FVIENNDTAUREATLO STEHNESREEOMFOTE COAMNAMDUIANNITY IMNACRAINTIAMDEAS

There are several ways to arrive at Fogo Island Inn (fogoislandinn.ca), the dramatic design hotel perched on a rocky shore of Newfoundland in far-eastern Canada. You can rent a car at Gander International Airport and take the ferry across Hamilton Sound to Fogo, charter a prop plane or helicopter or ask a local to pick you up.

Fogo’s community hosts – that is, the island residents, who number around 2700 – are the 29-room hotel’s winning ingredients. Since it opened in 2013, the inn has scooped up every major architecture and travel award but its objective has

always been to provide a living for Fogo Islanders and to give visitors an authentic experience of the Canadian Maritimes.

Founded by Fogo native Zita Cobb, the inn is a social enterprise conceived to revive a North Atlantic community that was decimated by a national ban on cod fishing (cod can currently be caught only in strictly controlled numbers). This globally admired hotel – where room rates start at more than $2000 a night – pumps all profit into the local economy. But the benefits run both ways. Guests gain a unique insight into one of Canada’s oldest Europeansettled lifestyles and dresscircle views of an extraordinary natural environment.

Those curious to explore Fogo’s maritime soul on a boat can go handline fishing with husband-andwife captains Aubrey and Marie then go back to the couple’s home for supper. Other islanders will take you hiking, boat building and stargazing or show you local cuisine and art. Whale watching and iceberg ogling are also available in season.

The inn’s restaurant menu reflects the island’s patchwork heritage, with Italian, French and Caribbean influences cooked up with traditional techniques and hyperlocal produce. Expect cod cheek with dandelion and burnt onion, snow crab with lettuce sauce and caribou roast with spice jus and braised shallots. Lobster and shrimp also feature heavily.

With the exception of alcohol and taxes, almost every aspect of the experience is included in the room rate, right down to the warmth and care with which staff and hosts treat guests.