This is another recipe that is all over the Internet and so I had to try it. It’s completely grain-free which makes it great for Weight Watchers (2 points) or keto.

The recipe is:

3 eggs separated

1/4 tsp baking soda or cream of tartar

3 tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt

Mix the yogurt with the yolks. Beat the whites with the baking soda until stiff peaks form. Put parchment on a baking sheet and form into 6 pancake like shapes. Bake at 350 for 30 min. Allow to cool before you eat it.

It’s easy to make and it looks like bread. The texture is much softer though (hence the name), but still bread-like enough that you could use it for a sandwich or as a bun. I prefer the two-ingredient dough I made previously, but this is definitely a doable option.

This is another recipe that is all over the Internet and so I had to try it. It’s completely grain-free which makes it great for Weight Watchers (2 points) or keto. The recipe is: 3 eggs separated 1/4 tsp baking soda or cream of tartar 3 tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt Mix the yogurt with the … Read more →

I’ve been hearing a lot lately about two-ingredient dough which is a popular bread hack for Weight Watchers. It’s substituted for bagels, pizza dough and more. Most recipes say a serving is 3 Weight Watchers points. Which if you consider that a regular bagel is going to set you back at least 11 points, is significant.

I decided to give it a try. The recipe is very simple. For 4 servings, mix 1 cup self-rising flour with 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt. That’s it! Because we are gluten-free though, I had to substitute, so I made my own GF self-rising flour with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt mixed with the 1 cup gluten free flour.

You mix it all up and separate it into 4 balls. I decided to make bagels so I rolled each ball into a log then formed it into a donut shape. I brushed them with egg wash and then sprinkled with Everything Bagel seasoning.

Bake at 350 for 23 minutes then take it out and turn the heat up to 500 then bake it at that temp for 3 more minutes.

They were amazing! I cut them in half, toasted them lightly and then I put cream cheese, chives, and smoked salmon on top. I could not tell it was not a regular bagel.

The Weight Watchers app told me this comes out to 4 points, which I think is because gluten free flour has slightly more calories than regular flour.

I’ve been hearing a lot lately about two-ingredient dough which is a popular bread hack for Weight Watchers. It’s substituted for bagels, pizza dough and more. Most recipes say a serving is 3 Weight Watchers points. Which if you consider that a regular bagel is going to set you back at least 11 points, is … Read more →

It’s been more than a year since we decided to add a small addition onto our house. We actually broke ground about a year ago so we have been living in disruption

Old laundry closet

for a long, long (too long) time, especially for a project that was not that big. The plan was extend the end of our kitchen all the way to the end of the garage and add a laundry room and bathroom. Before the addition, I had laundry in a closet at the end of the kitchen, next to the tiniest bathroom in the world – it was roughly 30 inches wide with just a toilet and sink and a pocket door. You can see the photo of the laundry closet. To the left is a door to a fenced dog yard and next to that is the door to the garage. This is the main door we use to go in and out of the house for just us and there was nowhere to even leave boots or

Old bathroom

shoes without tripping over them.  As you can see from the photo of the old bathroom, it wasn’t even big enough to get inside it and take a photo. And the doors to the laundry closet stuck out just a bit, blocking the doorway when they were open.

Now a year later it is all at last finally done and I am completely moved into the space.

There were quite a few hiccups along the way. Our contractor proved unreliable and worked a few hours a week. He was supposed to have someone to do the

Built-in shelf

tiling (which included not only the new area but re-tiling the kitchen to match) but the people he planned to use were no shows. He shrugged his shoulders and

Garage door

left it to us. After a long wait since everyone was books, we then hired someone who quit after doing all the floor tile. We finally found someone else to do the rest, but he only worked 3 hours per night, so it took weeks to complete the other tiling. Other hiccups included a mistake either by the architect or contractor, causing us to lose about a foot of space which cut into the little sitting area I was envisioning at the end of the kitchen. we also had to reduce the size of the bathroom door because of this mistake so it is not the 36 inch wide handicap accessible door we planned. The tile shop measured wrong when calculating what we needed, so we ended

Hallway

Reverse hallway view

up with way too much of some tile and not nearly enough of another (and it was not returnable since the return period passed as the project dragged and dragged).

