Keltic Lodge at the Highlands

Cape Breton Island


Especially favored by golfers, this upmarket Tudor-style resort on its own peninsula has been a luxurious retreat since the 1950s. It's been attractively renovated, with plush loft-style rooms divided between the gabled Main Lodge, two separate houses and a complex of cottages dotted around the lawned grounds. There's also a lovely spa and a refined restaurant (mains $15 to $35).

Even if you're not a guest, the lodge is worth visiting for its setting and for the Middle Head hiking trail to the tip of the peninsula just beyond the resort. You must have a valid entry permit for the national park, as the lodge, the golf course and the hiking trail are all within park boundaries.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cape Breton Island attractions

1. Ingonish Beach

1.09 MILES

Ingonish's long, wide strip of sand is sheltered in a bay surrounded by green hills. It's a popular spot for some shore time in summer, even though the…

2. Cape Breton Highlands National Park

11.91 MILES

One of Atlantic Canada's most famous and spectacular national parks, Cape Breton Highlands occupies 20% of the Cape Breton Island landmass. It's…

3. Cabots Landing Provincial Park

19.08 MILES

Stop in this wonderful provincial park, 10km north of the Cabot Trail en route to Bay St Lawrence, to enjoy Aspy Bay and its spectacular beach.

4. Gampo Abbey

22.91 MILES

This abbey, 8km north of Pleasant Bay past the village of Red River, is a monastery for followers of Tibetan Buddhism. Ane Pema Chödrön is the founding…

5. Whale Interpretive Centre

23.33 MILES

Get some background on cetaceans at this modest visitor center, which has illustrations of 16 whale species, and a life-size model of a pilot whale…

6. Meat Cove

26.95 MILES

This small crescent of sand is pretty much as far north as you can get in Nova Scotia. The name is believed to derive from the beach's popularity as a…

7. Les Trois Pignons

29.78 MILES

This excellent museum explains how rug hooking went from home-based activity to international business. Artifacts illustrate early life and artisanship in…