The Novel Stay
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Fast facts
Check in from: | 14:00 |
|---|---|
Check out before: | 11:00 |
Pets | Pets not allowed |
Children | Children are welcome at this hotel |
Amenities
Wi-Fi
Parking
Non-smoking
Laundry
Kitchen
Heating
The Novel Stay: reviews
Reviews from 
Solo traveller
UK
Comment: 17 Oct 2025
Stayed in: Oct 2025
Absolutely perfect for downtown Halifax. Look no further.
If you're looking for a place to stay in Halifax, then look no further, this place is just perfect; first of all, location: unbeatable! Right in middle of downtown Halifax, walking distance of the waterfront and all attractions such as the citadel. Yet, it is in a very quiet street. It is a lovely guest house with rooms that have all you need. There is also a communal area with a cosy lounge and a very well equipped kitchen where you can make your food if travelling on a budget. I honestly think it ticks all my boxes. The manager was very kind and all instructions to get in the property or use Wi-Fi were uncomplicated. I will be back if I am in Halifax again.
Solo traveller
Comment: 11 Feb 2024
Stayed in: Feb 2024
My personal experience at the Novel Stay
Where do I begin with this place?
I stayed in room 1 by the front door.
When I entered the house it stunk like cigarettes, not like someone walking in from smoking, like someone smoking in the building.
When I walked into the bathroom it stunk like urine.
There were drunk people coming and going from the house all night, not even sure if some of them were guests.
At some point around 7-8pm another guest chucked a bag of garbage in front of my door (I moved the bag of garbage but it stayed in the hallway all the next day and was not cleaned up by any staff), that's good foreshadowing of what the rest of my short stay here would be like.
Around 230AM I get woken up by a drunk man sitting in the hallway bench in front of my door loudly singing in French or something. I opened my door and asked him politely to please keep it down as me and other guests are sleeping. He just stared at me and didn't say a word, he started to get up and I closed and locked my door. He then starts trying to get into my room, trying the door handle multiple times while also trying his room keys to see if they will unlock my door, all while not saying a word or responding to me. After a minute of this his friend who is also a guest said something to him and he went outside. Needless to say I was pretty angry and worried by this and did not want to deal with these guys being around the house. I was on the verge of calling 911 but decided not too once he went away, in retrospect I definitely should have. Around 5 in the morning I hear a slam from the toilet bowl as these guys were still up drinking and making noise. I didn't get any sleep that night and informed Neil (the property manager) right after the incident that another guest had been trying to break into my room after I told him to keep it down at 230AM. Neil responded in the morning with a sorry and stating he may put this guy on the ban list. However Neil was going to let them stay the rest of their nights there. I was pretty dissatisfied by this as I figured that being loud, drunk and disorderly and attempting to break into other guests rooms would get them ejected from the property. But not at this place. Apparently it is against their policy but what good is a policy you don't enforce? For obvious reasons I no longer wanted to stay here anymore once I was informed he would be allowed to stay despite the behaviour.
Neil offered a discount but I just wanted a safe and quiet place to sleep and this was not going to happen here. I ended up calling the company I booked through and they refunded me 2 nights but I would still have to pay for the night of the incident unfortunately.
I see other reviews are very favorable so this must just be bad luck in my case I guess. I don't think they have dealt with an issue like this too often so the property manager probably doesn't know how to handle things like this properly. I normally stay in hostels and more rundown motels so this place seemed like a nice change for me and I was excited about it but I honestly have felt much safer in way worse accommodations than this one. I have never dealt with an issue like this before myself but I'm very unhappy with how it was handled.
Towards the end of my communication with Neil he referred to this as simply "not getting along with the other guest". This made me laugh as it's quite a way to sum up another guest attempting to get into my room at 230AM and being loud and drunk throughout the night.
I ended up getting a much nicer room last minute in a hotel down the street. Despite the extra cost it's worth it to not have to deal with drunk people who are not stable.
I would never book here again and will inform anyone travelling to Halifax to avoid it at all costs.
I stayed in room 1 by the front door.
When I entered the house it stunk like cigarettes, not like someone walking in from smoking, like someone smoking in the building.
When I walked into the bathroom it stunk like urine.
There were drunk people coming and going from the house all night, not even sure if some of them were guests.
At some point around 7-8pm another guest chucked a bag of garbage in front of my door (I moved the bag of garbage but it stayed in the hallway all the next day and was not cleaned up by any staff), that's good foreshadowing of what the rest of my short stay here would be like.
Around 230AM I get woken up by a drunk man sitting in the hallway bench in front of my door loudly singing in French or something. I opened my door and asked him politely to please keep it down as me and other guests are sleeping. He just stared at me and didn't say a word, he started to get up and I closed and locked my door. He then starts trying to get into my room, trying the door handle multiple times while also trying his room keys to see if they will unlock my door, all while not saying a word or responding to me. After a minute of this his friend who is also a guest said something to him and he went outside. Needless to say I was pretty angry and worried by this and did not want to deal with these guys being around the house. I was on the verge of calling 911 but decided not too once he went away, in retrospect I definitely should have. Around 5 in the morning I hear a slam from the toilet bowl as these guys were still up drinking and making noise. I didn't get any sleep that night and informed Neil (the property manager) right after the incident that another guest had been trying to break into my room after I told him to keep it down at 230AM. Neil responded in the morning with a sorry and stating he may put this guy on the ban list. However Neil was going to let them stay the rest of their nights there. I was pretty dissatisfied by this as I figured that being loud, drunk and disorderly and attempting to break into other guests rooms would get them ejected from the property. But not at this place. Apparently it is against their policy but what good is a policy you don't enforce? For obvious reasons I no longer wanted to stay here anymore once I was informed he would be allowed to stay despite the behaviour.
