I implore anyone visiting Cape Breton to not stay in this hotel. Firstly, The staff were rude and not very helpful. It was a Friday night and we wanted to get a drink, but the staff made it very clear that Baddeck was a "dry town." Not ever hearing of such a thing in Canada I was shocked. They explained that we could drink in their bar, but no where else. The bar was empty, yet still the service was poor. The website stated there would be live entertainment, but there was none. Further to that, the staff cut us off after a single pint each, as if we were committing a crime. I felt like I was in the back roads of the deep south or something. Being from PEI, Im somewhat familiar with Cape Breton and had always thought of it as laid back, but this was not the impression the staff here gave us. Everything else about Cape Breton was great, and the Celtic Colours was excellent, however, this hotel was not a good first impression. To add to all of this, its not even a nice hotel. kinda looks like it hasnt changed in about 2 decades.

We purchased a night's stay on Groupon so procured a "cheap" night's stay. Thankfully. We stayed in one of the chalet's. When we first walked in we were pleasantly surprised. When we closed the door the musty smell began to invade our senses. As a Nova Scotian I am disappointed at what our lodgings have to offer. The location is beautiful and there is huge potential. The details are lost. Linens are old and tired. The mattress had seen better days and the tub had a leaky shower faucet without a proper curtain. Oddly, money had clearly been spent refurbishing the beautiful hardwood floors. Which is why, at first blush, the room held promise.

On a positive note, we truly enjoyed our meal. We had AMAZING service and the restaurant staff should be congratulated. We were invited by our waitress to an evening Ceiledh. No lack of hospitality whatsoever.

So....if you are looking for a place to get to know the local staff and be invited to a night out...this place is it!! If you want some luxuries look elsewhere.

For a full review of a trip along the Cabot Trail, please view my blog at blog.wayte.ca

We chose the Silver Dart because of a Groupon deal that they had going on. It was a bargain price and included a full buffet breakfast.

We stayed in one of the Queen Chalet's along the back of the property. The chalets are pet friendly and we traveled with our 5 month old Golden Doodle.

The view from the chalet would be spectacular, unfortunately we were there during a massive rain storm and the fog was thick, but it was still beautiful. There are some well maintained walking trails in the forest behind the chalets, that took us about 30 minutes to go through.

There is a large open grassed area that our dog enjoyed running around on. They have a playground area, a basketball net and an outdoor pool as well.

The restaurant is open for breakfast and supper only. The supper was very good and they had a good variety of menu items. The buffet breakfast ($15 normally) was massive, and had something for everyone.

The room was clean, had hardwood floors and tile. It had a deck with a great view and a wood stove. We spoke with many different staff members and they were all very friendly, and made us feel welcome and enjoyed having our dog around.

Overall it was a great visit and I would highly recommend.

We had a couple of nights here in the main lodge and loved it. Good room, great view. Nice dining room overlooking the lake and we took advantage of the fixed price buffet, which was good value. Easy walk into Baddeck and very convenient for the Cape Breton trail. Make sure you visit the Alexander Graham Bell museum also - the creator of the Silver Dart itself!
We also took the opportunity to use the on site laundermat which was useful.