TL;DRWhat a family cottage weekend at Bellmere Winds Golf Resort on Rice Lake actually looks like — from check-in to dinner, with kids and dogs in tow.
If you’re booking a family cottage weekend in Ontario, the question that decides whether it’s a great trip or an exhausting one is the same every time: what do the kids do when they’re not in the lake?
A pure standalone cottage handles maybe four hours of “lake time” before the entertainment runs out. After that, it’s parents managing every minute. A real family resort handles that gap for you.
This is what a typical family weekend at Mildred’s Lakefront Resort Cottage at Bellmere Winds Golf Resort actually looks like — so you know what you’re getting if you book.
Friday: the arrival
Most families pull in between three and six on Friday. Toronto is ninety minutes south. Ottawa is about three hours northeast. Peterborough — the closest city for groceries — is twenty-five minutes away.
Check-in is uncomplicated. Keys, a quick walk-through, you’re in.
The cottage is three bedrooms, sleeps six, opens onto a back deck that points at the lake. From the front door to the splash pad is about thirty seconds.
The kids find the splash pad before the luggage is out of the car. That gives parents forty-five minutes to unpack, stock the fridge, and have a drink in hand before dinner. This is unprompted parenting time and it’s why this place works.
Friday dinner is almost always at the cottage. BBQ on the deck, something easy. The drive’s been long, nobody wants to put kids in shoes again. Watch the sun drop behind the trees on the far shore. Everyone’s in bed early.
Saturday: resort day
This is the day you don’t leave the property.
Morning on the dock. Coffee, quiet water, herons working the shoreline. If your kids fish, bring small rods — sunfish bite within minutes off any Rice Lake dock. The first time a kid catches a fish solo is a real moment.
Mid-morning at the saltwater pool. The pool is heated, has lifeguards, and is gentler on eyes than chlorine. Kids stay in the water. Parents sit nearby.
Lunch. Some families pack a cooler and hold position at the beach. Others walk to the 19th Hole Patio Grill for burgers and chicken strips. You don’t have to change out of swimwear for the patio.
Afternoon at the beach. Real sand, gentle entry, deep enough to swim. Build a sandcastle. Take the free use of canoes, kayaks, and SUPs out for a slow cruise — kids love being in a boat.
Dinner back at the cottage. Grilling again. Sit on the deck.
Evening on the dock. This is the part everyone remembers. Mosquitoes are manageable most of the summer with repellent. Sunsets on Rice Lake are worth staying up for. Kids fall asleep on the way back to the cottage.
Sunday: explore day
Sunday is Peterborough day. The city is twenty-five minutes away and surprisingly worth it.
The Canadian Canoe Museum opened a brand new building in 2024. World’s largest canoe collection, Indigenous history, hands-on exhibits. Kids ages six and up genuinely engage with it.
Lunch on Hunter Street. Downtown Peterborough has more options than you’d expect. Publican House Brewery has decent pub food. Black Honey is the coffee/dessert stop.
Either: the Peterborough Lift Lock (highest hydraulic boat lift in the world — kids find it interesting) or just walking the downtown.
Closer to home, Serpent Mounds Provincial Park is ten minutes from the cottage — ancient Indigenous burial site with short interpretive trails. Worth knowing about, especially as a counterweight to two days of swimming.
Back at the cottage by mid-afternoon. The splash pad re-opens. Drinks come out. The day ends on the dock again.
Monday: departure
Checkout is straightforward. Most guests are out by 11 AM and back in Toronto by 12:30. The drive home goes faster than the drive up — it always does.
Why this version of cottage works
A few things that set Mildred’s apart from other family cottage rentals in the Kawarthas:
direct waterfront access. Most resort cottages share a beach. Mildred’s has its own dock and direct lake access. Kids can swim off the dock without negotiating with other families.
Resort amenities included. Pool, splash pad, beach, sports court, fitness centre, restaurant on-site. The “what do we do now” problem disappears.
Free use of canoes, kayaks, and SUPs with your stay. Most resorts charge $80-150/day. Here it’s included.
Sleeps six comfortably across three bedrooms. Real for two families, real for parents and in-laws, real for two couples with kids.
Ninety minutes from Toronto. A weekend trip that doesn’t cost you a full day of driving each direction.
What to bring
Pack the bedding. Bring your own bed linens (sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers/blankets), bath towels, and beach towels — pillows and mattress protectors are supplied, but the sheets and towels aren’t. Kitchen supplies, cleaning supplies, BBQ — all on-site.
Bring: – Bug spray (essential in June and early July) – Sunscreen and hats (the lake reflects, kids burn fast) – Water shoes if your kids have sensitive feet – Small fishing rods if you plan to fish off the dock – Groceries from Peterborough on the way in – A few books for the dock evenings
Book your weekend
Mildred’s sleeps six across three bedrooms, with a shared resort dock, beach access, free use of canoes, kayaks, and SUPs, and full Bellmere Winds resort access. For 2026, bookings go through the Great Blue Resorts system. Direct booking launches in 2027.
Family weekends like this one book up four to six months ahead for the peak summer dates.
Ready to book?
Mildred's Lakefront Resort Cottage at Bellmere Winds — 3 bedrooms, sleeps 6, direct waterfront access, free canoes/kayaks/SUPs, 90 min from Toronto.