Exploring New Brunswick’s St. Andrews-by-the-Sea

Ever since I visited my first Atlantic Canada destination, Newfoundland, and fell in love with it I’ve had the other Canadian provinces on my radar as unique places to explore for my TRAVEL THERAPY TV segments and online global syndication so when I heard about a historic seaside resort reopening in New Brunswick I couldn’t wait to go check it out. The iconic Algonquin Resort is in the charming town of St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, in New Brunswick and was originally built in 1889 and for decades has been the crown jewel of this community.

Now after undergoing an impressive 30-million dollar renovation The Algonquin , the first Autograph Collection hotel in Canada, is set to open later this summer, reclaiming its rightful place as one of the top places to stay in North America.

When I arrived I got a sneak peek at what’s happening with the renovations and toured the entire property with General Manager Tim Ostrem who is as genuine as they come so his excitement about the renovations is contagious.

After our tour Tim and some of his staff surprised me with drinks and s’mores around a small fire that was set up in front of the hotel and guitarist Bob Bowman was there so we had lovely live music.

I was charmed to find out scenes like this will be happening all the time on the property as Tim explained they plan to have a guitar for guests to play when enjoying their own fires. I quickly found this is just one of many thoughtful touches the Algonquin is either introducing or bringing back from tradition to help guests here have a magical and memorable stay.

So what’s being renovated? From what I saw, just about everything! Tim likes to say it’s really going to be a brand new hotel in the historic framework of a property people have loved and enjoyed over the decades and that in the renovations they’re respecting the Algonquin’s past while adding the latest technology and modern amenities for guests.

Some of the renovation highlights include a new roof, the addition of air-conditioning and insulation for the winter months, plus all new rooms, new patios, a new restaurant, bar and spa, new meeting rooms ,hot tubs and an indoor pool with a three-story water slide and the list goes on!

The Algonquin’s award-winning golf course is also getting a new clubhouse just adding to this already spectacular golf experience. The Algonquin Golf Course has been honored as one of the top 10 Oceanside golf courses in North America with 14 of the 18 holes right along the water.

I took the sunset photo above from the Algonquin’s signature 12^th hole that’s rated as one of the top nine golf holes in all of Canada where the design was inspired by a similar iconic hole at the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links in California.

The setting of the Algonquin Golf Course and the Resort is what makes it a truly unique and special vacation experience.

From the resort you can walk into town and it’s easy to fall in love with artistic St. Andrews by-the-Sea. The people are genuinely warm and friendly and with a population of just around two-thousand people there’s a peaceful, laid back vibe that’s ideal for relaxing.

While visiting I was honored to be a celebrity judge at New Brunswick Community College in St. Andrews where very talented local chefs in the college’s culinary program competed to make the best dishes using three local ingredients, wild blueberries, salmon and chocolate. They did an amazing job whipping up creative and tasty appetizers, main dishes and desserts. Members of the community came out to support the students and you could really feel how much the entire community works together to help each other out.

For my stay, I picked the historic Treadwell Inn, where Paul and Tom will take great care of you, spoiling you with lovely rooms and home-made breakfasts. The Inn is right on the water so you can watch the world famous Bay of Fundy tides come in and out every day.

The Inn is also right in the heart of Water Street, St. Andrews main street, where you can find all kinds of interesting restaurants and shops like Kit & Kaboodle where they sell traditional tartans and hand-made sweaters and art galleries like Serendipin’ Art featuring artwork from 100 different New Brunswick Artists.

Some of my favorite things to do in St. Andrews include hiking or walking on the beach or strolling through the beautiful 27-acre Kingsbrea Gardens. While visiting Kingsbrea Gardens also be sure to enjoy a meal at Chef Alex Haun’s new Savour restaurant where his specialties include the Seafood Chowder with lobster and the smoked local salmon. Also don’t miss trying a New Brunswick favorite dish, Fiddleheads, that comes from a young fern.

For another wonderful dining experience in St. Andrews don’t miss a meal at the Rossmount Inn where chef and owner Chris Aemi spoils you with creative, locally sourced cuisine and an always changing menu with a lot of his ingredients coming fresh from his own garden. His Inn is a historic manor house that sits on an 87-acre estate set between the forest and the sea. With his permission there are trails you can walk up to Chamcook Mountain the highest point in the area.

Another way to burn off some calories is to sign up for an Off-Kilter adventure with Kurt Gumushel where you actually go mountain biking wearing kilts! Kurt will provide the bikes and kilts and some great local history and no matter what your skill level is Kurt can customize a ride just for you. I did a trip biking on the ocean floor that was fantastic.

In the summer in St. Andrews you can also go whale watching with the Bay of Fundy being home to 12 different specifies of whales including Humpback, Finback and Minke. I also had a great time hanging out with Alison Spear from Spear’s Fishing and Charter. Every summer they convert their lobster boat into a tour boat taking you out on special fishing charters where you can also see the whales. Alison’s family has been in the lobster business for generations so be sure to check out her secret tips below on how to serve up the best fresh lobster. I know I learned a lot that I was doing wrong before.

There is so much to see, do and experience in St. Andrews and New Brunswick that no matter what kind of vacation you’re looking for, family friendly, romantic escape or an action adventure trip, you can find it in this part of Atlantic, Canada.

One thing I learned from this first trip is that I only scratched the surface of things I want to do so I’ve already booked my trip to come back later this summer when the Algonquin reopens, so stay tuned for that Travel Therapy segment coming up!

For more on the Algonquin Resort: http://www.algonquinresort.ca/

For more on St. Andrews & New Brunswick: http://www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/

Travel Therapy Favorite Picks for St. Andrews by-the-Sea

Favorite Places to Stay

The Algonquin Resort (http://www.algonquinresort.ca/)

Treadwell Inn http://treadwellinn.com/

Rossmount Inn (http://rossmountinn.com)

Favorite Activities

Algonquin Golf Course (http://www.algonquinresort.ca/golf.asp)

Kingsbrae Garden (http://www.kingsbraegarden.com/)

Off-Kilter Bike (www.offkilterbike.com)

Spear’s Fishing & Charter (http://spearsfishingandcharter.com