9 Ways to Enjoy a Simple, Slow Getaway to St. Andrews by-the-Sea
Before the responsibilities of fall began filling our days, I ventured off with my family for a simple, slow, end-of-summer getaway. Our journey took us north through Maine, just across the Canadian border to St. Andrews by-the-Sea in New Brunswick.
We had passed through St. Andrews a few years prior while wrapping up our 10-day RV trip through the Canadian maritime provinces, but we were only there for an afternoon where we enjoyed eating lunch and playing frisbee along the coast then visiting the St. Andrews Blockhouse Historical Site.
While we usually plan our travels as a family, this trip’s destination was chosen by my husband as his pick to celebrate a milestone birthday. After our previous quick stop a few years ago, he decided it would be the perfect place to escape to for a few days. We booked our accommodations at The Algonquin Resort, then ventured off on this getaway without a plan. Our simple intent was to slow down and let our days unfold organically.
Here are nine ways to enjoy a simple, slow getaway to St. Andrews by-the-Sea…
1.Take the scenic route – A trip through Maine to New Brunswick provides scenic routes both along the coast and further inland. After getting a later start than we had hoped (our slow pace started before we even left home), we decided we would not take the coastal route up through Maine, since it would have added hours to our trip. We wanted to arrive well before dinner time, so we enjoyed the ‘a little further inland’ route instead, which provided sweeping mountain views and took us on a curvy drive through small Maine towns. Limited traffic and miles of dense forest would make this a colorful drive in the fall. The leaves were just starting to show hints of change during our late August trip.
2. Wander – As a luxurious, historic hotel, rich with amenities, we found ourselves wandering around the property finding something new around each corner. From the grand entrance and porch overlooking the lawn games, fire pits, and outdoor pool, to the resident pups welcoming guests in the lobby, to the piano music serenading us outside the lounge, to the cozy sitting areas and shelves of board games, we were never at a loss for something to do. This was so much more than simply a place rest our heads at night!
3. Go local – A 10-minute walk down quiet, Cape-lined streets complete with deer grazing in backyards, brought us to Water Street, aptly named as it runs parallel to the coast in downtown St. Andrews. We walked downtown a few times during our stay, checking out the unique shops, exploring the pier and visiting the local grocery store. For this trip, we enjoyed reading signs in French and noticing little differences between the United States and Canada. Stepping out of our day-to-day radius is always an eye-opening learning experience.
4. Embrace experiences over things – As part of our family’s desire to live simply, our core values include choosing experiences over things. This means we don’t take a lot of stuff with us and we don't bring home a lot of “stuff” from our travels. We find simple ways to remember the moments from our adventures, like taking silly group selfies, choosing a small Christmas ornament as a souvenir and keeping journals about our adventures. Reminiscing about our trips when we put up the Christmas tree each year and laughing as we read our travel journals years later far outweigh the enjoyment of any trinket or tchotchke we could have purchased.
5. Learn the history of the resort and town – One of the many amenities offered by the hotel was the evening ghost tour through the resort. Unbeknownst to us before our arrival, The Algonquin Resort is considered one of the most haunted hotels in Canada. We heard the stories of how it earned this ranking during our tour through the dark rooms and tunnels of the hotel. Ghost stories aside, we enjoyed learning about the history of the hotel, which was built in 1889, nearly burned to the ground in 1914 and hosted Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1983.
6. Immerse yourself in nature – We spent a good portion of our time on this trip outside in nature. A 5-minute walk from the hotel down Acadia Street is Katy’s Cove Beach which opened in 1907. Running along the cove is a paved path that connects to the Van Horne Trail which takes you around the cove for a view of the Passamaquoddy Bay. The path also provides a partial view of Ministers Island, which is accessible by car only at low tide. We watched schools of tiny fish swimming in the cove and saw several deer just off the trail.
Another 5-minute walk from the hotel, down Prince of Wales Street, takes you to Kingsbrae Garden, a 27-acre award-winning garden filled with a labyrinth, ponds, a windmill, sculptures, animals, colorful flowers and numerous plants. We wandered the garden on a warm, sunny day taking in all the sights, sounds and textures of nature around us. It was the highlight of my trip-a place I could have wandered all day. It was the perfect place for a simple, slow experience surrounded by nature.
7. Savor delicious food – We enjoyed two meals at Braxton’s at the hotel and one at the Garden Café at Kingsbrae Garden. Food is always tricky for us when we travel with our children who have severe nut allergies. We always bring food with us and we find grocery stores near our destination to prepare meals on our own. Since we hadn’t planned out any details for this trip in advance, I hadn’t done my homework to call ahead and find safe restaurant options. While exploring downtown, we asked a few restaurants if they could accommodate serving allergy-safe meals and unfortunately, we weren’t confident in their replies. Luckily, both Braxton’s and the Garden Café went above and beyond to make sure my children were safe. We are always extremely grateful for these positive experiences and we love it when our children can savor delicious food with us when we’re traveling.
8. Play – a couple of blocks down from the hotel on Frederick Street was the St. Andrews Community Adventure Playground, the largest, most creative playground we’ve ever seen. We spent an hour there playing tag, lounging on the swings and just running around. Back at the resort, we checked out tennis rackets and ‘played’ tennis…which is probably better described as we ‘chased tennis balls around the tennis courts and dug them out from under trees outside the fence.’ Nonetheless, both the park and tennis activities provided exercise, laughter, and memories to add to our collection. We also contemplated hopping on the resort’s bikes and heading into town, but we decided that playing the giant Connect Four game was a safer idea.
9. Rest – knowing that our upcoming fall routine meant rising early, we took full advantage of the opportunity to sleep in each day. We spent time on the grand porch and the rooftop garden taking in the views and we ended our days lounging in Adirondack chairs around the firepits on the lawn.
Our simple, slow getaway provided the perfect setting to wrap up summer. Just as simplifying your home and life is possible, so is slipping away for a few days to unwind without a plan. St. Andrews by-the-Sea provided the perfect escape for our family to embrace experiences over things and to enjoy all of these elements of simple, slow travel.