Antigonish Victorian Inn

We were traveling the Cabot Trail and stopped for one night in September. The hosts were pleasant, though we didn't interact with them much. Breakfast was made individually, with a choice of eggs, French toast, yogurt, or granola. We also got to chat with other guests and exchange local information. Our room was a good size, decorated in a Victorian style, with an ensuite bathroom. It's right on the main road, with several restaurants within walking distance.

Breakfast comes with the stay, and the inn itself is comfortable, very clean, and still has its original charm. There was an iron and ironing board in the room, but no coffee maker. Coffee was set out in the dining room at 8 a.m. The bed was fairly comfortable and had nice linens. It was good value for the price, and I'd stay again.

We stayed in the Erie room on the top floor, so be ready for lots of stairs. It was attractively decorated, with two very firm beds and a private bathroom. The place was clean and quiet, and the staff were prompt and courteous. Breakfast was tasty and came quickly. It's an economical, appealing option within walking distance of downtown shops and services. It gets busy at breakfast, so it might help if the server wrote down orders, and a Keurig would be handy for early risers who want coffee.

We paid $600 for two nights in a family cottage at the Victorian Inn in Antigonish, and left deeply disappointed. The building is iconic and deserves better. It's heartbreaking to see it so neglected, with little apparent care for its reputation or for providing a respectable stay. It feels as if the owners are running a once-charming inn into the ground. We won't return, and I can't recommend it until major improvements are made. The back patio was unsafe and unusable, with rotting boards and no furniture. Inside, surfaces were dirty: handprints on the glass coffee table, grimy doorknobs and windows, and a sofa pillow still bearing the imprint of the previous guest's nap. The kitchen was filthy, with ant traps around, a dirty oven and cookie sheet left inside, and a mess of more traps, grimy cloths, and dirt under the sink. The bathroom was just as bad, with a badly stained shower curtain, a visible bathtub ring, and a fan caked in dust. There was a coffee maker with a dirty basket, but no coffee. At checkout, one of the owners' workers told me only two people were assigned to clean 13 rooms in a four-hour window. That explains a lot, and points to poor management priorities.