Trout Point Lodge of Nova Scotia

What People are saying

Overpriced weird experience

supercat3 on 14/11/2017 14:56

Trout Point Lodge of Nova Scotia
East Kemptville
Very overpriced; weird experience
537969437
I had high expectations when I arrived at this well regarded Inn. However, I will start by saying that there is no give in the system. Refunds are nearly impossible despite reasonable issues preventing travel, like hurricanes and cancellation of the ferry. We did end up staying here and looking forward to it. Our arrival was met with friendly staff, but the grounds were clearly left to nature, frankly disheveled. Our room was very nice, but we felt highly overpriced. Food options are restrictive, and also very very pricey. We had the unfortunate experience of being at the lodge during tick season, and we were covered with them every time we ventured outside. This made it impossible to enjoy the outdoors, which is the reason we went in the first place. I inquired why people are not made of aware of this. I got a sympathetic "yes, we know". The worst part of our stay is that, while reading upstairs, we were within earshot of the manager downstairs who decided to discuss all the guests at the hotel, including us. It wasn't offensive, but very strange. She announced that "we didn't do much or get out of the hotel much" to another employee. There is a rather let-go appearance of the grounds. I wouldn't recommend this place until they get the act a little worthier of the price.

Perfect spot for relaxation

Oh_Eadaoin on 05/11/2017 21:35

We spent two nights at the Lodge while on our honeymoon, and it wa the perfect place for some quiet and relaxation. We stayed in one of the fireplace junior suites and couldn’t fault the room. We were surprised to find it was a ‘key-less’ property on checkin, but this didn’t bother us. We dined in the restaurant both nights of our stay, and despite being one of only two couples there on our second night enjoyed the food both nights. We opted for the packed lunch option on our second day which was perfect. We didn’t take part in any of the activities on offer but did enjoy the hot tub and walking the grounds. A splurge for sure but we were so well looked after by Katie and the rest of the team - hopefully we’ll be back some day!

Peaceful and remote

Nancy N on 25/10/2017 23:43

This is a beautifully maintained lodge offering peace and quiet. We had hoped to participate in a cooking class and a fly fishing lesson but neither were available while we were there. Luckily we did not choose to make a day trip drive into the nearest town, Shelburne, because when we did leave at the end of our stay we found that the road into Shelburne from there was the most treacherous we encountered in all of Nova Scotia!
We did enjoy kayaking the river and the star gazing.

Overpriced for what we got

habincanada on 09/10/2017 19:26

We wanted to stay 1 night but were told there was a 2 night minimum. It looked like a lovely place so we decided to splurge. However, we did not realize what the true costs would be for what we got.

The road from Shelburne (Hwy 203) is the worst road I have ever driven on. There are huge potholes that could destroy a tire and ruts that could scrap the bottom of your car. Yarmouth and Digby are about an hour away, although the road is better, but you are really isolated. Some may find that a positive but you are basically stuck at the lodge for your activities and meals unless you decide to drive there and back for an additional 2 hours.

The “free activities” are very short walking trails around the lodge, a longer narrow loop trail (so be prepared for ticks and mosquitoes), a small wood sauna and wood burning hot tub, a swim dock in the river and old kayaks – for some reason there were no canoes available. The approach to the swim dock was under water and looked too wobbly to venture onto. All the other activities (mushroom hunting, fishing, star gazing, yoga etc.) cost an additional $25 – 35 per person.

We stayed in a building away from the main lodge so we had to drive back and forth for dinner as it is too dark to walk. The rooms were basic accommodations with log furniture and really not worth the nightly rate.

Most disappointing was the dinner. Cocktail hour was in the lodge but drinks were very expensive ($14.00) so we did not go. Dinner was at 7 pm – no choice. It is in a dark basement under the lodge deck so there is not much to see. It was very expensive ($96 per person) which we were not made aware of prior to booking. We felt stuck there as there was nowhere else close by to go to and then drive back in the dark on the terrible road. There are no fridges in the room so it was difficult to “bring your own food”. A communal fridge was available but there were no cooking facilities - the kitchen was for cooking classes only.

We expected a great culinary experience based on the web site. The plating was interesting but the food (both quality and quantity) was nothing special. There were only 2 choices for appetizer, main and dessert and were told one night that we may not be able to get what we wanted, depending on what other people had chosen. We were given one small amount of bread with no butter while waiting for the appetizer. The service was very slow – it took 2.5 hours to finish 3 courses and the music was the same both nights. A bottle of wine was $90 – 100.00 so we had the warm water.

Breakfast buffet was the same both days – cheese, sliced meat, an egg dish, fruit, yogurt, cereal, toast and average coffee. This was prepaid for $18.00 each. If you wanted a full breakfast, it was an additional $33.00. A packed lunch of sandwich, fruit and snack was $24.00.

Even worse, there is a 22% service charge (it is not even a gratuity) and then another 15% is added on top for taxes. It cost an additional $500.00 for just 2 night’s dinners - no drinks, no activities, nothing extra.

I would not recommend this place. We have stayed at much nicer places for far less money with better accommodation, food and things to do.

Wonderful Rustic Peace

sjacobs069 on 04/10/2017 17:39

Trout Point lodge is a wonderful place to get away from it all. A magnificent central lodge building and fabulous grounds. and the staff couldn't have been more helpful or attentive.

A couple of flaws, though, make it slightly less than top shelf, The dinner service can be long and slow. One night it took a full 60 minutes after sitting down for starters to arrive, and cocktail hour started one hour before sitting down. Also, the bathrooms were clean and functional, but fairly Spartan. More befitting a Holiday Inn Express.

I'd encourage people wanting a true peaceful experience to go there. I'd encourage Trout Point Lodge to slightly upgrade itself.