In the Queen's Marque district of Halifax, Nova Scotia, there's a nondescript glass door engraved with three hieroglyphs: a bumblebee, the letter K, and a donkey. For those in the know, those symbols translate phonetically to BKS, the secret speakeasy located in the Muir, the five-star hotel that anchors Halifax's new waterfront neighborhood.
Accessible only to hotel guests and clients, BKS offers a maritime mixology master class, and so we slipped behind the door and into a private elevator that whooshed us above the harbor and opened into a secluded sanctuary of dark woods and absinthe-green velvet.
For the next 90 minutes, the Muir's resident mixologist, Elise, entertained us with tales of Halifax's rum-running past while teaching us how to properly shake and stir signature cocktails, which we sipped on the panoramic terrace overlooking the water.
A member of The Luxury Collection, the Muir opened in December 2021 in a once-overlooked area of the city known primarily for its ubiquitous Harbour Hopper amphibious tour vehicles but now is the heart of Atlantic Canada's fine dining scene.
The district is surrounded by a buzzy, bustling neighborhood that is anchored by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and the Maritime Museum as well as the 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) waterfront Halifax Harbourwalk, which fronts the city's downtown core.
Nearly half of Nova Scotia's population lives in metropolitan Halifax, Canada's second-largest coastal municipality after Vancouver. The 109-room Muir honors its maritime setting with a streamlined exterior design that evokes the Fresnel lenses of classic Acadian lighthouses. Artworks by regional artists are displayed throughout the hotel, and each room is a showcase for commissioned paintings and bespoke furniture.
The Muir's BKS speakeasy offers a maritime mixology master class and a terrace overlooking the Halifax Harbour. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Muir, Luxury Collection
A look inside
With views onto the waterfront and boardwalk, the sleekly furnished rooms offer a separate work and seating area with plank flooring and white oak walls. Tartan blankets pay homage to Scottish heritage, as does the handcrafted private bar fully stocked with artisanal spirits. The bedside touch controls for windows and lighting make it easy to face the morning, as does 24-hour in-room dining.
Weekly offerings at the Muir include art talks at the hotel's in-house True Colours Art Gallery as well as morning yoga and meditation at its Windward Wellness spa. For trips around town, guests have access to a chauffeur-driven, hybrid Range Rover as well as a fleet of bicycles.
Halifax has a laid-back, coastal vibe, and guests of the Muir can enjoy its seaside location in a variety of ways. They have access to the hotel's 36-foot Morris yacht and its 24-foot, high-speed motorboat for fishing expeditions and picnic excursions to Georges Island and other secluded islands along the harbor.
Guests also have complimentary access to the hotel's kayaks to explore the area's many bays and coves.
The living room of a Thrumcap Suite at the Muir. The waterfront hotel opened in 2021 and is a member of The Luxury Collection. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Muir, Luxury Collection
Early one morning we headed out onto the Chebucto Peninsula for a foraging ecotour, one of the many curated experiences available to guests at the Muir. Master forager Fred Dardenne guided us along the shores of the North Atlantic, where we foraged for sea truffles and black lichen. Dardenne's foraged bounty is showcased throughout restaurants in the Queen's Marque district, most notably at the highly acclaimed Mystic.
Opened in September 2024, Mystic soared to the top of Canada's Best New Restaurants list in the magazine Canada's 100 Best. That is thanks in part to its signature Acadian caviar served with smoked egg yolk, wild sea flora and sea mustard.
According to executive chef Bill Osborne, every Tuesday morning half a dozen restaurant staff members take a foraging run to get inspired by the region's natural beauty, which is then highlighted in an evening menu with Fauna, Flora and Biota options.
Nova Scotia is the world's largest exporter of lobsters, and there's no shortage of crustaceans in the Queen's Marque neighborhood. Cold-water surfers and kayakers gather for lobster rolls and fish tacos at Salt & Ash Beach House, while Drift at the Muir offers lobster hush puppies and lobster-stuffed croissants.
Sunrise over the Queen's Marque district, home to the Muir. Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Armour Group
Beyond the sea
Almost entirely surrounded by water and maritime industries, Nova Scotia also retains an interior region that has been dominated by agriculture for generations. We headed into the Annapolis Valley, whose burgeoning wine and food scene has some vintners comparing it favorably to British Columbia's Okanagan Valley.
If there's such a thing as a perfect Acadian organic farmhouse meal, it's most likely to be found at the certified biodynamic farm and winery Lightfoot & Wolfville, a 40-acre bucolic paradise owned and operated by the seventh generation of the same family.
Situated along the southern inlet of the Bay of Fundy, the vineyards produce classic, cool-climate wines which pair perfectly with a seasonal farm-to-table menu that showcases Nova Scotia terroir with regional cheeses, cured meats, grilled seafood and seasonal fruits.
In the years since the pandemic, Halifax has seen an influx of emigres, particularly from metropolitan regions such as Toronto and Montreal. As one recent transplant said to me, "There's a sense of family in Halifax, a connectivity to this place," and that sense of familial hospitality and laid-back luxury reigns throughout the Muir.