Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Has anyone used Priceline before?
We recently used it for our first time spending two nights in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We scored a very nice hotel for $70 per night, staying at the Mariott Harbourfront Hotel which is usually around $200 per night.
On this website, you select your desired star rating, and then name your price where it is either accepted or declined. You do not know what hotel you will be staying at until after your price is accepted. We used this same site for our visit to Portland, Maine which begins tomorrow - fingers crossed that our hotel there works out to be a decent place!





One thing we learned about "fancy" hotels: the more you pay, the less you get. We can't complain as the room was lovely, spotless, and had a proper (washed) duvet on the bed... BUT no wireless internet in your room, no breakfast included (which seems to be the norm for most places we stay), no free parking, $6.00 bottles of water on your dresser (note: ALWAYS read everything in a pricey hotel) - you get the idea. I feel like we got more out of a $10 a night guesthouse in SE Asia, than from this hotel, but I digress...



We had a great view of the harbour, and were in easy walking distance of the downtown.



We enjoyed some great food. We tried Beaver Tails for our first time - a sweet fried dough pastry that started in Ottawa, Ontario - Yummy.
If you are a seafood lover, which generally I'm not, there is no better place than the Maritimes. I do enjoy, and did enjoy, a tasty pile of fish and chips.





Went for an hour's sail along the waterfront and around George's island on the Tall Ship Silva



Rode our bikes along the boardwalk







Took a walk up to the Citadel and enjoyed the views



Chilled out in the Public Gardens





Paid a visit to The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic which I feared would be just "a bunch of boats". Indeed it was, but in a very cool and interesting way if you can imagine it. ;)
There was an exhibit on the Titanic - Halifax was the nearest seaport to the disaster with rail connections according to the museum, and 150 of it's victims are buried in Halifax cemeteries.
There was also an exhibit explaining the Halifax explosion of 1917. Neither of us had any idea of the magnitude of this disaster. According to the Museum over 1900 people perished, and over 6000 were left homeless. You can read about it here.




I wish we had more time. We would have loved to take a boat over to Peggy's Cove, a ferry across to Dartmouth, and there were some really cute little shops I wouldn't have minded browsing through. We both know there will be a return visit to this great city!

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