I have stayed at the Marathon Inn on Grand Manan Island, which is on the main road just across from the ferry landing. I'm sure you understand how primitive the island is, speaking in terms of tourist resources. There simply aren't a lot of places to stay, or eat.

To be blunt about the Marathon Inn-- it was a complete dump when I was there about five years ago. Their current website however, says that it has undergone a complete renovation. By this time though, we all know about website photo fiction. I'm also not sure that you will find anything better since the island is almost completely undeveloped.

If you plan to hike, birdwatch, and go whale watching, then 1 and 1/2 days is probably about right. There are half-day boat tours for whale watching, but we saw many pods of whales from the vantage point of our cliffside hike. One pod lolled about in a cove directly beneath us.

Keep in mind that there is nothing really to do on the island except the above activities. It is not charming like PEI, just primitive. Also, your arrival and departure will be strictly limited by the ferry schedule. Our departure was delayed about 5 hours because the ferry we were in line for filled up the automobile hold before our car could be loaded.

Best regards, Joel

P.S It took me a while to understand the locals' pronunciation of their island name. It will come out very quickly as Gramna.