An Emotionally Charged Adventure with the Still-Wild World
Fogo Island Inn sits on an island, off an island, off one of the four corners of the Earth - a remote, yet accessible island located off the Northeast Coast of Newfoundland, Canada along “Iceberg Alley” of the Labrador Strait. It is the largest of an archipelago of islands at the very eastern edge of the North American continent. To plan a visit, guests can simply find their way to the island of Newfoundland by regular commercial air links to the Gander International Airport gateway. They may arrive on their own by car to the Fogo Island ferry dock at the aptly named Farewell Shore. The Inn also offers airport transfers. Guests arrive after a short scenic ferry ride over to the island. Alternatively, guests may travel direct by small charter plane or helicopter from Newfoundland to Fogo Island.
Fogo Island spans approximately 35km from east to west and 24km from north to south with 2,395 people living in 10 distinct communities. The island boasts countless plant and animal species that thrive in its untamed wilderness and icy waters.
Every one of the Inn’s 29 one-of-a-kind guest suites has dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows that open onto the wildest and most powerful ocean on the planet. The award-winning Inn is built on the principles of sustainability and respect for nature and culture. It is a community asset, and 100% of operating surpluses are reinvested into the community to help secure a sustainable and resilient future for Fogo Island, Newfoundland.
Fogo Island Inn is a one-of-a-kind contemporary Inn furnished with quiet luxuries. Designed by architect Todd Saunders, it embodies the new outport aesthetic that has emerged on the Island. The Inn’s architecture is bold, optimistic and distinctly of its place. All 29 suites are unique, and every textile and piece of furniture is handcrafted and made locally - from the quilts to the chairs and wallpaper patterns.
The culinary team finds inspiration in the ocean’s bounty, ingredients grown on the island and Fogo Island’s time-honoured outport cooking traditions. Fogo Island Inn’s ethos is one of reverence and respect for Fogo Island’s distinctive bounty. The menu changes with Fogo Island’s seven seasons and is consistently a celebration of this place. The Inn was ranked as one of the top three “Best New Restaurants of Canada” by enRoute Magazine.
The lounge and bar areas feature a signature line of new Newfoundland cocktails which play off of longstanding traditions and combine them with new techniques. Garnishes such as Fogo Island berries, juniper-infused syrup, and dried wildflower petals are often ready at hand. The bar carries almost any spirit you can imagine, including Newfoundland Screech, and cocktails can often be found shaken or stirred over iceberg ice depending on the season. The bar stocks a variety of beer and an extensive wine collection from the best Canadian wines to those originating from Fogo Island’s traditional trading partners such as Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal.
In the evenings, the lounge and bar area are regularly adorned by local musicians singing traditional folk songs accompanied by gentle guitar or accordion. Guests are welcome to pick up the Inn’s guitar for a quick strum, or peek at the stars through the lounge telescope.
Situated on the first floor, the library is cozy, comfortable, and contains one of the Inn’s six public wood-burning fireplaces. It is quiet and intimate, but also close enough to the front lobby to feel both hidden away and involved in the action of the Inn. Adjacent to the library is a contemporary “white cube” art gallery. The goal of the public gallery is to provide diverse audiences – local and global – with opportunities to engage with contemporary artworks informed by the specificities of place.
“The Magic Picture Box” cinema is an independent box that sits within the greater building, and is literally built as a black box sitting inside of the Inn’s generally white space. Designed by Nick Herder, the 37-seat cinema features a state-of-the-art digital projection and sound system, and doubles as a lecture theatre. The fourth floor rooftop deck houses the Inn’s wood-fired saunas and two outdoor hot tubs, there is also a gym on the second floor.
More than an Inn, Fogo island Inn has an international reputation for exceptional, embodied, place-specific hospitality and bold, thoughtful, humanistic contemporary design.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Fogo Island Inn | 210 Main Road | Joe Batt’s Arm | Newfoundland | Canada
Telephone: +1 709 658 3444 | E-mail: contactus@fogoislandinn.ca
Image Credits: Fogo Island Inn