Search for black bears, moose, or flying squirrels in the Tobeatic Wilderness, or try your hand at the cooking school to learn how to cure seafood and forage for chanterelles, black trumpets, and lobster mushrooms. After dinner, an on-staff astronomer will point out constellations and, depending on the season, the aurora borealis.

Trout Point finds itself in good company, including the Equinox Resort of New Hampshire and Dunton Hot Springs of Colorado.

Harper is a gracious if extremely demanding critic, and noted at the outset of his article selecting just five inns as being “fully up to Harper standards:

Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island all offer picturesque fishing ports, dramatic seacoasts and pristine landscapes, as well as superlative fish and seafood. Owing to an excellent network of highways and ferries, the ideal way to see the region is a circular tour by car. Before setting out, I did not expect to return with a galaxy of highly rated discoveries. This proved to be the case, but my trip was nonetheless exceptionally enjoyable and worthwhile.

Harper singled out Trout Point Lodge for abundant praise: “we found at the end of the road was precisely what you would hope to discover deep in the woods: a handsome Adirondack-style lodge with solid log walls, a gabled roof, a wide veranda and a stone chimney emitting signs of a welcoming blaze.”

The critical review noted the Lodge’s “camp-style elegance,” “rustic refinement,” and “the kitchen’s inventiveness:”

I particularly liked a zesty chowder, crammed with seafood and reminiscent of gumbo or cioppino. This was followed by simply but perfectly cooked cod.

Other properties on the list included Halifax’s Prince George Hotel, and in PEI, Dalvay by the Sea, and the Inn at Bay Fortune.

ABOUT ANDREW HARPER

Free of advertising since its inception in June 1979, Hideaway Report is a private monthly publication for sophisticated travelers. The selection of hotels, resorts and restaurants for inclusion in this publication is made on a completely independent basis, with Andrew Harper, LLC paying full rate for all meals, lodging and related travel expenses. Andrew Harper and his editors travel incognito to write candid and unbiased travel reviews for a subscription service, which provides personalized travel-planning assistance, bespoke tours and valuable travel privileges to its subscribers.

At Trout Point, too, there’s lots of new offerings. A brand-new exercise room, new astronomy gear for guided after-dinner outings, and this year 2 staff musicians to help guests “tune up” for dinner in the Great Room. Trout Point is also running some greats specials, including 20% off online booking for select rooms, as well as 4 nights for the price of 3 when you also take Half Board each day. Reservations can be made here.

Staff astronomer Michael Hiland will continue his instructive star gazing sessions and Sky Safaris with the help of a brand-new Meade 10″ telescope, to bring distant celestial objects into brighter and greater focus. The LX90-SC Telescope with Schmidt-Cassegrain (SC) optics give you high performance. Meade uses water-white glass with superior light transmission across the entire visible spectrum combined with Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC) – with 15% better light transmission than standard coatings – and oversized, thermally-stable Pyrex primary mirrors for optimum light collection. This telescope gives a spectacular viewing experience to Lodge guests!

The 10″ LX90-SC Telescope by Meade has an f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system (focal length 2000mm) and Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC) for maximum image brightness and contrast.Trout Point is working with the Bon Temps tourism society to spearhead having the local region declared the first StarLight Destination in North America, as recent press reports have stated. The are surrounding the Lodge, with the Tobeatic Wilderness Area at its core, has among the darkest and clearest nigh time skies on earth, unparalleled for amateur astronomy.

Trout Point is working with the Bon Temps tourism society to spearhead having the local region declared the first StarLight Destination in North America, as recent press reports have stated. The are surrounding the Lodge, with the Tobeatic Wilderness Area at its core, has among the darkest and clearest nigh time skies on earth, unparalleled for amateur astronomy.

Starlight Destinations are visitable places characterised by excellent quality for the contemplation of starry skies and the practice of tourist activities based on this resource.

The Starlight Tourism Certification System was created with the aim of encouraging, at world-wide level, the improvement of the quality of tourist experiences and the protection of the night skies in Starlight Destinations.The Starlight Certification seeks to guarantee the capacity to enjoy the view of the stars and to discover the associated scientific, cultural, natural and scenic values.

