My husband and I spent a weekend here in September. This B & B has so much going for it, it's hard to know where to start. The house itself is just beautiful, with a huge deck, a living room and a library, all with spectacular ocean views. Check out Annie's art collection (by a local artist) which is displayed throughout the house. Every room is decorated with such attention to detail - I think Annie is an interior decorator (or should be!) as well as a fabulous cook!

The hosts, Rick and Anne, could not have been more helpful or friendly. They really love what they do, and it shows. We enjoyed their company very much. They will give you tips on restaurants or anything else on the island.

We loved having the coffee left outside the door at 8:00. The breakfasts were fabulous - more food than we could eat and great company. Those peanut butter biscuits......yum!

This was a wonderful experience, and I would highly recommend it.

We were immediately greeted with warm hospitality and friendly B&B owners. The views were stunning, the B&B was very clean, and the rooms spacious and comfortable. Everything was thought of - tea and cookies before bed, coffee at our door in the morning, and a friendly dog to take to the beach! The breakfast was absolutely delicious. We will be back!

Kathy Enros and Elaine Kubota

One of our favourite and frequent getaway spots to stay on Saltspring Island near Victoria is Anne’s Oceanfront Hideaway B&B on Simson Road. We start to unwind as we reach the front door and can see the spectacular ocean view off the huge deck. This time we spotted a baby eagle, flickers, and hummingbirds. We also saw a very new fawn close to the property. Apparently some environmental officials come to count the hummingbirds at Ruth Anne and Rick’s deck, and estimates are in the hundreds. Rick is often changing feeders during the day, and stressed the importance of spotless feeders. I wouldn’t doubt that, the whole house is immaculate! (Please see photos enclosed!)

We’ve tried three of the rooms so far, and all are such a pleasure visually. We slept soundly on the wonderful beds! Each room is located strategically to pick up on the ocean view; you can get lost in time trying to absorb the lighting and boats and wildlife.

The amenities at Anne’s Oceanfront Hideaway B&B (be careful, there are a couple of similarly named B&Bs in the area) are simply grand. They have everything: flat screened television, fireplaces in the rooms, private balconies, and the public deck which is about thirty feet long and gives you a feeling of being on the water even though you are high above it. You can walk down to the water’s edge and you can ask to borrow the dog, Chewy, who will do every trick a dog is supposed to do, plus a few. Chewy only appears on request, and is well behaved if invited. Or, you can sit on the benches provided at strategic spots along the path to the beach to enjoy the scenery.

Breakfast is enough to hold you into the afternoon! The details and presentation are another delight. We remembered to bring our camera to breakfast this time, and other guests went back for theirs. I think there were at least four courses! The food just kept on appearing! Fresh and local food is obviously featured.

There’s lots to do on Saltspring, but you don’t really need an itinerary if you stay at this B&B because the binoculars are readily available, the library is full of good books, nature reference books and current magazines. Saturday market is legendary with the locally made craft, art and home grown or baked items. (I think you must have to be an artist to live on Saltspring. However, some celebrity watching is often successful, especially if you ask who is around.) You can have a wide variety of choices of art venues, and the galleries, and art tours are worth taking. I noticed a gourmet tour this time, and look forward to booking that next time. Restaurants and shops are plentiful. There are wineries and there are renowned cheese making businesses. But I do recommend only one spot to stay: Anne’s. It’s on the north end of the Island and is in a naturally protected area, so the weather is often better. Where it might be windy somewhere else, it’s calm at that end. Since we live on Vancouver Island, we know about those micro climates and benefits of northern coves from the prevailing winds. Anne’s has all the advantages!

Whether we were standing on the veranda and looking at the stars or down at the beach watching the dog pull starfish out of the water, we enjoyed every minute we were at this bed and breakfast. Rick and Ruth-Anne are genuinely friendly and go out of their way to provide you with everything you need, whether it be a suggestion for what to do with your day on the island, or to provide you with a anecdote about their own time on the island. The four course breakfast everymorning was fabulous, and was tailored to the dietary needs of my husband and I. It was amazing to sit in the sunroom during breakfast and look out over the water. This b&b is calm, serene, and if we were not relaxed already from just the location we could enjoy the hydromassage tub in our room! Visiting the Hideaway is like visiting family, although you get your private time when you want private time, but your visting time if you want visiting time as well. We had a great stay, the ocean view from our room was perfect. We could not have asked for anything more!