Peaceful Family Cottage Retreat (Oceanstone Resort, Nova Scotia)
  

Peaceful Family Cottage Retreat (Oceanstone Resort, Nova Scotia)

Nova Scotia was the final province on our summer road trip list and the last stop before heading homeward. We were in for a real treat in Nova Scotia because we stayed at the Oceanstone Seaside Resort, just a few minutes from Peggy's Cove. We stayed in an adorable cottage named the "Periwinkle Cottage",  with the ocean just steps from our back deck. It was peaceful, relaxing and absolutely lovely!



If I were to visit anywhere near Halifax Nova Scotia (about 50 minutes away), I would definitely want to come back again! It's such a beautiful place for a family getaway, a couple's retreat, or a group event. In fact, the Oceanstone is recognized as one of the top 5 places to get married in Canada!




Driving to our cottage, we got to see each of the other cottages (all unique) from the outside which made me so curious about what each of them would be like inside!  I can't tell you about the interior of the others (as I didn't get to go inside), but here's a look at our adorable Periwinkle Cottage:

The top left photo was our room. The view from the windows was my favourite part of this room. Each one gave a view of beautiful nature (grass, bushes, flowers, and the sound of the ocean!).  The top right photo shows part of the living area, with another view in the bottom left corner. The cottage is stocked with board games and books to keep you busy while indoors, and even a collection of guest books where previous guests have shared their stories.  The bottom right photo is of the room the girls slept in. 


I loved the decor in the cottage. It was such a cute, cozy cottage feel from the walls and ceilings to the furniture choices and smaller items hung on walls. Little extra touches do not go unnoticed by us! The girls were thrilled to find candies by their pillows. We really appreciate when places do little things like this that create special, memorable little moments for our family. I loved the toiletries that fit right in with the feel of the cottage and our surroundings, and I loved the fork hooks on the wall and the spoon curtain tie backs!



The kitchen had everything you would need to prepare your own meals (and there was a barbecue on the deck). Towels were set out, ready for us in our rooms, and the sunshine-y yellow bathroom with a touch of modern style was just right to make us feel at home and pampered at the same time!


As fabulous as the cottage itself is, I don't think anything could beat the view through our back windows and from the deck. The ocean was quite literally right there. While I walked through the cottage taking photos, Ken and the girls were outside exploring on the edge of the ocean, collecting shells and stones and climbing on rocks. Take note of how far you can see rocks and grass because I'll show you another photo at high tide where you'll see how far the water came in. 



If you want to see just how close the ocean was, or get a better feel for the interior of the cottage, take a minute to watch this little video tour of the cottage:


If you ever get the chance to visit Peggy's Cove, I promise you won't be disappointed! It is really amazing. We have some video of our visit there, so I will get a vlog published soon that will give a better idea of the full experience there. For now, here are some photos:


We wandered around the rocks together and found ourselves sitting on the edge of one, just watching the tide come in and the waves crashing against the rocks. It was so peaceful to sit and watch and listen. Talia was the first to sit and take it all in and we all joined her.



This photo of Katrina in front of the lighthouse (seemingly a giant...or is the lighthouse really small?!?!) is one of my favourites. We didn't even plan it that way, but it turned out to be pretty awesome!


After exploring Peggy's Cove, we headed back to the resort for dinner at the rhubarb restaurant. You can eat inside or outside on a patio (and from inside, we could see that the patio had an awesome view of the sunset). Ken and I decided that this was our favourite restaurant food from our whole trip. That fried bread with hummus (middle, left photo) was so good! If this was a restaurant we lived near enough to frequent I think I would order it every time.

The top right photo is of the Seafood Pasta (linguini with lobster, mussels, haddock & smoked salmon, tossed in an herb cream sauce and fresh parmesan). It was a large serving, with a generous amount of seafood and I took half of it back to our cottage for later. All Ken wanted by the time we got to this restaurant was some good fish and chips (bottom, right photo). He said the tartar sauce was delicious and he wouldn't hesitate to say it was the best fish and chips he has ever tasted!

There is also a dessert menu and I highly recommend chocolates from The Backdoor Bakeshop inside of the rhubarb- they are amazingly delicious!! 


After dinner we went out behind our cottage to watch the sunset. We were surprised to see how much of the rocks had become covered with water while we were away!


Just to the left of our cottage, the lawn was set up for a wedding. Can you imagine how majestic this setting would be for a wedding? Having photographed weddings in the past, I'm just dreaming of the beautiful photos that would come from this location!


After the sunset, we were excited to set up a fire in our fire pit on the edge of the rocks by the ocean. We planned for this moment before we even left our house. We actually brought a bag of large marshmallows with us from Ontario, for roasting. We brought those marshmallows across 4 provinces and we accidentally left them in our cottage in Prince Edward Island that morning. We were so sad! Katrina and I got in our car and drove around for about an hour, trying to find a place to buy marshmallows late at night, but it happened to be a holiday and almost nothing was open, so we came home for a marshmallow-free fire. It may not have been as sweet as we had planned, but it was an amazing experience, being able to sit by the fire and hear the waves coming in just beyond our fire. It's something I had never experienced before.