Bathroom

Despite all of those headaches, problems and trials, it is finally done and are happy with the final product. Let me take you on a tour.

The photo with the green bench is the new end of the kitchen. This the spot in front of where the washer and dryer used to be. We had to raise the floor up since that area was a step down (which meant we had to re-tile the kitchen so it would all be the same). Now I have a bench and a table next to a huge window in this spot. Originally, this was going to be a little reading nook, but the mistakes led to the space being smaller than was planned. So now it’s part of our entry from the garage, so we can sit down to put on boots and have a place to leave bags. The table may not be staying. Off to the left is the new area. There’s a hallway that leads to the bathroom and laundry room.

The next photo shows a built-in shelving unit which I found on Amazon. The wall it’s on had to be cut at an angle because of the mistake in the measurements. I decided to make use of it with this.

Next is the door to the garage, with the wreath on it. That has remained in the same place, but had to be raised when the floor was raised. The small mirror next to it was my grandparents’ so I’m happy to have

Shower

a place for it.  We bought an extra large doormat for

Bathroom closet

this area and it has been perfect.

The next photo is the new hallway, looking down into the laundry room, with the bathroom off to the right. We bought a nifty IKEA shoe cabinet that has tip out drawers and holds 8 pairs of shoes. I LOVE it. It’s our first piece of IKEA furniture and since there are none near us we had to order it and pay delivery. It was

Magnet board

pretty easy to assemble and it looks really great. No more piles of shoes by the door.

Next is the hallway from the opposite end, looking from the laundry room into the kitchen. Straight in front is the basement door which I’ve decoupaged with maps of places we’ve gone.

Laundry room

The next photo is the bathroom, which has marble floor tiles. I love the vanity and counter. We kept our old toilet since there was nothing wrong with it.

The shower is next on the tour. We opted to add a full bath thinking it

More laundry

wouldn’t cost that much more (ha!) and would add to the value of the home. Plus it makes it livable long-term in case of some kind of mobility impairment. Of course it ended up being more money than it should have been, but it turned out well (that weird thing in the top right is a reflection of the light over the vanity).

Next to the shower and behind the vanity is a nice sized linen closet.

Shelf

After the closet, the next pic is my fun magnet board. I buy magnets wherever we travel and they

Shelf folded up.

used to hang out on the file cabinet in my office. But I could never really see them. So we added this board on the way into the laundry room so I can display them all together.

Welcome to the laundry room next where we reused our washer and dryer, added a stationary tub (something we have longed for ever since moving into this house – it had none) and some nice big cabinets. I also have a laundry sorter on wheels. Each compartment lifts off so you can just dump it in . It’s on wheels so I can move it around which is really lovely. Compared to that awful laundry closet I had, this is heaven. Mounted into the wall is a silver tissue dispenser, like you would find in a hotel, except I’ve put dryer sheets into it.

Next up is more of the laundry room. Next to the stationary tub is a tiled area where we can wash the dogs. There’s a hose with a sprayer attachment that goes from the stationary tub. The dogs go out that door to go to the bathroom. There’s a drain plug so we can stop the drain and fill it with a couple of inches of water, then the dogs are encouraged (ah-hem) to walk through the water when they have muddy feet. It beats kneeling on the floor trying to stick their feet into a bucket of water. We can also do full baths (showers really) of the dogs here if they get super dirty.

The next shot is a direct one of the dog washing area, which is big enough to easily hold a large golden retriever.

The next photo shows what’s above the dog washing area. Up top is a retractable stainless drying rack, so I can just hang clothes over it that I want to air dry and fold it up against the wall when I’m not using it. Under it is a fold up stainless steel shelf. If I want to work on stains, fold laundry, or work on a messy project of some kind, I just release two hook and eyes and the shelf comes down.

