Rock House

This is going to sound stupid, but I'll say it... vacations are a lot of work. Ok, stop groaning and hear me out. If you get away once a year (work trips don't count) it's a big deal. So when you decide to go, there is a lot of pressure to make it count. Come to think of it, it's a lot like New Year's Eve... you know, all the pressure to have fun in a fixed amount of time. Oddly, our vacation this year happened almost by accident. I've had a dream destination in mind for a few years and by chance a WestJet seat sale, an unexpected cheque, and a place to stay all aligned just after Christmas. I think this might be the year the karmic scale comes back into balance.

In planning this trip, I've formulated a new vacation theory – find the cheapest room at the nicest place. I'll sleep in a closet... if the closet is in a nice hotel. Also, only trust other people who have stayed there. I have to give kudos to TripAdvisor, without the ratings from other guests I wouldn't have selected the Rock House. It didn't have a single negative comment, and after staying there I can see why.



As well as being an excellent place to stay, the Rock House has an incredible restaurant. My goal on this trip was to find restaurants that featured local ingredients. So I was happy that both times we had dinner at the hotel the special was locally caught fish. On the left, seared tuna with seaweed salad and wasabi cream. On the right, mahi-mahi with mash and green beans. I forgot to get a picture of another dish – local heirloom tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella. The only gotcha was the size of the portions, easily enough for two. The first dinner we each had an entree, the next time we shared an appetizer and an entree and I was still full.

If you're in the area, I can't recommend Harbour Island and the Rock House enough. Just don't rent a golf cart... trust me.