While a cottage getaway might not be your first inclination during cooler winter months it was exactly what I needed, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. When your job can go anywhere you can pretty much never stop doing it. However, there’s something about taking yourself out of your routine, and parking yourself near the ocean that instantly puts you at ease. Suddenly it was as though all the things that stressed me out in the city didn’t matter so much anymore. The ocean is a wonderful distraction.
Recently I had the absolute pleasure of spending the night at Oceanstone Seaside Resort in Peggy’s Cove. While we are all plenty familiar with the beautiful lighthouse, and the rugged coastline there’s much more to Peggy’s Cove than Instagram would lead us to believe.
About Oceanstone
Minutes away from the picturesque Peggy’s Cove, Oceanstone Resort is a gem on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. Located just 40 minutes from Halifax and 45 minutes from the airport, the resort is a premiere location for weddings, corporate events, retreats, or simply just a weekend getaway with friends or loved ones.
Consistently recognized nationally for weddings, Oceanstone Resort recently was chosen as one of Canada’s Top 5 places to get married by the Canadian Wedding Industry Awards, as well as Elle Canada. Oceanstone also won Gold for Best Wedding Venue and Weddings, by The Coast Magazine for 2015.
With dinner reservations for the Rhubarb Restaurant and an entire cottage to ourselves, I was tickled pink. Having previously been to the beautiful Oceanstone Resort for an event a few years back I have had my heart set on coming back to Oceanstone for a long time, so I was ECSTATIC to finally be spending the night!
About the Rhubarb Restaurant
In addition to the cottages and lovely accommodations, Oceanstone is also proud to partner with Jim and Diane Buckle owner operators of the cozy seaside Rhubarb Restaurant.
Located on site, the lovely Rhubarb Restaurant offers guests (and locals) an elevated dining experience. While Oceanstone is located just outside the city it’s amazing to have something right on site to maintain that remote, stress-free experience.
With reservations for 7 pm we sauntered our way up to the restaurant (amazing we didn’t have to drive) and it was such a nice night we definitely made the most of it. Upon your immediate entrance is a beautiful display of house-made chocolates and caramels (which are delicious by the way), and a bar wraps around to open to the dining room. Perfectly cozy we were seated near a fire, and the service was nothing short of attentive (despite it being pretty busy given that Valentine’s day fell on a weekday this year).
We started our meal with a crisp glass of prosecco and while I write this I’m going to make a mental note to inquire what the brand was because it was so good I definitely want to re-purchase a bottle for myself.
When I tell you that I ate the best chicken of my life at The Rhubarb Restaurant, I’m telling you it was the best tasting chicken of life. In the description, the chicken is described as “fall off the bone”, and fall off the bone it did. Good lord this meal was ah-mazing. If I could have licked the plate I probably would have. From the creamy risotto to the grilled veggies there’s not a single thing I would change about this dish.
In addition to the Mushroom and Chicken Risotto, we also enjoyed the Kale Ceaser salad which was also delicious. I got the small, but it was a great serving I had to take to go because I couldn’t finish it all, and there was no way I was wasting it. We finished our meal by sharing the Gluten Free Brownie with Ice Cream, cut in two it was the perfect dessert to share, and the best way to finish our meal.
We were stuffed to the brim, but everything was so great we couldn’t help ourselves. Not too fancy, but just fancy enough the Rhubarb was exactly what we were looking for, and I loved that we could just stroll up from our cottage, and stumble back without having to drive or struggle to find parking. Which was a welcomed change from our typical experiences living downtown.
If you’re looking for a delicious well-portioned meal, with a cozy romantic atmosphere (we loved the music and the lighting in the restaurant) and whether you live in the neighborhood or are visiting from away, you owe it to yourself to enjoy the creative cookery at the Rhubarb. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner from Tuesday-Sunday be sure to pop over to their website for more information RhubarbRestaurant.ca
About Our Stay
If you have never been lulled to sleep at night by the sound of the Atlantic surf, Oceanstone will show you just how incredibly intoxicatingly lovely that experience can be. All of the Oceanstone cottages are within an earshot of the water with wonderfully comfortable, carefully chosen beds. Trust me, once you sink into one of their beds you’ll never want to leave.
