Ashley (our host) was amazing. My wife and I booked this cottage with the intention of spending the Christmas weekend away from the city. From the moment we booked, Ashley reached out to us and answered any questions we had prior to the trip. She assured us that the cottage had everything needed for our stay. Bring some groceries if you feel like cooking your own meals, but you can easily find restaurants and general stores nearby.
The cottage is somewhat remote. It's very wooded and the road leading to the cottage is more or less a dirt road. Travel with an empty bladder. You've been warned.
Orangeville and New Tecumseth are within a reasonable drive if you need creature comforts that are normally found in Toronto. We brought some of our own groceries just in case of Christmas closures or weather-related issues.
Mono, Ontario is a beautiful area about an hour+, north of Toronto. The rolling hills and lack of large scale residential/commercial development drew us here. The cottage itself, is modern with a panoramic view of the river at the rear of the place. It was well maintained and ideal for a couples retreat, or a getaway for a small family.
We knew ahead of time, that a snowstorm might be on its way. The guests prior to us decided to leave the cottage earlier. Ashley told us that we could do an early check-in of 10am instead of the customary 3pm. Check-in was a breeze. Unforeseen by us, the strong winds knocked out the power in our area later in the day. The water supply was also gone, and some of the roads were closed in the area. We decided to stay the night and hope that things would be restored by the next day. There was an adequate supply of wood for the fireplace that lasted us through the night. By the middle of the night, our cellular service went offline so we were essentially stranded. The next morning, we went to Orangveville where there was cellular service. Ashley understood our situation, and offered us a refund. We packed up and left for home, as essential services wouldn't be restored until Christmas.
With all that said, I don't see this as a ruined vacation. We managed to do a lot on the day we arrived. We got to experience rural life for a bit and did I mention the cottage was gorgeous? My wife and I plan to come back in the summer, when we don't have to fight with the weather. We took the risk of travelling in a storm, and we lost. Completely out of anyone's control, and no fault of anyone.