In the next photo, you can see the shelf folded up where it stays when not in use.

Laundry other end

The next photo is the laundry room taken from the

Laundry closet

dog door. You can see the little unit on the wall that has a rod so I can hang shirts which is very handy. Off to the left is the laundry room closet, which is coming in the next photos.

Now you’re looking at the laundry closet. It’s HUGE. I was able to move up all the kitchen stuff I’d been storing in the basement (like my air fryer, KitchenAid mixer, water goblets) plus we have things like the ironing board, flashlights, and all sorts of pantry overflow. All the big bins on the bottom are currently empty so there’s lots of room left. It’s about 10 feet long and 4 feet deep, so it is much bigger than it seems in the photo.

So that’s what I’ve been doing for the past year.

It’s been more than a year since we decided to add a small addition onto our house. We actually broke ground about a year ago so we have been living in disruption for a long, long (too long) time, especially for a project that was not that big. The plan was extend the end of … Read more →

Maine’s rocky coast

I often hear people say things like, “oh I loved such-and-such a place. Can’t wait to go back!”  While I’ve loved nearly every trip we’ve taken, I don’t have much of a desire to return to most places I’ve visited. The list is quite small for me.

New York. I would go back to NYC because it’s a city that’s always changing and there are always new opportunities for theater, shopping, and dining there. I don’t feel a need to go back to the touristy spots there that we’ve seen. There is so much to do in the city that a visit can be quite full without seeing any of it again.

Maine. After spending summer vacations there as a kid, Maine feels like home to me, so I would be happy to go back and spend some time by the ocean, eating lobster and shellfish. I could just park myself there for a few days without running around and seeing much, since I’ve been to so many towns and areas of the state already.

Ireland and Scotland. These places spoke to my roots in a very deep way and I felt very comfortable and at home here. I could see myself spending time there, just living there for a month or two.

Naples, Florida. We’ve been to Florida every year for the past 17, so there’s no doubt we will keep returning since my parents spend the winters there. Naples is a nice mix of perfect beaches and decent shopping and dining so it’s great for a winter getaway. It’s also relaxing to go someplace where you know where everything is.

I can’t think of any other place I want to go back to. Instead of trying to recreate wonderful trips from the past, I’m more interested in seeing something new and experiencing a new place. Although I’ve been to quite a few Caribbean islands, I haven’t yet found one that is completely perfect. I’ll keep trying new ones. I’m more inclined to use the destinations I’ve loved as inspiration for other places to go. We loved Japan so maybe we should go to China. Italy and France were fantastic, so Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland would likely make us happy.  Hawaii was amazing, so Fiji would be too. Yellowstone was stunning, so Yosemite would be wonderful to visit.

Are there destinations you’ve been to that you are hot to return to? What are they?

I often hear people say things like, “oh I loved such-and-such a place. Can’t wait to go back!”  While I’ve loved nearly every trip we’ve taken, I don’t have much of a desire to return to most places I’ve visited. The list is quite small for me. New York. I would go back to NYC … Read more →

I adapted this recipe from the April 2017 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. This dish works for brunch or for a side with dinner. I think it would also be nice if you added some cooked, quartered potatoes to it. That would make a full meal for brunch. It’s easy to put together and is a fresh tasting spring dish.

Asparagus and Smoked Salmon

 

Print

Ingredients

• 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
• ¼ cup olive oil
• juice and zest of one lemon
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 container (5.3 oz) plain Icelandic skyr or Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp capers chopped
• 1 tbsp brine from capers
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill (plus more for garnish)
• 6 ounces smoked salmon
• 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and halved
• 2 scallions, green tops thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place the asparagus on a baking tray.
3. Mix the oil, lemon juice and zest, and honey in a small bowl then pour over the asparagus and toss.
4. Bake for about 15 minutes until the asparagus is tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
5. Mix the skyr with the capers, caper juice and dill.
6. Place the asparagus on a platter and arrange eggs, fresh dill, salmon, and scallions on the platter.
7. Dab the skyr mixture over the asparagus and spread it around a bit.