Neil offered a discount but I just wanted a safe and quiet place to sleep and this was not going to happen here. I ended up calling the company I booked through and they refunded me 2 nights but I would still have to pay for the night of the incident unfortunately.
I see other reviews are very favorable so this must just be bad luck in my case I guess. I don't think they have dealt with an issue like this too often so the property manager probably doesn't know how to handle things like this properly. I normally stay in hostels and more rundown motels so this place seemed like a nice change for me and I was excited about it but I honestly have felt much safer in way worse accommodations than this one. I have never dealt with an issue like this before myself but I'm very unhappy with how it was handled.
Towards the end of my communication with Neil he referred to this as simply "not getting along with the other guest". This made me laugh as it's quite a way to sum up another guest attempting to get into my room at 230AM and being loud and drunk throughout the night.
I ended up getting a much nicer room last minute in a hotel down the street. Despite the extra cost it's worth it to not have to deal with drunk people who are not stable.
I would never book here again and will inform anyone travelling to Halifax to avoid it at all costs.
Other
Comment: 11 Nov 2019
Stayed in: Jul 2019
Conveniently located in Halifax
Communication was great from the booking onwards. Check-in was smooth & efficient. Their reception was just around the corner. Credit card payment allowed. Neil was friendly & professional. He showed us around the property. Gave us free tokens for the clothes dryer. Laundry is for free. Giving us an early check-in & late check-out allowed us to enjoy Halifax longer. We stayed in room 7 upstairs. It was clean & roomy enough for 2 persons with luggage. A window in the room made it brighter. There's a toilet & shower upstairs which we never had to wait long for. After a full day of sightseeing, it was nice to relax at the comfortable & spacious lounge area downstairs with cable TV & reading materials. We used the kitchen to make breakfast daily, however there were enough crockery, pots, pans, kitchen utensils & even condiments to make other meals. The courtyard at the back was relaxing. The whole place is kept clean, neat & tidy. Our home away from home. The best part is the LOCATION. Everything (city centre, shops, restaurants, cafes and the harbour) is within walking distance. Even the direct airport bus is a 20-minute walk away. The guests who were there while we were there, were all nice and friendly which made our 5 nights stay in June 2019 a little nicer. Value for money at the Novel Stay compared to other properties around the area made our trip affordable. We would stay here again if we get the chance to come back. We highly recommend staying at this lovely property.
Other
Comment: 23 Oct 2019
Stayed in: Oct 2019
Okay aside from bed bugs
We stayed here early October. The location was great, walking distance to most attractions. However, 3rd night in we saw a couple live bed bugs, and then searched the room and found a few dead ones. The building manager was understanding of the situation and we were offered a different room and extra laundry tokens, but decided we couldn't stay there any longer. We were given a full refund and told they would be calling an exterminator.
Other
US
Comment: 14 Aug 2019
Stayed in: Jul 2019
Affordable Central Location
Stayed here for 8 nights. I had a room with a private bathroom (one of two). My room was cozy with ample room to move around. It included a writing desk and chair, dresser, flat screen television, queen bed and small refrigerator. The modern bathroom was essentially part of the room - separated by a glass door, the toilet, sink and shower were all-in-one (think European-style pension where the entire bathroom gets flooded when you shower). Several windows allowed loads of natural light to flow into my room (although the blinds need replacing as several were broken). A communal kitchen was available to store food and cook. The spotless communal dining/living area was very inviting and tastefully decorated. The location is excellent - located in historic Schmiidtville, just a few blocks from the downtown waterfront area. A Sobey's supermarket and a Pete's supermarket are just a five minute walk from the Novel Stay. Cafe's are everywhere and a nice touch are the Keurig pods that are provided at the inn as part of the nightly rate. Also, there is an on-site laundry facility which uses tokens - included with the nightly rate. The only downside is on the weekend - there was loud music and a party atmosphere (college kids) at an adjacent house until after midnight. If you are go to sleep early or are a light sleeper, this may be an issue. Overall, very good value with a central Halifax location.
Explore the area
5611 Morris Street, Halifax, B3J 1C4, Canada|0.93 km from city centre
Good to know
Children are welcome at this hotel
Please contact the hotel for details about adding extra beds.
Please contact the hotel for details about adding a cot.
Pets not allowed
Please inform The Novel Stay in advance of your expected arrival time. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly with the contact details provided in your confirmation. Guests are required to show a photo identification and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply. In response to Coronavirus (COVID-19), additional safety and sanitation measures are in effect at this property. Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), this property adheres to strict physical distancing measures. Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), please ensure that you are only booking this property following the local government guidelines of the destination, including but not limited to the purpose of travel, and maximum allowed group size. Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), wearing a face mask is mandatory in all indoor common areas. Please note that The Novel Stay has no reception. Guests are required to check-in at 1317 Dresden Row, which is 60 metres from the property. Guests are kindly requested to contact The Novel Stay prior to arrival for further details. You must show a valid photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all special requests cannot be guaranteed and are subject to availability upon check-in. Additional charges may apply. Please note all deposits must be submitted via PayPal. The property will email the guest to provide further details upon confirmation. Final payment is due at the time of check in.
This hotel accepts the following payment methods:
Cash
The Novel Stay: FAQs
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