From the minute you approach Crescent Beach, a popular 1.2-mile long beach which leads from the mainland out to the LaHave Islands, you know you’ve come to a special place. After driving down the wide beach (or taking the road behind it), you follow a winding road and cross two bridges. You encounter postcard views along every turn -- colorful houses, old fishing wharves, and fishing and pleasure boats passing by. At the end of the road, you’ll find the Fennel Old House.
Convenient Location
We are a seven-minute drive from the Lighthouse Route, which runs the mainland between Halifax and Yarmouth. We’re a half-hour’s drive from Bridgewater, which is the area’s main shopping/restaurant area. We’re a 40-minute drive from the historic seaport of Lunenburg and tourist destination of Mahone Bay, and an hour-and a half's drive southwest of Halifax and the airport (YHZ).
Our property offers charm and privacy, yet is located in a vibrant island community, on the most populated of the two dozen islands which make up the LaHave Islands. We’re also and in an area of the South Shore which has much to offer tourists.
The Outside
Enjoy the outdoors from our sprawling, nicely landscaped yard with flower gardens, 4 sundecks (including a roof deck and deck by the water), floating dock, screen house and screened gazebo perched right on the shore. You can swim off the dock, catch crabs, pick wild blueberries and raspberries, play croquet and badminton, and swing on our tree swing. Or just relax, listening to the seagulls, watching fishing boats in the bay, and viewing deer, seals, otter and blue heron. In the evening, barbecue in the back yard, enjoy spectacular sunsets over the cove, and light a fire in our outdoor fire pit to roast marshmallows.
The Inside
The Fennel Old House can comfortably sleep seven adults in four bedrooms. The master bedroom has a large, attached changing room, which can also accommodate a crib. The other two upstairs bedrooms have three twin beds. A downstairs bedroom has a double bed and adjoins the bathroom.
Our home features large-window views, wood floors, period-moldings, wainscoting, and tongue-in-groove walls throughout the upstairs. Come home from a day at the beach or touring to warm in front of one of two wood stoves. The first floor also has baseboard electric heating with thermostats in each room, and portable, safe, high-powered heaters on the second floor.
Eat your meals at the dining room table while enjoying a wide open view of the cove and bay through a large picture window.
The kitchen is fully equipped with an electric stove, microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker, food processor, quality china and flatware, and much more (we love to cook!). The living room has a 27' TV and VCR, a stereo/CD/tape deck, and mini pool table, and a large book collection of Nova Scotian culture. We provide bedding and towels, other supplies such as toilet paper, and a washer/dryer.
Yes, we have high-speed WIRELESS internet! And the cell service is good.
The Area
Locally, there are many attractions. Half a dozen beaches are within a 10-minute drive, including Risser's Beach Provincial Park, with a fine-sand beach with lifeguards, winding boardwalk along a back marsh, visitor’s center, a snack bar and shower facility. On our island are many quaint paths and roads to walk or bike, a marine museum, community hall, fish plant/government wharf, two churches, and a cemetery. On nearby Crescent Beach, people love to park their cars on the beach, walk their dogs, surf, kite-board, stroll the beach at sunrise and sunset, and of course, swim!
Several fishermen and their families still live on the islands, some who will take visitors out fishing or on island tours (ask us). Locals also love to share their community's history through casual encounters along the road and at events like the Monday morning coffee hour, serving the best home-made scones and sticky buns you’ve ever tasted – really. The community hall also hosts guest lectures and other events.
Along the Lighthouse Route on the mainland are lots of craft and antique shops, artist studios, restaurants, museums, and historical sites (like Fort Point Museum in LaHave, where the French first landed in Canada in 1604). You can take in musical events, county fairs, farmers’ markets, art shows, ox pulls, movies, theater and more. For sporting activities, you can rent kayaks, golf at several courses, go horseback riding, rock climb, wind surf, para-sail, and enjoy the resort at White Point Beach, where you can get a day pass to use the pools, yard games, and boats.
Don't miss the most famous bakery in Nova Scotia, the LaHave Bakery (15 minutes away), where you can sit down in its quaint dining area and enjoy an amazing breakfast or lunch. Another guest favorite is 'The Ovens,' which is a series of ocean caves accessible by wooded walkways, where the waves pound in and out. At Ross Farm, children will love to see a “working” farm where they still raise animals and grow crops. And bake sales and lobster suppers in community halls all over the area are delicious!
Payment
We accept US and Canadian-based checks,wire transfers, e-Checks through HomeAway and VRBO, and online payments from Canadian banks through Interac.
Contact Us
We hope you have the chance to experience our little piece of heaven. Please respond via this website, or call Mont at 617-909-7279. He will call you back to save you any charges.
Availability
If The Fennel Old House is booked during the week you are travelling, note that we also own 'SKYVIEW ON LAHAVE ISLAND,' a 15-year old home perched on the highest point of our island -- above the tree tops -- with an amazing 360-degree view of the LaHave Islands and the ocean. Gorgeous views from every window! It can sleep up to 8 for $800 to $1750 per week. Please see HomeAway listing #3320214.
