Around Atlantic Canada, you’ll find spots that marry attentive hospitality with distinctive and unique flavours — more than getaways, they’re culinary adventures.
Nova Scotia
Trout Point Lodge
If you love rustic chic, fine food, fireside chess, plaid blankets, slow tunes, hot tubbing, stargazing, and forest bathing, Trout Point Lodge is the retreat you seek. Tucked in the Tobeatic Wilderness along the Tusket River, about 45 minutes from Yarmouth, Trout Point Lodge is a sanctuary of warmth and authenticity. The world’s first Starlight Hotel and one of only two Small Luxury Hotels of the World in Canada, Pamela and Patrick Wallace bought it in 2018 after they fell in love with it as guests. The main lodge, built from Eastern white spruce logs, features masterful scribe notch, dovetail joinery, and chiselled stone craftsmanship. Each of the 12 suites is uniquely designed, with the Granite Suite offering a red sandstone fireplace, log beam ceiling, and marshmallow-soft canopy bed.
Dinner is a gourmet, seasonal prix-fixe menu focussing on sustainable, locally sourced ingredients and showcases dishes like rabbit roulade with cherry compote and black cod with rapini and gremolata. Allow resident sommelier Océane to introduce unexpected pairings like cognac with Gorgonzola or ice cider with carrot cake.
Don’t miss: An astronomer-led excursion to watch the night sky come alive.
The Inn at Grand Pré Winery
The citron-coloured, restored 19th-century farmhouse, once the James Crane House, now houses six stylish suites. The Sunroom is decked out with royal blue velvet chairs, brass accents, and white linens paired with original wide-plank floors and wooden crown mouldings. The spacious bathroom, with a soaker tub, double marble vanity, and heated towel rack, offers total comfort after a day of exploration.
With its cave-like, cozy feel, Le Caveau restaurant, just across from the inn, has garnered an excellent reputation under acclaimed Executive Chef Jason Lynch. Choose the four-course tasting menu for the chef’s inspiration of the day, like sunchoke and confit garlic pancetta pasta with lemon butter, or opt for the main menu with creative dishes like Nova Scotia Red Deer Civet with spätzle, braised red cabbage, pearl onions, and lardons.
Don’t miss: Breakfast delivered to your door: freshly baked herby-cheesy scones with apple jam, Greek yogurt with house-made granola and fresh strawberries. You may just stay cocooned for hours.
Glenora Inn & Distillery
In the forested hills of Glenville, along Cape Breton’s Ceilidh Trail, you’ll immerse in whisky-making and bucolic scenery. The traditional Scottish distillery’s air is scented with the sweet aroma of maturing whisky. Copper pot stills and oak casks testify to Glenora’s signature single malt. The immersive experience connects you with the art of distilling, from mashing barley to filling casks. The inn’s accommodations reflect the distillery’s homey spirit, with each room overlooking MacLellan’s Brook, the distillery’s pristine water source. It’s the perfect spot to watch the leaves fall and enjoy a wee dram.
Whisky and food pairings require a talented chef like Hugo Lavoie Drouin to craft an Asian-inspired twist to complement Glen Breton single malts. Dishes of smoked scallops on Asian stir fry and hand-rolled maki with halibut and sea sponge are unexpected delights. The Washback pub serves a wicked Distillers Burger, and Uncle Jim’s secret sticky toffee pudding is pure bliss.
Don’t miss: Regular music nights in the pub, especially during the Celtic Colours Festival. If you’re lucky, innkeeper Bertha MacLean, with her angelic voice, will perform acoustic Stevie Nicks renditions.
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Mysa Nordic Spa
A Scandinavian experience on the peaceful shores of St. Peters Bay to escape the ordinary, this is an oasis designed to mirror Nordic hydrotherapy traditions. The layout allows you to move through stations in a purposeful order, from hot-to-cold-to-
relaxation. Whether soaking in a hot tub, standing under a piping hot waterfall, or plunging into an icy pool, the focus is entirely on well-being. No phones are allowed, and silence is expected in the hydro areas. “Whisper zones” indicate areas where you can speak if needed. Upon arrival, you’ll get a fluffy white robe and slippers, which you can wear anywhere, including to dinner. Sixteen spacious cottages channel a sleek Swedish aesthetic in cream and white-washed wood palettes.
The dining room offers a true garden-to-table experience under Executive Chef Seth Shaw. The seasonal menu incorporates ingredients from the spa’s gardens and greenhouse. From shell peas and lobster toast to seared scallops in mussel beurre blanc and hickory tomatoes, each dish is as beautiful as it is delicious.
