GUEST INSTRUCTIONS:

Check-In And Check-Out:
For check-in (4-7pm): Please park in front of the lodge, go in from the main door. A staff person will be able to assist you to check in. We charge 50% deposit on booking and remaining balance on check-in day. If you arrive after 7pm, please locate your accommodation by using the map provided and settle in for the night. We look forward to meeting you in the morning!
For check-out (11am): Please check with front desk by 11am to let us know you're checking out. You are welcome to stay on the property as long as your luggage is removed from your accommodation.

Location Of Washrooms And Showers: If you are staying in a Yurt / Dome or campsite you will have access to outdoor toilets and you will have access to an assigned public bathroom with hot shower (shower, toilet, sink). This information will be shared with you at check-in. Our bathrooms are cleaned by staff at least once daily. Cleaning supplies are provided in each bathroom should you wish to sanitize prior to your use for an added measure of safety. Tiny House, Lodge Rooms, and Chalets have private bathrooms.

Meals: Our Bistro is Open all year round but need to make a reservation to dine-in or take out to your accommodation and you are also welcome to bring a camping stove and cook your own food on a picnic table. If you want to or already have meals in package, please reserve your table and time by going to Cabot Shores Bistro.

Firewood: Unfortunately, we don't sell firewood for outdoor campfires but we do provide wood for Indoor fireplaces in yurts and domes during winter or cold weather.

Wood Stove Use:

Use only the provided wood, and avoid outside wood.
Keep fires moderate and never leave the stove unattended.
Ensure proper ventilation, keep flammable materials away, and extinguish the fire before sleeping or leaving.
Cool ashes fully before disposal in the metal bucket provided.
Report any damages or issues, and supervise children and pets near the stove.

Campfires:

Campfires are currently not permitted at Cabot Shores
We all love a good campfire! But sadly wildfires pose a real and serious threat to Nova Scotia - it's wildlife, forest, and people (including our incredible firefighters).
To help protect us all, we have taken the difficult decision to not allow campfires anywhere on the property (including the beach) during wildfire season (March-October) and we are grateful for your co-operation with this.

Smoking:

Please smoke outdoors only or at designated area outside main lodge, putting all butts in the ashtray provided. There is a $200 room recovery fee for smoking inside any accommodation.
Please note that smoking is not permitted inside Lodge or accommodations according to Canadian law. There are two designated smoking areas – please inquire at the front desk.

Internet: You should be able to get internet on the network "Cabot Shores Wifi" with the password "wilderness" except domes bit away in down orchid and some of the accommodation away from main lodge area.

Good Neighbours:

Refrain from playing music on your devices outdoors.
Refrain from playing music at high volume indoors.
Live music is always welcome. Try our outdoor stage!
Please honour Quiet Hours, 10pm-7:30am.

Hot tub Health & Safety: Hot tubs are an additional fee of $55 for 2 people and $75 for 3 or more people.

Hot tubs Keep glass bottles and cups well away from hot tubs.
Cabot Shores discourages alcohol consumption while in hot tubs.
Please do not leave youth under 18 unattended in a hot tub.
Please rinse off in shower before using hot tub.
Do not unplug hot tubs or alter the heat setting. Ask for assistance.
Please fasten lid when you finish, weighting with rocks.
Observe quiet hours beginning at 10pm.

Garbage and Recycling Policy: Our Garbage and Recycling Policy provides those staying in yurts and domes with three options:

Option 1 - $25 fee added: Our housekeepers sort your garbage and recycling.
Option 2 - Free of charge: You take all of your garbage and recycling with you.
Option 3 - Free of charge: You bring your garbage & recycling to the RIGHT side of the lodge and sort it into the 5 types of containers provided:

Beer, pop cans, & alcohol bottles (no bag inside of container provided),
Plastic and aluminum cans, glass jars (blue bag inside of container),
Paper and cardboard (blue bag inside of container provided),
Organics and food scraps (greenish bag inside of container provided), and
Regular garbage (clear bag).

For those staying in chalets, please sort your garbage as described above and leave it in your chalet. Mostly we ask that your refrain from mixing food waste with recyclables of any kind.

Cabot Shores has garbage-sorting stations below the Event Space deck (building with solar panels).

Pet-friendly: We are a dog-friendly establishment with a maximum of 2 dogs per accommodation unless special arrangements have been made. The fee is $15 plus tax per day, per dog.

Keep pets on leash, even on walking trails.
Keep pets off beds and furniture.
Keep pets to main floor of chalets, never upstairs.
Kennel pets when unattended.
Pets should not be left unattended for extended periods.
Pet must remain outside the Lodge's Bistro and Front Desk area.
Pick up after your pet! If you need bags, ask Front Desk. Dispose of at garbage-sorting station.
Pet owners are responsible for any damage caused by their pets. Fees of up to $200 can be charged for excessive shedding, pets on furniture or in bedding, or pets upstairs in chalets.

Cancellations:

Cancellations made 30 days or more before arrival are subject to a $50 cancellation fee.
Cancellations made between 30 and 14 days prior to arrival are charged 50% of the total booking amount, resulting in the forfeiture of the deposit. However, a gift certificate for the deposit amount can be issued upon request.
Cancellations made less than 14 days before arrival, including no-shows, are charged 100% of the total booking amount. In this case, a gift certificate for up to 50% of the booking amount can be issued upon request. We are not responsible for weather.

