The Best Waterfront Resorts in Nova Scotia
![White Point Beach Resort on Nova Scotias South Shore is a haven of waterfront activities and relaxation; nine holes of golf, a spa, and boathouse await you, alongside beautifully furnished suites and cottages](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/20x11/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/white-point-beach-resort-header-e1610642119718.webp)
If you’re looking for a back-to-nature adventure with all the creature comforts, Nova Scotia’s got the answer, with its dense pine forests surrounded by sea, stalked by moose and bears. This Canadian idyll unites sun-flecked fishing villages and lonely lighthouses with some of the best food and drink in the land: locally-produced wine, whiskey and lobster suppers are yours at every turn – not to mention beautiful places to stay. Here are the best waterfront hotels in Nova Scotia.
1. Oceanstone Seaside Resort
Resort, Inn, Cottages
![Oceanstone Seaside Resort outdoor decking with lawns](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/oceanstone-seaside-resort.webp)
Peggy’s Cove appears after a 45-minute drive across countryside from Halifax, Nova Scotia’s capital. It’s a postcard-pretty fishing village clustered around a jade-green inlet. Minutes up the road is the Oceanstone Seaside Resort with its standalone cottages; each a unique vignette of seaside-chic with white-painted floorboards, cast-iron log burners, and oil paintings hanging from the timber walls. The suites are equally elegant with plenty of weathered-effect wood, time warp furniture, and a refreshing marine palette.
2. White Point Beach Resort
Resort, Hotel, Lodge, Cottages
![White Point Beach Resort lounge and restaurant with traditional decor](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/white-point-beach-resort.webp)
Almost a century old, this rambling resort is unique on the island; barely two hours south of Halifax, and 10 minutes from the cute-as-a-button town of Liverpool (on the banks of the Mersey River, no less). It’s not a place for idling, with its indoor swimming pool, boathouse (for kayak and paddleboard rental), and a nine-hole golf course. Then again, given the eclectic mix of cozy, beachy hotel rooms, standalone cottages and larger lodges, it’s sufficiently homely to induce indolence if you’re that way inclined.
3. Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa
Resort, Cottages
![Digby Pines Golf Resort & Spa exterior with carpark and lawns](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/digby-pines-golf-resort-spa.webp)
4. Fox Harb’r Golf Resort
Resort
![Fox Harb’r exterior with bridge and pond, extensive lawns](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/fox-harbr.webp)
5. Pictou Lodge Beachfront Resort
Resort, Lodge
![Pictou Lodge Beachfront Resort restaurant overlooking outdoor terrace with wood beam ceiling](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/pictou-lodge-beachfront-resort.webp)
6. Oak Island Resort
Resort
![Atlantica Oak Island Resort exterior with small boat dock](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/atlantica-oak-island-resort.webp)
7. Star of the Sea Bed and Breakfast
Hotel, Bed and Breakfast, Inn
![Star of the Sea Bed and Breakfast decking with seats and wine overlooking sea](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/star-of-the-sea-bed-and-breakfast.webp)
In a converted 19th-century chapel on the shore of Fergusons Cove, this three-suite B&B feels much further-flung than it is. A mere five-minute drive out of Halifax you’ve left behind any traces of urbanity for a world of thick woodland, gravel roads, and tucked-away clapboard cottages. Suites at the Star of the Sea are all different but unified by their period details: arched church windows, ceiling beams, and the wood-and-white elegance of the decor. Hosts Tom and Eva are experts on the local area, so be sure to tap them up for the inside track.
8. Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel
Hotel
![Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel terrace with view of skyline and sofas](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/halifax-marriott-harbourfront-hotel.webp)
You can’t beat this redbrick business traveler’s classic for location. Smack in the midst of Halifax’s bustling waterfront, you’re just a couple of blocks from the city’s Old Town where the best boutique shops and restaurants are found. You’re even closer to the ferry terminal that’ll transport you across the bay to the younger, village-vibe suburb of Dartmouth. Be sure to head there for buzzy independent cafes, micro-breweries and galleries.
9. Larinda’s Landing Oceanfront Cottages
Hotel, Cottages
![Larinda’s Landing Oceanfront Cottages with small beach and forest behind](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/larindas-landing-oceanfront-cottages-header.webp)
We challenge you to find a better name for a holiday cottage than Sneezewort’s Shanty; or Baldmoney’s Boathouse for that matter. With Victorian-style charm to match their Dickensian monikers, these eight standalone cottages form a delightful hamlet on the gently sloped shores of Saint Margaret’s Bay, a 30-minute drive from Halifax. Interiors are similarly quaint across the range, with creaky wooden floorboards, maritime art, and log-burning stoves to warm your cockles after an afternoon of bracing wind and sea spray.
10. The Lake House Bed and Breakfast
Bed and Breakfast
![The Lake House B&B outdoor pool with decking with lake and forest beyond](https://cdn-v2.theculturetrip.com/10x/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-lake-house-bb.webp)
You can feel yourself relaxing as you pull off the rural road onto the dirt track that winds through pine forest to Eel Lake in remote southwestern Nova Scotia. This is the kind of spot you’d only ever find on purpose; it’s so tucked away you’ll have forgotten what cities sound like by the time you settle in for the first night in your quiet, cottage-cozy room. Owners Elaine and Ray make this B&B feel as much like your home as theirs – with farm-fresh eggs at breakfast, and a kayak you can borrow to explore the lake.