Other hotels on the list include Casa de Sierra Nevada in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Gayot.com serves as a serious, honest and professional resource on dining, travel and lifestyle for an international readership in search of the best. Gayot guides were founded by André Gayot, who with his friends Henri Gault and Christian Millau coined and promoted the term “Nouvelle Cuisine” in the early 1970s.  André and his children Alain and Sophie have been directing sophisticated travelers to the world’s best restaurants, hotels, shops, sightseeing and cultural attractions for more than 45 years.

Trout Point Lodge has offered culinary vacations and cooking classes since 2000.

“Our readers seek out the best experiences to lead the interesting life,” wrote assistant editor Blaine McEvoy in the notification. “To meet the standards of this highly influential readership, we’ve introduced our MJ Approved series on MensJournal.com. Whether it’s a hotel, a blazer, a recipe, a slope or a saw, our editors put them to the test and feature what they deem best as MJ Approved.”

Trout Point joins renowned properties such as Amangiri in Utah, The Point on Saranac Lake, New York, and Bay of Fires Lodge in Tasmania, Australia. The only other Canadian property is King Pacific Lodge, a seasonal floating hotel in northern British Columbia owned by the scion to the Sony electronics fortune.

“We’re very pleased to be in such amazingly good company,” said chef/proprietor Vaughan Perret.

“Situated at the confluence of the Tusket and Napier Rivers, it’s surrounded by the 400-square-mile Tobeatic Wilderness Area – one of the largest protected areas in Eastern Canada – and the night sky here is so dark that an astronomer is on staff at Trout Point to guide guests through the stars,” noted the accompanying article. The Lodge opened its doors in 2000. Soon after, UNESCO declared the surrounding lands a World Biosphere Reserve. Men’s Journal also highlights Trout Point’s offerings of cooking classes, live music, and guided hiking & kayaking.

In other news, the Lodge was also just approved by the board of directors of Select Registry, an association of North American inns, after a rigorous anonymous inspection process.

The magazine and accompanying web site, published by Jann S. Wenner, claim an audience of over 1 million. It is distributed in both the United States and Canada.

Select Selection

Also known as Distinguished Inns of North America, the Association was founded in the late 1960s by author Norman Simpson, the “father of country inn travel in America.” In his pioneering book, Country Inns and Back Roads, Simpson noted that,

Each [member] inn is original and unique, a reflection of the personalities and tastes of the individual innkeeper-owners … this was never intended to be a total guide to country inns in the United States and Canada, [but rather] a carefully selected group of inns. The purpose is to encourage travelers to visit … and to experience this unique type of personal hospitality …

Select Registry has particular membership strength in New England, and Trout Point chef/proprietors Vaughan Perret and Charles Leary believe it fitting to have a Nova Scotia link. “There are some fantastic properties in the collection,” said Leary, “including those who share our commitment to superb food and wine.” Examples of other Select Registry inns include the Hartstone Inn in Maine, and the Manor on Golden Pond, which like Trout Point is also a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the world’s finest grouping of boutique hotels.

An important distinction between a Select Registry member inn and any other is the system of quality assurance. The Association carries out a quality inspection of each of its nearly 400 inns. This program involves independent inspectors – not employees of Select Registry – with years of experience in the hospitality industry.

The inspectors arrive anonymously, spend the night, and evaluate the inn based on a detailed point system, which translates into a pass/fail grade for the inn. Inns applying for membership are inspected periodically as are existing member inns. Trout Point’s inspection occurred earlier this month.

Not all have what it takes to pass the inspections. Thus, this process provides a guarantee to the traveling public that a Select Registry inn is in a class of its own.

Growth

The acceptance by Select Registry culminates a great season for the Lodge as it prepares for 2013 guests. This past fall, Canada Select granted Trout Point 5 stars in the Inn category, while Halifax-based Progress magazine named the small enterprise among Atlantic Canada’s top 8 for growth in 2012 for businesses with sales under $1 million. Earlier in 2012, USA Today included it on a list of the world’s top 10 eco lodges.

Trout Point will expand from 12 guest units (including 2 cottages) to 14 for the 2013 summer season, when visitation to Nova Scotia peaks. It will also ad a new exercise facility and 2nd hot tub on its 100-acre campus along the Tusket River in the southwestern part of the province, part of a UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve. In doing so, it bucks a trend towards declining capacity and a tourism crisis in the area, which has lost nearly all its transportation links over the past several years, including direct ferry links with the United States.

