What It's Really Like To Vacation In A Tiny House Instead Of A Hotel

In a world stuffed to the brim with new treasures and old finds, downsizing can be refreshing. That’s not usually my outlook — I lay claim to way more than half of the closet I share with my boyfriend, and I still hoard birthday cards from 10 years ago— but, when the opportunity to stay in a tiny house arose, I decided to change my tune for a weekend.

Finding out it looked like this helped:

This little guy, owned by Toronto public relations firm Pomp & Circumstance, is parked in the middle of the Grange of Prince Edward vineyard in Prince Edward County. The firm’s co-founder Lindsay Mattick fell in love with the idea of a tiny house two years ago and decided to use one to create a custom boutique hotel experience unlike any other. She found the mobile home at Tiny House Construction Company and turned it into the “Pomp Outpost” at The Grange (which is officially available for rent on Airbnb).

Despite watching countless hours of HGTV’s Tiny House Hunters, my boyfriend Josh and I didn’t really know what to expect when we set off on our mini vacation in August. When we arrived at The Grange, we were presented with a key attached to a fluffy pink pom pom, and walked along the rows of vines to the tiny house’s perch. Immediate reaction? It’s legit tiny. I am a petite person (5'1" on a good day), but at 320-square-feet this thing was super small — especially compared to our 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in the city.

But once we went inside, we were struck by the bright and extremely functional space. It had everything two minimalist humans (which we decidedly were that weekend) could ever need, and a little more. The bathroom at one end of the main floor had a composting toilet, a little pedestal sink and a fairly average-sized standup shower, with enough room to comfortably shave my legs. The kitchen in the middle had tons of cupboard space for a full set of dishes and every cooking utensil my beginner-cook self could need, and the seating area at the opposite end had a IG-worthy faux-plant wall and, in one man's opinion, too many pillows.

We've stayed in a bunch of Airbnbs around the world, and tend not to worry too much about the size of the space. It’s usually just a crash pad after long days of touristy things. All we need is a double bed, somewhere to make a speedy breakfast and maybe a space to watch a pre-bed movie. The two little couches in the seating area had more than enough room for both of us to stretch out, and we talked about how easy it would be to have at least four other people over to watch something on the little TV attached to the wall. Especially since the dining table folded flat down and all those extra pillows could make for great floor seating.

The kitchen was my favourite part, mostly because it was even larger than our galley kitchen at home, and we could do dishes in the large sink while looking out the windows onto the vineyard. Full disclosure: we didn’t cook anything in there beyond Pop Tarts in the morning, but, if we were up for it, cooking a three-course dinner definitely wouldn’t have been a challenge.

The bathroom was a bit of a different story. Trying out the shower was a must, and as with most things in the tiny house, there was more than enough room. That said, the hot water only lasted for about three minutes, so if you want to avoid a cold shower, get in, get out. Although the rain shower head was a dream, nothing you did in there was private. You have to be real comfortable with the person or people you’re sharing the tiny house with, or prepared to get comfortable fast, because you can hear every little thing. I know this is a weird thing for a couple who just celebrated their five-year anniversary, but I remain a private person when it comes to my bodily functions. So, Josh was sent to the opposite side of the tiny house anytime I set foot in that bathroom.

Up the ladder to the sleeping loft was a double mattress, brightly lit by three more little windows and lined with lots of shelving. The ceiling above the bed was slanted, but I managed to avoid hitting my head all but once.

Waking up in the tiny house came with vineyard views, chirping birds and the promise of a freshly-brewed coffee just down the ladder. The porch was the perfect place to enjoy that coffee, and it provided a refreshing shift from the tiny space, to all the space of the entire vineyard.

While I don’t think we could live in the tiny house for the rest of our lives, we definitely could have lasted at least a week. The small space was perfect for a mini vacation away from the big city.