The Region

See our maps under the link “Where we are”; - some more general info. on www.bcinternet.net .

We are in the "Cariboo" region, in south-central "beautiful British Columbia", Canada's second largest province. The "Cariboo" is situated on a plateau of several hundred square kilometers between the Coast Mountains and the Rocky Mountains. The average altitude of this plateau may well be almost 1,000 m above sea level.

"Rolling hills", hundreds of lakes, mountain ranges, mighty rivers, little creeks, dense forests, barren or lush pastures with large herds of cattle, and enchanting valleys make this one of the most beautiful landscapes on this continent.

The Arcona House on the Lake is at an elevation of almost 1,000 m above sea level.
Our dry climate is a pleasant one. We sometimes, even if rarely, experience very low temperatures (down to -48° C) during the winter months. Summers and winters let us enjoy splendid weather with lots of sunshine.

The 108 Mile Lake...

... is approx. 2 km long and 1km wide, apparently 40 m at its deepest spot. During the winter months, freezing temperatures cause the ice on the lake to become up to 1.60 m thick. Only in late April or early May, the very last ice will melt under the spring rays of the Cariboo sun.
Several species of Trout lure the fishermen and -women to and on our lake. A variety of birds, among them the Loon (pictured on the Dollar coin) and the Bald Eagle, can be watched here during the summer months.
There is a 7 ½ km trail around the lake, often used by our guests for walks or cross-country skiing. It is also used by horseback and bicycle riders. Only during the winter months, snowmobiles are permitted; other motor vehicle traffic is not, including power boats on the lake.

The Arcona House on the Lake...

... is known to be the most spectacular property and home on the 108 Mile Lake (see picture gallery), situated on a quasi-peninsula, almost completely "surrounded" by water (to the east, south and west). The Arcona House has been built as closely as possible to the lake. It's actually the only B & B right on this lake.
The distinct yellow building with its peculiar red roof can be seen from many places on the shores of the lake. From all guest rooms there is a view onto the lake.
Our guests often enjoy the most breathtaking sunsets one can imagine (see picture gallery).

The Rooms

There is an overall beautiful European ambience in this home.
Two tastefully decorated guest rooms, “The Butterfly Room” and “The Cavalry Room” (see picture gallery), a separate guest entrance, ensuite full bathrooms, “Queen size” beds with large, cozy down duvets, a shared guest living room with television are available to our visitors, whether for a one-night accommodation or for a relaxing week -or more- of holidays in this lovely natural setting.
And again: from everywhere, the view onto the lake.

The Breakfast ...

... will be tuned to your taste as much as possible if we have sufficient advance notice. Breakfast tables of the past (recorded approx. in the year 2000) may be viewed in our picture gallery.
Up to now, breakfast has been mostly served in an area between the dining room and the living room of the hosts, which -in the morning- is the most spectacular place in the house (see picture gallery).

Activities / Things to do here

Other than the most pleasant "in-activities" like resting, relaxing, sleeping in, reading, having a pleasant conversation, watching television, listening to some nice music, sipping a glass of wine, quietly enjoying the view over the lake, or doing nothing at all …

there is also...

• ... going for walks and hikes around the lake and in the surrounding areas, including in particular the scenic Walker Valley,
  
  
• ...going for a round of golf (18 holes) on the other side of the lake (see www.108RESORT.com > Golf Course),
  
  
• ...going swimming, boating, canoeing, windsurfing, fishing on our or on any other of the many, many lakes in the vicinity (see links www.bcinternet.net > Maps, > The Angler's Guide),
  
  
• ... going cross-country skiing (you can step on your skis right outside the Arcona door and, from the trail around the 108 Mile Lake, you can, apparently, connect to about 50 km of groomed ski trails; the famous Cariboo X-Country Marathon is held annually just outside of 100 Mile House),
  
  
• ...going down-hill skiing at Big Timothy Mountain (2,151 m), a little over half an hour by car from the Arcona House.
  
  
• The historic gold rush town of Barkerville (www.barkerville.com) is about 3 car hours north of here. Following an adventurous and interesting day there, you can be back to relax at the Arcona House in the evening of the same day.
  
  
• The southern tip of the magnificent Wells Gray Provincial Park can be reached in about the same time from here.
  
  
• There are many more Provincial Parks and uncounted other opportunities for challenging, interesting short or extensive outings in our region.
  
  
• Several fine restaurants in 108 Mile or just a pleasant short car ride away invite your patronage. We would be happy to make reservations for you..

How could you be contacted here and communicate from here?

If your family, your friends, your staff, your boss would have to contact you
while you stay at the Arcona House on the Lake:

• c/o Arcona House on the Lake
  P.O. Box 678
  108 Mile Ranch, B.C.
  VOK 2Z0
  Canada
  
  
• Tel.: ++ 250-791-6555
  Between approx. 9:00 a.m. and 9:00h p.m. our time, Pacific Time - 8 hours time difference to -for example- London, UK. Please, inform potential callers in advance of this time slot for telephone calls, if you can. For the sake of "everybody" staying overnight at the Arcona House, we prefer not to transfer telephone calls to the guest rooms "in the middle of the night". We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.
  
  Our telephone district ("exchange") is called 100 Mile House (British Columbia). "Arcona House" or "Platen-Hallermund" could be found as subscribers by the telephone information if someone were looking for you or us without knowing our telephone number.
  
  
• Fax: ++ 250-791-6505
  For incoming faxes we charge our guests a fee of CDN$1.00 for the first page, 50 Cents per additional page..
  
  
• e-Mail*: (c/o) arconahouse@gmail.com- (unless, see below *)
  If an e-mail message to you were urgent, we should be alerted by a respective telephone call or fax in order to check our e-mail box immediately.
  
  
• We request your understanding that no "attachments" should be mailed to you at our e-address without our unquestionable prior permission.
  
  
• There is a charge of CDN$ 7.00 for the service of receiving any e-message for you, which would include -upon your special request- up to 2 pages of 8 ½ by 11" (approx. DIN A4) of print-outs. Any additional page: CDN$ 1.00. These charges represent a compensation for time spent by us, rather than a compensation for an actual expense.
  
  
• We offer wireless internet access to guests using their own laptops.
  

Sorry …

• We regret not being officially licensed to serve alcoholic beverages on our premises. Please, do feel free, however, to bring your own supplies. We will gladly chill them for you and furnish the glasses.
  
  
• We also regret that we are neither licensed to serve any other meals than breakfasts (hence: Bed and Breakfast). We may gladly implement an exception in case of an "emergency". No guest ever starved to death at the Arcona House.
  
  
• For the sake and comfort of -we trust- the majority of our past and future guests, we generally do not permit small children or any pets to accompany guests to the Arcona House on the Lake.
  
  
• Smoking anywhere inside the Arcona House is not permitted.