The Perfect Luxury Weekend in Cape Breton: What to Do, Where to Stay and the Best Restaurants

I live here, and haven’t gotten to do most of what you mentioned.. LOL I love this place, and wouldn’t trade it for the world.. but it’s hard living here. There isn’t much in the way of employment opportunity, and most of the young people have gone, moved out west. It’s sad really, almost feels lonely here now.

I do agree however, that it is magnificent, and majestic.. Warm and inviting, and we always welcome guests, from near or far..

Glad you enjoyed your stay and thank you for spreading the word!!

Thanks for visiting our Island and the Chéticamp region. Your article included many of my favourites places on Cape-Breton so I must commend you and invite you to come try more of our famous hospitality!

I, too, love Cape Breton. I remember discovering homemade strawberry rhubarb pie ala mode at the Bell Buoy Restaurant that was to die for!

I love your article about beautiful Cape Breton! I am so fortunate to call it home and I think you’ve done an awesome job of capturing its beauty. Glad you took a trip to the Miners Museum – I spent two summers working here when I was in university and it still remains my all-time favourite job. This is a piece I will read and read again when I need a little dose of home – great job!

Great article, thanks for bringing some much needed attention to the younger people. I explain it as…everyone is in fastforward these days..Cape Breton stays in reverse and the people down to earth:) The Home of My Heart, Cape Breton xo

I really enjoyed your article. I was born and raised in Cape Breton, unfortunately I don’t live there any longer, but it will always be my home. You really must see the Cabot Trail in the fall when the leaves are changing colour.There really is nothing in this world that can compare to it’s beauty. I’m happy you enjoyed your first trip to the Island and hope you have many more. It will only get better.

Although the island is beautiful and you mentioned many of the attractions, it saddens me to see that you completely missed mentioning this first people of the island.
The Mi’kmaw people are the aboriginal inhabitant of this area and their culture is rich and accessible. I thought they would at least be mentioned in your paragraph regarding Louisburg and I find it a bit disappointing.
I feel as though you missed an important and unique experience of the island by skipping over these people, their heritage, history, and view of the island. They are very much alive and there many reserves and cultural centres scattered all over the island.
Next time you return I recommend at the very least you do the Cabot Trail with a Mi’kmaw elder – your experience will be increased by a tenfold !
Although our Celtic and Scotish heritage is important, it is not the only one to explore and learn about here 🙂

Thank you for writing such a beautiful article. i was born and raised in Cape Breton but now I live in Japan. There really is no other place like it in the world. I’m coming home soon.

My mom is from Margaree Forks in Cape Bretain. If u haven’t been there you have to and in August if u time it right u can watch the salmon run at the hatchery and u can even join in and help them. The dancing goat u mentioned is a great restaurant and I have been to the distillery twice and bought a whiskey for a friend of ours for there 50th anniversary

Yes, I will echo the thank you for posting all these positive things about the Cabot Trail and Cape Breton Island! Next time around, please stop into my restaurant in Cheticamp called The Hometown Kitchen Restaurant. 🙂 This is being shared on Facebook as well (that’s where I found it). Thanks again!

I have to say, I never tire of hearing good things about my home 🙂 I’m so glad you got to experience what I was so lucky to grow up enjoying! I will be sharing your glowing recommendation, especially with the out of town guests of my wedding.

Thank you for writing this article. I too was born and raised in Cape Breton but I am currently living in Turkey. It was nostalgic for me to read your article and makes me appreciate where I come from more.

Next time you are back to Cape Breton you must check out the beautiful scenery in Meat Cove. Breathtaking!

I, too was born and raised in CB by the water. I moved away in 60 to find work and ended up in Pictou County but I go back home whenever I get the chance because I sometimes need a “CB fix”. I am so proud to be a part of it and have experienced the wonderful people who love to welcome others to this beautiful place. Growing up there and listening to the wonderful music has affected me for life in such a good way. I hope you do go back to CB and bring your friends. You have done a great job of describing CB. Love it! It is such a big part of who I am.

What a positive and encouraging article! Thank you so much! I feel I’ve taken my beautiful home for granted. Sometimes we need someone to remind us of what we have. You seem like a lovely person, again thank you.

Thanks for visiting our beautiful island 🙂 it truly is the best place on earth!

Great article! It is a wonderful place to visit, but I will sadly echo the previous comments: it’s a rough place to make a living.

Some more additions to your experience that I always recommend to people are: the beaches, ask the locals where they swim-lots of times it’s off the beaten path and not marked but there’s a reason the locals keep it secret! The water is cold but super refreshing. Explore the WW2 history of the Sydney area-there’s great stories about subs in the harbour and both sides of the harbour are dotted with barracks that were manned to defend against German subs!

Couple more wonderful restaurants that I love are: The Black Spoon, The Lobster Pound and Moore-both in North Sydney. Both owned by local chefs, they create wonderfully flavourful and filling dishes that are to die for! Amadeus Italian Restaurant in Sydney is amazing too. WIth a young red seal chef in the kitchen, the dishes are again wonderfully flavourful and filling! Plus they have the lovely tradition of crusty bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip that I think I could easily live off of if I ever had to.

A great article. Thanks for visiting our island. I absolutely love living here and feel very fortunate! So glad you had a wonderful experience. Hope you get to come back. You will have to visit the Gaelic College to experience more of the Scottish culture and maybe have your guy dressed in the Great Kilt during our cultural demonstrations. The fall is a spectacular time to visit with all the colors. You would really enjoy the Celtic Colors music festival with events all over the island. See you there, eh?

