Suggestions for Lodging

In Bicycling Canada's Maritimes, we list and locate campgrounds and indoor lodging for every route, with phone numbers and email addresses. However, we don't usually describe or review accommodation because that information is available in general-purpose guidebooks and in free publications. We want to devote as much space as possible to route descriptions and other cycling-specific matters.

However, we do occasionally come across places that seem special to us, and we want to let you know about them. Therefore Bicycling Canada's Maritimes includes occasional features on B&Bs or campgrounds that we particularly like. These are some examples on PEI.

The Inn at Bay Fortune and the Inn at Spry Point are both on the same loop ride in eastern PEI. The first has one of the Island's finest restaurants, and the second has one of the Island's most spectacular locations. Both are among the most expensive places in the province, but both are superb value for those who can afford it.

Nearer Charlottetown in Mt. Stewart, we heartily recommend the informal Trailside Inn and Cafe. Doug Deacon, the friendly owner, is accustomed to hosting cyclists; his inn is on Confederation Trail. The food is good, and there is outstanding local entertainment two or three nights each week. The rooms are not large, but they are attractive and comfortable, and the overall experience of staying at the Trailside is special.

In PEI National Park, Dalvay by the Sea hardly needs our recommendation. It is one of PEI's most distinguished and historic properties, overlooking a pond and directly opposite the beach. At Dalvay, you can live for a day or two like a 19th century railroad baron, rocking on the porch with a good book or donning whites for croquet on the side lawn. Dreamy!

Although the Barachois Inn is very near the National Park, it is in a tiny, historic settlement on a side road, well hidden from the crowds rushing to Cavendish. The Island couple who own the inn have furnished it with elegant antiques. Additional rooms are in a handsome carriage house beside the main building.

Farther West, you won't find healthier food than that served at The Doctor's Inn in Tyne Valley. The owners are locally famous for their organic garden and for meals prepared with their own fresh produce. The Lighthouse Inn in Cedar Dunes Provincial Park is a unique place to stay, the only working lighthouse in Canada that serves as an inn. Reserve far in advance. There are only a few rooms, and they are heavily booked all summer.

Thirteen Provincial Parks in PEI have campgrounds. Every one of them offers good facilities in a beautiful setting, and they are not as tightly packed with tin mansions as many commercial campgrounds tend to be. Unless you are driving an R-V or towing a big trailer (difficult with a bike), there is no need to camp anywhere else.

In the east, our favorite is Panmure Island Provincial Park. Its small campground adjoins one of the most scenic beaches on the Island. Cabot Provincial Park, west of PEI National Park, has a great north shore beach and quintessential Island scenery, but without the huge crowds of the Cavendish area. However, Cabot is popular and fills up in the latter half of July and the first half of August. In western PEI, our favorite is Green Park. (See the Tyne Valley Ride on this website.)

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