Porter's Lake Provincial Park is less than 30 minutes from Halifax. This makes it a great spot to…read moreget away for the weekend, or for visitors to the area. We have camped at Porter's Lake several times, both in the RV sites and in the unserviced sites. The campground is located on a peninsula and an island, which is accessed by a bridge. This is a family campground, meaning there has never been any rowdy behaviour during our stays. There is a playground as well as a small beach. The park also has day-use picnic areas and a boat launch. There are water taps throughout the campground, and a comfort station with free showers, sinks, and flush toilets. The campground does not have wifi, but you can use the park's wifi at the ranger station. Each site has a picnic table and a campfire box. The 10 RV sites are set in two rows in an open area next to the lake. They are angled so each one has a view of the lake. Each site is about 50x50', grassy with level gravel pads, and has 2-way hook ups. There are some shrubs and small trees here and there, but not close enough to the pads or roads in the RV area to hit your vehicle. There is a dump station at the campground entry point. The unserviced sites are in two areas. One on a small hill on the peninsula, and the other on the island. A lot of the sites on the peninsula are good for RVs as well as tents. There are 38 sites here. Most are large. The sites are pretty open, so some have nice views, but there are a lot of small trees surrounding the sites, and, since many are staggered up the hillside, you still have a sense of privacy. There are also a few walk-in sites. The comfort station is at the top of the hill. The island's 32 sites are smaller, so more suited to tents. There are also some walk-in sites that are very private and border directly on the lake. Pretty nice to wake up to the sound of waves lapping on the water's edge. The online reservation system has pictures of each site, to help you pick one best suited to you.

I used to spend a lot of time at this park when I was a kidlet. I lived in Porters Lake and loved…read morebeing able to take trips to this great space to bike and camp. The park is a great size, with lots of places to set up camp, not to mention loads of areas to slip off of the shore and into the water. You can bring canoes and kayaks and enjoy some paddling, or else participate in land fun with bikes and balls, nets and rackets. The park changed quite a bit during hurricane Juan and now boasts more spacious sites, with new areas for RV access. There are no electrical hookups around the regular pitch areas, but if you have an RV you can get on the grid. There are toilets and showers available, as well as outhouses and taps sprinkled throughout the park. This is a great location for a city getaway. It only takes about 20/25 minutes to drive to the park from Halifax, but once you're there you'll feel miles away from town with the natural world warmly surrounding you. Make a reservation and head there in the summer - this is a lovely park that all should take advantage of!

There is a great restaurant on the campground. Dinner Service and Breakfast. Music venue every…read morenight during season. Ocean view camping. Beach excess. The staff and chef are top. Great place to get away from the crowds. We camped in back of the playground. It was quite and more private. Full hookups. The road is a little rough coming in. Just take it slow. Deer come out at night to greet you. Check out it out and tryout gold mining You'll see what I mean when you get there. Say hello to Justine.

Bought two nights at the Ovens but left after one night because of the rude actions of the manager…read moreJane who was upset that we bought our firewood outside the camp at the local gas station and it was our mistake that we did not read the rules about fire and we had a fire going in the morning, her employee said nicely that he was going to get water to put it out and we apologized but five minutes after he left to get water she came speeding into our campsite yelling at us! Asking us if we had a bucket to put it out?! We explained that her employee was bringing water she proceeded to yell about fire wood and then speeded off. We packed up and left. I believe that there are better ways to talk to people without hostility especially in front of children!

In the fall I spotted a poster on the community board at MEC (which I have never looked at before),…read moreadvertising a "fall colours" hike on McNab's Island. I was new in town, so I was feeling that particular type of adventurousness that leads you to follow up on these things, and marked the date on my calendar. A few months later the date arrived and at the last minute I managed to convince a friend to go with me. I unfortunately convinced her to do this while we were out for drinks the night before, which meant we were both still foggy when we got to the waterfront early the next morning. I was so tired that I seriously considered not going, but what luck that I did. We joined a growing group of strangers on the dock, paid $6 for our tickets, and got on the boat. Friends of McNab organize this day-hike every year and it's definitely worth checking out. For a nearly free ticket we were ferried across the harbour to McNab island, about which I now know all sorts of fun facts, and led on walks but people who knew all about the history, ecology and, for those interested, literary history of the place. Such a deal and such a great way to spend an afternoon. I will be watching for posters again next year.