Charges: Failure to follow policies related to pets, fire safety, garbage disposal, hot tubs, and tidy kitchens in relevant accommodations could result in additional fees of up to $200.

We have gardens that produce veggies for the bistro in the summer, an apple orchard that produce cider in the fall, and also chickens year-round that are a delight for many of our guests, especially children. There is also a rooster that makes the hens happy and protects them from predators. He likes to wake up early – our apologies if you are not an early riser, especially for guests staying in the lodge and cedar yurt.

Fees: As of January 1st, 2024, a 3% Marketing Levy Fee is applied before tax to accommodations under the Nova Scotia Tourism Accommodation Registration Act.

Directions: We have three sets of directions for reaching Cabot Shores: one from Halifax and the west, another from Sydney, and a third from the north or around the Cabot Trail. These directions are outlined below

DIRECTIONS FROM SYDNEY AIRPORT:

1. Turn left from Sydney Airport towards Sydney.

2. Turn left as you pass the mall onto HWY 125 Canso Causeway / Baddeck / North Sydney.

3. Take Exit 1W onto the TransCanada HWY 105 West toward Baddeck.

4. Stay on this highway over the Seal Island Bridge and over Kelly's Mountain.

5. Take the Englishtown Ferry* exit at the bottom of the hill, turning right onto NS-312 N.

6. Follow signage, eventually turning left to access the ferry. The ferry runs 24/7 and its free.

7. Cabot Shores(30, Buchanan Drive, Cabot trail) is 10km after exiting the ferry, located on the right-hand / ocean side of the road.

8. Proceed down driveway to the Lodge (big green roof) and come inside from the door at the top of the ramp on the left-hand end of the building.

If the Englishtown Ferry is not running you'll see a flashing sign on the TransCanada:

1. Alternately you can take Exit 11 for Cabot Trail Road / HWY 30 and go all the way to Highway 312 North toward Ingonish, approximately 27km.

2. Past Tarbotvale you will arrive at a stop sign, a T-intersection with St. Ann's Bay United Church in front to your left. Turn left here.

3. Drive 3km to Cabot Shores. (If it is dark, please follow the 3km rule carefully.) Turn right after our large Cabot Shores sign into our driveway and proceed to the Lodge.

Please note that the closest gas station to Cabot Shores is Wreck Cove General Store (about 19 km) with high test only. Otherwise, no gas station in either direction for 40 km. As well, there is no cell coverage in the small community of Indian Brook where Cabot Shores is located, nor along other stretches of the Cabot Trail when taking Exit 11. Please note directions prior to travel.

DIRECTIONS FROM HALIFAX AIRPORT AND WEST:

1. Take Highway 102 North towards Truro (if coming from Halifax or the airport).

2. Before Truro, take the TransCanada East towards Cape Breton / Canso Causeway (also applies if heading east from New Brunswick or western points of Nova Scotia).

3. Once on Cape Breton, follow signs toward Baddeck, always staying on the TransCanada East.

4. Continue past Baddeck on the TransCanada East 105 to Exit 12. Take the left-hand exit saying Englishtown Ferry / Ingonish*.

5. Take the Englishtown Ferry at the bottom of hill, turning left onto ferry (runs 24/7; free).

6. Cabot Shores (30, Buchanan Drive, Cabot trail) is 10km on the right (ocean side) once you exit the Englishtown Ferry. On the left side of the road you'll notice a blue jewellery shop. Our driveway is opposite that with large Cabot Shores road signs.

7. Go down the driveway to the Lodge (big green roof) and come inside from the door at the top of the ramp on the left-hand end of the building.

If the Englishtown Ferry is not running you'll see a flashing sign on the TransCanada:

1. Alternately you can take Exit 11 for Cabot Trail Road / HWY 30 and go all the way to Highway 312 North toward Ingonish, approximately 27km.

2. Past Tarbotvale you will arrive at a stop sign, a T-intersection with St. Ann's Bay United Church in front to your left. Turn left here.

3. Drive 3km to Cabot Shores. (If it is dark, please follow the 3km rule carefully) Turn right after our large Cabot Shores sign into our driveway and proceed to the Lodge.

DIRECTIONS FROM NORTH AND CLOCKWISE AROUND THE CABOT TRAIL:

1. Coming from the north, head south on the Cabot Trail on the Atlantic east side. You will pass the town of Ingonish.

2. Continue past Wreck Cove General Store on your right hand side. You are about 20 minutes north of Cabot Shores.

3. After Wreck Cove, you will pass artisan shops such as Wildfire Pottery and the Leather Works.

4. Directly across from the Cabot Shores entrance is the Piper Pewter Jewelry Store.

5. We are on the left hand side. Our sign reads “Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort: An Adventure a Day from Mild to Wild!” (30, Buchanan Drive, Cabot trail).

6. Proceed down driveway to the Lodge (big green roof) and come inside from the door at the top of the ramp on the left-hand end of the building. If you pass the St. Ann's Bay United Church or the flashing light at the Exit 11 intersection, you have gone too far!

Coming from the North, the last area you will be able to have cell service is at The Clucking Hen Cafe. There is no cell coverage in the small community of Indian Brook where Cabot Shores is located, nor along other parts of the Cabot Trail. Please note directions prior to travel.

One last thing: Operating a business on cabot trail in off season is difficult. Like many other businesses, we are experiencing a severe staffing shortage. If our service is not up to our usual standard of timeliness or otherwise, please consider giving our staff a break. They are doing their very best to provide good service in these challenging circumstances and greatly appreciate your patience.