Nova Scotia, From Halifax to Fox Harb’r Resort

It was a misty day in Halifax. It seemed fitting for this Nova Scotia city with a very English background.

My daughter, Sam, and I were staying at the regal Lord Nelson Hotel & Suites for one night before heading to Fox Harb’r Resort on the other end of the island.

We woke up early and ate at the hotel’s breakfast buffet, which was filled with fresh fruit, pastries, eggs, and more.

From there we took an Uber to Harbour for Ambassatours Deluxe Halifax City Tour. The tour would be by bus and start in front of the Maritime Museum.

The ride was comfortable, and the guide was terrific, filling us in on tons of historical facts as we went through the sites.

It had been 30 years since I had been to Nova Scotia, and Sam had never been, so we welcomed the information.

We only had a short orientation, but I’d love to come back and see the sites in depth. 

The city is filled with historical buildings and churches, and the Victorian Public Gardens, but two sites stand out. We were glad we stopped at both.

The first was the Citadel National Historic Site, a Canadian National Park built around a former fort atop the city. It is supported by guards dressed in full uniform, as they are in front of Buckingham Palace.

The views from the Citadel are fantastic, even on this foggy day, and we took some photos before getting back on the bus to the place everyone was waiting to see.

Halifax was the town most of the victims of the Titanic disaster were sent to. More bodies were processed here than anywhere else.

This was one of the reasons James Cameron chose to come to Halifax for filming of Titanic the movie.

In fact, Five Fishermen, the restaurant we had been to the previous night, was the site of the mortuary where many were brought.

As many victims as possible were sent home to their families, but 121 are buried in the Fairview Lawn Cemetery.

Our guide took us through and told us about some of the victim stories, including the littlest one, who could not be identified at first.

On the way from the cemetery, we passed by Queen's Mansion and the new Via Rail Station at the Westin Hotel. Also, the Pier 21 cruise ship terminal and the Largest Farmers Market in North America.

The tour bus brought us back and we had some free time, so we decided to walk around the Halifax Harbourfront. 

It had some interesting shops and I bought myself a floppy hat, as I was optimistic we would have sunnier days.

We went back downtown and had some tea at Humani-T, where they had every kind imaginable, and relaxed before it was time to go to the hotel and get our things.

Sam and I took a cab to the Halifax Airport to meet with the Fox Harb' r Resort Group and head to the resort.

It was a scenic drive through rolling hills and then to the coast of the North Cumberland Straight, where the resort is located.

The last time I saw golf courses this spectacular was at Big Cedar Lodge, but that body of water was man-made. 

This was all the natural beauty of Nova Scotia, directly across from Prince Edward Island.

Our Executive Suite had a huge bathroom with a standing tub, separate living and bedrooms, a wet bar with coffee maker, a refrigerator, and a microwave.

We had plenty of snacks, a patio, and our favorite wine, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.

We opened the bottle and enjoyed the views from our patio.

After freshening up, we met outside the Cape Cliff Dining with other members of the press trip and executives from Fox Harb’r for a cocktail hour, followed by dinner in the dining room.

The views of the golf course were just spectacular, and got even better as sun began to set.

The chef had prepared a special menu for us of local dishes paired with local wine. Substitutions were made for me to accommodate my seafood allergy.

The group started with a delicious Taste of Salmon appetizer and I was equally thrilled with my Caprese Salad.

For the next course we all had the Fox Harb’r Mixed Greens, which included vegetables, beans and seeds, with a light dressing.

The main course was Surf N Turk, Espresso Crusted Beef Tenderloin in a cabernet jus, and a Nova Scotia lobster tail, covered in butter, and served with a poached herb risotto.

I had a double portion of the meat, which was tender and tasty.

The dessert sounded a bit unusual, but it was scrumptious: Carrot and Spice Cheesecake with raisin compote and brandy tuille.

Sam and I returned to our suite right after dinner. It had been a very long day and I couldn’t wait to lay my head on that pillow. 

We would still have a few more days to explore Fox Harb’r Resort.