Thank you HostOften for sponsoring our stay downtown this weekend! Be sure to check out their gorgeous rentals, perfect for week vacations or even just a 1 night stay.

Are you feeling cooped up with all the crazy cold weather lately? I sure am and with my hubby’s 40th birthday I was to excited to switch up our routine and use the excuse for a mini-getaway, or more so a local staycation. With only a 2-day weekend to work with a staycation was the perfect option!

The hubs told me he wanted a simple, crowd-free birthday so I came up with a jam-packed day that was not only exciting but so relaxing.

First we set out to downtown Dartmouth.  Did you know that downtown Dartmouth is made up of all local shops?  You won’t find a Tim Horton’s or a Lululemon but local mom & pop shops.  

We have a vintage record player and one of our favourite things to do it browse record shops or new and old records to add to our collection.  New Scotland Yard Emporium is the cutest place to browse records with a hot coffee.

We scooped up a couple records (an old school David Gilmore and the soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy) and headed across the bridge to Halifax.  Now, if this was summer and you didn’t need to bundle up in a parka, we would have totally checked into our condo and taken the ferry to and from Dartmouth.  Everything is within walking distance and there is just something that ferry ride that is so calming.  We took it during our anniversary weekend, which you can check out here!

After checking into our condo, we walked a block downhill to the Captured Escape Room.  Have you tried one before?  It is such a fun way to spend an hour and a great team building outting.  It is often meant for groups of 4 or more, but we really like going just the two of us.  It is easier to know I can boss around my husband without him getting offended! We tried the Wine Cellar last summer and did Citadel Hill this time…and failed. We were just a couple clues away from getting out but just couldn’t make it.

HostOften’s condo was the perfect location for our weekend.  It was only a block or two away from everything we had planned.   We headed back up the hill and warmed up in the condo while we got ready for dinner. 

Sushi is the hubby’s go-to for date night and the cute and cozy atmosphere of Suhi Nami is always a fav of ours.  Next time you go for sushi, sit up at the bar!  Watching the rolls being made and interacting with the chef always adds such a fun vibe to your dinner out.

Wanna know how cool we are?  We came back to the condo by 1030 and enjoyed a night in with a glass of wine and an early bedtime.  It was so nice to find a condo that gave you that cozy stay-in feeling.

Everything we needed was there at the condo from our bottle opener and tea for the morning, right down to ear plugs if you are a light sleeper and new to the downtown noise (which there was hardly any of!)  We woke up to the sun beaming through the big windows and took our time enjoying a morning tea before heading  2 blocks away to the cutest brunch spot in town.

I can’t even begin to explain how much I love this spot.  It was out first time at the Black Sheep and we found it by looking up brunch spots close to the condo.  Well, trust me when I say we found the best hidden treasure!  They were so accommodating to my gluten free needs and the food was absolutely amazing!  So good we are actually going back this weekend with our friends for brunch.

One of my fav things about getting away for the night is checking out new local spots.  This weekend was full of that.  It amazes me how much we discover about our gorgeous city on every staycation.  You don’t need to spend a ton of money on a fancy vacation out of the city, or fly away to get a relaxing getaway.  You can find the cutest spots in your own city that make the perfect escape.

XO
Katrina Gwen Rose

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