When I asked Contributing Editor Susan Weissman to return to the Canadian province of Nova Scotia after a decade's absence, she was apprehensive. She worried that, over the years, the winding coastline that stretches from Halifax to tiny Lunenburg might have grown to resemble the coast of New England and the Mid-Atlantic--one big parking lot surrounded by super-expensive real estate.

But she was pleasantly surprised. At least for now, she says, the landscape remains a scene right out of the Pulitzer prize- winning novel The Shipping News--austere and hauntingly beautiful. Halifax and the coastal fishing villages to its south are pristine, offering affordable accommodations, terrific seafood, and an intriguing maritime culture. For a change of pace, visit Acadian villages where French is still spoken, marvel at the tide differentials at the Bay of Fundy, or bike along stunning seascapes.

You'll need a car to best explore the area. If you don't drive up from New England, rent a car at the Halifax Airport; during high season, May through October, be sure to make an advance reservation.

Start your drive in the capital of the province, Halifax, and head south. Two first-rate choices for lodging are the Halliburton House Inn and Waverley Inn. Prices are comparable, but if you're looking for an experience that centers on memorable food, Susan suggests the Halliburton. Centrally located, the inn fuses three 19th century row houses, each offering accommodations unified in color and design. A formal dining room in the main house serves breakfast and dinner daily. The talents of chef Scott Vaile are known citywide. Try his signature dish of lobster, scallops, and salmon, or venison ragout with wild mushrooms.

Prefer tasteful to tasty? Opt for the swank Waverley Inn, which boasts a guest list ranging from the Vanderbilts to Oscar Wilde. The unmistakably Victorian inn is packed with antique furniture so massive and flamboyant you expect it to come alive. For the blow-your-mind stuff, request the Vanderbilt suite with his-and-hers, carved mahogany beds or the Chinese room with box-like wedding bed and double Jacuzzi bathroom. The inn only serves breakfast, but you can find nourishment later in the day at the nearby Hamachi House, Chianti, and Da Maurizio restaurants.

Another option: Check into a Halifax bed and breakfast, where hospitality is elevated to an art form. Two standouts are the Pepperberry Bed and Breakfast and the Pebble, both located on the Northwest Arm--a chic neighborhood outside Halifax on a peninsula jutting into the Atlantic. The four-room Pepperberry Inn is Susan's favorite, thanks partly to the professionalism of owners Jim and Elizabeth Trite. With original décor, luxurious bathrooms, good linens, and cable television, the rooms at this B&B would give a five-star hotel a run for its money, Susan says. The public rooms are straight out of a Martha Stewart photo spread. And homemade breakfasts, freshly baked cookies, and complimentary port keep guests feeling warm and cozy from morning 'til night.

If there's no room at the inn, the Trites will send you up the street to Elizabeth O'Carroll's Pebble. More a polished gem than a humble stone, the Pebble consists of two rooms, both with bathrooms out of Architectural Digest, stocked with Moulton Brown toiletries. Similar attention to detail is paid in the guestrooms, with their feather beds and goose-down pillows encased in sumptuous Frette linens. Irish-born O'Carroll prepares a full breakfast served in the formal dining room on the family's china and silver. Be sure to ask how the inn got its name--you'll hear a romantic tale that you'll never forget.

Also in Halifax is the Inn at the Arcitec, a futuristic home built by local architect Geoff Keddy that resembles a ship. Keddy's office occupies the bottom floor. The two floors above are a private unit, with two bedrooms, two luxury baths, a compact modern kitchen, and a high-tech multimedia system. At the discounted rate of $858 a week (daily rates run $158), this is a great choice for couples or executives who want something more aesthetic than a chain hotel.

An hour south of Halifax is Lunenburg, one of two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Canada. About 2,600 Lunenburgers live in houses colored like Easter eggs with elaborate gable roofs that date from the early 18th century. The town's many clapboard churches attest to the fact that Northern Europeans came here seeking religious freedom. Susan says the most remarkable edifice is the Lunenburg Academy, a grand Victorian gingerbread house--white with black and red details--that sits at the highest point in town.

Also impressive is the Boscawen House Inn, favorite accommodations of visiting stars such as Sandra Bullock, Kathy Bates, and comic Denis Leary. The Victorian honeymoon suite has two fireplaces, a whirlpool bath, and a sitting room in the inn's turret. If you're looking for something more modern, check out the Lunenburg Arms. This year-old hotel in a historic building has sleek, traditional décor and an excellent dining room.

The best part of a trip to Halifax and its environs to the south is the road trip along Route 3, the narrow coastal road that stretches between Lunenburg and Halifax. The scenery is so gripping that Susan suggests spending a day or more in the fishing villages of Mahone Bay, Peggy's Cove, and Chester. You'll find several inns in each place.

Just the Facts: Novia Scotia Inns and B&Bs

Room rates marked with an asterisk are for a double room during high season, May through October. Prices are in US dollars.

Halifax

- Halliburton Inn, 5184 Morris St.; 902-420-0658; halliburton.ns.ca; $103-$257*; $81-184 (off season)

- Inn at the Arcitec, 5357 Inglis St.; 902-420-9400; geoffkeddy.com (photo only); $158-$212 a day, $858 weekly (prices are good year-round)

- The Pebble B&B, 1839 Armview Terrace; 888-303-5056; thepebble.ca; $128-$142*; $84-$98 (off season) Pets are welcome with prior notice.

- Pepperberry B&B, 2688 Joseph Howe Dr.; 877-246-3244; pepperberryinn.com; $98-$142*; $84-$109 (off season)

- Waverley Inn, 1266 Barrington St.; 902-423-9346; waverleyinn.com; $77-$160*; $62-$123 (off season)

Coastal Areas south of Halifax

Lunenberg
- Boscawen Inn (and MacLaughlin House), 150 Cumberland St., P.O. Box 1343; 800-354-5009; www3.ns.sympatico.ca/boscawen; $69-$142*; 10-20 percent discount off-season.

- Lunenburg Arms, 94 Pelham St., P.O. Box 1378; 800-679-4950; lunenburgarms.com; $80-$182*; $65-$167 (off season)

Chester
- Haddon Hall Inn, 67 Haddon Hill Rd.; 902-275-3577; haddonhallinn.com; $201-$292*; closed in the winter.

Mahone Bay

- Countryside B&B, Rural Rte. #2; 902-627-1308; countrysidebb.com; $80-$102*; $66-$91 (off-season)

- Oceanstone Inn and Cottages, 8650 Peggy's Cove Rd., Peggy's Cove; 902-823-2160; oceanstone.ns.ca; $55-$80*; $47-$69 (off season); cottages, $129-$239; $99-$184 (off-season)

Check Air Canada for good deals on air/land/rental car travel programs: 800-254-1000 or aircanada.com.

June 2003