3.5.3226

I adapted this recipe from the April 2017 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. This dish works for brunch or for a side with dinner. I think it would also be nice if you added some cooked, quartered potatoes to it. That would make a full meal for brunch. It’s easy to put together and … Read more →

Bacon Bomb

I gave into my baser instincts. I saw the video on this page (use Google and let it translate the page for you) and I had to make it. Had to. I know, it’s over the top. It’s outrageous. But it is made with my two favorite things in the whole world – potatoes and bacon. You must watch the video.

Ok, so you watched it, right? The recipe calls for a mere 45 slices of bacon. 45! I didn’t make the recipe or at least I didn’t make it in that volume. Instead of using a cast iron pan, I used two mini pie pans. I put about 6 slices of bacon in each, with each piece of bacon having overlap on each side so it could meet in the middle. Then I filled the center with sliced potatoes. I sprinkled a little onion powder on them and some salt

Bacon Bomb

and pepper and some grated cheddar cheese. I put the mini pie pans on a baking sheet and baked them at 340 degrees for about two hours.

The result was insane. Totally insane. Super crispy bacon surrounding amazingly soft potatoes with melted cheddar cheese. It was a once in a lifetime calorie and fat bomb. Make it once just so you can say you did. Then put it out of your mind. If you can.

I gave into my baser instincts. I saw the video on this page (use Google and let it translate the page for you) and I had to make it. Had to. I know, it’s over the top. It’s outrageous. But it is made with my two favorite things in the whole world – potatoes and … Read more →

Before we went to Providenciales in Turks and Caicos, I read that Grace Bay repeatedly gets voted the best beach in the world by various travel sites. I’ve been to a lot of beaches, so I was ready to put this to the test. I was also interested to see if the Grace Bay Club met my expectations. We considered several hotels when planning our February getaway to T&C. The deciding factors for me were that the photos of the Grace Bay Club did not show that tight gaggle of lounge chairs you so often see on Caribbean beaches and the hotel had an adults only pool that is heated. I love to spend time at the beach and in the pool and I want to do so without 400 other people. The hotel’s location also was perfect, right in the heart of Grace Bay and close to restaurants and shops. Another important consideration was the hotel’s reassurance that they had gluten free toast for breakfast. We chose an oceanfront room with a balcony.

Getting Started

Our arrival at the Grace Bay Club was low key. The entrance to the hotel is unassuming. We entered reception and had an awkward greeting where I was directed to sit in a chair in front of the desk while my husband was left standing. We were both offered refreshments and enjoyed the fruit punch, as well as a cool cloth. The check in procedure felt a little weird as the woman assisting us kept coming around the desk and handing us things. My husband was signing things on the corner of the desk. It was just a bit strange.

We were then told we would meet our personal concierge who would show us around the property and to our room. The Grace Bay Club needs to do a much better job with their web site because there was absolutely no mention of a personal concierge on the site or when we called with questions about the accommodations. A personal concierge is not something I wanted as an amenity but it seemed like it could be useful.

Our personal concierge came and took us on a walk through the property which was nice, although she shared so much information at such a rapid speed that it was nearly impossible to follow it all.

The Room

Our room was lovely with a king bed, desk, chairs, and a huge unit that contained the TV, mini fridge, drawers, and hanging space. The balcony had chairs and a table. The view was oceanfront, but the ocean was just past one of the restaurants, so it was not a perfect view.  The bathroom had a separate shower and soaking tub and bi-fold shutters opened onto the bedroom over the tub. This was actually nice since it opened up the bathroom and allowed natural light in.  Our room had a fruit plate (lovely), bottles of water which were replenished each day (also nice), and a bottle of champagne (useless since we don’t drink).

