Pages

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Tuesday Travels- St. Andrews by the Sea

Tidal like the rest of the Bay of Fundy

St. Andrew's is exactly what you think you're going to find when you visit the East Coast of Canada. This quaint village is pretty and friendly and so very coastal.  It's just not a proper summer in New Brunswick without a trip down to St. Andrew's whether you're looking to browse shops, go kayaking, consume high tea or golf. This past weekend my mother and I headed there for two days of relaxing.

St. Andrew's Wharf
I worked in St. Andrew's for three months the summer after I graduated from university.  My bestfriend and I decided it would be good fun before heading off to pursue Master's Degrees.  I started off in housekeeping but quickly moved to the gift shop.  I felt this was a definite improvement! It was certainly an interesting experience since we not only worked at the Algonquin Hotel but lived in the staff quarters that were formerly stables.  Actually so was my housing in Austria.  I seem to have specialised in living in places that were no longer fit for horses!


View of the Algonquin from the Wharf

Algonquin Hotel
We may have lived in stables but generally the food was pretty good.  Often the desserts from the restaurant made their way to the staff cafeteria late at night.  Yum.  The Algonquin does a darn good brunch and a pretty yummy high tea. 

From a High Tea visit.
 Food options are plentiful in St. Andrews for such a small place. Fish & chips and seafood chowder are good pretty much everywhere in town. I would say the best place to eat right now is The Rossmount Inn, known for its locally sourced menu designed daily by the owner and chef. Mum and I ate there for the first time on this trip and it was wonderful.  We also greatly enjoyed their pool and view. 

Rossmount Inn

Rossmount Inn pool looking out from the hilltop

St. Andrew's also has loads of little shops selling everything from fudge to clothing to art.  With streets named after the children of King George III and his wife Charlotte, St. Andrew's is proud of its Loyalist roots.  There is a fabulous kilt shop that also sells gorgeous knitwear. I may have come back with a couple of pieces that I can't wait to show off this Fall. 


Protecting us from the Americans
St. Andrew's has the most beautiful golf course in the Maritimes, arguably Canada.  If you're not a golfer it can still be worth it to walk part of the course as the views are lovely. There are several Whale Watching companies running out of St. Andrew's as well as places to rent kayaks.  The warf side is not great for swimming but Katy's Cove near the Algonquin is a lovely spot to go for a swim.  Kingsbrae Gardens are a great combination of beautiful gardens and amusing sculpture (more on that tomorrow).  Minister's Island is very cool piece of New Brunswick history.  Built to be the summer home of Sir William Van Horne (basically a railway tycoon) it is well worth a visit. You can only drive out at low tide so tours are dependent on the water. 

St. Andrews was one of the places I took Husband on his first visit to New Brunswick and is also where we went to celebrate the day he got his permanent residence (since we had to drive to the border in St. Stephen to sort that out). 


Us August 2007


2 comments:

Elizabeth said...

We had such a great day in St Andrews and look forward to going there again on our next visit.

Melissa Wright said...

My Mom and I always do a shopping trip to St. Andrews each summer, love it there!