A Weekend in St. Andrews by-the-Sea, New Brunswick

Captains of industry put this resort town on the map. Now its golf, gardens and beaches – not to mention its restaurants – are luring the rest of us.

Play

Our new favourite drive in Canada is the 12th hole along the seaside back nine of the Fairmont Algonquin Golf Course, refurbished by master designer Thomas McBroom. The tricky par 3 has heartbreaking views of the water hazard: the ocean.

Kingsbrae Garden sprawls over several old country estates that include old-growth Acadian forest. However, there’s something youthful in its cedar maze and Children’s Garden. We loved the playful touches but, sadly, were too big to squeeze into the kid-size schoolhouse. A snack in the café overlooking Passamaquoddy Bay was a fair compromise.

In the summer, endangered minkes, finbacks and humpbacks swim in Passamaquoddy Bay. (Catch the rare North Atlantic right whale in the fall.) A two-hour trip over two-foot swells with Fundy Tide Runners’ 24-foot Zodiac offered a whale’s-eye view of minkes, dolphins and harbour seals.

Snack

A waterfront walk turned into an impromptu harbourfront culinary tour, starting with fair-trade lattes at Fulcrum Gallery & Café. On the wharf at Elaine’s Chowder House (which serves up four kinds), we sampled scallop bisque. Then the shucker at Treadwell Snug & Oyster Bar gave an informal (and tasty) lesson on local BeauSoleils and Caraquets. Study up.

At the Fairmont Algonquin Hotel (a.k.a. the Castle by-the-Sea), we tucked into a royal eight-course local tasting menu that included plump Fundy scallops, sweet lobster paired with black caviar and wild blueberry desserts.

Relax

In 1996, two New Yorkers turned a derelict 1897 mansion into a secluded inn, the Kingsbrae Arms. There are 27 acres to roam, but our favourite spot was the private garden of the Carriage House suite. Pets are welcome “if the owners are well-behaved,” say innkeepers Harry Chancey and David Oxford.

Sweeping views of the bay make Chris and Graziella Aerni’s Rossmount Inn a must-stay. Chris’ cooking, made with mostly local ingredients, is another plus. After hiking Chamcook Mountain on the 87-acre resort, we earned our Wolfhead smoked salmon blinis.

Write to us: letters@enroutemag.net

Elaine’s Chowder House 24 Lower King St., 506-529-4496
The Fairmont Algonquin 184 Adolphus St., 506-529-8823, fairmont.com/algonquin
Fulcrum Gallery & Café 213 Water St., 506-529-3306
Fundy Tide Runners 16 King St., 506-529-4481, fundytiderunners.com
Kingsbrae Arms 219 King St., 506-529-1897, kingsbrae.com
Kingsbrae Garden 220 King St., 866-566-8687, kingsbraegarden.com
Ministers Island Historic Site 199 Carriage Rd., Ministers Island, 800-561-0123, ministersisland.org
Rossmount Inn 4599 Rte. 127, 509-529-3351, rossmountinn.com
Fairmont Algonquin Golf Course 888-460-8999, fairmont.com/algonquin
Treadwell Snug & Oyster Bar 129 Water St., 888-529-1011, treadwellinn.com