Fogo Island Inn

210 Main Road, Joe Batt's Arm, NL A0G 2X0, Canada
+17096583444

This hotel is on our list of The 10 Best Hotels in Canada.

Fogo Island Inn sits at the very edge of the north Atlantic on isolated Fogo Island in Newfoundland. Designed by internationally renowned architect Todd Saunders, the inn’s arresting modern appearance is suggests an iceberg from a distance, with its raised section representing the island’s traditional stilted fishing platforms. But when visitors get close, they see the wooden boards layered together, and it’s clear that everything is handmade. The by-hand ethos covers all the furniture and furnishings, created by local artisans who’ve worked with artists in residence to create contemporary versions of traditional objects.

Staying at the inn is admittedly expensive, but this is essentially a living art piece that supports the local community and aims to honor the island’s past while carrying it to the future. It feels like a grand home with attentive staff. A private 42-seat cinema, partnered with the National Film Board, carries a movie library for guests to enjoy at any time; there’s also an art gallery, a well-stocked library, and a supply of Gore-Tex hiking boots and other outdoor equipment to borrow. The inn shows off the dazzling landscape, and it’s easy to spend all day at the windows watching the sea while whales breech, icebergs float past, or storms dash on the rocks.

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Modern Design Meets Natural Beauty

At night, the Fogo Island Inn glows like a futuristic lighthouse. Perched on 50-foot stilts, it looms above a craggy outcrop on an island off the northeast coast of Newfoundland. Architect Todd Saunders designed the building with sharp angles and rough contours that echo the jagged landscape. Every element of the 29-room inn was created on Fogo, a result of collaborations between residents and Canadian and European designers. The local quiltmakers’ guild stitched pieces based on antique designs, and six traditional patterns were used in the wallpaper. The inn’s public spaces include a movie theater, an art gallery, rooftop hot tubs, and a restaurant that uses locally foraged ingredients such as caribou moss.

Iceberg Hunting

With a salty fisherman at the helm of our open punt, we surfed over the top of towering waves for more than an hour, white knuckling it over to Change Islands, Newfoundland, to see an iceberg.

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