Cottage Reflections

Ask a Coach how composite deck products can buy back your weekends. Visit Olympic! Home of Winnipeg's largest deck display. 1783 Dugald Road, Winnipeg P. (204) 661-8600 TF. (800) 665-8666 OlympicBuildingCentre.ca Cottage Country Delivery Featured in store Tigerwood by TimberTech 18 Hole Lake of the Sandhills Golf Course, Year-round Cabin Rentals Guided Fishing Charters, Campground & RV Sites, Bistro, Lounge & VLTs, Marina & Year-round C-Store, Boat Launch & Dock Rentals 140 km southeast of Steinbach ALL LOTS 30% OFF! Until June 30, 2016 SALE PRICES STARTING FROM $21,000! BACKLOT & LAKEFRONT LOTS AVALIABLE • Registered Federal Leases • Flexible terms to 2080 • Financing Available Four Season Resort FOR LOT INFO: 844-BPR-LOTS (277-5687) & FOR RESORT INFO:204-437-2777 www.buffalopoint.ca Manitoba's Hidden Gem on Lake of the Woods 11 HIDDEN GEM We discovered Buffalo Point Resort while visiting friends who had recently purchased a cottage there. And as they say, the rest is history! Even though my husband and I had lived in Winnipeg our entire lives, we had never heard of Buffalo Point. It truly is Manitoba's hidden gem! That first visit opened our eyes to all it has to offer. As soon as we turned off Highway 12 and entered the scenic drive into the community, we were taken aback by the beautiful landscape. We were surrounded by trees, wildlife and the sandy shores of Lake of the Woods. While taking this all in, we couldn't help notice how the entire area was so clean and well maintained. Buffalo Point Resort is the perfect balance of pristine nature and the comforts of civilization. Each time we visited our friends, we explored more of Buffalo Point. We soaked up the sun and scenery while golfing on the gorgeous Lake of the Sandhills Golf Course. We lazed on the beaches, played tennis and enjoyed leisurely walks. We even went on a guided fishing charter one day and caught our dinner for the night! And on those days we didn't feel like cooking, we all enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the Fire & Water Bistro. Eventually, we started to feel like perhaps we were "visiting" our friends too often! We didn't want to overstay our welcome but we also didn't want to stop coming out to Buffalo Point. We found the perfect solution — we rented a Buffalo Point Resort cabin! This is when we discovered the amazing "play and stay" packages available for the golf course — the best deal out there! My husband and I were nearing retirement and were seriously thinking of making Buffalo Point our new home, but we wanted to be certain we were making the right choice. We started asking our new friends what it was like to live in Buffalo Point year-round. What if it no longer feels like an "escape" if you live here all the time? What is it like in the winter? What about medical care? Our friends answered all our questions and quickly put our minds at ease. They reassured us that waking up to see the sun rise over the lake or deer strolling through their yard or jumping into your golf cart to "drive" to the course never gets old! We were told by some people winter is their favourite time in Buffalo Point. The ice fishing is great, they enjoy the snowmobile and cross-country ski trails and the snow always stays white! We were happy to hear the roads are cleared after every snowfall and that there are plenty of residents and activities in the winter months, so you never get "cabin fever." But what confirmed our decision was the information about medical care. We learned that, if Buffalo Point is your primary residence, Manitoba Health has an agreement with the neighbouring state of Minnesota, providing coverage for basic and emergency medical care at the clinic in Warroad and hospital in Roseau (both facilities are affiliated with the Mayo Clinic). We purchased a lot and built our "dream home" a few years back and I'm happy to say it was one of the best decisions we ever made. We love having our family down to visit and our grandchildren never want to leave! Now we can invite friends and let them discover Manitoba's hidden gem! Signed, Happily ever after retired in Buffalo Point

• Cover