The Resort

The view

The grounds of the hotel are lovely and green, with winding paths throughout. We had access to two pools. One was for everyone and contained a swim-up bar. The other was adults only with an infinity edge and a clear glass side. There was a third pool we did not have access to – the type of room you have controls your access to the different pools, so we paid a bit more for a room that included the adult only pool. The pools are staffed with gentlemen who will place a towel-like cover on the lounger for you and provide you with towels and water, and also take orders for drinks or food. There is a spa (which we did not visit), a business center (which we did use when our flight home was cancelled due to weather and we had to scramble to get another flight). The hotel also has bikes you can borrow at no charge. This is a nice amenity since you could easily bike to most stores and restaurants in the area, while they might be a bit of a hike if you walked. On the beach there are kayaks, stand up paddle boards, and hobie cats for use for guests. We tried the paddle board and the kayaks and had a great time.

It’s also good to note that if you plan to take any boat excursions (for parasailing, snorkeling, or just a tour), the Grace Bay Club is one of the three spots on the entire beach where people can be picked up. There are ropes in the water designating the swimming area all along the beach and one of the few openings where boats can pull up to the beach is right in front of the hotel.

The Beach

The beach was perfect in every way. The sand is soft and there are almost no shells. The water is that magical turquoise color so ubiquitous in the Caribbean. The water is warm and completely clear. Most days there was just a gentle breeze which kept things from getting too hot but was not enough to disturb you. You can walk long distances in either direction. I can see why the beach is rated so high because it was nearly perfect. The sand fleas were the biggest problem and we soon found we were covered in bites on our lower calves. In general we found the beach not to be crowded but we were there in early February before high season truly kicked in.

There is a shelf to put your shoes on just before the steps to the beach and there are foot showers there as well. The property has a lot of ocean frontage, so the chairs are nicely spread out. They are arranged so that there is an umbrella, two loungers, a table, and two low beach chairs at each spot. Some of the loungers have cushions but you have to get there early to get one. The same gentlemen who work at the pools will assist you on the beach and will set you up with chair liners and towels. Each sitting area has a red flag. If you need something, you stand the flag up in the sand.  While it was clear that many of the elderly hotel patrons enjoyed interacting with the beach and pool workers (who often sat and chatted with them), we go on vacation to be left alone. And the biggest problem with this system is there are only one or two guys working at a time so if you need anything, they are likely busy with someone else. We ended up just grabbing our own linens and setting ourselves up each day, instead of standing around and waiting for ten minutes each time. We learned to just bring our own bottled water from the room because it was about a 20 minute wait to get some. It also became clear that those patrons who brought cash to the beach and tipped these guys each time got great service. We didn’t and so were not in favor.

Dining

The property has several restaurants, including one right on the beach where all the food is served on skewers. The hotel’s bar has the longest beach front bar in the Caribbean. There was a nice fire pit area near the bar where people congregated at night and although our room was near the bar, we didn’t hear loud music at night. The main restaurant serves Italian food and we go to the Caribbean to eat fish, so we did not partake, but it is generally rated highly. There was a beach buffet one evening that was characterized as Caribbean food. We skipped this as well given questions about what was gluten free and because I just don’t want to eat buffet food.

Breakfast was included each morning at an outdoor restaurant next to a pool, facing the beach. The view is lovely from here. Breakfast was a buffet but eggs could be ordered. We found our servers were generally on island time, not interested in taking our egg orders in a timely way and giving us a little attitude when we asked for service. The food was fine with fruit, cheese, pastries, juice, yogurt, cereal, meat, vegetables, and some hot dishes including bacon, sausage, grits, fish and other items. The first morning there was gluten

free bread (as promised). The second morning there was none (when we asked we were told they didn’t have that). The third morning we had to ask for it and the fourth morning it was left out on the buffet. Not exactly consistent or what we were promised.

Breakfast view

Afternoon tea was also included (and this was not something mentioned on the web site or in our conversations with staff on the phone). We were told they would have gluten free items there. More on that in a minute. The tea was a self-serve affair at the breakfast buffet area with coffee and tea and a few plates of cookies and crustless sandwiches. Not many people seemed to be partaking in it.

