Dunlop Inn

Apprehensive after earlier stays elsewhere but very pleasantly surprised. Lighthouse room is much the best and has a super view and quiet setting, confusing on arrival when you have Togo to Telegraph motel to collect key. However, all good when you got to room. Two good restaurants 100 yds away so very convenient. Recommend (providing you book Lighthouse room).

This was a lovely, clean, and well-appointed room with comfortable bed, beautiful towels, and gorgeous view of the lake. The breakfast was great, with an assortment of items available to add to what was served. The camraderie around the shared table was wonderful to experience, and I even had a friendly chat with the owner before leaving. If we get to come back to Baddeck, this is the place we'd like to stay!

The property itself is lovely. Although right next door to a boat yard and across the street from an automotive repair/sales shop. Breakfast was included and fairly straightforward and available until 10:00am which is nice. Deck facing water is nice but some of the deck chairs were cracked and all them were in need of replacement. We booked our room online and looked forward to a garden view room. What we got was the front downstairs parlour converted into a small, dark room. The washroom was built in the early 90’s or so and made the smaller cramped room even smaller. The windows faced the entrance of the house and the road/auto shop. If the window shades were open we were exposed to the street and the boatyard and everyone who came or went into the inn. There was an a/c unit but it didn’t work well and kept turning itself down and then turning back on every 30 minutes. We spent the entire night awake and hot bc we couldn’t keep windows open wo having the bright lights from the entrance way shining into our room for anyone to look in at ground level at us sleeping. Sleep was impossible bc of this and also bc the bed was very old and in dire need of mattress replacement. At 279.00 a night we felt duped. It was the only room on the ground floor and was not advertised as the room we received. When we mentioned this the next morning and asked for one of the upstairs rooms we were told there weren’t any available. We said fine and that we would leave that day instead of staying. The front desk woman told us we would have to stay in the room bc they had a 14 day cancellation policy, however we could switch over to their motel down the street. We didn’t want to stay in a motel and at this point just wanted to leave. She was adamant that we would have to pay and stay / pay and motel it or pay and leave. She did say we could sit around and wait and if they could rebook our room then we were free to go. We felt held hostage on our vacation. It was really stressful and unprofessional. We were fairly vocal about what we thought about this and she finally spoke to the owner and we were “allowed” to go and told we would not be responsible for the second night. The room we were given was #5. The Mabel Bell room. It shouldn’t be offered as a 279 a night room. It was awful. Don’t know what upstairs rooms look like but would recommend being sure you don’t get #5.

We chose the Dunlop Inn for its waterfront location and the views exceeded our expectations. We loved sitting on the deck for breakfast while looking across the harbour to the lighthouse and seeing the sailboats bobbing along. The Inn is charming, clean and comfortable. We thoroughly enjoyed our delicious dinner at the Cable Room in The Telegraph house. Be sure to see the Baddeck Gathering Ceilidh (Scottish music) which is performed every night at Baddeck's St. Michael's Hall. We also enjoyed dinner at the Freight Shed on the wharf. This was a fantastic jumping off point for the Cabot Trail.

We were greeted at check in by our friendly host and enjoyed rooms with all amenities thoughtfully prepared. The rooms and common areas were very tastefully decorated and offered a very calming presence. We thoroughly enjoyed the outside deck and dock, as well as the TV room. The breakfasts were fantastic and offered enough to set you up for the day. The location is very convenient for exploring Cape Breton. Our host was very helpful with providing itineraries and restaurant suggestions.

Fabulous B & B on the waterfront. We stayed in the Lighthouse room with amazing views across the water, watching the sunrise. Facilities were very good, with a good breakfast choice. Towels and bedding were of a high quality. Off road parking available. In a great location to explore the Cabot Trail. Opposite the Alexander Graham Bell museum. Would highly recommend.