Maritime Gems: Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
2010
Day by Day Details
September 25- October 6
Nova Scotia & PEI
All Highlighted Items are included in the Base package price of Maritime Gems.
Meals provided are indicated by B=breakfast L=lunch D=dinner R= Reception
Day One:
Saturday, September 25
Patrons fly to
world’s deepest harbors, and a mixture of old world and new chic.
An afternoon airport transfer
takes
you to Courtyard by Marriot situated
in the heart of downtown and the historic waterfront.
After check-
in, meet your fellow travelers for a welcome happy hour party with light hors d’oeuvres and local
libations. Perhaps you will
stroll along the wharf, dine in one of the city’s fine restaurants, catch a
musical
performance in a local tavern, or gamble a bit at the Halifax Casino.
You may prefer the hotel spa for
a soak in the whirlpool. Some may fall directly into bed… the choice is all
yours!
R
Day Two:
Sunday, September 26
After a full
Canadian welcome breakfast at the Courtyard, we meet our local guide
aboard a private
motor coach for a morning tour of
features the important sights from
international meeting site and economic centre of the
role in the Titanic disaster. We’ll
visit Titanic Gravesites and end with a tour of the
Halifax Citadel
National Historic Site, a fortress perched on a hill overlooking the city.
Spend your free afternoon
exploring many sites and shops within easy walking distance of the hotel.
Begin
at Historic Properties where you’ll find
a concentration of history and
heritage that harkens back to the days
of sail coupled with world-class shopping and fine dining.
Stroll along the boardwalk towards the
tour of Alexander Keith’s Brewery is sure to entertain and refresh a group.
Travel a few blocks to the Art
Gallery of Nova Scotia. The evening
is yours once again at the Courtyard.
B
Day Three: Monday, September 27
After a
continental breakfast at the Courtyard, we say farewell to
a local guide on our
motor coach trip across the
Peggy’s Cove, a postcard fishing village perched atop a mass of granite
overlooking a quiet cove.
Here lies “essential”
The day offers amazing
seascapes and architecture in
UNESCO site.
Enjoy free time to explore and eat lunch on your own at one of
Lunenburg’s many dining
establishments. Take a
walking tour of the best preserved
British town in the Maritimes. Spend time
at
the Fisheries Museum of the
Atlantic. Visit galleries and gift shops, stroll the waterfront, examine the
Blue Nose II if she’s in port.
Late afternoon we’ll travel
towards the awesome
Valley to Wolfville, home of
special evenings.
You’ll enjoy this tastefully restored
19th Century Sea Captain’s Mansion.
Renowned for
unique accommodation and world class dining, the inn is surrounded by acres of
gardens giving the feel
of a Victorian English Manor House.
A gourmet dinner will top off this
special evening.
B D
Day Four:
Tuesday, September 28
After continental breakfast and a leisurely coffee on the veranda, meet the group for an informed
discussion about the amazing
and
picturesque vineyards through the
Look Off (weather
permitting). Then we’ll visit
the natural and rustic town of
boasts
the highest tides in the world and the largest lobster holding facility in
better place to eat lobster?” After an informative tour of the pound, enjoy a “lobster in the rough” dining
experience at Hall’s Harbor Lobster Pound and Restaurant. Spend a bit of time on the rocky shore and
in the
small shops.
After lunch travel back in time with a
private tour of the
commemorates the 1755 deportation of the French Acadians. The visitor center and grounds provide
a solid overview and serene backdrop
explaining this pivotal time in
became the scenic setting for Longfellow’s epic poem Evangeline. We return to the Blomidon Inn
by late afternoon.
The evening is yours for a stroll into the college town of
a
relaxing evening at the
B Lobster Lunch
Day Five: Wednesday, September 29
After a
continental breakfast, the group departs
for
at the Glooscap Heritage Centre where exhibits, displays and multimedia interpret the Mi’kmaq culture,
the first inhabitants of the area. The tour continues to Malagash on the Northumberland shore for a box
lunch and wine tasting at Jost Winery…
where vineyards meet the sea. Going
Trail, the route offers
gentle farmland picturesque towns
and seaside views .
