When Ann Marie Bagnall and David De Jongh first stood at the edge of the peninsula in Charlos Cove, Nova Scotia, they could see the life they had been talking about for years.

They had come from Edmonton to tour Seawind Landing Country Inn Ltd., a coastal property at the very end of the road. “When you drive down the road, the only thing at the end of the road is us,” Ann Marie says. “So you’re either coming to the inn or you’re hopelessly lost.”

It was a beautiful September evening. The property sat right on the ocean, not near it or within walking distance, but exactly where Ann Marie and David had always imagined. “We didn’t want to be down the road,” she says. “We wanted to look out our windows and see the water.”

The next day, they put in an offer.

A Longstanding Dream Becomes Reality

At the time, the couple had been living a corporate life out west. Ann Marie had spent years in accounting, and the demands of work meant long hours and the possibility of relocation. “We had never really put roots down anywhere,” she says. “We really wanted to settle somewhere, put down our roots and get involved.”

Seawind Landing offered that chance. The business had already been operating for about 15 years when they purchased it, and Ann Marie and David took possession in April 2008. They were new to hospitality, but not new to hard work. David loved to cook and was comfortable in the kitchen. Ann Marie brought her financial background and an eye for detail.

The early years were full of practical lessons. After their first season, they realized the inn needed repairs and better behind-the-scenes workspace. A former barn used for storage, painting, and other work had burned down before they ever saw the property, and Nova Scotia weather quickly taught them the limits of outdoor projects. “I had spent two or three weeks painting the same set of Adirondack furniture because it just kept raining on it,” Ann Marie laughs.

The solution was to build a new structure with centralized laundry and workspace. That was when CBDC Guysborough first became involved with Seawind Landing, and the relationship felt different from working with a distant financial institution. “Wanda, Janice, and Daphne, they know you, they know your business,” Ann Marie says. “It’s a real partnership feel. It’s not just some stranger saying yay or nay. It’s like, okay, what do you need?”

Growing With Intention

Over the years, Seawind Landing has continued to evolve. The inn now has 12 rooms, after Ann Marie and David combined four rooms into two larger ones. One became a fully wheelchair-accessible room with a roll-in shower, something they had wanted to offer after receiving calls from guests and travel agents. “It’s beautiful to be able to say yes to someone when they’re travelling with a wheelchair,” Ann Marie says.

The biggest transformation came in 2023, when the couple built a new dining and event venue onto the inn. When they first arrived, the dining room was small and served mainly overnight guests. Ann Marie and David wanted locals to feel welcome too. “When we came, we very much wanted the community to know that they were welcome here,” she says.

With support connected to post-COVID tourism resiliency funding, and with CBDC Guysborough involved again, Seawind Landing added two EV chargers, a standby generator, and a larger venue with a big deck and a distinctive porthole window. What had once been room for about 30 people “if everybody liked each other and you squished them in,” Ann Marie says, became a space for small weddings, family reunions, group dinners, retreats, concerts, and community events.

A Gathering Place by the Sea

That flexibility matters in a rural area. Seawind Landing is not just a place to sleep; it is also a place to eat, gather, and celebrate. “Nobody wants to arrive at an inn and be told, oh, you’ve got a 30-minute drive to the next restaurant,” Ann Marie says. “So, it’s good to be sort of a one-stop shop.”

The inn has hosted a murder mystery dinner theatre with the Guysborough Players, Stanfest Roadshow concerts, Acadian kitchen party concerts, and International Acadian Day celebrations, with music on the back deck and people gathered on the lawn. For Ann Marie, those moments speak directly to why she and David came to Nova Scotia in the first place. “A big priority for us, remember, was trying to become part of the community,” she says.

Guests now come from near and far. In the summer, Ann Marie estimates about half are European travellers, many connected through longstanding relationships with travel wholesalers. Others come from Canada, the United States, and increasingly from within Nova Scotia and the Maritimes.

Those relationships are nurtured carefully. “It isn’t just about making money,” Ann Marie says. “It’s about actually having people have a fantastic time on their vacation, and make sure that they enjoy not only us, but everything else there is to do in the neighbourhood.”

Part of a Wider Tourism Ecosystem

That generous approach has helped Seawind Landing become part of the wider tourism ecosystem. Ann Marie serves as president of the Tourism Guysborough County Association and has been involved with Coastal Nova Scotia. Two years ago, Coastal Nova Scotia recognized her with an ambassador award.

“We’re trying really hard,” she says. “And just to have people say, hey, it’s actually working, you know? It’s great.”

Inside the business, Ann Marie and David have found a rhythm that suits them. She handles the financial and administrative details. David looks after maintenance, the property, cooking, and the kitchen. “We complement each other quite nicely,” she says.

The work remains demanding. Seawind Landing employs 11 people between full-time, part-time, and seasonal staff, and winter often brings renovations, maintenance, upgrades, and planning. Still, Ann Marie’s favourite part of the work is simple: the people.

“Sometimes you get talking with them, and you know what they’re coming for,” she says. “You have a little bit of a relationship before they’re even here, and then they arrive, and it’s like you finally get to meet them.”

Gazing Out at the Horizon

Looking ahead, Ann Marie and David are focused on growing the shoulder season and expanding the event side of the business. They have more than doubled their occupancy since they started, and where they once began a season with perhaps 10 reservations on the books, they now start with hundreds.

What began as a daydream of running an inn by the sea has become something much larger: a business, a gathering place, a tourism anchor, and a home at the end of the road.

“We really wanted to settle somewhere, put down our roots and get involved,” Ann Marie says.

In Charlos Cove, they did exactly that.

Thank you to the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), who collaborate with us to support small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. Together, we will continue to build a stronger Atlantic Canadian economy, fostering job growth and strengthening our rural communities.