Accommodations range from rooms that are ideal for an overnight stay, to cottages on the beach that are perfect for a relaxing, laid-back getaway. Many of the suites and cottages are fully equipped, warmly appointed, and offer lot’s of character that even when you see them for the first time, it feels like home. For those of you who can’t leave your work behind you’ll be happy to know that although Oceanstone feels very remote all units have access to free wifi.
As well if you want to tote your favorite furry friend Oceanstone also offers pet-friendly accommodations (The Treehouse Cottage, The Pines, Holly Hock 2, Dovekey Cottage and Crows Nest Cottage). Be mindful that a small cleaning fee applies.
We stayed in the beautifully cozy Captian’s House which is the largest of the Oceanstone cottages. The Captain’s House has three bedrooms (4 beds) and a long, spacious deck that overlooks the water. The east side deck (perfect spot to watch the sunset/sunrise) is an ideal place to enjoy a sunny, early morning breakfast or coffee or an evening glass of wine or cold beer. The full kitchen (there’s even a dishwasher) offers the option to prepare your own meals, while the barbecue outside begs for burgers, hot dogs, and steaks to be grilled outside in summer.
Although it was seasonally warm the day we arrived at Oceanstone we were both so overjoyed to be welcomed to a roaring fire in our cottage with plenty of firewood ready to be restocked as needed. There’s something about the heat from a wood fire, as well as the smell that instantly puts me at ease and reminds me of my childhood. I’m not sure if it’s because I grew up in Cape Breton, but there’s nothing better to me than the warmth and smell of a wood stove.
From the beautiful views to the roaring ocean, to the impeccable styling, delicible food, amazing attention to details before we left the resort we were already making plans to return to Oceanstone Seaside Resort. Everything about our stay was perfection, and we couldn’t have been any more impressed. We basically want to bring everyone we know back to Oceanstone so they too can experience its quaint beauty and tranquility.
The staff at Oceanstone go above and beyond and it’s clear they take great pride in what they do. Like I mentioned above while you might not think about a seaside cottage stay during the winter let me tell you, you owe it to yourself to experience it’s amazingly blissful experience. And remember best of all, there are no bugs lol
Our only regret is that we couldn’t stay at Oceanstone longer. We were so sad to come back to the city that we spent the last few days playing relaxing ocean sounds in our condo to help us cope with the reality of being home, and attempt to relive our tranquil experience.
Mady By Collection Gift Boxes
In addition to the many gifts from Oceanstone (you’re too kind) we were also gifted this lovely Made By Collection that included all these local goodies. Inside was this adorable sleep mask from @Ohhhlulu and anyone who knows me knows I am OBSESSED with sleep masks to the point where I NEVER sleep anywhere without one (if I can help it).
As well inside was a Foxhound Collection Candle and just happened to be my favorite scent ‘Grapefruit and Fig’, and a luscious rose scented body scrub from @VoBathCo.
Made By Collection gift boxes are SUPER new (feel so lucky to get my hands on one of these boxes), so their website isn’t live yet, but you can follow Made By Collection on Instagram to stay in the loop. Thanks so much for these adorable goodies I love them all so much. What a great way to support our local vendors and artisans.
Featured above are also the Lure Caramels from the Rhubarb Restaurant, who were also kind enough to gift us some fresh biscuits, fresh compote, and granola for our breakfast (so we didn’t have to leave our cottage) because they were closed the morning we were checking out. While we know this isn’t the norm it was incredibly kind; thank you so so much, Diane and Jim, and thank you so much to all the Oceanstone staff. You certainly know how to make a girl feel special. Your immense kindness did not go unnoticed.
Want More From Oceanstone? Here Are Some Upcoming Events:
• March 4th- Christine Campbell- on sale now (Food & music Pairing)
• March 25th- Up Close and Sinful- Fuego Diablo Dinner (Fine steaks & wine Pairing)
• April 8th- Heather Rankin- Music only
• April 15th- Whisky Dinner with Michael Gill- limited seating
• May 8th- Christina Martin (Food & Wine Pairing)
• TBA Seaborn Art Studio, Yuk Yuks, Craft beer
The events above offer a unique, intimate setting to showcase local talent and local food. If you’re interested in learning more about Oceanstone Seaside Resort or you want to book your accommodations please visit OceanStone.com.
Thanks so much to Oceanstone for having us it was truly a blissful experience. If you have any questions please comment below or reach out to me via social media @shortpresents.
xx
Kayla
