Newfoundland Accommodations: Where to stay this summer!
My roundup of Newfoundland accommodations, along with local restaurant recommendations!
My roundup of Newfoundland accommodations, along with local restaurant recommendations!
A compilation of my favourite places to eat, drink and eat some more. Here are the best restaurants in St. John’s.
Years ago, a travel writer came to Newfoundland and harshly criticized the abundance of deep-fried foods and lack of quality eateries in several rural towns. While it’s not a lie to say we love our fried cod and calamari, the province’s dining scene has come a long way, garnering international acclaim for our reawakened devotion to local ingredients and reimagined culinary traditions.
In the before times, I travelled to eat. I researched destinations all over the world, searching for local restaurants, and booking hotels based on culinary experiences I wanted to have. Last year, our travel was limited to a Newfoundland staycation, and Adam and I travelled all over the province, and it was different this time.
There were no roadside diners like the ones on American sitcoms nor were there Autogrills with espresso shots to go like the ones we downed in Italy. Shiny pit stops aren’t really a thing here in Newfoundland like they are on the mainland (no shade to the Irving Big Stops; I had a pretty good $12 Eggs Benny in Deer Lake last July) but dining destinations are different. And they are truly special. Many an isolated saltbox has been transformed into a dining experience I’ll not soon forget.
2020 was “the year of the staycation,” and little did we know, we’d be in for another summer of local travel this year. Now more than ever our local restaurants and cafes need our patronage, not just to keep their livelihood from transforming from an inspirational travel article into a statistic of how many restaurants closed during the pandemic, but because they create some really amazing food. Newfoundland isn’t a small place, it takes hours and hours to drive across, hence why the culinary gems are few and far between.
Continue reading Newfoundland Restaurants Worth the DriveThe ultimate bucket list to make sure your Newfoundland staycation is the best summer vacation you’ve ever had!
Charming B&Bs and vacation homes abound when it comes to Bonavista accommodations, but there is nothing like Bonavista Living’s eco glamping pods.
Best lists are subjective and frankly inaccurate a lot of the time. I’m a bigger fan of essential lists and Eater (the international food news site) does a great job by selecting restaurants one should enjoy to get a taste of a particular city showcasing the holes-in-the-walls, the trendy, the old faithfuls and the Michelin stars that encapsulate the city’s culinary spirit. This is how I approach my list for the best St. John’s restaurants in 2018. These restaurants have been my go-to’s for the year — the ones I crave regularly and go back to over and over again. Akin to the incessantly popular “My Favourite St. John’s Restaurants” from 2014, this list contains my edible jewels. Some can definitely be found on “best of” lists, some never will be, and some really should be. Continue reading Best St. John’s Restaurants 2018
Imagine a food festival where you would meander along the coastline sampling dishes from famous chefs and drinking wine. Musicians would play music while you lingered by the ocean with a full belly and happy heart and you finish your afternoon with desserts in a playground. Well, dreams really do come true.
Hop Hop Hurray! The craft beer scene here in Newfoundland is bubbling over. There are literally dozens of breweries set to open the next year and I’m slowly working my way down the list (hard job, but someone’s gotta do it! Labour Day weekend Adam and I visited Dildo Brewing Co. and Museum.
The Fogo Island Inn takes care of you like a good Newfoundland nan does — enveloping you in a constant onslaught of pastries from the moment you walk in the door until you drive away with a bagged lunch for the road. And you know there’s always a drop of tea on the stove (or in the inn’s case, delivered to your room in a stainless steel carafe). Dining at the Fogo Island Inn has undergone some major changes in the past little while. In February, 2018 Chef Jonathan Gushue took the lead of the kitchen and has revitalized the culinary repertoire. His experience working in kitchens all over the world at places like Four Seasons and Langdon Hall brings a whole new way of dining to the classic Newfoundland ingredients. Continue reading Change of Menu: Dining at The Fogo Island Inn
When new restaurants open in St. John’s, I get excited. When said restaurant opens a ten-minute walk from my house I get fired up — I couldn’t wait to blog about Noodle Nami.
When Jumping Bean closed their Harvey Road location earlier this year I was pretty crushed, it was one of the only places I could get a decent coffee in my neighbourhood, but a new restaurant got me over it pretty quickly.
Screw stopping to smell the roses, I’m all about them ocean views. When I first starting booking Airbnbs I focused on what the place looked like on the inside (Does it have cool art? What about the modern furniture?). But these days, I’m more concerned with what it’s like being inside looking out, and this Witless Bay Airbnb has the best of both worlds. Plus, the location couldn’t be any better. Witless Bay is only about half an hour’s drive from St. John’s, so it’s easy to get there on a Friday evening, but it feels like it’s a million miles away. The ocean is visible from most of the windows in the house and it was the perfect setting for a group of us to enjoy the May long weekend together.