The Anne That Ate P.E.I.

The houses are simple and utilitarian, not the trophy palaces you might see on a similarly serene patch of waterfront real estate south of the U.S. border. Quite often, stands of trees hug the rocky coastline, obscuring the postcard view -- the better to break the fierce winds of winter.

But for all its spartan demeanor, there's also some pampering to be had along the eastern shore. Up the road a couple of miles is the Inn at Bay Fortune, a Cape Cod-style, elegantly weathered manse that used to be actress Colleen Dewhurst's summer home.

The heralded hostelry, set on almost 50 acres overlooking the water, is also home to the province's most acclaimed restaurant and to a back yard striped with organic gardens. A few miles to the south is our hotel, the Inn at Spry Point, Bay Fortune's younger sister and an up-and-coming contender in the best-food-on-the-island sweepstakes.

Of course, at these inns and elsewhere on the island, you'll often pay a fraction of the price you would at home. As with the euro, the Canadian loonie's value has climbed relative to the U.S. dollar over the past year. But with many Canadian prices roughly what they would be in the United States, and $1 U.S. worth about $1.40 in Canada, Americans still get a hefty discount. (High-season rooms at the Inn at at Bay Fortune, for instance, start at $145 Canadian, or about $104.)

On our bikes, my sister and I stick to the roads that meander close to the shore. The lay of the land is fun yet forgiving, with the island's elevation topping out at less than 500 feet. Pedal to the top of the highest hill and, if you were suddenly transplanted to the District of Columbia, the Washington Monument would still tower over you.

So we roll along, with green all around us and blue up above and shimmering down below. Here, in this six-hundredths of 1 percent of Canadian turf, that feels just about right. And I can't help but think: My father would really like this place.

Details: Prince Edward Island

GETTING THERE: P.E.I is about 650 miles from Boston, and 1,075 miles from Washington. From Nova Scotia, you can take a 75-minute ferry from Caribou, on Cape Breton Island, to Woods Island, P.E.I, for about $8.50 round trip per pedestrian or $35 round trip for cars. Info: Northumberland Ferries Ltd., 888-249-7245, www.nfl-bay.com.

Air Canada flies from Washington to Charlottetown, via Toronto, for $416.

WHERE TO STAY: All prices are in U.S. dollars.

• In Charlottetown: The Inns on Great George (58 Great George St., 800-361-1118, www.innsongreatgeorge.com) is an inviting cluster of historic buildings in the capital's tiny center and a five-minute walk to the harbor. Rooms in summer start at about $125, with breakfast. Among recommended bed-and-breakfasts is the EdenHurst Inn (12 West St., 877-766-6439), a Victorian mansion built for a wine merchant in the late 1890s. All of the EdenHurst's rooms have only one bed but cots are available. Rooms start at about $82. Both are open year-round.

• On the east coast: The Inn at Bay Fortune (Route 310, Bay Fortune, 902-687-3745, www.innatbayfortune.com), a sprawling former artists' retreat overlooking the water, was built in 1910 by a Broadway playwright and later was the getaway of actress Colleen Dewhurst. High-season rooms from about $104; open from late May through mid-October.

If you really want to be out on the edge, drive several miles south to its sister property, the Inn at Spry Point (off Route 310 on Spry Point. Rd., 902-583-2400, www.innatsprypoint.com). The 15-room property sits on a 110-acre peninsula surrounded by water and woods. Bring books and bathing suits -- it's time to relax (there isn't a whole lot else to do in the immediate area). High-season rates from $125; open end of May through September.