Services

Longest bar

Our private concierge Tranay gave us a very strange little inexpensive cell phone we were supposed to use to contact her if we needed anything. This sounded great – immediate access. She offered to make dinner reservations. We called her soon after checking in with a dinner reservation request. She told us the place we wanted was not “the best of the best” and wanted us to dine at the hotel instead. I knew I wanted to go there (and it was a lovely meal) so we insisted ( couldn’t help but feel she was got a kick back if we ate at the hotel). Things went downhill with her from there.  She told us afternoon tea would have gluten free options. We stopped in the first day and they did not. We mentioned this to her and to her credit she made sure they did have options moving forward, however she called us the next day and pressured us and basically told us we “had” to go since she made sure they had options for us. When we said we weren’t sure we would go, she insisted on bringing a plate of food up to our room. When there was no gluten free bread the second day at breakfast we let her know and she took care of it, but it took many phone calls with her.

She was not able to get us a dinner reservation at a popular restaurant and she called us three or four times a day on that little cell phone for various reasons – often just to check in (it seemed to me the concierges must be mandated to make contact with each guest each day). We left it in the room since we had no need to be constant contact with her. One day she told us that when we didn’t answer she went looking for us at the pool and the beach (we were not on the property at the time) which felt over the top. We found her to be pushy and aggressive. I went on vacation to get away from constant phone calls and people who want things from me.  It seemed that she was trying NOT to be a laid back island person, but she went too far in the other direction and became an annoyance. That being said, if you are a person who wants to have someone managing your vacation for you – telling you where and when to eat and scheduling activities for you, this might be a good situation. We were looking for rest and relaxation and not complicated interactions with people on our trip.

My final beef is she told us to leave for the airport four before our flight. The airport is about half an hour away and we needed to drop off the rental car and ride a shuttle to the airport. It is my experience that Caribbean airports often have ridiculously long lines (for no good reason), however there were no lines at all at this airport and we ended up sitting at the airport for three hours before our flight. I would expect a concierge to have a handle on what the wait times are like.

We encountered a few problems with other services.

Housekeeping left dirty dishes in our room several times. We requested a bucket of ice from room service be delivered at a specific time and it arrived half an hour later than we asked (island time apparently). I understand that having an ice machine down the hall is tacky, but I would so much rather buzz down the hall to get some ice myself than have to make phone calls and wait for people who don’t show up.

Despite my picky grievances (which mostly have to do with the service), this is a lovely, wonderful property on a magnificent beach. The facility itself is completely top notch – it was the staff that caused some bumps in the road for us. I would highly recommend a stay here simply because it was so gorgeous and perfect.

Fire pit

Before we went to Providenciales in Turks and Caicos, I read that Grace Bay repeatedly gets voted the best beach in the world by various travel sites. I’ve been to a lot of beaches, so I was ready to put this to the test. I was also interested to see if the Grace Bay Club … Read more →

If you haven’t been to Cape Breton you must go. And if you go, you’ll want to stay at the Keltic Lodge. There isn’t a single other inn or B&B on Cape Breton with a location that can rival the Keltic Lodge. Located on the east coast of the Cabot Trail in Ingonish, the lodge is actually inside the Highlands National Park. It’s positioned on a point, so there is ocean on two sides. The views are spectacular. And even the drive into the lodge is wonderful. You wander along a narrow road through a birch forest until you reach the grounds of the lodge.

The lodge is made up of many buildings. There is the main lodge which houses a restaurant and has floors of old style hotel rooms (they are small and cramped and do not have air conditioning), some cabins, a modern hotel style two floor building as well as some connected cabins. There is also a building used for banquets, a building with a casual restaurant, and a spa/gym building. You’ll also drive by a run down, peeling building that appears to be the lodging for the staff ( a la Dirty Dancing). A coat of paint would do wonders for that.

