Review: Local New Brunswick Wines

I drove and stayed in Saint John for a few days for work- while I was there I figured I would indulge in some local wines.

I headed for NB Alcool and grabbed the first store clerk I could find to direct me to the best local wines available. That poor girl didn't know what was coming....

1) "Verger Belliveau" a pear wine from Memramcook, NB.

The wine was sweet. smooth and fresh tasting. It went down like fruit juice without any issues. You could very easily enjoy this as a treat, with dinner, or at an event.

2) "Richibucto River" from Mundleville, NB

This wine was much more dry than my first choice, and also much more tarte. Better for someone who prefers their wine a little stronger and not with the personality of juice (I can be in the mood for either sometimes).

I found this was best combined with a meal, it's not sweet enough for a treat and a bit strong to sip on at an event.

3) "Dunhams Run Long Reach" made with honey from Kingston, NB

This bottle was SWEET I would even place it as more of a dessert wine to be frank. It has a very strong honey taste as was quite dry. I recommend one glass at a time as a treat with this one- it can get over powering very quickly.

The verdict:

3 nights, 3 bottles (I'm sure the hotel cleaners thought I was a lush... But after my experience with the hotel I'm not overly concerned of what they thought of me. My favorite of the 3 was definitely the Verger Belliveau- it's sweet and smooth personality made it perfect for a relaxing evening.

Review: Hampton Inn Saint John

I spent a week on business in New Brunswick so I made sure to take in some local treats and enjoy my time there.

I stayed at the Hampton Inn Hotel as it was by far the closest option to my office but certainly should not have been a criteria now that I've stayed there....

Where do I begin about my stay... Well I'm pretty easy to satisfy I don't need much just working internet and a nice work space....

After checking in I attempted to connect to the wifi to decide where to stop for supper... It was unsuccessful. The staff at the front desk were able to connect me with a staff promo code but it was quite inconvenient.

My room you'd swear was next to the boiler room, it was unbearable (made me feel like I was on a tropical vacation at least). I tinkered with the fan and was able to get the room to a manageable temperature but man... That fan was not quiet. Every few hours it would make this sound like it was trying to take off. Not great for sleeping. I learned quickly to freeze the room (poor housekeepers) during the day so I could turn off the fan at night and still sleep comfortably.

There was obvious electrical issues in this place. Two of the outlets in my room shorted out during my stay. One was where the coffee maker was plugged in, that was fine but the other one was the one the tv, cable box and desk lamp were plugged into... And with the arrangement there was no possibility to move anything. I took the time to advise the front desk, I was told it would be looked into however I never heard from anyone and I just went without TV for the last 2 nights of my stay. I would have kept calling but just judging on how many times I had to call for someone to pick up it was obvious that the staff is over worked...

Since no one came out to check out my issues I left passive aggressive sticky notes on the outlets and the appliances that were affected.

Since the desk was .virtually useless after the outlet shorted out I moved my work station to a little table by the couch, turned on the ole' plex and made the best of it by taking blog notes on a post it note while I sat on the couch... The couch was incredibly uncomfortable so I eventually gave up and just sat up in the bed.

There is no restaurant in this hotel so they ship in their complimentary hot breakfast... It was interesting to say the least, eggs were sad looking yellow puddles. By the end of it I couldn't stand them anymore and switched to McDonalds for all my breakfast needs.

As I'm sure you've figured out by now the stay was less than pleasant, I would have changed hotels but it got to a point where I just wanted to see how much could possibly go south. Sad I didn't check out the pool (aunt flo decided to come with me on the trip) but my boss told me some great stories about the cleanliness of the pool in the past.

I will end off by saying that the staff interactions were always positive, everyone who worked there was very nice just sadly over worked I believe. I took advantage of the mail slot which was great not to wander around a city I didn't know well looking for a post office and the location was perfect. I didn't use my car once after I arrived, everything was a 10-20 minute walk away.

Will I be back to Saint John? Absolutely. Will I stay at the Hampton Inn again? Probably not...