About SailAway Cottages

Are you looking for an affordable stay in what is generally touted as a “luxury vacation paradise”?  SailAway Cottages offers you options.   Come stay with us and enjoy local knowledge, a quiet neighbourhood, and at max a 15 minute drive to Grace Bay – the “touristy” area.    Check out our cottages here

Who are we and what is our story?

We are Karen and John Lawson – transplanted Canadians.   Life Motto? Keep doing it until it stops being fun!! We moved down to TCI with two babies in 1999. We were going to stay for only one year, but we fell in love with TCI.  We brought our two children up here, who are now living in Canada, and feeling grateful that they have a warm place to visit at Christmas!!!  We started our love affair with the Caribbean when we got married – as we took a year off to sail from Toronto to the Bahamas on a small sailboat. When we returned to Canada, we got “real” jobs, but spent every vacation chartering sailboats throughout the Caribbean. We realized the hustle and bustle of city life was not for us… and here we are today.

We converted our 2 car garage into a suite for our parents to stay because as you can imagine they were very sad that we took their grandchildren away from them when we moved south.    We renovated the suite a few years ago and decided to try this “short term rental” thing out.   We loved it!   We enjoy meeting people from all over the world, and sharing our little piece of paradise with them.   We then built The LightHouse Cottage in 2018, and The Sail Loft in 2020.   Most recently, (2023) we renovated a guest suite in our own home, (The Captain’s Quarters), which now has it’s own private entrance, and two private decks.   

We make ourselves as available as you want us to be.  We love to provide advice and suggestions, but if you truly want to get away from it all and don’t want to interact, we respect that as well.     We want you to have the vacation of your dreams, and we are here to help you achieve  that.  

Read Our Airbnb Reviews

  •   The coolest place to stay in Turks and Caicos! Sunsets from the top of the lighthouse, step out of the family room into the pool, easy access to the... read more

    thumb James
    June 2, 2025

      It’s hard to put into words what an amazing trip we had and how much this wonderful place contributed to that. It was quiet, private, and even had a... read more

    thumb Allison
    May 12, 2025

      This place was amazing and absolutely beautiful. The view from the lighthouse is breathtaking taking and the turtles in the canal where so cute.

    thumb Gabriella
    May 7, 2025
  •   Could not have asked for a better place to stay. We booked for a couples trip and found it to be the perfect balance between a private and peaceful villa,... read more

    thumb Thomas
    April 27, 2025

      Karen and John were great hosts. We loved the lighthouse and its amenities. It was the perfect location and offered great peace and relaxation.

    thumb John
    April 20, 2025

      Karen is a great host.
    We went to decompress.
    We had a great time at the pool. Thompson cove is beautiful. Definitely need a... read more

    thumb Judy
    April 10, 2025
  •   The Lighthouse Cottage was such a delight for our family of four! The Cottage is beautiful and located in the loveliest neighborhood on Thompson’s Cove. The views from the Lighthouse... read more

    thumb Katherine
    April 3, 2025

      Our stay at The Lighthouse was an absolute treat for this family of four. You'd be hard pressed to find a more responsive, informative and helpful host than Karen.... read more

    thumb Brian
    March 23, 2025

      The LightHouse was a lovely place to spend five days with my sister and her husband. Karen is an amazing host who provided all sorts of useful recommendations for things... read more

    thumb Christine
    March 8, 2025
  •   We were very pleased with our choice of the Lighthouse Airbnb! Karen came over and chatted with us about the island and gave us some good recommendations. She was very... read more

    thumb Vicki
    March 2, 2025

      The lighthouse is magnificent. Everything worked well, comfortable beds, everything you need is right there, and so relaxing. It's the type of rental where just hanging out at the house... read more

    thumb Julia
    February 1, 2025

      We really enjoyed our stay here. Karen was friendly and more than happy to suggest local activities and restaurant's. We appreciated the kayaks, snorkeling gear and beach towels.... read more

    thumb Diane
    January 14, 2025
  •   We had a wonderful stay. Karen and John were excellent host, very responsive and helpful, and we were grateful for their fantastic suggestions. There was also a huge bonus of... read more

    thumb Andrea
    December 29, 2024

      Karen was a lovely host and the property was exactly what was described! Karen was an extremely thoughtful hosting, providing everything you would need and then some!

    thumb Sarah
    December 13, 2024

      Beautiful and peaceful cottage has everything you need. The shower outside is total bliss. Karen is a great host she had me and my dad over each morning we... read more

    thumb Phil
    November 9, 2024
  •   We had the most amazing vacation to Turks & Caicos. We made so many wonderful memories and our place was part of that. Pool time at night, visits from Soldier... read more

    thumb Alyssa
    August 18, 2024

      We had a wonderful stay at the Lighthouse! Just a short walk to the beach, access to kayaks and SUPs and a great canal/preserve to explore. We LOVED having Soldier... read more

    thumb Stephanie
    August 2, 2024

      This spot was magical for our family. Great space for people with kids. Our son jumped from the living room into the pool while we cooked dinner. We had furry... read more

    thumb Natalie
    July 22, 2024
  •   Loved the near by private beach. The kayaks provided free of charge was awsome. the canal was beautiful and the turtles adorable. Mr. soldier made sure we were safe and... read more

    thumb Elaine
    July 14, 2024

      Karen, John and Soldier were amazing hosts! We had a splendid time on the beach with Soldier and swimming the days away.

    thumb Elisabeth
    July 7, 2024

      Great place, enjoyed our time!

    thumb Amanda
    July 2, 2024
  •   Our stay at the Lighthouse can be described as “Rest, Relax, and Repeat”, just what the doctor ordered. It was nice to stay in a place away from... read more

    thumb Armando
    June 26, 2024

      We loved our visit at the Lighthouse! The beach is a 3 min walk and is beautiful and quiet. We loved having kayaks and paddleboards available to go out and... read more

    thumb Jennifer
    June 12, 2024

      The Lighthouse is absolutely perfect! We (4 people total - 2 couples) had a beautiful 4 night stay (wish it was longer). The accommodations with a King bed... read more

    thumb Kristin
    May 8, 2024
  •   The Lighthouse is absolutely perfect! We (4 people total - 2 couples) had a beautiful 4 night stay (wish it was longer). The accommodations with a King bed... read more

    thumb Jonathan
    May 8, 2024

      Karen and the Lighthouse deserve the highest possible rating; if I could give it more than a 5 I certainly would. . I probably drove her batty with... read more

    thumb Peter
    May 1, 2024

      Our family had an amazing stay at the Lighthouse! Karen was the perfect host, always responsive and very kind! The house is perfectly situated only few steps from the quiet... read more

    thumb Nils
    April 21, 2024
  •   The Lighthouse was a great place for a private relaxing vacation and Karen was on top of every query we had. The property was an easy drive from the... read more

    thumb Jeffrey
    March 26, 2024

      Perfect location and so easy to walk to the beach. Chairs, towels, umbrella and small cooler available. Open up the doors to jump right in the pool from the living... read more

    thumb Jarret
    March 18, 2024

      We could not have asked for more from our time at the Lighthouse. From the moment we pulled up until the moment we left we had such a wonderful time.... read more

    thumb Stephanie
    March 12, 2024