About us
The Bayview Garden is an older home by Haida Gwaii standards.
As legend has it, it is built around what used to be the Military Police office (and jailhouse!) of the Alliford Bay Seaplane base in the 1940's. It was a rectangular prefab wooden building, and it now makes up our kitchen and lounge areas.
The MP building would have been moved to Sandspit after WWII, along with a few other buildings from Alliford Bay.
The original offer seem to have been just what we now call "the cottage" and was likely a self-contained cottage (or bungalow) that was rented out. The Bayview Garden B&B started in 2007, and changed to a Guest House offer in 2019.
As is typical of homes around the islands, subsequent owners have added to the original building and to its 'charm' or 'quirkiness'.
Recent changes mostly have to do with interior redesigning, painting and finishing.
The name "Bayview Garden" was coined in 2007 by the previous owners, a semi-retired couple from Oregon, who purchased what was then called "Bayside Bungalow".
Your host and owner of the Bayview Garden is Flavien.
Originally from France, and now also a Canadian Citizen, Flavien has been living on Haida Gwaii since 2010.
He is involved in various community projects, usually through the Sandspit Community Society.
In his spare time, he likes to sail, camp, kayak or explore the world by bicycle.
The original garden design and most perennials are still the original plants since the previous owners started to work on it in 2006, but the landscaping is slowly changing the way the garden looks as plants grow, die, and ideas change...
Since 2012, The Bayview Garden welcomes volunteers who contribute to making the Bayview Garden what it is now.
Often during the summer, guests will meet some of them, who are staying at the Bayview Garden in exchange for a few hours a day of cleaning, gardening and helping with other light duties around the property.
Below are photos of most of the helpers we have had the chance to host over the years.
If you are also interested in helping out, please see our listing on Helpx or Workaway
