I realized when I booked that the Pictou Lodge was not the Four Seasons, however even so I was not at all happy with this experience. I left a day early, in fact. The rooms were musty and very motelish--not what I was expecting from a "lodge" that advertises itself as "Top Rated Canada Select Pictou Lodging" on their web page. I rented a one-room cabin and felt like I was in a boy scout camp from the 1970s. Service as mediocre and dining was worse. We ate elsewhere after the second meal. The location was okay, although other parts of Nova Scotia were just as nice. They may be rennovating some rooms, I hope so.

I and my wife (age 40 yrs.) are from Toronto and were travelling from Charlottetown PEI to Cape Breton Nova Scotia on vacation. All we wanted to do was drive and relax. We happened on Pictou by chance while looking for a room; one of those "let's see what it's like" things. We scouted the town, which is a cute little place, and headed through to the Lodge about a 5 min. drive out of town.

I will try to be as honest as possible, having reviewed properties with and used reviews from Trip Advisor numerous times. Keep in mind we have travelled a lot in Canada and the US for years.

The lodge does not try to compete with 5 star properties. It is not lavishly appointed, it does not have $800/day suites, it isn't trying to be the Waldorf. But, here's what it specializes in: affordable comfort in a very friendly atmosphere.

Do not be put off by modest decoration and rustic cabins. You aren't here for the star treatment. And please don't think you will be arriving at a run-down dumpy location, because the Lodge is very well maintained.

Your little cabin will have everything you need to feel comfortable like you have your own little vacation property! You can have an older cabin or a newer cabin with various combinations of beds, etc. We slept very comfortably. This place is simple, and that's part of the beauty.

We were made to feel like part of the family, which was absolutely incredible. The staff were really friendly (typical Acadians!) and were genuinely interested in talking about non-hotel stuff! You will want to return, and we did! We came back for another night after 2 nights in Sydney.

Now I'm a picky guy, I could care less about the sale of the week or the great bargain a co-worker found on the internet. Great tips usually turn out to be garbage or really cheap junk. It was very relaxing at the Lodge, especially the main Lodge log building; it reminded us of Muskoka lodges from last century, and I'm an expert in that area.

The view is large and pretty. You may see seals as we did munching their way casually through a shoal of fish. I strongly urge you to eat at the dining room as well. The food was excellent. Remember, I said I was picky. Just thinking about my Pork Loin with dry blueberry is making me lick my chops. We had 2 dinners on 2 different nights and both were very well prepared.

Would I stay again? Yes. Would I recommend? Yes. Would I let my parents stay? Yes. What else do you want from me? Just go if you're in the area. I really can't see someone coming out of this place disappointed. We were delighted, and I don't use that word a lot.

And before you go to bed at night, walk beyond the Adirondack chairs facing the Northumberland Strait. Keep going until you're just behind the cabins, out of the bright lights shining in your eyes. Then, look up. It didn't take long before I saw 2 meteors, 1 satellite and something I can't explain. Oh ya, and about a zillion stars, because the view is awesome. And so is the quiet.

We stayed a couple of nights at the beautiful Pictou Lodge. The resort was built in 1926 by Canada Rail and has the charme of the classy rustic resort. The main lodge is a big wooden structure and we enjoyed their Jazz evening while the kids had "room service".
The lodge offers different kind of accomodations at various price levels. We booked 2 queen beds and had a spacious, updated room. The service was very attentive and the resort offers lots of activities- free canoes, peddle boats, swimming pool, free bikes, outdoor games, pool billirad, BBQ and more.

There are even seals righ off the beach!

We loved the Pictou Lodge and visited Pictou town- don't miss the old ship Hector.

We were driving towards Cape Breton and I thought it sounded like a nice place. It's about 20 minutes off of the highway, very close to the PEI ferry. The location is absolutely gorgeous! We stayed in a 2 bedroom cabin (1 king and 1 queen) that overlooked the ocean - I believe it was recently constructed. Very clean inside - AC in the bedrooms, TV in living room, nice large bathroom, and you have your own porch to sit and watch the ocean. This place is fabulous for kids - they have a million activities - almost all free of charge. You can borrow bicycles, or a canoe to paddle about the freshwater lake, play basketball, or go swimmingin the pool or ocean. There is also a beautiful walk in the woods that winds around the back of the property. We did not eat at the restaurant, but the menu looked good.