When it was time to put the girls to bed, Katrina appeared with a Peter Rabbit book she had found on the shelf in our cottage. It was the perfect little bedtime story for our setting and another one of those little touches that we really appreciated.


After a cozy night in our sweet little cottage, we woke to that comforting sound of the ocean again.


Through our windows and beyond the steps of our back deck was beauty. It was a chilly morning with a bit of rain, so we stayed inside for most of it. (Notice those spoon curtain ties that I mentioned earlier, in the photo below).


We brought some cereal and milk with us and had breakfast around the table together. This is another spot in the cottage where there are windows all around, so even if you're staying indoors to keep out of the rain, you can still enjoy the nature surrounding you. I can totally see us spending an afternoon snuggled up in this room, playing board games and reading books together.


With that being said, we only had one night in our cozy cottage and it was not enough! There is so much more that I wish we could have done, so I definitely suggest that you book more than one night when you stay at the Oceanstone, so that you can fully enjoy all that it has to offer!

On our last morning, the girls hurried around the resort to find each of the things on a little scavenger hunt that was left in our cottage for them to do. When their paper was complete, they were able to choose an item from a treasure box. I love that they had this for kids to do!


We have nothing but good memories and a longing to return to Nova Scotia! I'm sure there is more to see, but what we were able to see in the short time we visited was lovely. Peggy's Cove was unforgettable and the Oceanstone is a total gem!



Thank you to the Oceanstone Seaside Resort for hosting us for this part of our trip. 


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39 comments:

  1. Oh gosh, that is a lovely and well appointed cottage. There is nothing like the East Coast. I haven't been since 2005... I think it's time for another trip out East!

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  2. I so very much want to visit the Maritimes ... and after these photos the desire is even stronger!! And you're right- what a beautiful wedding location!

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  3. Your photos and posts have inspired me to make this happen next year. I have been considering it for years but summer is so short and fills up so fast!! We need to make this happen. Oceanstone Resort looks PERFECT and wow the view out the back was spectacular! Nova Scotia just looks really unique and worth visiting! I have yet to make it past Quebec.

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    1. Thank you Paula! I know what you mean, it's so easy for Summer to pass by! I hope you can make it happen next summer!

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  4. What a lovely place to stay. I loved photo of Katrina in front of the lighthouse, that turned out super.

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  5. We had meant to make it out to the Maritimes this summer, but it didn't happen. We will keep this location in mind.
    jan

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    1. Aw, too bad you didn't get to do it this year, but now you have something to look forward to! :)

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  6. Nova Scotia is such a beautiful island and from your video and pictures you stayed in an amazing area and a beautiful cottage. I would love to go there for the lobster alone but adding everything else would be a great getaway

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    1. It sure is! It was lovely. I wish we could've stayed for longer!

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  7. wow looks like my kind of cottage! right by the water and the look and feel of the cottage is so cozy and homey. what a great place to bring the family and relax and build memories. the food looks delish too

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  8. WOW I have to visit this place, it is now on my bucket list. Very beautiful and lots of activities to do with your kids

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  9. This looks lovely! I am headed out East this year on a road trip and will be sure to keep this place in mind for a stop over.

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  10. Beautiful post i love Nova Scotia,your photos are so nice.

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  11. WOW your pics are lovely, I'm hoping to get to Peggy's Cove one day and the Oceanstone looks awesome.

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    1. It was pretty amazing to see Peggy's cove; you will love it when you get there!

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  12. I love that cottage, my perfect idea of the type of place I like to stay in. Very cozy.

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  13. Looks so amazing , i have never been to Peggy's cove and i live in Nova Scotia , but after seeing your pics , i will def be going , looks like you had a great time , and lot of fun :) Treen Goodwin Rafflecopter name

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  14. Nova Scotia is so beautiful! I have never been there but my Parents had a beautiful cabin in NB and I would fly there in summer time and my children and I would spend 2 weeks at the cabin with them and my sister family.

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  15. This is gorgeous. I need to explore Nova Scotia More. I have only done a little bit of it! :D It's so pretty with sunsets and sun rises and lots of fun things to do, and to see!

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  16. Great looking place to visit for any tourist.

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  17. Nova Scotia looks for great, never been there but sure would love to

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  18. Wow! This seem like a great cottage to visit whenever I'm in Nova Scotia!

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  19. Nova Scotia is another place I'd love to explore more. I have been once but it was visiting friends so I didn't get to see very much at all.

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  20. That looks like an amazing place to stay!

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  21. Thanks . I live an hour from this resort but have never stayed there. We often go to other nice resorts in NS and will be checking this out for next year.

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  22. Very nice place, food looks great

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  23. I would go just for the peace and quiet. Ok the view is awesome as well.

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  24. It's been one of my lifetime dreams to go and tour Nova Scotia, one of these days I will get there..I love those cabins they are so cute and make you feel like your at home!!

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  25. What a lovely looking place. I haven't been to Peggy's cove in years.

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  26. It looks so beautiful there! Lovely pictures. My partner is from Nova Scotia and I have always wanted to visit.. Maybe next year! Thank you

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  27. Wow! Looks like the perfect place to relax!

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Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment- I love reading them! :)
~Heather Lynne

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