REVIEW | The Westin Nova Scotian Halifax

In May and June 2023, we travelled from east to west across Canada. From Halifax in Nova Scotia to Montreal in Quebec, to Toronto in Ontario, to Vancouver and Whistler in British Columbia. Along the way some night trains and commuter trains, the Niagara Falls and – imagine this – a bus journey. A true Trans-Canada Train Trek.

After arriving past midnight in Halifax with our delayed Air Canada flight from Montreal we were happy to have arranged a transfer to our hotel in Halifax, the Westin Nova Scotian.

It took us still a while to get there as the airport is located quite a bit out of the city centre. Thus by the time we arrived at the hotel, there were already people checking out. Of course we immediately received the keys to our rooms and crashed in the very comfortable bed for some well-earned sleep. The hotel is located at the edge of the Halifax town-centre, adjacent to (and even with an interior connection to) the Via Rail train station and Maritime Bus station. Around the back of the building you can find the Pier 21 immigration museum, one of the biggest highlights of Halifax.

The room itself was ok and of the typical North American spaciousness, with a very comfortable bed in the middle.

There was also a nice chaise-longue near the window. In the room was also a Keurig coffeemaker, which you also has to use to produce hot water for the tea. In the wardrobe only one bathrobe and a single pair of slippers was available, which is a bit lacking in a two person’s bedroom in my opinion.

The view out of the window was overlooking the bay and the harbour, which made for a nice view to wake up to.

The bathroom was a bit of an ambiguous affair. The left side looked luxurious and modern with a nice stone clad counter top while the right side was straight back to the 1950’s with a very old style bathtub and 1950’s tiling. It looked like they only bothered to modernise half of the bathroom. The toiletries used are multi use dispensers, but with body wash, shampoo and conditioner of a nice smell and seemingly good quality.

In the basement there was a pool, which was rather basic and spartan. Especially the decoration and chairs around the pool could do with an update. The pool itself was rather shallow and the hot tub of a strange construction. Nonetheless the pool was a nice amenity to have to relax for a bit.

The hotel also had a well-equipped gym with even lockers to securely store your items.

In the morning we made use of the breakfast in the Social Club, the hotel’s restaurant in the lobby. You either had the choice between an a la carte menu or the buffet. The first morning we ordered ala carte with some nice fish cakes eggs benedict while the second morning we made us of the buffet. For its price it was surprisingly extensive with even an eggs or waffles made to order station. You also had the usual offering of hot and cold breakfast items. Choosing the buffet is clearly the better option here.