Don’t miss: the charcuterie board with in-house-made jams, pickles, chutneys, and bruschetta alongside local cheese and cured meats.
Dalvay By the Sea
A Victorian mansion at the tip of Prince Edward Island National Park, with its pale pink stucco façade and green-gabled roof, was once the summer retreat of American oil tycoon Alexander MacDonald.
Surrounded by lush gardens, forests, and Dalvay Lake, the Queen Anne-style lodge offers a fairytale setting that captures the grace of the 1900s. The inn harks back to an era of opulence, featuring turrets, wide verandas, and original wood-panelled interiors. Stepping into the living room feels like entering your great-grandaunt’s life: an eclectic mix of antiques, books, and games, where guests can relax with a glass of wine by the enormous open stone fireplace. A grand staircase leads to 25 unique suites. The Honeymoon Suite, where the now Prince and Princess of Wales stayed in 2011, offers a romantic pine-panelled room with a reading nook and a king-size bed raised to take in the view. With no TVs or electronic distractions, the experience is pure relaxation.
The MacMillan Dining Room is an airy, round conservatory with exposed wooden beams, white linen tablecloths, and lit candles that extend the romance. The menu leans toward a classic French influence, though the produce is proudly local and showcases the best of Prince Edward Island’s food scene. The P.E.I. Blue Dot beef tenderloin with seared foie gras, black truffle, and Madeira jus is faultless, and the sinfully good cheesecake with freeze-dried raspberry is worthy of your attention.
Don’t miss: Sitting fireside in a plush red velvet armchair, sipping a dirty gin martini while flipping through the original McDonald family photo album.
Inn at Bay Fortune
In 2015, renowned celebrity chef Michael Smith and wife Chastity transformed a 1913 retreat into a luxurious culinary venture. The Hampstons-chic inn offers an elegant, coastal vibe with weathered grey shingles, soft blues, and crisp white interiors. The spacious courtyard cottages feature plush bedding, marble bathrooms, and locally crafted Island Lavender Distillery soaps and bath salts. House-made pistachio macarons are a sweet welcome touch. Upon arrival, slip into your provided Hunter boots for a guided farm tour with farmer Kevin Petrie, where you’ll learn about the culinary farm that supplies the inn’s exceptional farm-to-table menu. It’s a chance to connect with the land and see where every dish begins.
When an inn is owned by a celebrity chef, you come primarily for the food, and Smith’s nightly Feast is the island’s biggest draw. The evening starts with Oyster Hour, serving roasted and raw oysters at different stations before guests move to the dining room for FireWorks, a feast prepared over a eight-metre live-fire hearth. The best seat is at the long table by the open kitchen, where guests can watch Smith and his team prepare each dish. The six-course menu changes daily, with highlights like the “bread tree” of wood-oven bread, harvest bowl salad, smoked brisket, and strawberry gelato on a honeycomb crumb base.
Don’t miss: The house-made strawberry marshmallows roasted around an outdoor fire pit, complete with fireworks.
New Brunswick
Rossmount Inn
In the heart of Chamcook, this charming boutique inn stands out for the warm, personal touch of hosts Chris and Graziella Aerni, who make every guest feel like a longtime friend. The carefully restored, lemon-coloured boutique inn, with its steep stone staircase, exudes the charm of a Tuscan villa. Tall cypress trees surround an elongated pool and pink skies set the Mediterranean mood. The country-chic vibe continues through the grand double doors, blending antique warmth with Art Nouveau glam. A well-stocked mahogany bar beneath a crystal chandelier is perfect for an Aperol Spritz. The bedrooms are comfortable and unfussy, with a mix of antique and modern, and fresh-cut flowers and soft linens add a touch of luxury. Stroll the property, visit the culinary garden and vineyards, and watch the sun dip over the bay.
Chef Chris Aerni is at the heart of the inn’s food experience, and his innovative approach has earned him a loyal following. Expect creative dishes focused on produce from the inn’s organic kitchen garden. From crispy Brome Lake duck breast with braised lentils to slow-cooked flank steak with garlic scape pesto, Aerni’s passion for local ingredients and sustainable practices is contagious. Let the chef guide your menu choices because he may persuade you to change your mind if he has something that has just arrived at the kitchen door.
Don’t miss: Walking up Chamcook Mountain behind the inn for the Passamaquoddy Bay view.