We cross into
longest in the world.
Officially in
traveling east on the scenic
important street
in
a friendly
wine reception in the beautiful lobby appointed with
evening dining
options are just a few steps away. Begin
to explore the small city.
B
L
R
Day Six: Thursday , September 30
After breakfast at the Great George, take advantage of your free morning in this quaint city. Shop
on Victoria Row, visit Province House, take a walking tour with
costumed guides or stroll the beautiful
guided tour of this beautiful island.
Begin with an overview of
drive along the coastal route to Cavendish. Visit Green Gables National Historic Site, the setting
of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. Walk Cavendish Beach in Prince Edward Island
National Park known for red sandstone cliffs, fine white sand beaches and rolling dunes. Travel
across scenic farmlands back to
the Great George just in time for a
reception and last evening on the town.
B R
Day Seven:
Friday, October 1
Enjoy a final
East Coastal Drive through scenic fishing villages,
past potato farms, pastoral golf courses, and historic
country inns to Woods Islands Dock.
Every
Northumberland Straits.
And of course, this trip does!
We’ll travel 1.5 hours to dock at Caribou,
for your choice of lunch.
Our final day’s destination is the
friendly bustling
along the sparkling shores of the
old world hotel, you can stroll along the streets for a closer view of the shoreline. We’ll be treated to an
excellent home-cooked dinner in the
Ceilidh ( CAY-
B D
Day Eight:
Saturday, October 2
After a hearty breakfast at the
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site. This crown jewel of the Canadian Park Service captures a
moment in the summer of
1744. The fortress is the largest
recreated town in
buildings and their uses, the goods that filled them, the people who lived in them, and the economy and
society that shaped them.” You’ll marvel as you interact with the people of the town. Brush up on your
French as the site is
bilingual! You’ll have a
box lunch en route back to Baddeck.
The afternoon offers free choice time back in Baddeck at our Auberge Gisele’s Inn headquarters.
Some may visit the waterfront for a sail, others may want to bird watch, hike, or shop for upscale handcrafts
and folk art.
This evening you can choose from any number of fine restaurants for
dinner.
B L
Day Nine
Sunday, October 3
Eat another
hearty breakfast at the the
discover
first-hand why Conde Nast Magazine
rates
in the world.
Travel through the
intriguing
French
camera ready as we enter Cape Breton Highlands National Park with its stunning mountain and coastal
scenery. When you step out of our bus at a mountainside lookout, there are no words to do this magical
place justice! Late in the afternoon we’ll arrive at the Keltic Lodge Resort and Spa in Ingonish. High on a
cliff,
overlooking the
and enjoy the
splendor of the
in the
B L
Day Ten
Monday October 4
After a
free day. Golfers will love the Highlands Links, a mountain and ocean course rich in Scottish tradition.
It’s ranked by
Golf Magazine as
wilderness trails in Cape Breton National Park or the morning guided ranger tour on the winding paths
around the resort. Weather permitting, more adventurous travelers may try a Zodiac style whale watching
adventure. Some may want to relax at the full-service spa on the property. Everyone is invited to the
evening reception with music at the Highland Sitting Room. End your perfect day at Keltic Lodge with
an early gourmet candlelight dinner at the Purple Thistle. B D
Day Eleven
Tuesday October 5
This morning’s continental breakfast marks an end to our Keltic Lodge Stay. We’ll continue south
along the breathtaking east coast of
Historic Site.
Here you’ll find amazing displays on the inventions, life and contributions of
the Bells.
After lunch on your own in Baddeck, the tour continues south
to the tranquil shores of the
on
enjoy nature in its truest form. We’ll stay in spacious cottages nestled in the woods. This resort offers
trails, indoor pool, kayaking, and bird watching. Our farewell dinner in the Riverside Room caps off
the evening and
gives us time for reflection and
laughter.
B D
Day Twelve Wednesday October 6
After an early breakfast at
Liscomb Lodge, we depart for the
B