klam_chowder

This trip report is long as I hope that others visiting Newfoundland will find some of the info helpful, as I so greatly and gratefully benefited from posters sharing their NF experiences. (Sorry for the delay in posting…my bad! I took good notes and wrote most of it and then left it to finish off.)

We spent 17 days traveling thru NF (with a side detour to St. Pierre) and it was not enough! Our trip “goals” were icebergs, puffins, and whales. Tho there were (virtually) no icebergs this year coming down even “iceberg alley” (St. Anthony’s/Twillingate), we were not disappointed. NF is fabulous!!

We had excellent camping in Gros Morne, the capelin were rolling in so whales were all over the north and west coasts and the Burin & Avalon peninsulas, spectacular vistas at most turns, and mostly good weather (only 4-half days of rain).

Below is the report divided into somewhat logical sections: Getting There, Lodgings, Things to Do, Eats, and General Traveling Tips. Hope someone finds this helpful!

Getting There
North Sydney to Port aux Basque – ferry cabin: we took the overnite ferry (departs at 1AM) and booked a cabin. The cabins are spacious with 2 sets of bunk beds (the top ones fold against the wall if you don’t need them) and ensuite. This was a very good idea as we woke refreshed in the morning and ready to drive thru the “Wreckhouse”.

Tips: Arrive at the ferry terminal an hour early, as they suggest, as it loads for quite a while. Keep the receipt the cashier gives you handy as a deckhand will collect it before you load. Bring everything you need from your vehicle as it’s a hassle to get items later (have to go to your car with a crewmember). When on board, go to the Purser’s desk to get your cabin key. Know what time the boat docks so you know to get up (sounds stupid, I know). If you sleep in, you will be rudely awakened by their PA announcement an hour, and then again half an hour, before docking.

Returning, we took the Argentia to North Sydney ferry during the daytime. It’s enjoyable but nonetheless a long ride even tho they do a good job at trying to keep people entertained (frequent free & paid movies, live band in the bar, free board games to borrow, etc.). The ferry left late and we ended up arriving an hour late, at 11:30pm. We were glad that we had booked a room in North Sydney instead of trying to drive straight thru to Halifax that night.

Tip: Book a room in North Sydney! Many passengers just showed up at the Best Western front desk but were turned away. It was heartbreaking to hear a tired, little girl wailing as her parents had to load her back into their minivan as they tried to find another room for the night. We stayed here (minutes away from the dock) with an Internet reservation that was significantly less than the rate offered when I called the hotel directly.

klam_chowder

Lodging
Camping at Berry Hill (Gros Morne) was very convenient to Rocky Harbour’s services. It was self-check in so we drove around the campground until we found a suitable site; the campground seemed about 20% full (June 24-26). The 2005 rate increase went into effect the day we arrived, however I think because we had pre-paid, they did not collect any more camp fees from us. This is just a guess tho as no one from Parks Canada came around to our site nor was anyone in the front gate booth when we returned to the campground at various times during our 3 night stay. The site services are excellent. Electricity in the bathrooms, sunlamp in the individual shower rooms (locking door), and kitchen shelter with wood stove and sinks.

After camping in Gros Morne, we stayed at B&B’s the rest of the way. Most are in the more affordable bracket with ensuite (or private bath in a couple of cases). Here’s our review from best to least favourite based on the host(s), value, and ambiance:

St. John’s - Maunders Manor: I could only find one listing for this place and my searches for reviews turned up empty. Either I was going to luck out or had chosen a rotten egg…Lucky for us, the hosts Don and Yvonne are incredibly welcoming and gracious (but laid back) hosts! They were having 26 guests (family & friends) over for a special celebration dinner the first night that we were there, and when we called to let them know when we planned to check-in, they invited us to join them! Wonderful breakfasts (bacon & eggs, multigrain wild blueberry pancakes & bacon) plus homemade jams, toast, juice, cereals, fruit, local yogurt…amazing! They engage their guests to share their stories and they reciprocate and share their home and themselves. Centrally located on a lovely, established residential street. Tho we had a car, we walked from their place to downtown, Commissariat House, GeoCentre, Signal Hill, Quidi Vidi Canada Day fireworks, everywhere! I think this place is the best-kept secret!

