Keltic Lodge at the Highlands

The location is superb. Amazing view from everywhere, quiet and peaceful atmosphere. The sea is on both sides of the hotel so you get great water views regardless of which side you are on. Hiking around the property was beautiful. Food in the restaurant was ok. Rooms are dated and could use a revamp. We had a room with two queen beds but they were tiny.|

This place felt like a luxury resort that was put together without the help of an interior decorator. Everything was clean and spacious, and thus it's nice... but it lacked all the "little things" that can make a stay great. We stayed in the Argyle Suites, the rooms were spacious, but vacant and lacked any sort of "lodge" or keltic personality. The dining room and lounge felt more like a community centre than they did an upscale lodge. The food was average ... at best. On the plus side, the hiking trail located right on the property is lovely. Amazing views and the perfect amount of walk/hike to keep both beginner and intermediate hikers content. This property is beautiful and has so much potential... but for the price, it's generally not worth the stay.

TLDR: Overpriced and Dated. Views are amazing but so are the potholes in the street and main lodge reception parking lot. Our suite was clean but it was low on outlets. Had to unplug the TV or the fridge for the coffee machine. AC worked great. Staff was polite and friendly. No flat surfaces to put anything on other than the bathroom. We really enjoyed the Lounge with the live musician, food was great. Kinda seems like the resort is on its last legs though and they're just hanging on.

The Keltic Lodge was magnificent. My sister and I stayed in the main lodge, we had our complimentary coffee on the deck chairs overlooking the ocean. We walked down to the Ingonish Beach and stuck our toes in the cold water and watched the tide come in. I took full advantage of the Wellness retreat - a wonderful massage with Samantha Corbett RMT. A full workout in the gym and a soak in the hot tub.|The room was spacious and spotless.|The front desk staff friendly and efficient.|We ate our dinners in the dining room, reservations are recommended, the food was excellent.|I loved the mushroom gnocchi.|A shout out to international waiters.

Giving this hotel a 1 star is more than it deserves. I made a reservation on May 16, 2025 to stay one night on June 15th. In addition, my wife and I scheduled dinner at the restaurant for the same night. After booking our reservations, we immediately received confirmation e-mails. On June 13th, while we were in PEI, I checked my e-mail to confirm the time of our dinner reservations. In doing so, I discovered an e-mail that was sent to me by Keltic Lodge on June 10th (the day we left for our travels) telling me that they overbooked the hotel and that my reservation had been canceled. Sadly, I did not receive a phone call informing me of the cancellation, much less apologizing for the massive oversight. It would also have been nice to receive notice much earlier. Imagine if I had not checked my e-mail and instead had driven almost 6 hours from PEI to Keltic Lodge, only to discover that my reservation had been canceled. Late at night on June 13th, my wife and I were scrambling to find a place to stay for June 15th. This is the absolute worst customer service I’ve ever experienced.

We have stayed in plenty of locations both across Canada and Europe, this location is “spectacular” but the Keltic Lodge needs immediate updates to current times. Appears the ownership is taking out most if not all the Capital it receives from overnight charges and golf fees but is NOT reinvesting in the much needed CAPEX for this legendary property. Don’t let this venue rundown any further, sell to a competitor or well established hotelier who can manage vs your management company. We don’t recommend don’t waste your hard earned money here until it’s upgraded!

What an experience! Stayed here during a golf trip, the views are spectacular! Great clean rooms with amazing views of the island. Friendly service.

Do not be fooled by the website's photos. The main lodge has been closed for over 2 years due to mismanagement, so you'll stay in a ratty, glorified motel on the property with a roof that looks like it hasn't been cleaned since Trudeau Sr was PM. Even locals are perplexed at the downfall of this once great bastion of Cape Breton pride - some even exclaiming they were surprised it was still open. The staff was lovely though, and I wish them the best.

KB was a fantastic help with his recommendations. The food was fantastic, inventive and super fresh, highlighting the local specialties. Reasonably priced for high quality foods and I haven't even begun with the incredible views. This is a once in a lifetime don't miss it location!

Chose here for dinner because on a Monday...everywhere closes so early and this was just about the only place open after our sunset hike. It was very busy, but we were still able to get a table and we greeted quickly enough. After getting drinks, everything followed fairly slowly but we weren't in a hurry, so it was fine. The dining room seemed a little stuffy, but we got outside seating, and the patio is actually very nice!

