The much-anticipated Muir Hotel in Halifax is a dream destination

Muir Hotel: The vibe

Accommodation purporting to be more than just a hotel is usually a marketing tactic, but the Muir Hotel in downtown Halifax puts its money where its mouth is. Design-focused, locally inspired, culturally significant — we’re running out of adjectives to describe this Autograph Collection Hotel on the waterfront.

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The 109-room property is part of the newly revitalized Queen’s Marque district, an area packed with shops, restaurants and entertainment that draws in visitors and locals. From native chefs and bartenders, who moved home to serve Atlantic fare, to cab drivers cooing at your reservation, everyone’s buzzing about the Muir Hotel.

Muir Hotel: The rooms

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Oak-panelled walls, porthole-shaped built-in bars filled with local provisions and Muir’s custom tartan blankets will make you feel like you’re sleeping on a luxury liner — minus the sea-legs. Halifax is blessed with culture, but we honestly won’t judge you if you never leave the Muir.

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Muir Hotel: What's on the menu

This is something of a homecoming for chef Anthony Walsh, who has family on the East Coast. In addition to overseeing the food and beverage programs at the Queen’s Marque district (including Argentinian-inspired Bar Sofia), Walsh is giving Maritime cuisine the limelight at Drift, his signature spot at the hotel.

Expect seafood and faves like rappie pie, a traditional Acadian dish made with chicken and potato; and hodge-podge, a medley of Nova Scotia mussels, lobsters and root veggies. It’s local love with a touch of modern magic and we’re convinced Walsh will do for Halifax what Canoe did for Toronto.

Muir Hotel: What else 

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Guests can enjoy the True Colours Art Gallery exclusively, with a rotating collection of regionally curated art pieces. Or sip on curated cocktails on the city’s best patio at BKS, a secret speakeasy that’s open for Muir visitors only. If you must leave, then you can book a trip on Little Wing, the Muir’s very own sailing boat, to explore the beauty of Halifax’s coastline.

Rooms from $560 a night, muirhotel.com

Muir, 1709 Lower Water St., Halifax