Castle Rock is like your own home away from home. It's a two story building where you walk down the…read morestairs and you have breakfast. It's just breathtaking views from the deck . Very ample breakfast buffet and you don't really need coffee in your room because it's so easy just to wander down the stairs and get it there instead. Really friendly staff who would do anything to make your stay better! And a kilometre away is the Fisherman's Kitchen, which was delightful for us for dinner after a long day's drive.

Castle Rock and I chatted a lot coming up to my stay. In Booking.com messages that I couldn't get…read morewithout wi-fi or Internet, so for example I didn't know that their kitchen had a staffing issue and was closed that night. So glad I stopped sooner! (Main Street and Castle Rock have similar menus and prices, Castle Rock has a nicer ambiance but I can't really speak beyond that.) As far as lodging, a simply wonderful staff at Castle Rock. Friendly, chatty if you want, but they'll give you space if you don't. I had a basement room, which seemed like a weird idea, but it was fairly quiet down there despite being across from the washing machine. Very well insulated rooms. Upsides: rooms, staff, free breakfast with very nice stuff - had lox! with cheese wedges on raisin bread and scooped some yogurt with nuts and raisins for a topping. Great views for sunset. Clean rooms, a novelty to open them with the key you're given (hint: hold it over the "5" on the door. someone had to show me that). Downsides: Shower pressure. Not terrible but I've had better. Verdict: Definitely over 4 stars, so based on the great ambiance and staff I shall round it up! Those things do matter!

What an enjoyable evening at the Tulloch Inn. This beautiful country inn is located on an…read moreabsolutely incredible lake. Our room, the balcony facing the water was ideal. This it the place you want to stay at particularly if you are looking for a quiet restful retreat. The dining room was closed for evening meals due to Covid. I erred and chose to go to Whycomough to eat. It was a drive and just about every eating establishment was closed. We would have fared better heading to Inverness. The breakfast in the morning was so very good. Fresh local fruit, the best coffee and homemade whole wheat pancakes with real maple syrup and butter. Quiet! The home is deep in from the road so there is absolutely no traffic. The walls between the rooms and floor are completely soundproof. Our hostess advised us that if we needed them in the evening we would have to phone. Their room was directly below us but there just is no noise transmission. If you are taking the ferry to Newfoundland I suggest you consider this place.

I loved my stay at this inn. The accommodations were wonderful, so clean and comfortable. The…read moreowners were so kind and welcoming. Breakfasts were delicious, Betty is an incredible cook. I hope to come back someday.

We were going to spend one night near the northern portion of Cape Breton Island and after some…read moreresearch found this place. We were B&B virgins (still AirBnB, BTW) and were apprehensive how this would go. Upon entering the national park we hit some severe weather and were delayed. We called them up that we were running late and the hosts Alfred & Kathleen were kind to let us know that it was OK and it was important that we be safe. We were greeted warmly and shown the room promptly. Mighty impressed by the home and bedroom provided. We had carried a simple meal on the way and they sat with us while we ate and were great in conversing with us. Very kind, warm hearted and generous folks. This put us to ease a lot. The bedroom itself was furnished beautifully. The beds comfortable, good private bathroom and great wi-fi. We told them before retiring for bed that we had some dietary restrictions (one no eggs and meats and one vegan) and that we wanted leave early. Still they were kind enough to give us coffee, fruits and breads - early. We forgot one of our things on our way out and they called us to let us know and we suggested as we were nearby would stop by. Upon arrival we had the same warm welcome! Amazing folks, great home, perfect bedroom and bathroom. Wish we could give more stars!

We had a very lovely stay at this place on our Cabot Trail trek. Alfred and Kathleen were so warm…read moreand welcoming. We got there in the evening and they offered their dining room table for us to have our supper if we needed. They had great insights on things to do on the island. Their house was immaculate and they ask guests to take their shoes off at the door. The bed was the most comfortable bed we've ever slept in. The pillows were equally comfy and the bathroom was pristine. There was a living room we could use with satellite TV and books to read. The home-cooked breakfast was hearty, warm, and delicious. We had bacon and eggs, toast, and fruit. There is also a cereal bar and cookie jar. The coffee was perfect for someone who really appreciates coffee like I do. It was percolated, which I had never heard of before, but was delicious!!

This place is everything a real down home B&B should be. Em and I rolled up to this beautiful…read morehillside farm house on a whim, after arriving in Pleasant Bay later than expected and without any lodging planned. The proprietor, Tanya was incredibly welcoming and generous, and flexible with the fact that we have a medium-sized dog (despite her own cats!) and had arrived without any cash. We were immediately made to feel at home and spent a lovely evening chatting with the other guests on the screened-in porch with an amazing view overlooking the ocean. The adorable little bedroom was cozy and comfortable, the shared bathroom and toilet perfectly accommodating (the place only has three rooms, so sharing is no trouble), and the simple breakfast in the morning was delicious and lovingly prepared. Pleasant Bay is (very) small anyway of course, but I might add also that Windswept B&B is perfectly located for whale watching tours or a visit to the Buddhist monastery nearby. Most of all though, I can't speak highly enough of how comfy and cozy and quaint the little farm house itself is, and of how kind and accommodating its proprietor. I would definitely go back.

