July Trip to Nova Scotia; need help w/logistics
 

I am on the initial stages of planning a 5-7 days Summer trip to Nova Scotia. I will be driving in from the States, three adults, one of them have accesibility considerations. The travelers concensus is to visit: 1) Cape Breton, 2) Halifax, 3) Peggy's Cove, 4) Lunenberg, and 5) Lighthouse Route.

My questions to whoever wants to share their opinion are (experience preferred :-D):

1. My idea is to get to Cape Breton first and loop back to Halifax and out. What do you think?

2. What is the best way and/or fastest to get in to Nova Scotia from Maine to meet question 1)?

3. What in your experience is a reasonable driving estimate Cape Breton to Halifax?

4. Any recs on hotels in Cape Breton? Halifax or environs? Budget for a triple: around $150? is that reasonable? We have discounts as retired US military, AAA, AARP, if that helps answer the question.

5. Any helpful comments on accesibility? Person a very good traveler.

6. Itinerary ideas that would minimize logistics?

You guys are the best the Internet offers as far as independent travel advice. Thanks for any info you think would take this trip from good to memorable :-D

Someone just asked a similar question:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35122944

I think 5 days is pushing it, but 7 is doable.

Using the itinerary from the other thread and making a couple changes, you could:

If you arrive in Yarmouth early, you could drive up to Luneburg that day along the Lighthouse Route
spend 2 nights there and then drive up to Cape Breton
then spend 3 nights in Cape Breton
drive to Halifax and spend 1 night
drive to Yarmouth and catch the ferry back to Maine.

If you can do 8 days, add another day to Halifax.

Thanks for pointing out the recent thread; I had missed it.

The other travelers have been to Halifax already so our main focus will most likely be Cape Breton.

Any particular central spot to stay in Cape Breton to maximize sigthseeing?

The Nova Scotia Doer's & Dreamer's Travel Guide http://www.destination-ns.com/forms/guide.asp is by far the best resource for all your travel and accommodation needs.

When we last visited Cape Breton, we used Baddeck as our base. A very pretty spot, it was easy to access the Cabot Trail and go out as far as Louisbourg. Baddeck is also the home of the Alexander Graham Bell museum.

I did mailed for and received the Doer's & Dreamers Guide and pretty much got to that conclusion; Baddeck as a home base.

Any rec for lodging in Baddeck? Sorry to admit to this, but I hate B&B's.....

This place was suggested by family who stay there: I think you have to stay more than 1-2 nights.
mcintyrescottages.com - (902) 295-1133

Great suggestion! I e-mailed them and am waiting for a reply. Thanks much!

Funnily enough, that was where we last stayed - 10 or so years ago! The cabins are on a hillside, overlooking Bras D'Or Lake. I recall fireplaces, a very steep driveway, and that the proprietors were originally from Whitby, Ontario.

Well, it is good to know thay have been in the business for a while.

About the steep driveway, you think it would be a problem for convenience?

Not to worry. Despite being gravel and steep, our car had no problems getting up and down. Note: This was in the summertime.

I'd gladly stay there again!

I am retired military myself (Canadian Navy) and my last posting was as Naval Attache at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC so I made many trips back and forth to Nova Scotia. I now operate a 4 1/2 Star B&B in Sydney but appreciate that B&Bs are not everybodies thing. They are also not generally set up for easy accessibility. I disagree with the last poster on the best way to get from Maine to Cape Breton where you want to concentrate your vacation. The ferry is expensive and if you are going to Cape Breton first you do not save any driving time. You are far better off to drive through Bangor and take the "Airport Highway" across to Calais and cross the border at Calais Maine/St Stephen New Brunswick. We would easily drive from Bangor to Cape Breton in a day.

The driving time from Sydney Cape Breton to Halifax is 4 hours and 15 minutes. It is 1/2 hour less from baddeck. Where to stay in Cape Breton depends largely on the type of things you want to do. We typically recommend to our guests that they spend two nights in the Sydney area to cover Fortress Louisbourg and the Cape Breton Miner's Museum in Glace Bay and take in some local entertainment. We then suggest two nights somewhere around the Cabot Trail like Cape North or Cheticamp.

If, however, you want to stay in one place and don't mind adding to your driving time each day, Baddeck is a good central alternative. Particularly if someone in your party has accessilility issues you may want to pick one good location. While you say you don't care for B&Bs, you may want to consider The Worn Doorstep B&B in Baddeck. It is actually set up more like a motel and each room has ground level access. Breakfast is actually brought to your room.

Hope this is of some help

Rick Bowers

Rick-- your post is very informative and of tremendous value to our ongoing planning. We will "dissect" it and incorporate as appropriate. Thank yoiu for taking the time to give us great advice. All the best. More will follow.