I've always wanted to go to Tobermory to see the Grotto. I thought that would have been my…read morehighlight, and although it was gorgeous, my highlight was actually the Blue Heron Flowerpot Island Cruise. We bought our tickets online very easily. I had a couple of questions as we were bringing a dog, and since our trip was fairly short and I had never been there I had some questions getting around. The staff were really helpful when I emailed them. When we arrived in Tobermory it was easy to pick up our tickets. The staff told us about the various free lots we could use throughout Tobermory with our parking pass. We parked in the main lot near the ticket centre and used their free shuttle to get down to the dock. It wasn't too far away so you could easily walk as well. The cruise was spacious and had indoor and outdoor space. They spent a lot of time around the sunken ships which you could see from the glass bottom inside the boat, or standing outside. Then you're dropped off at Flowerpot Island. The island is absolutely gorgeous. There are lots of places to swim, hike, and enjoy nature. There is a little snack shop that sells chips and pop, but most people bring their own food and picnic. They give you about 4 hours on the Island which is the perfect amount of time to enjoy your day. You don't feel rushed, and you're also not dying to get off the island. If and when I get back to Tobermory, this trip will be at the top of my list.

Blue Heron is one of the two cruise companies in Tobermory that will take you to Flower Pot Island…read more Chose this one because it was ever so slightly cheaper than the other company and the times matched things we were planning to do. They have several options for boats - glass bottom, jet boat. Each has it's own schedules and pros and cons. There is also one boat that just does a boat tour - basically you don't get off on the island for this one, they just take you to see things and you stay on the boat - great for those who are unable to hike long distances but still want to see everything. Service: The people at the office were great - answered all our questions, kind and courteous. At the dock, people were also fantastic. Very clear instructions and safety content. Guides on the boats were informative, engaging and fun to listen to. Boats: We tried the glass-bottom boat on the way there which was great. They go over the shipwrecks and you can see them really clearly through the glass bottom. That ride was about 40-45 mins. Don't worry about fighting for a seat near the glass bottom - everyone just gets up and hovers around it anyway so hogging seats is pointless. Arguably, its better to explore the front of the boat or go to the top and then come to the glass bottom during the shipwreck portions. On the way back, we took the jet boat - super fast only 20 mins. I have a major tendency to get motion sickness but both these boats were travelling fast enough that I had no problems. Schedule: The boats come and go from the island and Tobermory fairly often. ProTip: You CAN hop onto an earlier return boat (doesn't even have to be the same boat you paid for) IF they have space. My group ended up finishing exploring the island an hour early before our scheduled departure - the Blue Heron employee told us we could join the standby line for the earlier boats - if there was space, they'd take us. There ended up being space and off we went - saving 1 hour of our time to explore other things in Tobermory. Parking: They provide free parking if you book with them. They have a main lot and a secondary one. We were early enough that we got into the main lot by their offices. Price: Since there are only 2 companies, it is pretty price-y. We paid over $50 per person for a round-trip. It would be nice if they came up with a family package or something since I could see it getting pretty expensive for larger families.

PROS: + SAFETY: My friend recommended that we take the Blue…read moreHeron because it is a lot more steady than the jet boats. Because I didn't want to upchuck my lunch, I thought that this was well worth the little extra money spent. + SERVICE: The staff on the boat/cruise were very friendly and helpful. I found the customer service reps not as helpful when I purchased the ticket. At first, I was turned away on the Saturday because the last scheduled cruise time doesn't let you walk the Flowerpot Island (would've been helpful if the pamphlet reflected that). CONS: - SOUND: The "guided tour" was rather muffled from the sound of the water. Not that I'm complaining, however, I feel like they need a better speaker system. At nearly $50/ticket, you'd think they would be able to afford it (plus easily 100+ seats per trip). - TIME: I think they gave us a little under an hour to wander the Flowerpot Island, I personally would've preferred more. I guess, from a business standpoint, giving their customers more time on the island would lead to less cruise times and thus less money. I appreciated that Blue Heron Company added additional cruise times to facilitate the fact that I (and many others) visited the last week of the season. I came pretty close to missing the cruise option of wandering the Flowerpot Island. Typically the last scheduled cruise does not let you wander the island so be sure to make note of that when booking your ticket!

