Have you heard of White Point Beach Resort? If you live in Nova Scotia, you sure have. It is a treasure that is a must for everyone to visit one day.
The resort is a beautiful place located on the south shore of Nova Scotia, right on the Atlantic Ocean.
It is the perfect place for weddings, company events, beach outings and of course vacations.
But what about if you are vacationing with kids?
No problem, it is the perfect place to go for both the parents and the kids.
We ended the summer of 2013 there over the long weekend and had a blast. The rebuilt main lodge was amazing, the staff was top-notch and our accommodations were unbelievable.
Before I dive into the 101 reasons why White Point is a perfect vacation spot of families, I wanted to mention that before heading down the South Shore of Nova Scotia, I reached out to White Point to ask them some questions for this blog post.
I wanted to hear in their own words what White Point did to make their accommodations so kid-friendly.
Donna Hatt, the marketing manager at the resort, responded and helped me out with my request. I will share her insight to White Point we later in this post as I posed five questions to her. So stay tuned for that. I just wanted to thank Donna as soon as possible for her excellent customer service and extra TLC. The book she left for our kids is one we will be reading for many years to come.
So back to our experience at White Point Beach Resort.
My wife and I first visited the resort back in 2009, while we were preparing to have our first son. It was kind of our last chance to be alone getaway. We booked the romance package and had a wonderful time.
We remember seeing some kid-related areas, an indoor pool and of course, bunnies everywhere, but we were not really paying attention to just how great the place was for kids.
There was a place in the basement that had some games, but it was not something that seemed designed with kids in mind. That would all change for the better even if the reason was a tragic story.
In November 2011, they had a terrible fire that burnt their main lodge to the ground. The news hit Nova Scotians hard as everyone knew someone who had been to the resort. Weddings were cancelled, summer vacation plans were changed and everyone wondered what would happen to White Point.
Would they recapture the same charm and character with the rebuild?
Well the answer for us is yes. They not only redid the main lodge in a way that pleased the purists, they clearly focused on the kids even more as they built an awesome kids zone and a more superior games room.
The entire resort had a modern upgrade, while still keeping the old feel. It was amazing to see.
Kid Time
The three areas we spent the most time at outside of our cabin, were the beach, the kids zone and the games room.
The beach is pretty self-explanatory. We could have played on the beach our entire time there. So much open space to do whatever you wanted. It was never busy to the point of feeling crowded and you never felt unsafe. All great things when you have two little kids running and crawling around.
The kids zone was a room that had a TV for watch movies and a bunch of tables for doing crafts. It was fully stocked of paper, markers, pipe cleaners and every other thing a true crafter would need. They even had set times during the day where one of the staff would show the kids how to make something.
Right next door (which was really smart) was a games room. There was a couch and TV, a ping pong table, pool table, shuffleboard and foosball. So if you were not feeling crafty, you could go next door and play. For parents it was great because you could easily see what was going on in each regardless of what side you were on.
The resort also puts on daily events for kids. While we were there, they had a martial arts demonstration, bunny feeding, face painting, marshmallow roasting and a lot of movies for the young and older kids.
Accommodations
When we booked our family package, we thought we would be staying just off the beach in a room that had one bed and a pull out couch. A playpen was also going to be provided for the baby to sleep in. That was a big plus as we did not have to pack our own.
But when we arrived, we learned that we had an ocean front cabin that had a bedroom and a living room. We are still not really sure of the change, but it was an incredible surprise. We were literally on top of the ocean. All you could hear were the waves crashing. So we ended up with a double bed, a single bed and the playpen for sleeping. The cabin also had a mini-fridge, a microwave, a fireplace and a flat screen TV with full HD cable.
The space was perfect for the four of us. For bigger families, the resort offers larger cabins and even full-sized cottages to rent.
My favourite part of the cabin was the view. No matter where you went, you could see the ocean and the beach. Even the slight walk up the stairs was no big deal although, I can see the cleaning staff getting tired of it.
The staff was quick to restock the firewood and help with any need we had.
The front deck would ideally have been the place to spend our days drinking tea and reading but with kids, you are always on the go. So maybe next time for the deck.
Food
Wow I have not even touched on the food yet. The dining room provided meals that were perfect for any age. Our kids enjoyed the buffet the most. They had all the usual kid foods like chicken strips, pizza and grilled cheese. But there were many healthy options as well. I think our little guy consumed his weight in fruit.
The dining staff were great with our boys and made them feel at home right away. They even laughed off how messy the floor was under our baby boy’s high chair.
A good example of how great the staff was happened the first night. We of course can’t leave a place without forgetting something. This time it was Charlie’s little bottle. Sure enough our server made sure the front desk got it and we picked it up in the morning. They were not going to let us check out without that bottle.
We all ate very well, were treated great and already miss having the buffet experience.
Other Kid Stuff
Pools
The resort has two pools. Both are very kid friendly. One is outside on the patio and the other is indoors. So whether it is sunny or raining, there is always swimming. Yes, the ocean is right there, but it is pretty cold for my taste.
Playground
Just as you pull into the resort, there is a playground with slides, swings and other climbing structures. We spent a lot of time here. This also happens to be where the bunnies seem to hang out.
