QUALICUM BEACH, B.C. -- The year was 1943 and newlyweds Jeanne and Bruce Box were looking for a sweet little getaway.

They heard about St. Andrews Lodge and Glen Cottages on Vancouver Island, a family-run guest house by the sea. It sounded nice so they booked it -- via telegram, naturally.

Since then, they've gone back to that same spot every single year. Put simply: 67 years straight.

"We treated it as the poor man's Hawaii," says Bruce, from his North Vancouver home.

The Boxes are both turning 90 this year. But is that stopping them from renting their favourite one-bedroom cottage for four weeks this summer? Not a chance.

It's easy to see what keeps the couple so spellbound. Situated along a pretty stretch of the Island Highway, St. Andrews Lodge greets you like a vintage postcard from holidays of yore. It consists of a main lodge building (constructed in 1938) and eight cottages that sprang up between 1939 and 1952.

Anyone who has stayed there will tell you that the biggest component of St. Andrews Lodge is actually something little. Miss Elizabeth Little, to be precise.

Her father, a naval architect, built the place. And so, as a teenager, Miss Little, a.k.a. "Tootie," was a hostess-in-training.

"I worked and cleaned cottages, and when we had meals, I served them," says Miss Little, now 86.

The lodge quickly earned a reputation for rich hospitality. Soldiers from nearby Comox base frequently ate there during the Second World War and they were granted two cups of coffee while everyone else was limited to one.

The Boxes were also fond of Miss Little, becoming fast friends with the entire family. "We were having dinner there once and I was presented a rather unusual bill. It said: 'More pie in the kitchen,'" says Bruce.

Meals aren't served on-site anymore, but that's about all that has changed in the past seven decades. The cottages are still outfitted with their original oil stoves (and detailed instructions on how to operate them, thank goodness). They don't take Visa -- only cash or cheques. There are no phones.

Smoking and pets are allowed, because they always have been. Nintendo Wii for the kiddies? Try table tennis and a teeter-totter.

Also unchanged, in many instances, is the clientele. Several families, affectionately known as "The Royal Regulars," have continued to appear year after year. The Boxes clearly reign supreme in this kingdom, but others boast several generations of loyal visitors whose last memories each season are of Miss Little waving goodbye from the front door. Cute as the day is long, with a soft smile and halo of white hair, Miss Little is a town legend in Qualicum Beach, having also established the local historical society.

Though she has Alzheimer's, she is still on-site every day with the help of managers (and twin sisters) Shawn Dearin and Shannon Willey.

You might sit down to tea and lemon cookies with her or see her folding laundry. Up until two years ago, Willey notes, Miss Little was still drying all her towels on the line.

"I used to have fits about no dryer, and she would say: 'My customers like a crusty towel,'" she laughs.

"We both really care about Elizabeth. She's an angel. She's a cheerful, well-natured lady," says Dearin.

Despite offers from developers and the ever-present pressures to modernize, St. Andrews Lodge continues to prioritize simple family holidays, as it always has.

"This is like a separate place from the world, because it's not about money and greed," says Dearin. "This place was run with a heart."

If you go:

Where: 3319 West Island Highway, Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island.

Cost: Daily rates for a two-bedroom cottage are $95 in summer and $85 in winter.

Contacts: 1-250-752-6652 or email standrewslodge@telus.net.

More: For tourism information about the area, see www.visitparksvillequalicumbeach.com.