This, along with Blue Anchor Cruises, are one of the two ways to get to Flowerpot Island. Blue…read moreAnchor Cruises appears to be faster and smaller with more ships, while Blue Heron seems to be more scenic and like a tour. Many of the ships take you to see several ship wrecks on the way to Flowerpot island. The boats also have a glass bottom (albeit quite small), which allows you to see the ship wrecks. Seems like many people were eager to go home early due to some bad weather, and unfortunately, they won't let you on the boat if you don't have the proper ticket. The cost is $38 Canadian dollars round trip (about $30 US).

Most wonderful place to stay! So close to the lighthouse and a great walk into town. The service…read morehere was amazing! Thanks to Jenn who helped us get a great place to stay and also gave us so many wonderful ideas to spend our time there. She got us to the right place for the boat trip to the Flowerpot Island. Her suggestions helped make our time there a real experience! Viviana and Marisa made our check in and out easy. They spent time talking and laughing with us. We know why people come back here time after time! Great personnel in housekeeping too! Don't miss this place! It's a real winner! Can't wait to feel the homey feeling and enjoy the quiet again. I don't think we ever stopped smiling! We celebrated our 40th anniversary there and will never forget it! Patty C.

My daughter (age 20) and I stayed here and really enjoyed our stay. Jenn checked us in and she was…read moresuper friendly and passionate about the area. We met a very friendly young person at the kayak/canoe rental area that was super stocked to chat about the area and things to do. You can rent a canoe or kayak then paddle over the ship wrecks!! how amazing is that? We loved the fact that this hotel/resort was located near the light house and that it was kind of quiet and private from the rest of Tobermory. We enjoyed watching boats coming and going and the sunset. Only down fall, small bathroom. If you are super tall.. just duck :) But its all good.

Staff member assaulted my husband this morning by slapping the ferry slip onto his arm out of…read morefrustration over an email. Management handled it so poorly, police had to be dispatched to the dock. There was no accountability on their part to make the moment right. They lied through their teeth about what happened to cover for their employee. These people even had the audacity to ban us from getting on the ferry simply because we called the police on them. Horrible experience. I have never felt more disrespected and dismissed in my life.

Absolutely astounding We went on the morning ferry and got…read morebreakfast on the ferry No iced coffee :( But it's okay! Everything was expensive but like that's normal for touristy places The boatique was cute Pricey but cute Now, the upper deck in the front was crazy! The wind was insane I saw a few people loose their hats haha I didn't feel sick at all I wouldn't worry about that! The ship was gorgeous Felt like I was fancy :) Bathrooms were nice for a boat!!!

Choose Blue Heron Cruises instead…read more This was our first time visiting Tobermory, and we had a boat tour booked with Bruce Anchor Cruises to Flowerpot Island. We mixed up the date and missed our departure time -- that part was entirely on us, and we apologized and accepted full responsibility when we called. We asked about rebooking for the next day, which had open slots, but were told the only option was to pay full price again. We understand businesses need policies, and we weren't asking them to make an exception standard practice -- but even airlines will rebook a missed flight for a change fee. A similar gesture here would have gone a long way, especially for an honest mistake with availability open the next day. What really soured the experience was the follow-up. We called and texted multiple times, and were told each time someone would call us back. No one ever did. We had to keep chasing them, and when we asked to speak with a manager, they wouldn't give us a name. It felt like we were being ignored. We ended up booking with a competitor instead, Blue Heron Cruises, who was glad to have our business. They were excellent. Something to consider if you're deciding between operators in Tobermory.

Sailing to the Flowerpot Island is a must when visiting Tobermory. We chose the Flowerpot Island…read moreDrop Off Tour with Bruce Anchor. This is such an amazing tour that combines all of the Bruce's beauty in one trip. The mesmerizing history, lighthouse, rock formations, turquoise waters, all of which make the tour worth it from beginning to end. Your tour starts at the Big Tub Harbour. You will sail pass the Big Tub Lighthouse, Canadian Coast Guard, and stop by the famous "Sweepstakes" Shipwreck. They maneuver the boat around the sunken ship so you can see the wreck from every angle. There is plenty of time to take photos. I wouldn't recommend crowding at the "see through" glass bottoms, as you can see it even more clearly on the 2nd floor. As you leave the harbour, they accelerate towards Flowerpot Island. They sail around the island for a full circle so you can observe the flowerpots, the lighthouse, and the breathtaking turquoise waters before dropping you off. Here is where I recommend the early bird tickets. Since there is no one at the island yet, you get to take photos that are undisturbed by the inevitable crowds later in the day. Not to mention you get 25% discount from the early bird. Throughout the trip, Bruce Anchor's staffs were friendly and helpful. Plenty of instructions (via text/email) were given for the parking and meeting place. The tour guide was engaging and knowledgeable as he provided commentary throughout. I was highly impressed by their employees. My experience reflects the Bruce Anchor's "cruises", not the "motel".

