Great Blue Heron: the quiet hotel on Scugog Island

So what is this place, exactly?

It is a hotel and a casino under one name, on the land of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, a short drive east of downtown Port Perry. The casino came first, in 1997. The hotel came much later: its grand opening was on 1 November 2021, after the pandemic had stopped the project only a couple of months before it was due to open. The general manager at the time called it the first hotel in Port Perry, and for a town better known for its Victorian main street and its lakefront park, that was news.

Today Great Canadian Entertainment runs the property, and its own list describes it in one line: slot machines, twenty live table games, restaurants and a 116-room hotel. We would describe it differently. For most of the people we write for, the casino is the neighbour, and the weekend is the lake, the causeway, a Saturday show at The Nest and a slow breakfast in town.

Address

21777 Island Road, Port Perry, ON L9L 1B6 (on Scugog Island)

Rooms

116, in three published types: Standard Two Queen, King Accessible and King Suite

Check-in · check-out

From 4 p.m. · by 11 a.m.

Who can book

Anyone 19 or older; children may stay with you, but not in the 19+ areas

Pets

Cats and dogs welcome, two per room, up to 50 lb each, for a fee

Parking

Free self-parking on site

Open

Hotel and casino 24 hours a day, seven days a week (operator update, October 2026)

Shows

Free concerts at The Nest, a hall for close to 800 people

Is it a good weekend base?

We think so, with one honest condition: come for the place, not for resort extras. The hotel's page lists a gym and a 24-hour business centre, and that is the whole leisure list. There is no pool or spa on it. What you get instead is a modern room, free parking, a lake on every side and a small town ten minutes across the water. If that sounds like the right size of weekend, keep reading. If you want a pool day, we would rather say so now than after you have booked.

From downtown Toronto the drive is about 95 km; Google Maps estimated just over an hour on empty roads when we checked, the routing model we use says roughly 80 minutes, and Scugog's own tourism partners call it an hour. On a Friday afternoon, Highway 401 or 407 decides. Our getting-here page has the routes, with real map links.

Where should we start reading?

The rooms, type by type325 sq ft standard rooms and a 696 sq ft suite with a kitchen

Three room types, each with a 55-inch TV, a mini fridge and a choice of casino or garden view that the hotel does not promise in advance. Compare them, or go straight to Standard Two Queen, King Accessible or King Suite.

Free shows at The NestTwo tribute nights in November 2026, two sets each

Desire, a U2 tribute, plays on 14 November 2026, and Fleetwood Mac Mania on 28 November, each at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. No cover, all ages, first come, first served. The Nest, explained.

The island and the causewayNo ferry; Port Perry is about 14 minutes by car

Scugog Island sits in the middle of Lake Scugog. The museum village, the summer theatre tent and the marina are all on it. Read about the island and the town across the water.

Food on site and in townWater's Edge, Quickbites, a weekend buffet, and Port Perry

On site there are three places to eat, with the buffet running Friday to Sunday from 3:30 p.m. In town there is a brewery, pubs, cafés and bakeries. Eat and drink.

What changes with the seasonsPowwow in July, the fair on Labour Day, ice huts in winter

The lake looks different every three months and so does the weekend. Through the year lists what is fixed and what is only announced each season.

Where exactly is it?

The hotel stands off Island Road, with the casino just north of it. Google Maps shows them as two pins a short walk apart: one for the casino building, one for the hotel. Our map and links use the casino building's card, the property's main entry on Google Maps.

The map comes from Google Maps and loads only after you press the button; Google then receives your IP address.

Open in Google Maps · Directions to the hotel · The hotel's official page

Who writes this, and why the form at the bottom?

Scugog Island Escape is a small independent site. We read the operator's pages, the township and the regional tourism office, the First Nation's own history page and the transport operators, and we print only what we could see there, with the sources listed under each page. Where sources disagree, we say so. Our desk also handles room requests: you send dates, we check the room and the rate with the hotel or a booking partner, and we answer by email. The commercial model page explains, in plain words, how that pays for the site. If you would rather book directly, use the hotel's own page; we will not mind.