The Lodge at the Old Dorm

This cedar-sheathed, two-storey lodge on Melmore Road once housed the staff who kept the Union Steamship Company's resort running in its heyday. The workers got the dorm; you get the restoration, complete with art deco artifacts, archival photographs and six rooms each named after a Union Steamship vessel. It is possibly the only building in Canada where sleeping in the staff quarters counts as an upgrade.

The rooms lean hard into period charm: the Lady Alexandra has a king bed and an ensuite with a soaker tub, while others come with pedestal sinks and, in true heritage fashion, the occasional bathroom across the hall. Guests rate it 4.7 out of 5 on Tripadvisor and speak of the multi-course breakfasts, fruit and granola and baked egg dishes and croissants, in the tone normally reserved for religious experiences.

From the front door it is a short walk downhill to the ferry, the Snug Cove shops and dinner, and a short walk the other way into Crippen Regional Park, where the trail to Killarney Lake awaits your post-breakfast penance. Six rooms, one small island. Do the arithmetic before someone else does.