desktraveler

The is a certain amount of excitement as you approach a "treasured" location that you've heard so much about and have been wanting to see for yourself. Perhaps this is why the drive up to Ingonish seemed a bit long. Or perhaps it was the roundabout route that the highway takes, first heading north and then coming back south down the inlet to the inland sea before crossing over at a narrow point. Joining the circular Cabot Trail at this point, the road north is less of a highway and more of a two-lane twisting scenic route. This suited us just fine, because the Cabot Trail scenery was what we had come for, along with good food and good maritime music. I would imagine that this road is extremely frustrating to drive in the summer when ... read more

The drive from Halifax to the link to Cape Breton is not hugely exciting so we added our own excitement by first getting lost on our way out of Halifax and then by missing the exit for Truro, where we intended to have breakfast. After Truro, the highway meets the Trans-Canada at a "T" and we exited at the first town after that. The town really only had a convenience store, so they recommended going 5 minutes down the road... to Truro! We ended up with a really yummy breakfast at a diner attached to a motel - and it was super cheap, about $3 per person! Once on Cape Breton, we headed east to Isle Madeleine. There is a reknowned candy store here that my boss had raved about. They make their own candies and ... read more

Travel MapA quick stop in Halifax before taking off for Cape Breton Island. We stayed at the Westin on a priceline bid that was cheaper than the best 3.5* hotel rate we could find. The hotel was nice and the beds were "heavenly". Dave had great luck getting suggestions from the concierge, who pointed us to the Comfy Corner Cafe for a great breakfast, and The Sweet Basil Bistro for a wonderful dinner. He also pointed us to a great jazz bar for after dinner, but I forget the name.... read more