My husband and I plan a 6 day trip to NS via the CAT to Yarmouth with our car in early September. Looking for a reasonably priced place to stay overnight in Yarmouth (no shared bath). We heard the Lighthouse Route is quite scenic up to Halifax and would like input as well as where to stay along the route (are there any nice B&B's as well as good places to eat without breaking the bank?)<BR>

Its been a few years, but my husband and I stayed at a great place in Mahone Bay called the Sou'wester Inn. Very nice and reasonably priced. Within walking distance was a super little restaurant called Mimi's Ocean Grill.<BR><BR>Over the last few weeks there have been a few good threads regarding NS travel. If you have not already done so, its really worth doing a text search for "Yarmouth" and "Nova Scotia". I think that there are even a few with "Cape Breton" in the title that may be worth a look. You will find plenty of useful info with a search. <BR><BR>Have a great trip!

We stayed at Lunenburg on the Lighthouse Route in July and would thoroughly recommend the town. Stayed at the Maplebird Inn which was great, very central, lovely breakfasts and the added bonus of a swimming pool. Plenty of restaurant choice also, we had some super meals during our stay, (favourites were the Hillcroft, Rissers and the Lion Inn). If you have time visit the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic on the waterfront and if it is still running in September the Lobstermen boat tour was fascinating.

I've just returned from a trip to NS and our trip included touring the lighthouse route from Halifax to Yarmouth. <BR><BR>I thought the lighthouse route was spectacular sceanery. Mahone Bay was lovely. I also ate at Mimi's and it was very good. <BR><BR>If you want oceanfront accommodations I thought Quarterdeck in Summerville looked great. We enjoyed their restaurant.<BR><BR>If you go thru Shelborne I recommend the Charlotte Lane Cafe.

Just returned from a week in N.S. spending most time in that area. The weather was hot so we were glad we didn;t have to uproot and move on but could just go to the beach late in the day when we returned from doing something in the area. Bring something warm to wear on the CAT over. It was freezing. On the way back at 1:00 pm it was comfortable. Rented a car in Yarmouth cause our cars are old and found it was cheaper to do that than to take one over on the CAT. Your just limited to what you can bring over. You would have to take RT. 3 and not 103 to see scenic places. Rt.103 is just miles and miles of trees. Stopped in Shelburne and had lunch at Charlottes Lane Rest. which someone on this board suggested. It was wonderful. Mahone Bay area is very pretty. Lunenburg was great also. Lunch at Magnolias Cafe again was great. Disappointed we didn't get to see the Summerville-Crescent Beach area. We were driving up to Hubbards and never headed back until we were returning to Yarmouth. We stayed at the Anchorage in Hubbards Cove which was nice. I wish N.S. wasn't so far cause I would love to stay at Rosewood on the Cove in Hubbards for a special weekend getaway. It was beautiful. People at info centers were great in telling you about scenic routes. Things are spread out more in N.S. unlike New England. You don;'t have the traffic jams of RT. 1 in Maine. Great pubs in Halifax. Unlike the states, so areas only have limited restaurants and sandwich shops. We had great meals (Trellis Cafe in Hubbards) but at times had to struggle to find a different place or one open. Have a great time. We hope to go back and do Cape Breton etc. didn;t want to do everything at once. The taxes are high in N.S. but found we still made out.

Thanks a bunch all of you for your great replies. It is so helpful!

Nova Scotia is a wonderful place to vacation. Even if you arrive without a reservation at all, there are tourist information places all over. If you do not have a place to stay, they will find one for you. With the demise of the fishing industry in Eastern Canada, tourism is big business and the Canadians do it right.

We just stayed in Lunenberg, which is a sweet little town, but a little more going on than in Mahone Bay or Chester along the Lighthouse Route. We stayed at the Boscawen Inn, and were somewhat disppointed with the room, bed, food and lack of helpfulness of the management. (Staff was great; owner didn't know much at all...) The best restaurants in town were Hillcroft Cafe and small, cafe-like Magnolia's.<BR>