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Leave the rest of the world behind at the Fogo Island Inn

By Ian Goodwillie

HOFN, HORNAFJORDUR, ICELAND - AUGUST 16: Icebergs break off from receding Heinabergsjokull glacier in a lake of the glacier's meltwater on August 16, 2021 near Hofn, Iceland. Iceland is feeling a strong impact from global warming. Since the 1990s, 90% of Iceland's glaciers have been retreating and projections for the future show a continued and strong reduction in size of its thee ice caps. Heinabergsjokull is one of dozens of glacier tongues that descend from Vatnajokull, Iceland's biggest ice cap. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
HOFN, HORNAFJORDUR, ICELAND - AUGUST 16: Icebergs break off from receding Heinabergsjokull glacier in a lake of the glacier's meltwater on August 16, 2021 near Hofn, Iceland. Iceland is feeling a strong impact from global warming. Since the 1990s, 90% of Iceland's glaciers have been retreating and projections for the future show a continued and strong reduction in size of its thee ice caps. Heinabergsjokull is one of dozens of glacier tongues that descend from Vatnajokull, Iceland's biggest ice cap. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) /
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Wild. Powerful. Remote. Those words best describe the Fogo Island Inn, a retreat from the world that literally leaves everything behind. It takes getting away from your problems to an entirely new level. Frankly, it would take your problems weeks of wandering to find you.

Located in a truly remote part of Canada, the Fogo Island Inn offers the truth of seclusion without sacrificing anything. It is an unequivocally unique experience, a chance to unplug on a level most people wouldn’t think possible in their wildest dreams.

Finding Fogo Island Inn

If the world actually had corners, there’s a gosh darn good chance that the Fogo Island Inn would be sitting on one of them. This is not a hop, skip, and a jump away from the downtown core of your favorite city. This spot is out there.

Fogo Island Inn
BUENAVENTURA, COLOMBIA – AUGUST 02: A view of the Colombian Pacific coast which is an idyllic place for whale watching and is common in this remote and heavenly place in Colombia, where these colossal mammals flaunt their jumps, loins, and tails, along with the playfulness of the newborn calves, eager to explore the warm and tropical waters of the region in Buenaventura, Colombia on August 02, 2021. During the sighting season, Colombia welcomes thousands of national and international tourists arriving anxious to watch this incredible and unforgettable natural spectacle. A journey of over 8,000 km from the South Pole gives rise to the sighting of large groups of whales exploring the entire Colombian Pacific coast during the second half of the year, extending along the coasts of Nariño, Cauca, Valle del Cauca, and Chocó. (Photo by Juancho Torres/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) /

They say it’s on an island off an island, which is actually quite true. Specifically, it is located on Fogo Island, as the name of the Inn would suggest. It’s just off the northeast coast of Newfoundland, the island portion of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The island’s permanent population is slightly over 2000 people. The biggest individual community on Fogo is the town of Fogo which has a population of 778. But in 2011, several of those communities banded together to form the Town of Fogo Island.

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Fogo Island Inn itself is located in the northeast corner of the island, which allows it to look right out into the Labrador Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Getting out there is an experience on its own. The main access points are by ferry or by small commuter planes. It’s honestly quite a picturesque trip, however you do it.

What it offers

This is not a Las Vegas resort hotel with thousands of rooms. Fogo Island Inn only has 29 rooms and suites, each one of them offering incredible experiences. Developed with sustainability in mind, this spot is a great place for anyone who is or wants to be in tune with nature.

Every room has floor-to-ceiling windows that allow guests to take in the raw power of the Atlantic Ocean. And this is an ocean that loves to put on a show. Some of the world’s most powerful weather comes through this region.

The Dining Room also must be experienced. Once again, the iconic view is at the forefront of the experience as you partake of the local fare from this region of Canada. The Bar & Lounge is equally impressive, offering a truly comfortable space to sip a cappuccino, savor a martini, or just enjoy some music.

On top of all of that, the Fogo Island Inn also boasts a library, an art gallery, and a cinema. And in case you really need to shed the stress, there are two outdoor hot tubs as well as wood-fired saunas on the rooftop deck. You haven’t seen the Atlantic until you’ve seen it from a Fourth Floor outdoor hot tub.

Enjoy the peace, quiet, and more

Going to the Fogo Island Inn is about reconnecting with the self by exploring aspects of it that you might not have known existed. Everything about this place is about disconnecting from who you are on the mainland, about leaving parts of who you are behind.

Fogo Island Inn
LONGYEARBYEN, NORWAY – JULY 29: A Svalbard reindeer reclines while grazing during a summer heat wave on Svalbard archipelago on July 29, 2020 near Longyearbyen, Norway. The Svalbard reindeer are facing difficult winters due to the increasing frequency of freezing rain that obstructs the reindeer’s ability to forage for vegetation. Svalbard archipelago, which lies approximately 1,200km north of the Arctic Circle, is currently experiencing a summer heat wave that set a new record in Longyearbyen on July 25 with a high of 21.7 degrees Celsius. Global warming is having a dramatic impact on Svalbard that, according to Norwegian meteorological data, includes a rise in average winter temperatures of 10 degrees Celsius over the past 30 years, creating disruptions to the entire local ecosystem. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) /

A major activity for visitors on the island is hiking. That includes nature hikes, geology hikes, and berry-picking hikes. Plus, this is a superb place to experience nature through bird watching, seal watching, whale watching, and caribou watching.

As odd as this is going to sound, what you can do is largely defined by which of the seven seasons you’re there for. There’s Spring, Summer, Winter, and Late Fall as well as Berry Season, Trap Berth Season, and Pack Ice Season. Plan your trip carefully because each one of these seasons offers an extremely different set of opportunities to explore Fogo Island.

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Regardless of who you were, who you are when you’re at the Fogo Island Inn is someone you deserve to get to know. Eat. Drink. Relax. Live. This is your chance to stop taking life as it is and just enjoy life as it could be.

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