Bunnies
Yes, White Point is famous for their wild bunnies. On our last visit, we saw little black bunnies everywhere. This time around, they must have been hiding. We only saw three white bunnies. At the front desk they offer free bunny food. We still have ours. Maybe next time.
Equipment Rentals
There is a boat house where you can rent canoes, surf boards and many other sporting equipment. We saw tennis courts, horseshoe pits and many other fun outdoor activities. You can never say White Point offers nothing to do.
Change Rooms
For the parents, there are bathrooms and change rooms everywhere. We were happy to see the fold out change tables as we have the little guy in diapers. Everything is planned out for the parents.
Even More?
So that is everything we experienced. I left the answers from the Resort’s marketing manager for last as she will fill in all the details I may have missed. After I heard her answers, all I wanted to do was call up and rebook a visit for next year.
5 Questions With White Point’s Marketing Manager Donna Hatt
I asked Donna these questions before we visited the resort with our sons.
LAD: When my wife and I think of White Point, we think of a romantic weekend away. Why would you say is White Point also the perfect place for the whole family to go?
Donna: We’re built for families –
- Room to roam
- Pools with features with kids in mind
- Family change rooms, even a kid size toilet!
- Dedicated Kids Zone
- Complimentary children’s programs from 9:30am – 9pm including popular face painting and our evening milk and cookie story-time
- Everything at White Point is considered family friendly and with an intent to ensure the kids have a great time. Including letting them know where the bags of bunny food are!
- Kids under 6 years also eat free when staying with us.
- We don’t hear ‘I’m bored’ too often at all!
LAD: What are some of the most popular programs or events going on at White Point for kids?
Donna:
- Face-painting always has a line-up of smiling faces.
- Nightly Marshmallow Roast, especially the 7pm followed by the Milk and Cookie Story-time have been a feature for decades!
- While they are not always the most popular, we offer a range of experiences that incorporate our Living Shoreline and cultural programs with our Acadia First Nation Community in an attempt to expose and expand awareness within the minds of our guests – it is our responsibility and opportunity to invite guests and their children to learn something new, unique, about our community rather than just consume.
- March Break is wild with fun and excitement. Daily afternoon shows are integrated into our daily program along with Karaoke Dance Parties that are always a hit.
- At Christmas, we have the Elf Tuck in for Children following the Christmas Eve Story-Time and of course the trees in all accommodations add to their delight.
- We have a dedicated Recreation Team in place whose role it is to continue developing and creating experiences that engage kids and keep them outside as much as possible.
LAD: When it comes to food, how does White Point cater to kids, while still keeping things somewhat healthy?
Donna: The Kids menu is designed to provide a mixture, but kids at the buffets, at dinner and breakfast, amaze us with the choices they run with – eg. trying solomon gundy, smoked salmon, plates full of salad and mussels…and lots of chocolate milk!
Our Gluten Free Menu and Vegetarian options make it ever easier for families to choose for their children their preferences.
LAD: Briefly describe why White Point is still a lot of fun for kids, even if the weather does not cooperate?
Donna: Kids don’t care about the weather, neither do we! With our programs being able to be offered inside or out, there is always something neat to do. The indoor pool, kids zone, games room, endless list of board games that can be signed out from the Rec Office can keep folks busy….or head out and play in the water anyway – you are going to get wet anyway…many kids do the loop, ocean, outdoor pool, indoor pool (some dip into the lake) before starting all over again!
LAD: Finally, what is your personal favourite time of year at the resort and why?
Donna: While May – Oct. are marvellous, personally – winter months, Dec.-March are my favourite. The surf is most spectacular, our shoreline is in transition and we’re outside hosting mussel bakes and roasts at the bonfires sipping on hot chocolate chatting about our ‘sandbox’.
We shock families by heading out to play ‘beach’ games, watch the surfers, go on nature walks and because folks are not running in so many directions (like in summer) we get the chance to spend more quality time with the kids (and their parents) and just ‘play’.
The ambiance around the crackling fireplaces and pace is incredibly calm, inviting and engaging, making for great days with our guests…and the bunnies, while their numbers vary by season and year, even they come out to play even more in the winter months, bringing smiles to everyone (except our gardener!).
LAD: Thanks for that Donna, that really paints an excellent picture of what White Point offers to kids and their parents.
Wrapping Up
As you can tell at this point, our kids had a great time at White Point Beach Resort. Even looking back, my wife and I could not come up with one negative aspect. Trust me, we tried, as I wanted to be as objective as possible for this review. Yes there were little things, but none were really White Point’s fault. The fire took a little longer to light due to damp wood and there were very few bunnies to be found, but with everything else going on, the kids did not care.
The only sad part of the whole weekend, was packing up and saying so long to our awesome cabin. As we got ready to drive away, I asked if we had done everything we had wanted to do, and the answer was a resounding yes.
Thank you White Point, we will be back, many, many times.
If you would like to learn more about White Point and what they have to offer, including a live webcam of their beach, visit their official website at anytime.
I would like to point out that White Point had no influence on what I posted. We had the vacation booked long before I reached out to the resort. Their feedback only added to our experience and this review. I want to thank Donna and everyone at White Point who made our visit a memorable one.
It’s a great day at White Point!
