YARMOUTH - A luxury wilderness lodge in East Kempt, adjacent to the Tobeatic Wilderness Area, has new owners.
Husband-and-wife team Patrick and Pamela Wallace took over Trout Point Lodge in late January.
“We came out here for the first time in July (2017) as guests,” said Patrick.
“We just fell in love with the place. We knew at the time that it was for sale. So basically from July until now we worked pretty closely with the previous owners on the transition.”
The former proprietors were Charles Leary and Vaughan Perret, with co-owner Daniel Abel.
The property features an eight-bedroom lodge built from logs felled on site and hand-cut stone. The lodge was completed in 2000. Lakefront accommodations are also available.
There’s a wood-fired hot tub by the river, an outdoor barrel sauna and hiking trails that wind through the pristine wilderness.
Patrick Wallace hails from Montreal, with a professional background in medical electronics. He lived abroad for a number of years.
Pamela has some experience in travel and hospitality. In Singapore, she worked with Hilton Worldwide, amongst other positions.
Trout Point Lodge was the first hotel in the world to be certified as a "starlight hotel" and stargazing is something the couple will continue to offer on a specially built platform.
“We have a staff astronomer on site for the season, who is a professional and an expert,” Patrick said.
“We have a great menu of activities and some new ones for the season but one thing people have to do is the stargazing experience.”
Forest bathing, hiking, cooking classes with an executive chef will all be available in addition to new experiences that include
guided canoe trips and wine appreciation and hand-crafted brew events.
“We’re reaching out to a few wineries in Nova Scotia and should be able to showcase some provincial wines on our menu as well,” Patrick Wallace said.
“I knew very little about the Nova Scotia wines before I got here but I’ve been really impressed, especially with the whites and the sparkling.”
Members of the Yarmouth Garden Club are assisting the new owners with identifying plants and providing maintenance instructions.
Many of the former lodge employees are returning.
“We have a wonderful team here, that collectively has about 100 years of experience and really know the property inside out,” said Wallace.
“We’re about continuity and making improvements where we can. The plan is to grow and improve, to bring more people to not only Trout Point, but this part of Nova Scotia.”
Guests, especially those wishing to dine in the restaurant, are welcome, although 24-hour advance notice is requested.
“It’s a long drive out and we don’t always have space,” said Wallace.
The lodge will open May 12 for the season and will close in late October.
More about Trout Point Lodge
Listed in National Geographic article as one of the 10 Must-Have experiences in Nova Scotia.
In 2011 Trout Point Lodge was included in Departures magazine’s ultra-exclusive Top 10 “foodie getaway” list of global culinary experiences worth planning a trip around.
For more information visit the website
