The place is in desperate need of some TLC. My room was older and the two mattresses were obviously not from the same era - one was great and the other was so old it just sank in as soon as I sat down on it - no support whatsoever. Other than that, though, my stay was decent thanks to the awesome team here, namely Lily - she was courteous and personable, just great all around. For Sydney, I'd say this hotel is bang average - would have been a 2/5 without the team.

I'd like to be clear now, that the hearthstone doesn' get a bad review from me. Our room and stay has been pleasant and nice and the staff has been friendly and helpful. The one star (which should be none) goes to the restaurant located within, which is conveniently for them not listed on Yelp. The "ISLA KUSINA International Cuisine" or "The Kusina" is severely overpriced for the food and undersized portions you get. My son and I went in for dinner last night, He ordered a poutine with a side option of chicken tenders which was 8$ plus 4$ for the chicken tenders add on. I ordered Pasta linguini with bacon and garlic bread which was 18$ + 2 soft drinks.
HERE IS WHAT WE GOT: My son got a medicore poutine served in a cereal bowl and those 4$ chicken tender add ons? They were only 2 crappy frozen chicken fingers right out of a box. My Pasta ALSO came in a cereal bowl, there was no bacon and the garlic bread was a puny stale chunk of buttered bread that was re-heated in a microwave. I also ordered a half lb of wings and in return I got 5 pitiful wings that had barely any meat on them. After taxes our meal came to almost 60$. Today the only reason we came in again for breakfast was that the Hearthstones website and all its affiliated booking sites said that breakfast is included free in your stay. (It's not) and we didnt find that out until we were ready to sit down and eat. We got the "guest deal" that was advertised as an "all included $7.99 breakfast" (It wasnt.) WHAT WE GOT: My son got a puny undercooked pancake (which he said had a bad texture and taste, so he couldnt even eat it) and undercooked potatoes, with a puny portion of scrambled eggs and I had to pay $2.99 extra for him to only get 2 pathetic slices of bacon. My order was listed as toast, eggs, (notice that eggs is plural) 2 sides of meat, and hashbrowns. I GOT: 1 slice of toast (that wasnt toasted, it was like someone stuck it in an arm pit.) 1 egg (not eggs) 1 slice of bacon, 1 breakfast sausage, and the same undercooked potatoes. I'd also like to point out that although advertised as included, We were charged extra for a small orange juice and a watered down coffee. When we were finished our "free breakfast" came to 25$. I'm not happy whatsoever and now my son is sick in bed in our room from the undercooked food.

I appreciate hotels that go beyond the norm and attempt something different. The Hearthstone Inn in Sydney, Nova Scotia, is such a hotel. Its rooms, for example, are decorated in themes based on local culture. Moreover, it has great mattresses and bedding. Unfortunately, it’s downhill from there. The Hearthstone Inn fails on the basics one comes to expect at good hotels. The attached photos are revealing – loose door handles, rusty bolts on the toilet, sloppy wall finish, messy paint jobs, rotting siding, tattered breakfast menus. The list goes on. No wifi for three days and an outdoor sign advertising a bar that cannot sell alcohol because it does not yet have a license. As architects are prone to say, the devil is in the details. And the details shown in the photographs tell you everything you need to know about this establishment.