We had a bit of drama with our room when we arrived. First of all, the hotel is located past the entry point for the Park and you are supposed to buy a pass before you come to the lodge but we had no instructions about this and didn’t figure it out until the next day. The property has no signs, so you have to just guess where to go and where the main lodge is. And once you are in the main lodge, you also have to guess where to check in. There’s no desk in the lobby. Instead, you go into a small office off to the side. Again, no signs. So actually finding your way to check in is your first obstacle.

We reserved our room online and requested an ocean view. We started to make our way to our room, which was in the two story modern hotel building. However we could not find our room. We walked down the hall one way, then the other, and our room number was missing. There was a big gap in how the numbers were laid out. Fortunately there was a courtesy phone in the hall so we called the desk and asked for help. The room numbers do not go in order we were told and were given instructions as to how to find our room — located beyond the next hundreds block of numbers, which made no sense at all. If this is the case, you would think you would put up a sign OR tell the guests when they were checking in. We finally located our room, which had a lovely view of the parking lot. No ocean. The staff then told us we had not reserved an ocean view and they had none. They did a have room in the main lodge with a view. Off we trekked to this room. We wisely did not bring in our luggage, since it turns out the main lodge has no elevator. The room we were offered was sparse and small. The bathroom was ancient. There was no carpeting. There was no air conditioning (and when we asked we were told it was “in the closet” – the only items in the closet were a window fan and a standing fan — this in addition to the ceiling fan is a good indication that that room is an inferno). The ocean view involved a large Canadian flag directly outside the window, flapping loudly in the breeze.

We declined and went back to our parking lot view room. Once we unpacked, we attempted to open the door to the patio. The door was broken, so we had to get maintenance to come and repair it. Through all of this drama, we found the staff to be unhelpful and unfriendly, which was memorable since everyone else we encountered in Nova Scotia was incredibly friendly and kind. Couple this with the absolute lack of signs and the place felt unfriendly to us.

In contrast, our room was very comfortable, very modern and attractive. We had a mini fridge, Keurig, and a large luxurious bathroom with heated floors. The ceiling was thin though so we heard all sorts of noises from above us. Our rate was $271 Canadian per night for a September stay.

Breakfast was included and the buffet included eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, baked beans, pancakes, yogurt, cereal, breads and more. We ordered hot chocolate two mornings and both mornings it arrived almost stone cold. We had dinner at the casual restaurant on the property one evening and again found there to be some communication issues with the staff as to what was gluten free and what wasn’t.

There’s lots of room to walk on the property and there is a trail that goes out to the end of the point if you’d like a longer hike. There is also a golf course on the property. A small gift shop was forgettable. The star here is the view and no matter where you walk on the property you will have breathtaking views of ocean, an island, cliffs, beaches and apparently sometimes whales will make an appearance as well. It was one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen at a hotel.

Ingonish is a bit remote from other Cabot Trail locations. It’s a good stopping point if you’re making your way around the trail, but staying here for several nights, we found we were constantly driving back and forth and it got a bit tedious. Mix things up a bit and take the Ingonish ferry for part of the drive if you’re staying a while. Ingonish is a small area and if you want more shops and restaurants you’ll need to head south to Baddeck which is about an hour and a half. It’s a longer drive to find anything to the north and west on the trail.

If you book a room, I recommend doing so by phone to avoid a mix up over what type of view you’ll have. Don’t expect a warm Nova Scotia welcome, and instead focus on enjoying the breathtaking scenery at this location.

If you haven’t been to Cape Breton you must go. And if you go, you’ll want to stay at the Keltic Lodge. There isn’t a single other inn or B&B on Cape Breton with a location that can rival the Keltic Lodge. Located on the east coast of the Cabot Trail in Ingonish, the lodge … Read more →

Lunenburg is a lovely little town on the Nova Scotia coast and is convenient to Mahone Bay and Peggy’s Cove, as well as being not far from Halifax, making it a great location. You can also drive a few hours and get to the Bay of Fundy or out to Digby. I had a lot of difficulty finding available lodging in Nova Scotia for the September week we visited. I soon learned that’s because the place is overrun with tour groups all fall. Many of those buses deposited people overnight in Lunenburg, making it tricky to find a room. I found success with the Smuggler’s Cove Inn though.

