I think I’ve mentioned before that we’re heading to Cape Breton Island in August for a little bit of relaxin’ and whale watchin’ and cottage livin’. I booked our flights a few months ago and got a great deal through a Westjet seat sale. I booked our hotel for our few days in Halifax a few weeks ago and got a great deal through Hotwired. I went to book our car rental a couple of days ago and … discovered it would cost more than both our round trip flights.
I was more than a little surprised to discover this, although a quick Google search indicated we weren’t the only ones outraged at the price of car rentals in Nova Scotia. This problem was due entirely to a lack of foresight on our part. We’ve only ever rented a car before a couple of times; once was locally and resulted in me sending an angry email to Thrifty swearing we’d never rent from them again, and a couple of times were in Hawaii and resulted in us having an awesome car at a really cheap rate because everyone in Hawaii rents a car because you can’t exactly drive there.
We looked at cancelling our flights and driving our own car out to the East Coast, figuring it would be worth the cancellation fee to save on the car expenses in spite of the fact that on long car trips I require lots of stimulation and pee breaks, as well as an abundance of juice boxes and sugary snacks much like a 5-year-old, but upon being told we could only exchange our flights for store credit with Westjet, I tentatively booked one of the expensive rentals and am proceeding with what is perhaps foolish optimism to attempt on a daily basis to bid for a better rate on Priceline. I feel good about this option in spite of the uncertainty. William Shatner regular reassures me that I’m well on my way to getting a great deal, and if you can’t trust Denny Crane, who can you trust?
We leave in a little less than a month and are both beside ourselves with excitement. We’re staying at an adorable little summer house that is somewhat secluded from the rest of the world, with a view of the mountains and a long sandy beach within walking distance. And unlike most of the other vacations we’ve been fortunate enough to take, we don’t have anything planned. I’ve started stockpiling books that I plan to read on the beach and in a lawn chair and in bed and in a cafe, and I’m researching whale watching trips, and I’m weighing the pros and cons of SPF 30 vs. SPF 45, and I’m starting to think it will be worth it even if we have to walk there from Halifax.
Lauren,
We lived on Cape Breton for ten months and closeby on the mainland in Guysburough for 4 years. If you are indeed driving to Cape Breton from Halifax might I suggest that you take the coastal route. It takes a bit longer due to its winding nature but I can’t think of a better way to see the real Nova Scotia (you even get to take a ferry where a bridge would normally be). And if you do take the coastal route stop for a picnic at Tor Bay Provincial Park. It was our favourite beach and serves as a cross section of all that is good about NS. Enjoy.
John (one of luke’s friends).
Thanks for the tips, John! We’ll definitely do both of those things. If you can think of anything else that is a must-see or must-do while on Cape Breton, definitely let me know. 🙂
Lauren,
Best advice I can give, aside from the previous tips, is to find a new place to walk everyday, with emphasis on the beaches. Cape Breton and Northeast NS have some of the best beaches I have ever walked on and chances are, regardless of when you go to them, you will have them virtually to yourself. Miles of beach, sand and stone, and bluffs and a wind that makes you feel like your flying. Of course most of the water is too cold to swim in (unless you swim in the northumberland straight where the water is shallow between NS and PEI) but, my partner, Tanja, and I found that having the endless (and endlessly changing) expanse to ourslves more than compensated. For sand, I recommend Point Michaud, a beach just on the other side of St. Peters and then there’s the one below marble mountain that is pebbled with golf ball sized stones and don’t forget about the tides. We had one of our most magical days (ever) following the tide out at Amherst Shore provincial park (in the western part of the Northumberland straight) and I kid you not, the first stone I picked up there (in a cove on the far side of a little pennisula) I skipped twenty-five times (a personal record I have yet to surpass). Cape Smokey’s also a good path to walk, on the eastern side of the Cabot Trail, but beware of the bears that frequent the area due to the hordes of blueberries along the path. And, and, and…but I’ll stop here because really, the best thing about Cape Breton and NS is the act of exploring it for ones’ self. Truly, there are places there that make you think, when you stumble upon them, that maybe you could be the first person that ever stood where you stood (or atleast that’s what it feels like).
Good travels,
John
Oh, one more thing: fill up at Wycogabah, the native reserve near Baddeck (the gas is always cheaper there and they pump it for you).