Pretty busy place, we were able to get a table without reservation, no waiting. They have few veg options, we ordered falafel salad, nachos and mushroom risotto. The salad was decent, small coin sized falafel with tzatziki and arugula salad. Nachos were great. Mushroom risotto was flavorful but just a tad bit undercooked. We also ordered smoked old fashioned and blueberry lemonade, both were nice. Sarah our waitress was good too. The place overall however seemed a little chaotic with almost all of the staff running around to get the orders on table, people running from bar area too, may b they were understaffed yesterday. Nice setting with brilliant views and live music to top it off.

Amazing location, great service. Ridiculous views too. Live music in the separate lounge has a perfect volume in the dining area. The steak was great, but if you don't order the tacos, you're a dumbass.

My sister and I are staying at the Keltic Lodge for a couple of days so decided to have supper at Arduaine. We were a little hesitant because there are many reviews citing poor food quality with high prices. But we decided to take a chance and glad we did. We had a friendly greeting from the host and he was able to quickly find us seats. Our server Lily M. arrived immediately to take our drink order then back shortly after to take our food order. My sister ordered the shrimp Po Boy, I had the seafood chowder. The shrimp Po Boy was very tasty, fresh shrimp just a bit of heat but not too much. The sweet potato waffle fries were delish. My sister doesn't really like sweet potatoes but said these were some of the best fries she has ever had. A nice cold glass of Tidal Bay wine to complete the meal. The seafood chowder was fabulous. Lots of seafood , not loaded with potato lovely creamy broth. It was served with a large piece of fresh warm baguette. A perfect accompaniment to the chowder. Great service, excellent food. We couldn't enjoy the view due to the foggy weather but the restaurant has no control over that!

Meh....less than mediocre....started with the Keltic coffee, was barely warm & not enough alcohol, it didn't taste like any was added-had to send it back, ask for a double & please make it hotter. Ordered bowls of the seafood chowder, that was pretty good, came out very hot & was pretty tasty, then my main course was the pan seared haddock, was served with a mound of plain mashed potatoes with nothing on them & a little bit of veggies, had to get some tartar sauce to eat the fish & just left the plain mashed potatoes on my plate, husband ordered the salmon & salad & he enjoyed his meal. We both ordered the Ingonish lobster to start with then the waitress returned to tell us they were all out....do yourself a favor & eat at the Purple Thistle it has to be much better than this place!

I'd give here 3.5 based on lunch on a rainy Saturday in October. I'd had plans to drive here from Sydney with a friend, and even though the weather was terrible, we went anyway. It's too bad that it wasn't a day to walk the grounds and see the beautiful views. We arrived about 11:30 and waited about a minute for a server to come greet/seat us. She advised there were only two of them working, but that was fine as we were in no rush. Friendly service in general. There were two other tables taken out of the many in the large banquet-sized restaurant. Windows all around would normally provide great views and lots of natural light. Blue fabric colored chairs with wooden tables, carpetting, a couple of casual chandeliers and wooden beams on the ceiling make this a simple but nice atmosphere. It was quite chilly inside upon arrival, but the heat was turned on within minutes we noticed. The Keltic Lodge's website doesn't seem to be working at the time I write this, and I cannot find the dining menus elsewhere online. I tried their pesto scallop entree with sundried tomato & spinach, which was decent and a good size. The scallops themselves were cooked well with a nice smoked flavor, the dish itself a bit heavier on the sauce than needed, the garlic bread soft and good but seemed store bought. My friend's fish & chips were good but quite standard, with the batter a bit crunchy and well done, fries a bit well done and very salty. We think the desserts are store bought as well, but my peanut butter chocolate cheesecake was still okay with a few mini PB cups on top, a raspberry & peanut drizzle on the side of the plate to pretty it up. His pina colada cake with a dollop of whipped cream was a nice flavor, with a spoonful of pineapple/coconut mix on the side? Both slices not huge, but all that's needed. The bill was $94 before tip, including two beers. Although there was nothing amazing about the experience, it was good enough where I'd definitely go back some sunny day and enjoy the vibe a bit more, maybe try the lobster or something.

Call it 4.5 stars. We stumbled across this place (part of the Keltic Lodge resort) on our way to hike the Middle Head trail (also not to be missed on the Cabot Trail). Our meals in the area had been hit or miss, but this place delivered. We all had the lobster thermidor and it was great. Nearly a full lobster worth of meat, cooked well and a full half lobster to pick through after. It was served on a mushroom linguini that was cooked very well. For $29, it's a steal and way cheaper than any lobster supper you'll find on the island. The views are spectacular in the dining room and our service was super friendly and the pace of service was just right. My only tiny complaint would be that the pasta needed a bit of salt, but that's easy to forgive these days and that's why there's salt on the table...and it could have been served a bit hotter, but these are small hiccups in an otherwise memorable meal. PS...try the great local beers on tap...the "let's jam" sour was perfect with the meal!