The room was nice & the bed was comfortable. What made us unhappy was not just the 10am checkout,…read morebut our interactions with both staff & the owner. We were traveling for 6 weeks staying in at least 12 different places) and this was literally the ONLY place we stayed where the checkout was before 11am. Getting ready to pack, I saw a guy getting ready to clean another room & asked if checkout was at 11. He called back something like "sounds good" About 10 min later a woman knocked on our door & not very nicely, told us check out was at 10 & we owed $20 for the late checkout. We went up to the office & spoke with the owner. Customer service did not seem to be his priority as he would go back & forth between being snarky & not. In the end, we were not charged the $20, but the experience left a very sour taste in our mouths.

Rooms- exceptionally clean Grounds- also exceptionally…read moreclean Owner- one of the most difficult people I've met in some time. The owner actually had two pages of boxes to check making sure there was no damage to any of the rooms or what was in the room. He actually had a box that said, please do not use the towels to clean your vehicles. He also would not allow one of the people I was staying with to park his trailer behind the motel because there wasn't enough room..... which was not true! The trailer is a single motorcycle carrier! Long story short, if you can find somewhere else to stay in the highlands, stay there.

Eating at the restaurant at Chanterelle Inn was one of the loveliest and most idyllic dining…read moreexperiences I've ever had. First of all, the genre is, in their words, "Cape Breton Fresh" cuisine, prepared in the "Slow Food tradition." Indeed, the place is a venerable Slow Food institution, with chef Earlene Busch having been selected to represent Canada at "Terra Madre" in 2006 and 2008. Needless to say the food is of incredible quality, prepared with incredible care and attention to detail, and it's almost entirely local and organic. The bottom of the menu literally features a list of where every menu item and ingredient comes from, including many things from the property itself. The cream of mushroom soup was, as one would only hope from a restaurant called Chanterelle, absolutely outstanding, the mushrooms all picked from the inn's bountiful grounds. The tomato and basil soup that my partner had was also excellent and very fresh. For mains, we had a local sole filet topped with crab, and a kebab of local beef and veggies - both delicate (not at all overly rich) and delicious, and accompanied with delightful small fruit and vegetable sides. A strawberry and rhubarb fool for dessert rounded things out perfectly. As much if not more delightful than the food, however, is the setting, the service, and the overall ambiance of this friendly country 'eco hotel'. We sat on the screened-in veranda at sunset, overlooking one of the most perfectly bucolic country settings imaginable, rolling wooded hills above a creek pierced by the occasional farm house or church steeple. Our waitress was sweet and knowledgeable (the herbs were from her own garden on the premises) and the other innkeepers (including Chef Earlene herself) stopped by to check on everything and chat - this after they'd already been very accommodating to our casual arrival early evening without reservations (not an easy thing to do at a restaurant where absolutely everything is cooked to order). The joyful chatting of a few other guests and the buzzing of humming birds at feeders along the porch completed the picture. Truly one of the most relaxing and delicious dining experiences I've ever had, can't recommend it enough.

This is a review only for the tasting menu dinner at the hotel restaurant. In a word - it was…read moreterrible. It's hard to imagine how the "chef" could have failed so miserably on every one of the seven courses. We had tasting menu A. The first course was a whipped blueberry fromage mousse between two beet chips. The mousse was fine but the bottom beet chip was limp and soggy. The soup course was described as fire roasted NS tomato and sweet pepper potage. It was lukewarm and tasted like tomato sauce out of a jar. Next came a grilled ceaser [sic] salad that was limp, soggy, and tasteless. The barley, summer corn and saffron risotto that followed was exceedingly bland. We tried each of the main courses offered. The seafood stew was both lukewarm and bland. The scallops and shrimp in the stew were fine but we couldn't locate any clams in the small bowl and the fish pieces were very chewy. The smoked pork loin was good - it was the sole dish served that had any real flavor. The menu then offered a palate cleanser, curiously after the main course. It was a dollop of rhubarb sorbet drowning in a really awful glass of champagne. We were looking forward to the brownie a la mode for dessert, thinking no one could ruin a brownie and ice cream. But instead we got a berry crumble that was dry, not even warm, and utterly tasteless. Granted, the meal was not particularly expensive as compared to other tasting menus. But relative affordability does not excuse a basic lack of flavor in the dishes served. It seems that Chanterelle is trying to do an upscale cuisine that is beyond the chef's capabilities. Our eggs-bacon-potato breakfast the next morning was great.

Cute cottage, apparently recently updated. Like a studio apartment with all the amenities. Friendly…read morestaff.

We didn't arrive for our one night stay until the evening so we didn't get to enjoy the area but…read morethe view from our cottage/room was spectacular. Every unit faces the Ingonish Harbour and what a treat it was to watch the sunset and, subsequently, the sunrise the next morning. There's also a deck behind the unit with a bench and table and chairs. Parking is in front of each unit. Upon entering the room there's a small kitchen storage cabinet with a microwave, coffee maker, kettle, a couple sets of crockery, and a small table and chairs. On the other side of the room there's a mini fridge. The bathroom had its own heater but it didn't work and the bathmat did not stick to the bathtub. Be careful of slipping while showering.