Guests relax on the beach at Little Hawk Resort and Marina. The West Haliburton resort was rebuilt after a fire in 2003. -- Photo courtesy of Little Hawk Resort.

Drive up Hwy. 35 toward the top end of the Kawartha Lakes chain and about 11 km north of Carnarvon you'll come to Little Hawk Lake Rd. Go east on it about 5 km to arrive at one of those small cottage resorts to which extended families return year after year to build memories and traditions.

This particular getaway haven is Little Hawk Resort and Marina, operated by Todd and Julie Boyd, a friendly young couple who returned to Canada a few years ago after spending seven years in Bermuda learning the resort industry.

They took Little Hawk over in September 2003 only to have the main lodge burn down around them just one month later.

The shock of losing almost everything but the clothes on their backs was devastating but the couple immediately set to work to rebuild.

When the usual guest families arrived the following summer, they found everything almost the way they'd always known and loved it.

Since then, Todd and Julie have never looked back. They have gone on to make Little Hawk one of the most popular holiday retreats in West Haliburton. On 2 hectares with a lovely sand beach, Little Hawk now offer eight cottages that rent from $975 to $1,195 a week and five two-person suites for $160 a day.

There's a full-service marina and a pub-style restaurant called The Wharf, which offers lunch and dinner Thursdays through Sundays, although most guests do their own housekeeping.

Use of canoes and paddle boats often comes free with your rental unit or you can rent a larger boat.

If you bring your own boat, dock space is free.

Both the Boyds are natives of Ontario. They met and married while working for a company in Mississauga.

But after tiring of a 90-minute daily commute to work, both answered ads for jobs in Bermuda and they subsequently spent seven happy years there, often entertaining family and friends from Ontario while saving for an eventual return to Canada.

Life in Bermuda convinced Todd and Julie that they'd like to run an Ontario resort. After searching for months, they spotted Little Hawk, which had been run as a retirement project by former school principal Martin Harvey and his wife Linda. They bought it and have since had a daughter, Bailey, 1.

If you'd like to have a look at Little Hawk and eat at The Wharf, named for a Bermuda pub, phone 1-888-545-4295 for a reservation. Specialities include Bermuda Rum Swizzles and Bermuda fish chowder. See littlehawk.ca.

GETTING THERE

Take Hwy. 11 to Hwy. 118, just north of Gravenhurst. Go right (east) on Hwy. 118 to Hwy. 35 at Carnarvon and go left (north) on 35 for 10.8 km to Little Hawk Lake Road. Go right on this road for about 5 km to the end of the road.