World's Best Islands 2011 (from TRAVEL and LEISURE magazine)
#3 Cape Breton, Canada
"Readers love Cape Breton for its captivating vistas—cliff-backed beaches; forested headlands studded with lighthouses—which is why the island, in Nova Scotia, hasn’t dropped below the No. 2 ranking in the Continental U.S. and Canada since 2005. Local culture commingles Scottish, Acadian, Irish, African, and native Mi’kmaq influences, and is fueled by music, from Celtic-style fiddling played in parish halls to the popular Thursday night ceilidh (kay-lee) dance gathering."
Cape Breton was ranked the number one island destination in Canada and continental United States, and number three on the list of Top Ten Islands Overall. Readers of the travel publication voted Cape Breton ahead of such popular destinations as the Great Barrier Reef Islands and Sicily.
This is the third time the island has been awarded the number one honour.