Halifax off season

Halliburton House Inn

Hotel

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The Halliburton is made up of three historic townhouses which have now been turned into a boutique hotel, one of the few in Halifax. It is named after a former Chief Justice of Nova Scotia, and at one time in the buildings' history, it was used for the Dalhousie University Law School. Entering the hotel, you can still see it was a townhouse which makes you feel more like you are in someone's home, instead of a hotel. The umbrella stand with umbrellas for the guests to use adds to that impression.The Halliburton is located towards the edge of the downtown area of Halifax near lots of restaurants but not right on one of the major roads which makes it quieter. Everything in the downtown is within...Read More

The Halliburton is made up of three historic townhouses which have now been turned into a boutique hotel, one of the few in Halifax. It is named after a former Chief Justice of Nova Scotia, and at one time in the buildings' history, it was used for the Dalhousie University Law School. Entering the hotel, you can still see it was a townhouse which makes you feel more like you are in someone's home, instead of a hotel. The umbrella stand with umbrellas for the guests to use adds to that impression.

The Halliburton is located towards the edge of the downtown area of Halifax near lots of restaurants but not right on one of the major roads which makes it quieter. Everything in the downtown is within easy walking distance. The Halliburton is also within easy walking distance of Dalhousie University.

The Halliburton has charm and character. For the price of a room in a large chain hotel, we had a one bedroom suite (C$150). The suite was very comfortable and clean. The room had a lot of charm as it maintains its 19th-century theme with its antique furniture and working fireplace. Having a one bedroom meant two closets, a large armoire in the bedroom, and a comfortable queen-sized bed. A sofa bed and coffee table were in the sitting room, with an antique writing desk and chair. There was a kitchenette near the door with a stocked mini bar. The bathroom was not large but it was adequate.

We faced the street on the ground floor and across the street was a condominium. It meant that occupants of the condos could look into our room so we had to remember to draw the drapes. We found the room very quiet and had a great sleep each night.

I understand that the furnishings in the rooms vary quite a bit from room to room. We found ours had more than enough space for our four night stay.

The staff were very pleasant and helpful with information and service. Because there are less than 30 rooms, they get to know you right away. On our first night, we sat in the library where we were able to order drinks and look at guide books trying to plan our visit. The staff was very congenial offering information and suggestions.

The continental breakfast, which was included, was very good with a lot of variety ranging from eggs to cereal and toast with a great variety of beverages.

The hotel also includes a restaurant, Stories, which specializes in local game. I had an excellent meal there.

They also offer free internet access, but when we were there the computer was not working. Since I was on vacation, this was not a problem. Internet was also available in the room had I brought a computer.

For anyone who is interested in getting away from a chain hotel, this is an excellent option. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 12, 2006

Halliburton House Inn
5184 MORRIS STREET
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J1B3
902-420-0658

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Fid

Restaurant

Bread pudding at Fid Photo - Fid, Halifax, Nova Scotia

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We had dinner at Fid. At first we couldn’t find the front door. There’s a sign that says Courtyard and points to a side door, but not the name of the restaurant. Once you go in that side door, there are entrances to a number of stores and restaurants. One of them is Fid.Apparently, a fid is a nautical instrument to splice rope. The restaurant is not large. The decor is minimal, modern, but has a warm feel. The atmosphere is intimate.The restaurant describes itself as French Asian. The chef owner likes to mix different textures and flavours using fresh local ingredients. We had a mushroom tart, chicken breast with potato gnocchi, fois gras, beef tenderloin, fish cakes and seared salmon. Desserts were p...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 12, 2006

Fid
1569 Dresden Row
Halifax, Nova Scotia
(902)422-9162

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Halifax Citadel National Historic Site

Attraction | "Halifax Citadel"

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No matter where you are in Halifax, you cannot miss seeing the Citadel. Just look up the hill. The ramparts and fortification dominate the skyline.The star shaped Halifax Citadel was originally built by the British as fortification for Halifax, particularly, for protection of the navy in Halifax Harbour. Turned out the Citadel never saw any action, and since 1951, it has been a national historic site and run by Parks Canada. The granite walls and fortification have undergone extensive stabilization and restoration. During tourist season, the Citadel is a place where Canadians learn about their past and can appreciate through first-hand experience the realities of the 19th century as Canada was becomin...Read More