“We have occasionally lost corporate or group business since we can only offer 13 bedrooms,” said Leary. “Having 15 rooms, including one 2-bedroom cottage, will mean not only more group bookings, but also greater capacity for the July & August peak.” The new indoor exercise room and protected outdoor hot tub will enhance the guest experience in the winter months. Trout Point opened fully year round–including dining–for the first time this winter.

“If we actually get a Maine ferry back in 2014, we’ll be ready, especially with the Select Registry membership” said Perret. “If not, we will still offer a world-class destination vacation experience and continue to draw guests from around the globe.”

(London)-January 2013. Trout Point Lodge recently joined Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) and is delighted to announce that after 21 years in the business, 2012 marks SLH’s best year ever. Reporting an increase of 10% from last year, SLH delivered an unprecedented number of room nights at 341,000 and $119 million in revenue.

It’s a good news story all round – not only have reservations and room nights hit an all-time high but the recognition of The Club is also a great success story. This year SLH added 56,000 members to their loyalty club, a 46% growth compared to last year, making our club 190,000 strong. Our activation rate for our Club Members has also increased by 18% and Club Revenue by 38%.

The home website, slh.com has had an impressive 4 million visits this year, a 19% increase on last year. Reservations through the site have gone up by 26% and slh.com increased its share of bookings by 15% compared to last year. iPad visits, totaling close to 500,000 improved by 167% this year and iPhone visits increased by 132% showing the growing trend towards new technology.

Vaughan Perret, chef/proprietor, remarked: “Membership in SLH is very exciting, as the Lodge looks forward to further growth in 2013. We were among Atlantic Canada’s fastest growing companies in 2012, according to Progress magazine, and the Lodge will expand its guest capacity this year as well, resulting in new jobs and great economic benefits to our local community.”

According to Paul Kerr, CEO for SLH; “It’s extraordinary that after over 20 years in the business we’re still managing to exceed the work we’ve done the year before, especially when you consider the current economic climate. The secret to our success is choice – put simply. With over 520 INDEPENDENT LUXURY hotels in more than 70 countries and multiple means of booking, we give the customer the freedom to choose how, where, when and why. Our Club is also a big part of the reason we have so much to celebrate – this year our Club has accounted for 22% of our bookings, which is significant compared to last year.”

Trout Point Lodge is looking forward to what the New Year will bring and already has some great plans for the year ahead including the addition of 2 new guest units, expanded guided star gazing opportunities with a brand-new Meade telescope, and year-round operation.

Trout Point Lodge opened in 2000 and has earned 5 stars in the Inn category from Canada Select, the national accommodation rating agency. The Lodge resigned from Relais & Chateaux to join the prestigious collection of hotels known as Small Luxury Hotels of the World last year.

About Small Luxury Hotels of the World: The Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) brand is an unrivalled portfolio of some of the world’s finest small independent hotels. Comprising over 520 hotels in more than 70 countries, the diversity of the individual hotels, and the experiences that they offer, is exceptional. From cutting-edge design hotels to palatial 17th century mansions, city centre sanctuaries to remote private islands, historic country houses to idyllic resorts, Small Luxury Hotels of the World offers only the very best. Reservations can be made at any Small Luxury Hotels of the World property online at http://www.slh.com, via the free SLH iPhone app or by contacting your favourite travel agent. You can also call a Small Luxury Hotels of the World reservations office; to view a listing by country please click here: http://www.slh.com/contact-us/.

Don’t forget, Trout Point is open year-round this year! Online reservations are possible 24 hours a day. 

Culinary Vacations Schedule

3-day, 2-night programs include accommodation, meals, and hands-on culinary instruction:

May 17-19, 2013: Mediterranean Cuisine with an emphasis on seafood

September 27-29, 2013: Seafood Cookery

November 8-10, 2013: Seafood Cookery

The cost, per person, for Seafood Cookery and Mediterranean Cuisine is CAN $899 for 2013 sessions–no increase over 2012! The program includes two nights’ accommodation in a Deluxe Junior Suite (double occupancy; upgrades available), all meals, and the culinary instruction and field trips (if offered).  There is also a 9% service fee. Those not wishing to participate in the culinary program can stay at Trout Point Lodge using the normal room and meal tariffs. A signed copy of The Trout Point Lodge Cookbook  is included.

For more information, check here.

The Lodge can also provide gift certificates or pre-paid stays for specific room, meal, and activity packages. Just contact Trout Point by email or by phone at (902) 761-2142!