I didn’t have high hopes for this inn based on their website. Although the rooms themselves looked comfortable, one of their main photos is of a view of other buildings which did make me worried since they had no other photos showing a view (note to the inn: change that photo). The room I reserved was with an ocean view, so I was hopeful. Our rate was $199 per night, Canadian (a bargain with the exchange rate).

The Inn itself does not look inviting from the outside. It’s in a large corner building that is lacking in character (and in UNESCO World Heritage Site Lunenburg, this is unusual). The lobby is on the main floor, sandwiched between a restaurant and a shop. The rooms are all on the upper floors. There are stairs and an elevator.

I was pleased with our room. The bed and furnishings were attractive and comfortable. We did have a view of the harbor, slightly obstructed with some buildings, but it was enough to make me happy. The room had a mini fridge, coffee maker, and a window-style air conditioner built into the wall (and we did need it even though it was September). The bathroom was very small (toilet, corner shower, and pedestal sink), but bright and clean. Overall I would rate the room as quite comfortable but not luxurious. However, I’ll call them out for the ugly poster that was on the wall in our room. It didn’t fit the style and character of the room or the inn and it was just ugly and out of place.

The best part of the inn is its location. You can easily walk to the harbor, to the shops and restaurants, or to the historic area. The town is quite small and walkable and the inn is positioned well to take advantage of it. The inn does have parking kitty-corner across the street as well as an unloading spot in front of the lobby. Parking can be tricky in town, so this is an important feature.

Our view, once I zoomed in past the buildings that were in the way

I found the inn a bit lacking in a few other ways. There is no breakfast included, although we were given one day’s worth of coupons for $3 off our breakfasts at the restaurant next door. Fortunately, several of the restaurants in town offer breakfast, so we were able to fuel up easily each morning. While the inn has an elevator, on our floor there were a couple sets of small stairs in a few places where we had to haul our luggage up and down to get to our room. Our room opened off of a living room area with chairs and a couch. Unfortunately, the day we arrived it had been co-opted by a large group of rowdy guests who had made it into their person cocktail party area. They were loud and messy. Although they left for dinner, they were also loud when they returned at night. There was a wide swath under our door that let in noise and light from this common area. After the first night, I stuffed pillows in front of the door to stop the light from shining into our room and to try to stop any noise from bothering us. We also had some trouble with noise outside on the street. One night we slept with windows open and were awakened several times by shouting, music, sirens, or cars starting up. With the air conditioner on, we didn’t notice the outside noise.

The front desk was closed when we checked out at 8 am in the morning, so we had to just leave our key on the desk and head out on our merry way. If you’re looking for accommodations in the area, the Smuggler’s Cove Inn is an affordable and comfortable solution.

Lunenburg is a lovely little town on the Nova Scotia coast and is convenient to Mahone Bay and Peggy’s Cove, as well as being not far from Halifax, making it a great location. You can also drive a few hours and get to the Bay of Fundy or out to Digby. I had a lot … Read more →

You worry they will get lost.

You hope they make some nice friends.

You know you will never hear all the accurate details about what happened.

A backpack is involved.

You’re afraid they won’t eat well.

You’re pretty sure this determines how the rest of their life will go.

You spend a lot of time reassuring yourself they will be just fine.

You wonder how they grew up so fast.

You can’t believe you have to worry about guns at school.

The house feels ridiculously empty. And so quiet.

You’re nervous that it’s going to be hard for them.

You spent way too much on back to school supplies.

You question whether you taught them the right skills.

You wish you could be a fly on the wall.

You’re worried about them going to bed early enough.

You are filled with pride.

You worry they will get lost. You hope they make some nice friends. You know you will never hear all the accurate details about what happened. A backpack is involved. You’re afraid they won’t eat well. You’re pretty sure this determines how the rest of their life will go. You spend a lot of time … Read more →