean everything – we needed to enjoy ourselves. As mentioned in the listing, wifi is indeed patchy in the boatshed itself, but there’s a corner outside where you can sit in the garden and surf to your heart’s content if you need to – and we embraced this little challenge as a reminder that we had come to relax and disconnect.
Barbara has created a cosy, relaxed, homely environment that initially might inspire labels like “rustic”. However, she has also filled it with little luxuries such as good sheets, tasteful toiletries and a perfect little stovetop coffee maker. Even the “basics” she provides to get you started are top quality. And in terms of liveability, she has thought of everything you might need in this compact space. Whilst it’s essentially only one room, it feels very spacious, and the well-equipped little kitchen is very easy to work with. The fridge is full sized, so we had no trouble storing food for a week. Take Barbara’s advice to use the water taxi when you first arrive with all your bags of food!
It is so relaxing here that it would be easy to not even bother venturing out to explore the island, but make the effort to take the kayak out at least once, as that is one of the very special features of this property – and a very special way to enjoy this area. We also enjoyed clambering out over the rocks to visit the bowling club (which does good meals three nights a week – the pizza is a highlight) and amble around the island. You do need to be reasonably good on your feet to stay here, as your two entry/exit points are either via a heap of stairs or across the beach. And be mindful of the kookaburras, which will fly right inside to relieve you of anything that looks tasty (including yoghurt).
We spent a week on Dangar Island, so we had a good sticky-nose at what else is available, and nothing comes close to this unique little spot. It’s a haven for a particular kind of visitor, so if you’re after something really different and special, you will be very happy here. Thanks again for everything, Barbara! We are so glad you decided to share this space with others.