Nova Scotia

[DC in DC]

Has anyone been to Nova Scotia/PEI? We are thinking of going in August. How long would you recommend and what is the weather like that time of year?

[Sophia]

We honeymooned in Nova Scotia almost 3 years ago. We were there at the beginning of August for a week. I wish we could have stayed longer, but we needed to get back because the new school year was starting and we're both teachers.

We flew into Halifax, stayed there 3 nights at the Lord Nelson Hotel (http://www.lordnelsonhotel.com/), which was really nice. It's right across from the Public Gardens (http://www.halifaxpublicgardens.ca/), and we spent time there every day, if only to walk through on our way to other places. There are tons of things to see within walking distance of the Lord Nelson, and while we did rent a car, we didn't really use it while we were in Halifax.

Then we drove to Cape Breton and stayed 3 nights at the MacKenzie House B&B (http://www.mackenziehouse.com/). It was really nice there, and the hosts were wonderful. While on Cape Breton we toured the immediate area and also took a whole day to drive around the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, which is one of the most spectacular and breathtaking places I've ever been. We want to go back someday.

We didn't get to go to PEI, and that's my only regret. I'm a huge fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery and the Anne books. Like I said, I wish we could have had a couple extra days so it could have been possible.

The weather was really nice--in the low to mid 60s most of the time, although when we went to the Cape Breton Highlands National Park it was cooler and pretty windy. It was nice, though, because we live in deep south Texas and we didn't want to deal with hot weather like we have here. We missed 113F weather while we were gone! There were a couple days when there was light rain, but it wasn't all day by any means and didn't stop us from seeing the sights.

[DC in DC]

Thanks Sophia! I'll admit that I've not read the Anne books but I hear there is a really good BBC miniseries (like the Pride and Prejudice series) that I might watch to get the idea. Your description makes it sound fabulous.

[Sophia]

Pride & Prejudice takes place in England, but yes, there are areas of Nova Scotia that look a lot like northern England and Scotland. It's really beautiful.

[Kates]

I love Nova Scotia and PEI. DH and I went to Nova Scotia and PEI on our honeymoon, and just last summer with DS.
We were there in September for our honeymoon and July for our family vacation, the weather in Halifax is going to be warm - mid 70's, low 80's. When we were in PEI last year, it was in the 90's everyday, but I think that's unusual.

Halifax, NS is one of our favourite cities. On our honeymoon we stayed at the Delta Halifax (http://www.deltahotels.com/hotels/hotels.php?hotelId=26)and the Lord Nelson Hotel (http://www.lordnelsonhotel.com/). Last year we stayed at the Delta Barrington (http://www.deltahotels.com/hotels/hotels.php?hotelId=3), but liked the Delta Halifax much better. The Delta Halifax was much closer to the waterfront, where we spent most of our time.

We went to the Maritime Museum (http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/index.html)(they have a Titanic exhibition that runs year-round) Alexander Keith's Brewery Tour (http://www.keiths.ca/k_brewery/k_brewery_index.htm)and did a little tour through the Public Garden. We also drove down to Peggy's Cove (http://www.peggys-cove.com/) and a few really cute towns just past Peggy's - Mahone Bay (http://www.mahonebay.com/) and Lunenburg (http://www.town.lunenburg.ns.ca/).


The drive from NS to PEI is about 4 hours, depending on the route you choose. We drove over the Confederation Bridge, which was really cool. PEI is super busy in the summer, so make your reservations as soon as you can. I posted to a CC thread way back, PEI thread (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=9111&highlight=PEI).

You will totally love NS and PEI!