The property now known, as ‘The Stanhope Beach Resort & Conference Centre’ was first settled more than two centuries ago in 1789 by Cornelius and Isabelle Higgens who, along with their seven children, lived in a log cabin built on the property.
In 1855, Angus MacMillan took over the land lease and built his farm on the property, building around the existing cabin believed to have belonged to the Higgens family. Renaming the property ‘Pleasant View’ he began to take in visitors through the summer months. In 1860 the farm was renamed ‘Pleasant Point Hotel’ and by 1871 visitors could stay for $1.50 a day or $5.00 to $7.00 per week. By June 1878 the property could accommodate up to 25 visitors. An ad in the area’s local paper ‘The Patriot’ boasted “ for surf bathing, fishing and shooting; the pleasure seeker will find it unequalled in the Dominion”.
The hotel changed hands at the turn of the century to John and Helen Davies, renaming it ‘The Cliff’. Largely self-sufficient through the 1920’s, ‘The Cliff’ functioned as a dairy farm along with hens and horses. The hotel used local products and hired area residents, keeping profits within the community.
Prohibition was adopted island wide in 1901 and lasted until 1948. However acquiring alcohol never seemed to be an issue for ‘The Cliff’. Whether it was the caretaker Dan Jarvis’s connection with the captain of the Bluenose, or one of the many Rum-Runners active in these parts; alcohol still managed to find its way into the hotel, despite the close eye the authorities kept on Covehead Bay.
In 1930 the North Shore Hotel Company purchased the property. During renovations three walls of the original log cabin were uncovered. Now being renamed ‘The Stanhope Beach Inn’, our property was advertised through the 1940’s as “...an up to date first class tourist hotel; with fifty rooms in the main building.” The property featured many new amenities of the time: running water, a dance hall, a dining room and deep-sea fishing.
The Stanhope Beach Inn briefly returned to the MacMillan family when it was taken over by Gerald Auld, the great-grand son of Angus MacMillan, and his wife Murielle. In 1987, Dr. Alfy Tadros purchased our property as an anniversary present for his wife Constance McAdams. The Resort once again was renovated and enlarged to 120 suites; each with its own private bath and operated under the name ‘Stanhope By the Sea’.
In 2009 the property changed hands to its current owners Danny and Martie Murphy and later was renamed ‘Stanhope Beach Resort & Conference Centre’. The property has since undergone extensive restoration and renovations, bringing back some of the property’s antiquity, while providing guests with a relaxed luxurious getaway. The Resort now boasts 83 rooms: from traditional rooms to sumptuous romantic hideaways and luxurious multi-bedroom cottages. Stanhope Beach Resort & Conference Centre reopened in the summer of 2010 and is now on it’s way to becoming a World- Class Waterfront Resort.