On brisk early spring mornings, guests at Fogo Island Inn stroll along footpaths with names like Joe Batt’s Point, Oliver’s Cove, Little Seldom and Brimstone Head, following the rocky coastline. After lunch in the glass-enclosed dining room that faces the Atlantic, afternoons are often spent in ocean-view rooms relaxing in hand-crafted armchairs or joining locally guided tours that explore the island’s long cod-fishing history. When night falls and the wind rises, a wood stove keeps rooms warmly inviting, with electric heat available as well.
© Courtesy of Photodeck, Alex Fradkin
By late spring, icebergs begin to drift past the island, sliding down Iceberg Alley on their seasonal migration south. These slowly melting blue-and-white giants pass the coastal communities of Newfoundland and Labrador and provide a dramatic, ever-changing seascape treasured by residents and visitors alike.
Fogo Island Inn will celebrate its tenth anniversary next year. Despite — and in many ways because of — its remote location, the inn has grown steadily more popular. Reached by a 45-minute car ferry from Farewell, a small Newfoundland community about an hour north of Gander, the inn stands partially raised above the rocky beach on sturdy stilts. From a distance it resembles a great white bird poised to take flight; emerging from fog, the four-story modern structure can feel almost like a mirage to first-time visitors.
Constructing a 43,000-square-foot, design-driven inn on the shore of a tiny fishing community of roughly 700 people was controversial when it opened in 2013. Over time, local skepticism has given way to appreciation as the project has brought jobs and economic activity to the island. Residents take pride that the initiative was led by Zita Cobb, an eighth-generation Fogo Islander, and that the building was designed by Newfoundland-born architect Todd Saunders. The inn’s leadership has also been attentive to the island’s fragile ecosystem, integrating sensitivity to local environmental conditions into its operations.
© Courtesy of Photodeck, Alex Fradkin
Furniture throughout the inn features contemporary designs from Canadian and European creators, but the pieces are built locally in a small woodshop near the hotel by island residents with generations of experience crafting homes, boats and fishing stages. Textiles—chair and pillow covers, quilts and woven rugs—are hand-stitched by women of Fogo Island, continuing a tradition that stretches back to the 1700s when fishermen’s families produced clothing, gloves and hats for household use.
Public areas include gallery space showcasing work by Newfoundland artists, integrating visual art into the guest experience. The dining room, with its dramatic double-height windows overlooking the sea, emphasizes local fare: root vegetables sourced nearby, fish and seafood fresh from local waters, and traditional island flavors such as sea buckthorn, spruce tips, caribou moss and dried chanterelles. Together, the inn’s design, craftsmanship and culinary choices reflect a commitment to place, culture and community that defines the Fogo Island experience.