The Sonata Inn & Heritage Harbour House Inn – Two Inns in Charlottetown, PEI

Wow, it has been a busy week. We have been completely packed from July 30th, to August 5th. Yesterday was the first day in August when we had availability. Today, and tomorrow, we’re full again!!

The weather has been treating us well lately. Sunny days all around. The rain seems to only come in the evening for 5 seconds, and then it goes away! Odd!

I have not been able to experience too much of Charlottetown due to the busyness…however, I will leave you with a bit of advice for a PEI excursion.

One of my favourite routes here on Prince Edward Island, is the “Points East Coastal Drive.” It features the entire eastern coast of the island. I drew up a quick map on quikmaps.com for you to follow along.

First, you’ll find route two out of Charlottetown heading east. The first stop you’ll meet will be Mount Stewart. this little ville features the Trailside Inn, which is a lovely cafe that features live music every evening. This is normally the first stop bikers make when they travel east from Charlottetown. Try the chowder here..it is DIVINE!

Continue along route two, and you’ll soon pass Morell. This small town features a kiosk where you can rent kayaks and canoes to float along the morell river!

Continue along the two highway. You will drive along the St. Peter’s Bay, which funnels to St. Peters. This is a lovely place to take pictures, as the bay looks beautiful at any time of day.

You have to pay attention here , because if you want to visit a beach, you are going to want to head west on the 313 to head over to “Greenwich.” This little beach is absolutely beautiful, and is normally pretty quiet (or at least, it used to be!)

Come back along the 313, and turn on route 16. This route drives along the coast of PEI. You’ll pass Naufrage Harbour, and North lake harbour (they catch blue fin tuna here!) Eventually find yourself at the very edge of the island at “East Point.” East Point features a beautiful lighthouse (which doubles as the tourist information centre.) This is a GREAT place to take pictures!

Keep driving on the 16, and you’ll eventually find the signs leading to “Basin Head.” Basin Head is home to The Singing Sands. The Sand here is very abrasive, so it makes a squeaking sound when you step on it, or kick it…hence the name! Gorgeous beach!

Keep going on the 16, and you’ll hit Souris. This little town features the ferry that takes you either to Newfoundland, or to les Îles de la Madeleine. According to PEI’s Food ambassador Chef Michael Smith, there is an Indian restaurant here called “La Belle Cloche.” I have yet to try it, once I do though, I will provide my review!

In Souris, the 16 turns back into the 2 highway. So now we’ll be travelling east on the 2. You can continue on the two and eventually come back home to Charlottetown, or you can continue along the coast. If you want to explore more of the coast, turn off on route 310, which will take you to Fortune. This is the home of Chef Michael Smith, as well as other beautiful houses, and the Inn at Bay Fortune.

Continue along the 310, and you’ll see kilometers of lovely countryside. You’ll eventually intersect with Route 4. Turn left here, then turn right on Route 311 for another round of the coast.

Route 311 features long stretches of countryside…you could skip it if you’re tired. Eventually you’ll come back to Route 4. Again, if you’re tired, you can take Highway 3 back to Route 1 and back to Charlottetown. Or you can continue along Route 4 and enter Montague. I recommend the Cruise Manada tours. They feature Seal watching along the Montague river.

In Montague, find Route 17 and head east….you’ll pass lower montague, and eventually see route 347. This route will take you to Panmure Island, where you can experience a very beautiful beach here. It is mostly home to a bunch of cottages, but the beach here is public, and very unique.

Drive back on the route 17, and you’ll drive south along the edge of the southeastern end of the island. You’ll eventually hit Murray River. This small town features a great restaurant called “Finnan Haddie.” Ask for the Strawberry Chocolate Salad!

Route 17 ends at Murray river, so you’ll have to continue  south on the 4, but you’ll soon see Route 18. This route will take you along the southern and eastern tip of the island. You’ll see another beautiful lighthouse here.

Continue, and 18 will eventually turn into the 4 again, and you’ll be heading west. Eventually you will come across the “Rossignol Estate Winery,” where you can sample the dessert wines they create there. I recommend the Strawberry Rhubarb!

Once you’re finished here…continue along the 4, and it will turn into Highway 1 (Transcanada Highway.) This highway will take you through 45 minutes of lovely countryside, before arriving home to our Charlottetown Inn, on Grafton St!

This route is about 450 km! It will definitely take your entire day to experience this wonderful area of Prince Edward Island, so plan accordingly!

If you ever need help planning your trip here, drop me a line!

Downtown Charlottetown features quite a treat when exposed to a walker. Especially from our location, walking into and around the city is very enjoyable, and I figure I would explain a route that I tend to reveal to guests when they come here.

First and foremost, because we are located right in downtown Charlottetown our location provides a great start to your walking journey. Taking a left out of our driveway, walk up Grafton St, and into town! In a few minutes, you’ll hit Queen St…welcome to the centre of town! On this intersection you’ll see the Box office entrance to the Confederation centre of the arts on one corner….a Cows Ice cream on the other! I typically tell folks to turn right here, and walk towards the water. Now we are walking down Queen St, soon we’ll turn left on Richmond St, this area is actually called “Victoria Row.” This area is blocked off to traffic, so that restaurant owners can seat guests outside. There is also a little gazebo here where musicians will set up and play music! This area is a very popular spot for the P.E.I locals here, and it’s quite an active place to hang out at night time.

Continuing on Richmond St…you’ll see the Province House on your left hand side. Turn right on Great George St…which will take you straight down into Peake’s wharf, which is a collection of shops and general stores (you can find PEI dirt shirts here!!) There is a nice trail that outlines the wharf. You can walk along this trail towards the east side. Eventually you’ll come across a great restaurant “Lobster on the Wharf,” (stay tuned for another segment for my review of this place!) Close to this restaurant though, is “Founder’s Hall,” which is a museum that focuses on the fathers of confederation. This building also doubles as the Visitor’s centre…which I recommend using to checkout any schedules for any musical events happening around town.

From Founder’s hall, you have many choices. I tend to try to convince guests to take a walking tour. Visit that link for schedule and prices. These tours are loads of fun (especially if you brought the kids.) The tour guides act and dress as fathers/ladies of confederation. They are bilingual, and VERY knowledgeable. They’ll take you all around the city and reveal some interesting tidbits!

If you’re tired of walking, I recommend The Harbour Hippo, which also has a kiosk near Founder’s Hall. It is a 55 minute bus tour around Charlottown, combined with a fun excursion out on the sea. The bus is a hybrid Bus/boat! The tour guides are friendly as well. The tour really climaxes when the bus drives into the water…loads of fun!

If it is early in the day, I recommend walking back up Great George St, and back to the Province House….walk around it from the left side, and you should see a small Amphitheater on the left side that belongs to the Confederation Centre of the Arts. From Monday-Saturday, at noon, the Young Company puts on a performance outside…and it’s free!! This year they are performing: Abegweit: The Soul of the Island.

When you’re finished for the day, find Grafton St and turn left. You’ll find our Charlottetown Inn, in no time!