Travel to Amherst, NS (Canada)

I was quite impressed with the new centre being built in Tatamagouche, but I was to be even more impressed when I trekked over to Amherst, Nova Scotia. I didn’t do much Amherst travel in the town, instead opting to stay in the countryside, about 32 km (20 mi) northeast of the town.

Amherst Hotel
I drove into the gravel driveway of the Amherst Shore Country Inn (actually in Lorneville) after another long day of driving. I was tired and wanted to put my feet up and have a nice meal. Innkeeper Mary Laceby greeted me at the door and gave me a short tour of the inn before handing me my keys to my suite.

Two cottage buildings are set up next to the main inn, each with two suites. I parked in front of my new “home” and smiled: my little private patio overlooked the 1,000 feet of private beach, rolling grass and a silent pond. Before I could even think about checking out the suite, I was walking towards the water.

Wooden chairs are placed overlooking the pond and a picturesque bridge crosses the pond to a gazebo; a small drop goes down to the beach, where the clean water laps in and out. My shoes immediately came off and my toes began licking the Northumberland Strait.

In the background, Mary’s husband, Rob, was, as he later said, trying to put off having to go inside. His two children were working, taking buckets of water and splashing them over all of the outdoor furniture for a nightly clean. They seemed pleased to be helping out and ran back and forth to the water refilling the buckets.

After they went in, I checked my phone to see that I had about an hour before dinner, so I wandered back up to check out my room. An open concept layout had the French doors of the patio (also the “front” door) open onto the living room. A small table acted as the dining room with a sink, microwave and two-burner stove, and a TV and fireplace were set up in the corner.

Up two stairs was a four-poster bed, wood panelling throughout the entire room and a small bathroom with a stand up shower. As I turned around to survey the whole place, I saw the large whirlpool tub. Perfect for a romantic bath for two, it’s also perfect for a romantic bath for one (which I indulged in later that night, of course).

Amherst Restaurant
Dinner time arrived soon enough and I made my way to the main inn to see what they had cooking. Each evening at 7:30, Mary and Rob serve a set dinner menu, just like Rob’s mother has done at this inn for many pervious years (his parents now spend their time at the Blomidon Inn in Wolfville, run by his brothers).

Dinner is a four-course meal for $39.50 per person, plus wine. I had a tomato bisque soup to start, which also comes with a loaf of homemade bread (which I took with me for the road, it was so good!). Then a salad came with a wonderfully unique curry dressing.

A baked and crusted piece of halibut with asparagus, beets, carrots and potatoes came next, which was perfectly cooked. To end off the meal, a molten lava chocolate cake came out with berries from their garden and a vanilla sauce. I pretty much fell over drooling.

Yes, I’ll use the cliché: it was mouth-watering. Yet, it was light enough that I could finish almost all four courses without feeling uncomfortably full. This was the best meal I had in Nova Scotia.

Amherst Travel
All in all, my Amherst country experience was unforgettable and the Laceby’s were extremely gracious hosts.

What I Liked:

The Amherst Shore Country Inn is a complete retreat from the city. A private pond, private beach, lots of green space to roam and extraordinary meals- what more can I say?

The cooking here is light, fresh and healthy.

Mary and Rob have a little gift shop in the main inn, selling Nova Scotian-made items like funky hats and purses. Really nice stuff.

The blueberry pancakes for breakfast were delicious! (Pancakes are my favourite.) Mmmm…

Tags: Amherst, Amherst Hotel, Amherst Restaurants, Amherst Shore Country Inn, amherst Travel, canada, countryside, lorneville, Mary Rob Laceby, Nova Scotia, ns, private beach