Fogo Island Inn

I was recently reflecting on my visit to the Fogo Island Inn about a year ago and I asked my husband to re-book a visit for us in two months. We were at the Fogo Island Inn last year in April (Pack Ice season) and as another review also wrote, it was transformative. Newfoundlanders are some of the friendliest people I have ever met. They were so happy we came to visit their corner of the planet and they were willing to share everything they knew about it. What did we do? We watched icebergs float by. I learned about cod and the fishing industry of the island. I read about snow and ice. I read about traditional ways to hunt and fish. We sat in the hot spa overlooking the ocean. We hiked past and poked around some of the artist studios. We ate excellently prepared locally sourced food (from 1st breakfast to late-night snack). We hiked trails. I reviewed the timeline of the Titanic and realized that it sailed during pack ice season - what were they thinking??? All in all - a restful visit in a beautiful place. Getting there: flew into Gander and then drove about 1 1/2 hours to the ferry. Leaving there: Ferry to mainland and then drove to St. John's - the capital. You can also fly out of Gander. The Gander airport is small and friendly. The Inn can also pick you up from the ferry. We stopped by the Titanic graveyard in Halifax on the way home - a very moving experience. I loved this visit (4/18) so much, we just rebooked again for 6/19 and plan to visit other parts of Newfoundland too. I'd like to see it in the other seasons in the future.

I booked a Newfoundland suite on the top floor of the Fogo Island Inn six months prior to our arrival because of the popularity of the Fogo Island Inn and tourism in Newfoundland. Perhaps like others, I was concerned about the cost, particularly because we were obligated to stay for three nights. In hindsight, this was one of the best travel decisions I had ever made. Zita Cobb, born and raised on Fogo Island, and who made her fortune in the high tech industry in Ottawa, returned to her roots and planted a flag that became an international destination—the Fogo Island Inn. The architecture is stunning. The building sits on a windswept bluff overlooking the North Atlantic ocean. The inn is a mecca for architects worldwide who visit to study its uniqueness. And for others, including myself, a journey to the Fogo Island Inn felt like a pilgrimage. When we entered our Newfoundland suite, with its high ceiling, we were blown away by the beauty of the room. A complete wall of glass faces out on the North Atlantic ocean. The bathroom was large and modern. The technology in the room was extensive. The wallpaper in our room depicted scenes of caribou, and other suites also present unique portrayals of Newfoundland. The furniture and quilts in each room were made by islanders. The dining room is located in the northwest corner of the inn. It has high ceilings with two walls completely covered in glass allowing us to watch the crashing waves and sunsets. We ate three extraordinary meals each day (included in the room price), and the service was outstanding. While the inn employs many college-age students or graduates interested in tourism, it also employs many locals. During walks my wife and I took from the inn to the nearby village of Joe Batt’s Arm, we ran into residents who told us stories of how much the inn had changed their lives. And that is when we quickly realized that this was more than just staying at a unique 5-star inn. Our stay became a transformative culture experience in which we witnessed first-hand how Zita’s vision had dramatically changed the landscape of Fogo Island—an island whose survival once centered on the whims of the fishing industry to an international tourist destination. From the décor of our room to the farm to table food in the dining room grown locally, from walking and driving tours of the island coordinated by the staff to the daily visits in the lobby by Make and Break, two large Newfoundland dogs, and from a movie screening of how Zita succeeded in turning a remote island into a tourist mecca to a buffet seafood dinner at the inn in which a renowned fisherman told a harrowing tale of being rescued by his wife while at sea, we became immersed in the culture of the island. And because of the three-night stay, guests and staff, and guests and guests began to feel like family. Staying at the Fogo Island Inn was an extraordinary and unforgettable experience.