We enjoyed our stay at Oak Island Resort overall. The location is beautiful, peaceful, and perfect…read morefor exploring the area. The only thing missing was a warm welcome. The front desk staff were polite, but they weren't exactly handing out "happy to see you" vibes. Our room was comfortable, but housekeeping could use a little more attention. We found some debris on the carpet, a few spider webs in the corners, and a dead bug in the bathroom towel door. Nothing that ruined our stay, but enough to notice. We had a burgers and a house salad at the restaurant, and it was fresh and tasty. The only surprise was the price--$14 for what felt like a small handful of greens. I guess the lettuce had an ocean view too! Overall, we were happy with our stay because of the fantastic location and would consider coming back. With a friendlier welcome and a bit more attention to room cleaning, this place could easily earn another star.

First of all when I went in to the front desk and went to give my gift certificate they said they…read morecouldn't take it because the property was under new management. The gift certificate was already paid for so eventually, she did let us in. We went to the blues show on Saturday night which had a buffet. It was the worst buffet and the worst tasting food I have ever eaten! The bands that played were great but they only played to about 50 people because that was messed up too. The room was ok but they did not have any wine glasses or products that they normally have in rooms. They had this tiny little round coffee machine that I've never seen before and we had to figure out how to use that. All in all for $518.00 we certainly did not get what we paid for. The only other positive thing I have to say is the bed was comfortable and we had a good sleep.

so, funny thing, we booked this hotel thinking that it was another hotel (and a fanicer hotel) and…read morewe thought we hit the jackpot price! we went to the wrong hotel and got to have explained to us that our hotel was actually the less fancy, more business class one across the street. I wasn't very happy for the first night because it was in a less fancy hotel, but overtime i ended up liking it. our tv stopled working and we got free breakfast the next day (which I was fine with because I didn't need the television and breakfast was superb). the gym was amazing, it was just me and my friend for the whole hour and then we went to the pool, which stays open until 11pm. although it was an indoor pool, it had so many windows and we had a private pool because it was just us!! they also have a mini Starbucks in the lobby which was very useful (although closed in the afternoons which was also very inconvenient). it was in a very good location and I could walk to basically everywhere. my only two complaints we're that parking was not provided and was very confusing and inconvenient to access \\ they have three Marriott hotels in the same area so it is very confusing to know which one is the one you booked, apparently this is very common. very good price for the things provided.

My home away from home from Tuesday 'til this morning was the Delta Halifax…read more There was a mini fridge in the room. WIFI was complimentary. Parking was nearby and about $20 a day. The hotel is within walking distance to the waterfront, shopping, Scotiabank Centre, a lot of restaurants and attractions such as Citadel Hill. I'd stay here again.

Very clean , good kitchen area, pleasant staff. Seems well organized. Could have promoted bike…read morestorage options more (was unaware they had till leaving). Don't count on using the back deck. Close to train and bus.

I was feeling curious about hostels in this city, so I stepped into this HI location on Barrington…read morethis afternoon. The space is bright and welcoming, with colorful group agendas on the wall in the main foyer, along with a bulletin board of events and ride-shares. The kitchen off to the left was closed, but enjoyed the same natural light filtering through the front windows, along with an airy, clean feel. The woman at the front desk was checking in a visitor, so I browsed the rates and poked about. Bed prices seem on par with hostels I've stayed in throughout the world, maybe a little higher even ($30ish for a bed in a dorm, $70ish for singles). The group tour events list was quintessentially Halifax, with trips to various waterfront pubs and brewery visits. There were people milling about and I thought how lovely it would be to be in Halifax with fresh eyes. On the South end of Barrington, with loads of heritage properties, this is a lovely locale for a welcoming hostel. I'd give it a five, but I have yet to cozy up in one of the bunks!

Pleasantly surprised. Right on the water and access to the boardwalk. Hotel is very nice and all…read morethe people were exceptionally nice. The room was very nice and roomy. Bathroom was pretty large as well. King bed was comfortable. My only gripe was our bathroom. I really didn't like a glass door on the toilet room. In addition there was a glass door on the shower as well. The problem is that they have two huge windows directly opposite the toilet and the shower. So we pretty much had to keep the shades closed most of the time. We used the pool, sauna, and steam room which were really nice after a full day of touring. We did not eat there but ordered coffee from room service in the morning. Service was fast and friendly.

Dusty is a great storyteller, drawing in the crowd, making sure everyone is invested in the tales…read morehe tells. Very animated and entertaining as well as educational about the city's history. We highly recommend doing a ghost tour with Dusty!

Dusty is both a guide and the owner. His story telling abilities and knowledge of the history of…read moreHalifax are outstanding. It was really a theatre performance that I highly recommend.