No matter where you are in Halifax, you cannot miss seeing the Citadel. Just look up the hill. The ramparts and fortification dominate the skyline.The star shaped Halifax Citadel was originally built by the British as fortification for Halifax, particularly, for protection of the navy in Halifax Harbour. Turned out the Citadel never saw any action, and since 1951, it has been a national historic site and run by Parks Canada. The granite walls and fortification have undergone extensive stabilization and restoration. During tourist season, the Citadel is a place where Canadians learn about their past and can appreciate through first-hand experience the realities of the 19th century as Canada was becoming a nation. There are guided tours and recreation of a 19th century Highland regiment stationed at the Citadel. There is also a library, shop and coffee bar.Unfortunately, during the off season, none of these things are happening. Only the firing of the noon gun happens each day (and is heard throughout the city) and the clock tower clock keeps ticking. However, the Citadel is still open so that a winter visitor can go in, wander around to see what the interior yard looks like (it is pretty barren) and climb the ramparts and get a 360 degree view from the top of the hill.Since I like getting a good view from high places when I go traveling, I decided to make the effort to go to the Citadel. There are two main ways to get there. Up a winding road, which can be done in a car, or on foot up the stairs which go past the clock tower. I decided to look at the clock tower close up so opted for the stairs.I discovered, in addition to getting a good view, a visit on foot to the Citadel was a good way to work off some calories. There are a lot of steps to get to the top. And the climbing does not stop. Once inside the Citadel, you need to climb some much shorter stairways to get to the top of the ramparts. From the ramparts you get a good view of Halifax, the harbour and across to the neighbouring city of Dartmouth.While a visit during the summer months would have been a lot more informative and entertaining, I would still recommend a visit to the Citadel for the views. Neither the shop nor coffee bar is open during the off season, so after you walk down from the Citadel and have developed a thirst, you can stop for a drink and a snack at the many restaurants and pubs at the foot of the hill. Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 12, 2006

Halifax Citadel National Historic Site
Sackville And Brunswick Streets
Halifax B3K 5M7
(902) 426-5080

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Nova Scotian Crystal

Attraction

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Some of the world's finest crystal can be found in Halifax. Nova Scotian Crystal is located just off the boardwalk of Halifax harbour. We were strolling the boardwalk and decided to take a look. It turned out to be one of those happy impulse decisions to discover how fascinating it is to watch crystal being blown.Halifax is the only place in North America where traditional Irish crystal is made. One of the original owners, who still works at Nova Scotian crystal, is from Ireland and learned the craft of crystal blowing at the famous Waterford Crystal glassworks. He, and two others, started Nova Scotian Crystal and are now passing the craft on to their sons and other Canadians.You learn all of this fr...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on May 12, 2006

Nova Scotian Crystal
5080 George St
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 1M4
+1 888 977 2797

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A Drive from Halifax to Lunenburg

Story/Tip

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We decided on a Friday night to rent a car and drive to Lunenburg the next day, stopping along the way as time permitted. I was to get the car and be ready to leave when my husband was finished with his business. Saturday morning, I visited two rental spots but they didn’t have any cars available that day. Luckily, Halifax has a lot of car rental places. I ended up on the telephone calling six places before I found a car which I could pick up just after noon. Next time, we’ll have to make these decisions to rent a car a little earlier.We drove away from the hotel by 1pm. We drove past the Halifax Public Gardens, which are closed in the winter months, and along Quinpool Road which has a number of store...Read More

We decided on a Friday night to rent a car and drive to Lunenburg the next day, stopping along the way as time permitted. I was to get the car and be ready to leave when my husband was finished with his business. Saturday morning, I visited two rental spots but they didn’t have any cars available that day. Luckily, Halifax has a lot of car rental places. I ended up on the telephone calling six places before I found a car which I could pick up just after noon. Next time, we’ll have to make these decisions to rent a car a little earlier.We drove away from the hotel by 1pm. We drove past the Halifax Public Gardens, which are closed in the winter months, and along Quinpool Road which has a number of stores and restaurants. We did not have a lot of time so we could not drive as far as Peggy’s Cove which claims to have the world's most photographed lighthouse. Following the map and directions I got from the car rental place, we headed to Mahone Bay along route 3 leaving Halifax. We passed by some very small villages and quickly found ourselves in the country with few houses to be seen. Somehow we failed to make the turn to highway 103 and ended up at a water treatment facility. The road to the water treatment facility was as big as the highway and newer. How were we to know it wasn't the highway?We eventually got ourselves onto 103 and were in Mahone Bay about 2:00 in the afternoon. The highway signs are frequent making the journey easy to navigate. The small village and bay at Mahone are very picturesque. We stopped for fish and chips at a pub called the Mug and Anchor and looked out the windows to admire the picturesque bay with the three churches sitting in a row. After a quick walk around, we drove to Lunenburg. When we got to Lunenburg, I was surprised to see a tour bus there since everything I read said the tours ended after October 31. Lunenburg is a very charming village and must be lively during tourist season. There are a lot of art galleries, craft shops and antiques stores. The light poles all have colourful handicraft sea creatures hanging from them. The harbour has a small boardwalk and quite a number of restaurants. The Bluenose is sometimes docked at Lunenburg, but not when we were there. We looked at some of the old houses, which have plaques explaining their historical significance, but we were getting cold and time was running out if we wanted to get back to Halifax for dinner. We were back to Halifax shortly after 5:00pm when it is getting dark.Our afternoon jaunt was a pleasant way to see the ocean and the villages outside of Halifax and despite the limited time we had, we were certainly glad we made the effort. Read Less

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Halifax Journals

Halifax off season

Halliburton House Inn

Fid

Halifax Citadel National Historic Site

Nova Scotian Crystal

A Drive from Halifax to Lunenburg

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