It is not very often that we find a hotel that’s charming, luxurious, intimate, in a remote location, and design-focused, but the Fogo Island Inn checks off all of those boxes. Located in Canada’s eastern most province of Newfoundland and Labrador is Fogo Island. It’s a remote and fairly harsh island that is extremely far north and fewer than 3,000 people call the 91-square-mile island home. It seems like the last place you’d find a standout hotel, but the Fogo Island Inn is quite incredible.
The hotel draws your attention from miles away, given it’s unique architectural design. From the sharp angles to the minimalistic style, the Fogo Island Inn certainly sticks out in this barren landscape. The inn itself is located actually on a smaller island that is still part of Fogo Island. It’s fairly difficult to travel to this hotel, but for those seeking a real adventure, Fogo Island Inn pulls you in. It would seem strange as to why anyone would come to this island that is so far north. However if you really want to plan a remote getaway, there might not be any place better. While the terrain here may be fairly harsh and demanding, the hotel is the complete opposite.
With plenty of balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows that are found throughout this hotel, you can really appreciate the surrounding area in comfort. The interior of this unique hotel is similar to the exterior: every room is very stylish and minimalistic. Sometimes less is more, and the Fogo Island Inn could be considered an example of that ideology. Fireplaces, comfortable couches, and contemporary artwork are spread out through this hotel. The Fogo Island Inn also offers some features seen in other premium hotels. They have a large fitness room, a sauna, and an award-winning restaurant. In fact their restaurant is truly quite something. Their menu is comprised entirely from local ingredients, and is constantly changing. It’s guaranteed to surprise. Sure, the Fogo Island Inn doesn’t have a waterpark or a casino, but that’s not what you want when coming to a place like this. And given where it’s located, it is impressive what the hotel has to offer.
The most impressive feature that this hotel offers are its rooms. Accommodations here are only in the form of 29 one-of-a-kind suites. The suites have modern furnishings, large bathtubs, wood burning stoves, and incredible views of the surrounding area. All of the furnishings are also entirely made from hand by local artists and craftsmen. While it may be very cold outside (depending on when you come), you can be sure that it’s warm and inviting on the inside.
Despite its remote location, there’s actually a lot of things to do. They property managers offer guests a range of different activities that vary with the seasons. You can take boat rides, hike and explore the local area, fish, ice skate in the winter, go whale watching, dig for mussels, take tours of the town, learn to smoke fish, take trips out to the icebergs, and much more. Sure, it’s not a Caribbean paradise, but I don’t think it wants to be one.
So who would come to this remote hotel and why? Well really anyone that values nature, unique experiences, and the prospects of what an adventure might bring. The Fogo Island Inn is the place to come when you need to take a break from your modern life and experience something completely new and unique. Or you come here to stimulate your inner creativity. It’s a quite and extraordinarily beautiful place, yet at the same time harsh and unforgiving; the perfect place to write a novel, for example. While there are definitely more luxurious, feature-rich hotels out there in the world, you cannot deny that the Fogo Island Inn is something completely different from all the various hotels of the world. I’ve never seen a hotel like this, and it does have a lot to offer. Between its incredible design and the attention to detail to the fact that it’s extremely remote and there are only 29 rooms, the Fogo Island Inn is very, very special.
Photos from fogoislandinn.ca
