Things were looking grim. The day before, my new wife and I had spent 6 hours driving from Halifax to Cape Breton Island to a crummy little shack of a motel that calls itself the Island Inn (hint: never ever ever ever make a reservation there). Things had been going really well between us on our honeymoon, but now I worried that her confidence in me had been broken. I needed something good, and I needed it fast.

The morning after our one and only night at the Island Inn, I got up at 7:00 to drive to a pay phone to find us a new place to stay. With a cold rain dripping down from my wet hair onto the travel guide, I dialed the number for the Waverly Inn back in Halifax.

Saint Jeffrey

A young male voice answered the phone and saved the day. Not only was he able to give me rooms for two nights, he was willing to give me a special "honeymoon disaster" 10 percent discount! The price was already extremely reasonable, so I took him up on his offer.

Comfortable Luxury

As soon as we arrived at the Waverly, I knew our honeymoon had been saved. Nothing could beat the glowing look I got from my wife as I opened the door to our room. In my opinion, the two nights we stayed at the Waverly were the best of the entire honeymoon. All the rooms at the Waverly are tastefully furnished with genuine antiques. Most prominent in our room was a delightful canopy bed. Modernity was not absent, however. In our bathroom was a great big bubbly jacuzzi.

History

I don't think that the Halifax Victorians knew about jacuzzis, but they sure did know how to put together a great place to stay. The Waverly Inn has been in operation at its present location since 1876, and it looks the part. Everything, from the flowers planted out front to the expansive stairways speaks of elegance. The hallways are carpeted and papered in a strawberry pink, but such is the luxury of the Waverly that it actually looks distinguished! I could imagine how Oscar Wilde must have felt when he stayed at the Waverly Inn while on his North American tour. The place is absolutely right for him: extravagant yet refined.

Feeling At Home

A guidebook published in 1907 described the Waverly Inn as "more like an old fashioned English mansion than a hotel... the guests feel they are actually guests, with all that is implied by that old and friendly word." This is exactly the feeling that I got as a guest at the Waverly Inn. Everything is designed to make one feel at home. Downstairs is what they call a friendship room, available to the guests at all hours of day and night, stocked with coffee, tea (GOOD tea too, not just Lipton), hot chocolate, lemon cakes, cookies, bread and all manner of breakfast goodies. There is also a sitting room downstairs with multiple copies of several daily newspapers for good reading and a chess board for good playing.

In Sum

The Waverly Inn is the kind of place that can make everything all right. Luxurious yet comfortable, the Waverly is like everything good about Canada condensed into one building. If you're travelling to Halifax, the Waverly is THE place to stay.



Recommended: Yes