Above the Pacific on the rocky slopes of Malei Island, sits an off grid self-sustaining lodge which offers the comforts of home and amazing views of the ocean and its marine inhabitants.
This beautiful 45-acre island is located north of Vancouver Island and tucked in beside Nigei Island. Gently flowing between Nigei and Malei islands is Cascade Harbour. In the past the harbour was active in accommodating a boat building business located on Nigei Island.
The 2800 sq. ft. lodge was designed and constructed about 30 years ago by its original owner, Markus Kronwitter. Markus, being ecologically ahead of his time, built the post-and-beam 2-story lodge using dead wood shipped to the island.
He installed two rooftop windmills and solar panels to power the resort and collected rainwater from the island’s abundant rainfall in large 1000-gallon drums to provide all the water necessary for the family’s daily needs. The existing hot-tub hand-crafted by Markus is fire-heated and sits along the ocean’s craggy coastline, close enough to experience the power of the crashing waves but out of harm’s way.
One of the island’s most remarkable features is the 2800-foot boardwalk hand-crafted by Markus and Greg Geisler that winds its way from the harbour’s edge through the forest up to the lodge. It really is stunning in its creation. Located on the Pacific side of the island is the original helipad constructed by Markus which has been frequently used to helicopter visitors on and off the island.
Some updates have been recently made by the new owners to enhance what was already there but still in-keeping with the resort’s original ecologically friendly footprint.