What a great review of our gorgeous island! It sounds like you stayed at Cabot, but didn’t golf – that’s another amazing part of the Island.. great golf courses, particularly Cabot Links (Inverness).

It looks like you had amazing weather and many adventures!

If you’re heading back, or anyone is heading that way, check out St. Peter’s Canal National Historic Site, located in St. Peter’s! It dates back to before Louisbourg, and supplied Louisbourg with bricks and lumber! And if you’re looking for a great place to stop and eat, try the Fleur de Lis in Port Hawkesbury (my hometown) – best breakfast and homemade soups!

Happy summer!

I was born and grew up on Cape Breton but moved out to the West Coast of Canada to British Columbia. I love it here but long for my home. I just wish this wasn’t such a huge country and I could get home more often. Once a Caper, always a Caper. Thank you for your kind comments about our beautiful island.

Glad you enjoyed our island! Keep plugging we need our tourism as it is basically one of our most significant industries!! I will say that even though I have lived here for basically 30 years I still find new places to go and things to do. In the last 2 days I have actually discovered a couple new places!! [Cape Clear which is a little tricky to get to, but a 4wd truck will get you there, and you really don’t have to walk at all- view is spectacular, miles in almost every direction! and the new dog/walking park area in Membertou].
If you ever make it back here though, make sure to try to go to Kennington Cove, I strongly recommend at nightime as it is a *great* place to view the nights’ sky away from any city lighting, fireflies, and the sound of the crashing waves- the atmosphere is so serene. There is also a small monument there which tells the story of how the British landed there when they took Louisburg at some point [it is only a 15 minutes drive from the fortress].

I live here and sadly this is my first year really getting out to enjoy what this island has to offer. Makes me proud to see travelers spending precious time here.

Hi Katie:

Thank you for giving such a wonderful review of our Island. I’ve lived here all my life, and I’m very proud to be a Cape Bretoner. As Cape Bretoners, we need to start taking advantage of what we have and enjoying it as much as the tourists do. My family and I went on the Amoeba Sailing Ship last week in Baddeck, and I totally agree, it was a wonderful experience. Maybe you could mention our Island to Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan, and they could do a “feature week” on Cape Breton like they did for PEI.

Next time you come, visit Whycocomagh. You drive right through it when on the Trans Canada Highway. The Bras d’or lakes are located in Whycocomagh and the site is beautiful especially if you hike up Salt Mountain!

ooh love the Cabot Trail, but definitely want to do/see the rest now

I think you missed a very amazing food experience by not stopping at Charlene’s Bayside Restaurant , the Chowder here is award winning and totaling amazing we haven’t found anyone who hasn’t liked it yet ,seven seafood and no potato a true seafood experience. Gluten friendly also. Check out our facebook page. Hope to see you on your next adventure.

Thanks for spread the word! Cape Breton Island is truly a paradise. So much to do no matter what season. Another event tourists and locals enjoy takes place in summer. It takes place in Englishtown when the community plays host to the annual Mussel Festival. Delicious food and entertainment for the day for less than $20! October welcomes Celtic Colors with talent from around the world. This festival takes place in several communities around the island and appeals to all ages and genres. The list goes on. No matter where we travel we spread the word that Cape Breton is the best kept secret that we want to tell! We lived there for over 50 years and then relocated for employment but return to Cape Breton several times a year to visit relatives and friends and we, too, still discover new things to do and see!

My mother was born in a quarry just north of Baddeck, and I grew up traveling from Mass to Cape Breton every summer and Christmas. Most of my family and extended family still live there, and it kills me when a year goes by when I can’t go “home”. I’m very proud of my family and heritage in Cape Breton, and I love when the rest of the world can get a peek in articles like this. I’ll certainly be sharing!

Born and raised there. Had to go down the road for work but I love going home. I just wrote a book called- A Little House on No.3 Hill, about growing up in the 50s and 60s in a little house build on a coal seam. Full of good spirits and sometimes the devil we was! Check my web site, there are lots of pics of Cape Breton on there.

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Great article Katie as usual you write the best for traveler with your fantastic writing style. I love Cape Breton. “For simple beauty, Cape Breton outrivals them all.” So said Alexander Graham Bell of the island he adopted as his home. Rich with Celtic, Mi’kmaq and Acadian heritage, Cape Breton is a delight for history buffs, music lovers and explorers of nature.

I am from the Island. I have stayed pretty much everywhere there is to stay on the Island. My Company at the time renovated the flooring throughout the Keltic Lodge, from the Ceramic Tile in the Main Reservation entrance, to the Cabins and other rooms on the Resort. If you do plan a trip back to Cape Breton Island, I highly recommend staying at the Lantern Hill and Hollow ( just past Keltic Lodge ). It’s a beauty of a spot. Also, if you plan a trip through Port Hood. The Lighthouse Cottages is another spot to stay for a beautiful view and a fabulous beach. The list goes on and on. Having said that. The Island sure does offer a lot of beauty. 🙂

Incredible writeup Katie and very very useful as we’re just about to offer Cape Breton Island custom vacations and have been studying up and traveling to the Island when we can. Definitely heading to Cabot Links next time even though I don’t golf..I want to stay there!

Thanks Katie for the info on lodging in CB. One more question if I may… As I was looking at the map, for some reason, I thought that staying in Ingonish would be us closer to the Cabot Trails / hiking. But I think it’s about 2 hours away from the Inverness area which will make the drive back to Halifax that much longer. My question is whether there is an ideal location to stay, on the island, that puts us closest to the best Cabot Trails. What do you think? Thank you VERY much for this wonderful information!