If you ask most Charlottetown residents where Mermaid is, you'll get a general gesture toward the northeast and perhaps a vague mention of the river. It is not the kind of community that announces itself. It hides in plain sight as a quiet stretch of waterfront road, a scattering of homes set back among mature trees, and a shoreline that most people drive past without ever stopping.
But for those who have discovered it, Mermaid represents something increasingly rare in Atlantic Canada: a genuine waterfront community with real character, located close enough to a capital city to be practical but far enough away to feel like a world apart.
Where Exactly Is Mermaid?
Mermaid sits approximately 8 kilometres northeast of downtown Charlottetown, along the Hillsborough River. The drive takes about 10 to 15 minutes via Bunbury Road, a scenic route through rolling PEI countryside that feels far more rural than its distance suggests. The community is small, low-density, and characterised by properties on one-acre-or-larger lots, many with mature trees and water views.
The focal point of the community is Mermaid Cove, a sheltered inlet along the Hillsborough River that provides deeded beach access for nearby properties. It is a quiet, protected spot, ideal for kayaking, paddleboarding, and launching small boats. On a calm morning, you can paddle across the river and be entirely alone with the water, the birds, and the shoreline.
The Lifestyle Equation
What makes Mermaid appealing is the equation it offers: waterfront living plus rural privacy plus easy city access. Properties here tend to be larger than you'd find closer to Charlottetown, with room for gardens, outbuildings, and the kind of outdoor space that families with children or anyone with homestead aspirations dreams about.
And yet, everything Charlottetown offers is just minutes away. The restaurants of Victoria Row, the shopping at Confederation Court Mall, the cultural programming at the Confederation Centre of the Arts, and the medical facilities at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. All of it is a short, straightforward drive. You get the peace of rural PEI without the isolation that sometimes comes with it.
A Property That Embodies the Community
35 Richard Douglas Drive is, in many ways, the ideal Mermaid property. Set on just over an acre with mature trees, established orchards, and deeded beach access, it offers the full waterfront lifestyle that the community promises. The restored 1870s farmhouse brings the heritage character that gives the area its soul, while the 2022 barn-inspired addition ensures modern comfort and energy efficiency.
For buyers who are drawn to the idea of Island living but don't want to choose between character and convenience, Mermaid and this property offer both. It is the kind of place that, once you've lived there, you wonder how you ever settled for anything less.
Cheryl Burns
REALTOR® · Provincial Real Estate Brokerage · 902-314-4064