Disappointing. Being a big resort/lodge I was expecting more. I have been spoiled with the food at the smaller places along our Cape Breton bicycle ride. The whole group ate here. Pros: great location and scenery. Cons: food quality and service. One of our riders had her order improperly processed twice. She has dietary restrictions so this was quite disappointing and alarming. The waitress was pleasant but I felt she was overwhelmed. We had to wait a while too I had the seafood platter. The mussels were boring, shrimp was bland, and fish was Ok. I really was hoping for more.

Went to a bridal shower here. I asked for my drink three times but never got it. My aunt ordered a soda but she got a rum and coke. The waiter was singing/humming to himself and hopping around but after he dropped off food and NEVER came back. Best part, at the end, the waiter never brought us checks. I thought the bridal party picked it up since he never brought us the bill and I saw people leaving who may have not known either. I had to FIND him to ask for a box at which point, he asked me if I wanted to pay.. I had to run and get my aunt who was leaving. Guess what he said...."I can just charge it to the bride's room!!" He was just going to penalize the BRIDE because HE couldn't be bothered to bring us checks!. AHHH crazy guy... I went back, not because I wanted to. The fries were decent, the sandwiches were okay but the staff was pretty bad. It seems a general rule out here that the staff moves slowly and doesn't care too much. The views make up for this truth.

The food & view were awesome. Not 5 star, because the service was lackluster. We could tell it was the end of the season!

Excellent fresh local seafood in an incredible setting we had the fettuccine seafood dish. Divine. Definitely one of the best seafood meals I have ever had. Try it and enjoy.

Service was nice. Food was good but we had to wait longer than other tables so I'm not sure if there was a problem. Portions were big and food tasted good. Mac and lobster was perfect, steak was perfect, scallops were perfect. Atmosphere was perfect.

Great service. Try the chicken ,mushroom &bacon mac&cheese, amazing & served with butter infused French bread. Pretty good wine selection and a nice IPA.

The view is great, but otherwise the food is sub medium. Definitely wouldn't recommend it, unless you're extremely hungry and very low on expectations.

Decent food. Out of all the lobster rolls I've had (trust me, many), this was probably my least favourite. The mayo and tomatoes (first time I've seen it in a roll...) over powers the lobster flavour, which itself was pretty bland. My dad had the fish tacos... 2 of the 3 barely had fish in it, only to find all the fish in 1. Tacos were very watery and had fish and vegetable juices running all over his hands and onto the table. Brother said the seafood linguine was delicious and mom had the pan fried haddock which she enjoyed. They also ran out of chowder by the time we ordered which was a disappointment.

This had to be the grossest meal I have ever eaten. I ordered the Fettuccini Pescatore, which essentially pasta tossed with an assortment of seafood local to the area. The dish arrived cold, the pasta was undercooked and hard, worst of all I ate half of it before I found the seafood was only partially cooked, more specifically uncooked shrimp/scallops. For an appetizer, I ordered the Caesar salad. Which appeared to be not fresh, indicative of the brown lettuce and what appeared to be canned parmesan and bacon. Disappointed, I had high hopes for such an institution of Cape Breton. Service was fine, mostly young teenagers. My only regret is when a patron at the table next to me asked if it was good and indicated she would like to order it based on the way it appeared on the plate, I didn't have the heart to tell her I couldn't believe I have to pay for this and hope I don't get food poisoning because they can't cook seafood local to the area correctly.

I generally don't bother to write mediocre reviews, in that I don't like to hurt small businesses. In the case of this restaurant, which is owned by the big boys at Keltic Lodge, they can handle it. This is actually the informal restaurant at this resort. It's a beautiful space and the service by the young staff was excellent. The grilled salmon (farm raised) was decent and came with a good salad. The mussels were meh, at best. Small, a little chewy and swimming in an off-tasting wine and butter sauce. Had much better mussels all over NS. Lobster "roll" was a complete rip-off at 22....a couple of tablespoons of mayo drenched lobster salad (not fresh) with lettuce and tomatoes on a dry roll. And what's with a 2 oz. vesper martini at $11?...any martini should have at least 3 oz. of gin or vodka...this one was weak and overpriced. Sorry....back to writing positive reviews for more deserving places.