Excellent. More like a hotel than a motel. I took a point off for shoddy WiFi. We didn't ask for…read morethem to fix it bc we got back so late from hiking but later found out we could of asked for them to fix it 24/7 - so they said. But perhaps it was good to disconnect from the world. This was perhaps half a kilometer away from the tip of Bruce peninsula and an Easy walking distance to Bruce trail (10min walk to the start of the trail), or if you want to go see shipwrecks also 10mins from glass bottom ship dock sites. Food was easily accessible from this location as well. Basically everything was walking distance. Facilities were brand new and clean. The bathroom was spacious. There is a Fridge, a coffee maker and a microwave!!! Bed was the perfect firmness. The pillows were incredible. The comforter was perfectly insulated. It was 40s outside and we never needed to turn on the heater. The entire place was well insulated. The TV had google, Netflix, and Hulu. But we couldn't enjoy bc of the shoddy WiFi. ....I think that's all of Canada tho this wasn't the first place where we had a hard time with WiFi. Also a nice balcony when weather permitted. Had two chairs to sit and watch the Bruce peninsula in the distance. Ample parking. I did not want to leave this place. So comforting coming back from a long hike to a place like this.

Honestly very surprised at how good of stay we had here. Would definitely recommend this to anyone…read more They say it's a motel but I would consider this place a hotel because of how good it was. Friendly service and rooms are maintained very well. Will look on coming back here for next time.

The rooms are very clean. Easy to access. Staff is super friendly. We did the room versus the…read morecabins but definitely doing the cabins next time. The experience has been really great.

Pleasently surprised by this place. I figured it would be a hole…read more Upon arrival an overly enthusiastic guy checked us in. He was very friendly and very caffeinated? Very helpful and gave me a map and went through a few places to go to because it was my first time visiting. We got the cottage bunkie - cabin 8 which is a double bed. It is just enough room to walk around the bed to the bathroom. This is the basics, bed bar fridge a 12 inch tv and bathroom. They give you a bbq outside along with toilet paper soap and hand soap. There is also a fan which helps with circulation within the room. The sheets looked clean but we brought our own bedding. This is a self cleaning cottage so they expect you to leave it as you find it! I thought it was fine for sleeping, the bed was comfortable. No intentions to hang out in the room so the bare minimum did not bother us. The internet is slow but worked ok for surfing web. Not sure about speed for streaming vids tho - I would assume very slow. The location is very close to the main strip. The guy who checked us in said if we wanted any boat tours book right away! After unpacking we went across the street to buy our tickets to flowerpot island. Luckily we followed the concierges prompt to buy tickets early because the Saturday tickets were almost sold out and it was 3pm Friday! Next door there is a kayak rental shop! On the main strip there is an over priced grocery store (way to monopolize) At nights there are Mosquitos because the cabins are surrounded by trees. Don't go unarmed!! There is a no noise rule after 10am and check out is 10:30am. I would also recommend to the owners a vending machine for the site too! Again, much better than anticipated. Since I did not stay in the room other than sleeping, this place was perfect. I can see how some can get annoyed by noise as you can hear people talking even in the outside cabins but again. It is what you make of it! Would I stay here again though? Unsure

We love love love Tobermory!! We stayed at Lands End for a week. We got one of the last campsites…read moreavailable for the week that we wanted when I booked, so we were placed in the front end of the campground across the main road by the beach! The front site which was great because the park has no entry after 11pm thru the front gate so we could have come and go as we pleased, as we didn't have a gate. The front spots didn't have a bathroom close, so it was a little walk which was fine, we had the sky full of stars to look at on our way. This is a family style campground and it's so great that there is no late night partying and loud noise after 11. Wish the 2 washrooms in the campground had more than 1 shower facility but the wait was never too long. We had a great time, we heard wolves howling, fed chipmunks, went fishing, swam in the lake and relaxed.