Page 32 - Sharp November 2024

UP TO PAR
FOX HARB’R IS A SPRAWLING LUXURY RESORT ON THE NORTHUMBERLAND SHORE COMPLETE WITH A CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF COURSE, VINEYARD,
AND PRIVATE RUNWAY
By Elia Essen
STANDING ATOP THE ROCKY PROMENADE JUTTING INTO
the Northumberland Strait where the course’s 16th hole sits, it’s not hard to see why it’s one of Fox Harb’r president Kevin Toth’s favourite places on the property. The salty bite of the sea hangs heavy in the air as the wind whips across the fairway, an added challenge to the tee shot, which arches over an inlet. Beyond the gentle slope of grassy expanse, the sparkling blues of the Atlantic Ocean blend with the sky above.
Spanning 1,100 acres on Nova Scotia’s scenic Northumberland Shore, Fox Harb’r is part luxury resort, part championship golf course, part development, and part vineyard. While such a vast and varied offering may suggest a degree of detachment, Fox Harb’r imbues everything it does with a hearty dose of Maritime warmth that makes every element feel personal. Coupled with an infallible standard for luxury, it makes for a private and idyllic getaway with everything guests could want, just an hour and a half drive from the Halifax airport or a convenient flight into the resort’s 5,000-foot runway.
“We have a saying: it’s luxury without pretension,” Toth says. “We try to strive for a five-diamond level of service, but we want to present it authentically.” Accommodations range from intimate to palatial, with 88 ocean-view rooms and suites, 18 three-bedroom townhouses, and several marina-side villas and custom homes with up to six bedrooms.
The brainchild of Tim Hortons co-founder Ron Joyce, the elegant golf resort opened in 2000, after a laborious 13-year construction. Not one to sit on its laurels, the resort has been in a perpetual state of improvement — presently, the most anticipated refinement is a major addition to the already spectacular golf course.
Under the keen direction of two of the country’s most respected golf architects, Doug Carrick and Tom McBroom, 18 new holes will be added to the existing ones to create two full 18-hole courses, the Ocean Course and the Vineyard Course. The former is seeded and set to open in May 2025, while the latter is under construction and will be ready in the following years. “About half of the waterfront of the property wasn’t being used for golf,” Toth explains. “So, we felt that there is a great opportunity to create a new and improved golf experience at Fox Harb’r.”
For now, the current course, a challenging blend of Scottish links and traditional parkland designed by Graham Cook, is certainly nothing to scoff at. And as you tee off, you can consider yourself in esteemed company — Bill Clinton, Charles Barkley, and Tiger Woods are among those who have played at Fox Harb’r.
After a peaceful morning round, tuck into lunch at the more casual of the resort’s two dining options, The Willard. Don’t miss Toth’s personal recommendations: the fresh Nova Scotia lobster rolls and their award-winning seafood chowder. “People come to us for the chowder,” he says. “There are very few times that you don’t see a seafood chowder bowl in the dining room on multiple tables.”
Later, dine at Cape Cliff, Fox Harb’r’s fine dining restaurant overlooking the ocean, where guests can enjoy seasonally inspired seafood- and steak-forward menus, accompanied by a bottle of wine from their extensive cellar — it’s the only Canadian dining room east of Quebec City with a two goblet Wine Spectator designation.
As the afternoon unfolds, any number of activities await, from clay shooting to archery, sea kayaking to private beachside bonfires, and yoga classes to mushroom foraging. For those who would prefer to be pampered, head to the Dol-ás Spa, where guests can indulge in a variety of massages, facials, and body treatments.
Whether it’s at the spa, on the fairway, or a mix of the two, every guest can find their personal slice of serenity here. A world unto itself, Fox Harb’r curates all the best parts of life for a true destination getaway. “When you come to Fox Harb’r, you get to have a great golf experience,” Toth says. “But it’s wrapped around great food and beverage experiences, accommodation experiences, and in an environment that is a destination unto itself.”
Watching the sun slip from view on board a pontoon boat, the oranges and pinks dancing across the water and the resort beyond, it’s about as close to the perfect day as there is.
32 GUIDE • NOVEMBER 2024
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