West Winds Motel & Cottages

I already knew we were in for something special when a place has 5* reviews! When we arrived we were greeted by the daughter, the wonderful, outgoing and super friendly Jaylin. Her enthusiasm and love for their family run facility was contagious. She told us all about how her grandparents had started the place and now her parents, brother and her were taking care of it now. It was so neat to be staying somewhere that the second and third generation family still runs it! She pointed out the communal fire pit where they light a fire each night for everyone to enjoy. There is a screened in gazebo and grills to use. There is bocce and horseshoes to play and you can take a dip in the in-ground pool. There are separate cottages and the motel rooms. We stayed at the Motel portion and there are 2 chairs and table in front of each room along with multiple picnic tables. Everywhere you turned you can see the love and dedication to their grounds. We stayed in Room #01. Remember to look at all the pictures of the room on their website. The room is very cozy and small, but we knew to expect that. Room #01 is the closest to the road, there is some minor traffic noises, but if you have the A/C or heater on you won’t notice much. I’d have to say our biggest challenge with the room was the small shower, but we made it work! In the morning we were greeted by the son, the always smiling, super welcoming, and full of energy, Ridge. We shared some wonderful conversation about dream cars, things to do in the area and fishing! Our favorite part of the stay (other than conversing with Jaylin and Ridge) was relaxing at their amazing waterfront on the St Lawrence River. There are Adirondack chairs to relax in as you look down to the dock and water, a pergola with chairs and a table to eat at, and if you take the stairs down to the docks, you can jump in your boat (if you brought one), or get real close pictures of the huge Cargo Ships that go by! Everyone staying there was super friendly and we had conversations with anyone we came in contact with. The whole atmosphere really harkens to a bygone era of family, community, friendly faces and simple pleasures. We couldn’t help but absorb the peace, tranquillity and happiness this place creates! We can’t wait to come back and try out one of the cottages. Our favorite cottages are #19 & #20 or the Riverside 3-Story. We plan on staying there next time so we can look out our windows to the enchanting St Lawrence River and marvel at the Cargo Ships as they go past. For an extra thrill we stayed to watch the beautiful sunset as a ship passed by! West Winds is the perfect central location to go to Cape Vincent, ABay (what the locals call Alexandria Bay) or to downtown Clayton to enjoy the shops. All I can say is come and enjoy this beautiful place and let the Hurley family become part of your 1000 Islands memories!

The owner was very kind,friendly and informative to talk with. We had a very nice and comfortable time. Beautiful grounds and scenery. Look forward to returning next year. The fire pit was great with the other folks gathering and chit chating till late. Nice!

The place was clean kept up comfortable and quiet

It was well kept! The property was very nice with a pool and owner/operator was very sweet! Will stay again in the future!

Love staying at the West Winds! The staff are super friendly and always helpful and the place is well taken care of. The only thing I wish I could change are the size of some of the bathrooms in some of the rentals. They’re pretty tight. The bed we recently had was really firm and not comfortable for me much, although we generally have very comfortable beds so, likely an isolated incident. Overall great place to stay with swimming, fire pit, etc. right on the grounds.

Kind people and everything ready for us

Every employee I interacted with and the owner were incredibly friendly. The cottage we stayed in was cozy and comfortable and had a great view of the river. My daughter and I stayed there and both loved it. She especially enjoyed the pool and walking down to the river.

Older building but very clean and great people

The only cottage left when we made a reservation was called The fisherman's cottage. West winds contacted us and let us know that the fisherman's cottage was near the laundry. And that we might hear some noise early in the morning. There really was no disturbance. The cottage was supplied with dishes, a hot plate, fry pan and saucepot. We had a great time, and were welcome to bring our family members who were in the area to visit at the community fire pit or at the cottage. It was clean, and comfortable.