On my recent road trip around the eastern shore of Nova Scotia I stayed in some fantastic places; Nalu Retreat on Porter’s Lake just 30 minutes from Halifax, Marmalade Motel, a cool modern motel in Port Dufferin, and a woodland lodge, Liscombe Lodge Resort.
My final stop on the week-long road trip was in Guysborough, a small town on the northeast corner of Nova Scotia, approximately 40 minutes from the Strait of Canso that separates Cape Breton from the mainland.
Here I stayed in the Authentic Seacoast Yurts in the Vineyard and it was the perfect place to end my what had been a fantastic adventure through a less-visited corner of Nova Scotia.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I was a guest of Tourism Nova Scotia for the purpose of creating this itinerary. See our full disclosure policy for more details.
Where is Authentic Seacoast Yurts in the Vineyard?
Authentic Seacoast Yurts in the Vineyard sits on the edge of Guysborough, a small coastal hamlet that was once a vibrant port town built on trading and fishing. As fish stocks declined, however, along with the forestry industry so did Guysborough’s fortunes.
The irony is that if this town was located on Nova Scotia’s popular South Shore then it would be packed with visitors.
Its waterfront setting, rainbow-coloured heritage buildings and weekly farmers market are an absolute delight. Plus, the town is the gateway to some wonderful adventures in the Guysborough County including hiking, kayaking and the Canso Islands National Historic Site.
You will definitely need a car to reach here (I hired a car at Halifax Stanfield International Airport) and, travelling along the highway, it takes 2 hr 45 min to reach Guysborough from Halifax.
Travelling along the more scenic Marine Drive, the driving time is closer to 4 hours. I would recommend travelling along Marine Drive at the start of your trip and then returning via the NS-102 and Trans-Canada Hwy/NS-104 E.
I recommend visiting Guysborough as part of a longer road trip along the eastern shore of Nova Scotia.
Authentic Seacoast Yurts
Fortunately, one man has seen the potential that Guysborough has to offer.
In the summer of 1987 Toronto businessman Glynn Williams and his wife Charlene visited Guysborough on a bicycle trip and fell in love with the town.
Soon after they saw an ad for a five-bedroom oceanfront farmhouse and bought it, and Glynn has been investing in Guysborough ever since.
Among the many million dollar investments he has made in this picturesque town are purchasing DesBarres Manor Inn, a 10-room stately inn dating back to 1837, transforming the former general store into the Rare Bird Pub and a former dry-goods store into the Skipping Stone Cafe & Store.
Although not all his investments have proved successful (the pub and cafe proved too difficult to keep open given Nova Scotia’s short summer tourist season), others have been more fruitful, in particular the Authentic Seacoast Distillery & Brewery.
The Authentic Seacoast Distillery and Brewery opened in 2016 and is the largest in Nova Scotia producing Rare Bird craft beers, vodka, whiskey and rum, including the award-winning Fortress Rum that is aged in barrels at the Fortress of Louisbourg in Cape Breton.
On the same former golf course where the distillery is located is the 10-room Distillery House and the Yurts in the Vineyard (Glynn is also experimenting with making wine) with its 10 Canadian-made authentic Mongolian yurts.
I spent one night in Yurt No. 10 and this is undoubtedly the best of the bunch. While every yurt enjoys panoramic views over the seascape, No. 10 sits on its own peninsula with a a private hot tub and shower room.
It also comes with its own golf cart for zipping around the property, which is enormous fun.
The yurts come equipped with a queen bed with luxury linens and side tables, a small table and two chairs, an armchair and some shelves. There’s also a wood-burning stove and firewood if you are visiting during the cooler months.
Every Yurt is a little different. Some Yurts (No’s 1, 2, 3 and 4) have on-grid power, some are family-friendly with bunk beds (No’s 6 and 9), and some are dog-friendly (No’s 3 and 9). Some Yurts have a communal full bathroom area while mine had its own private shower block with a rain shower.
I loved my stay in my Yurt and wish I could have stayed longer. Positioned on a raised wooden deck with a private hot tub, chairs, and picnic table, the setting was perfect for watching the magical streaks of orange, pink and blue reflect in the waters as the sun slowly set.
Amenities at Authentic Seacoast Yurts in the Vineyard
Although the yurts bill themselves as luxury yurts, this is not a boutique hotel (you have to leave your yurt to go to the bathroom for starters) but it is a fun place to stay and incredibly comfortable. Plus, the starry night skies and morning seascape views are hard to beat.
Activities offered at the property include kayak, canoe and bicycle rental as well as nearby hiking trails. If you are in a group (6 or more) then you can book a tour of the distillery and brewery. During winter months, you can hire snowshoes. A private lake-view sauna is also available to hire.
There is also the tasting room where you can try a tipple or two – I highly recommend the Sea Fever Spiced Rum, which tastes like Christmas.
Dining at Authentic Seacoast Yurts in the Vineyard
The Authentic Seacoast Yurts have been designed for those who are happy to camp/glamp and each comes with a kitchen supply kit and a Weber BBQ.
If you don’t feel like cooking then I can highly recommend DesBarres Manor Inn. Located a short drive away in the heart of Guysborough, this historic inn is delightful and has a very good restaurant. I enjoyed an excellent dinner prepared by Chef Anna accompanied by a glass of wine while sitting next to the 1837 hearth fireplace.
For breakfast, I visited the Cast Away Cafe in the Jost Building on Guysborough Marina that makes a mean grilled cheese and brews very good coffee.
Things to do near Yurts in the Vineyard
Guysborough is small but you can easily spend a morning here.
I visited on a Saturday in July when the weekly farmer’s market takes place at the Guysborough Waterfront from 10am to 10pm. During summer months, the Marina Building hosts an art gallery with works by dozens of local artists on display. The Cast Away Cafe sits upstairs of the Jost Building.
The town is also home to the Old Courthouse Museum that explores the history of Guysborough.
I didn’t have time to explore some of the many hiking trails in the area but I did visit some of the nearby towns including Canso, one of the oldest settlements in Nova Scotia. The small town sits on the northeastern tip of the province and was one of only two British settlements prior to the establishment of Halifax in 1749.
Canso became strategically important when the subsea Transatlantic cable was established in 1866, linking Europe and North America. The Hazel Hill Commercial Cable station (which sadly no longer exists) became the relay station in Canso for telegraph messages that included the sinking of the Titanic and the 1929 stock market crash.
The must-see for any visitor to Canso is the Whitman House Museum, a community museum dedicated to preserving the town’s history. Housed within the home once owned by CH Whitman, a wealthy local businessman, the property is filled with period pieces and displays showcasing the town’s long military history.
Few items belonging to the Whitmans remain apart from the couple’s ensuite bathroom and its bathroom with “running water”. Given this was 1885, what this really meant was that servants would carry water up to the third floor and pour it into a vessel so that the taps in the bathroom could be turned on.
Nearby is the Canso Islands National Historic Site that explores the history of the Canso Islands that sit off the east coast. First used by the Mi’kmaq and later settled by the French and English that visitor centre does an excellent job of explaining the 300 year old history of these remote islands.
If you have time (I sadly didn’t) then you can take a free boat ride over to Grassy Island and walk around th ruins of the English Fort that once stood here.
Know before you go
All the Yurts are open from 1 May to 15 November. Only Yurt No. 1 is open for longer, closing its doors on 31 March. DesBarres Manor Inn is open year-round if you do visit out of the summer season. Do make sure to bring bug spray, the mosquitos were out in force when I visited!
Overall, I highly recommend this property and would love to plan a return trip soon. Enjoy!