Bonavista – Harbourview: The host, Albert, spent many years on the water and he is a character!! He grew up with his 9 siblings in the house which has since only seemed to have been modified with more bathrooms. (He and his wife, Florence, now live next door. It is incredible that they have gone thru so much in their lives and not only are they not bitter, they are generous, open people.) I think his gathering for an evening snack is a ploy to get the guests together to share their day’s adventures! He has great stories to tell and seems to truly enjoy his houseguests. Hearty full breakfast and we especially enjoyed the evening snack he provides (you’ll know what I mean if you stay here)! Great view and right across from Ryans Premises.

Clarenceville - Island View: Patricia has a mini-museum in her home! All lovingly displayed and identified; I have no idea how she keeps her home so clean. Great to wander thru and have a look at her treasures. Beautiful bedspread. This place is about a lot of choices: in the kitchen there’s a welcoming tray of self-serve coffee ingredients and many teas to choose from, plus snacks (yummy homemade sticky buns or blueberry muffins); in the ensuite, a myriad of bubble bath, bath salt, and toiletries to enjoy; outside it’s BBQ for guest use, a deck and gazebo. Also with your stay you get a great view; a friendly, relaxed host, and your choice of full breakfast entrée!

Grand Bank - Inn at the Sea: When we arrived here, we were in a foul mood having been “stranded” in Fortune (read my “General Traveling Tips” posting for the gory details) and then discovered Fortune’s only lodgings were had not yet opened for the season (July 6). So we headed to the nearest community and drove to its only B&B listed in the NF travel guide. Within 20 minutes of checking in, I was happily lolling around on the raised canopy bed (probably didn’t hurt that we got the last room – the ones honeymooners usually stay in!). Gorgeous, elegantly restored home, with the bay at its backdoor providing wonderful views, and a library of videos and cds to use in your room. Formal breakfast settings complete with damask chair slips. For her guests who have to catch the ferry to St. Pierre, the organized host, Judy, even manages to serve full & lovely breakfasts @ 6:30am!

Placentia – Seaside: Hard to tell this modern, clean home is 25 years old! Mary is very accommodating and used to serving the Argentia ferry passengers who arrive late or leave early, including serving a full breakfast. Plenty to keep guests entertained in their large rec room, complete with older table tennis and billiards tables, and darts. Covered pool with waterslide was not warmed yet. Self-serve laundry is $2.50/load.

Twillingate - Echoes of the Ocean: More of an efficiency unit than a B&B as the hosts, Wayne and Linda, who are nice enough, spend little time at the B&B. Simple continental breakfast (2 slices each of homemade bread in a basket, one small muffin each, cereals in Rubbermaid) is set out the night before, and someone comes by to clean it up later the next day. As the hosts live in a house behind the B&B, guests are free to use the kitchen in the B&B including coffee and tea during the day. Imagine my surprise when I opened the freezer above the fridge door and saw loaves of frozen bread! Central location, clean and modern. Self-serve laundry is $5/load.

Trepassey - Northwest Lodge: Harold and Marie welcomed us heartily. This is another place with that seems more like an efficiency unit with a simple continental breakfast. I don’t think there was a place to sit outside our rooms (e.g., living/family room) to chat with other guests. Nice and clean and modern, great for just an overnite stay.

L’Anse aux Meadows (Hay Cove) - Viking Village: Never saw the host, but Madge, the hired help, was helpful and knowledgeable. The surprise here was in the shower which had very “sulfuric” smelling water!

Witless Bay - Elaine’s by the Sea: Disappointing to have them listed last as we were very much looking forward to staying here. Their website is very attractive and it, coupled with a few good reviews I had read, convinced us to splurge and enjoy. (It was 30% more expensive than the average cost of our planned B&B lodgings.) In fact when we tried to stay two nights here when I called in mid-March and they already had no vacancy for our second night, we thought we had scored a winner! Unfortunately, we did not experience “generous” nor “warm” atmosphere. For example, when we were in the hallway talking and entered the living room, I thought Elaine was another guest as she didn’t even bother to look up or say “hi” to us (her friendly and down-to-earth husband, Danny, checked us in so we had not met her yet). Most of the conversation I remember I had with Elaine centred on how many nights they had bookings for, how they had lost bookings due to the Halifax airport being fogged in, etc. Her husband, Danny, was a nice fellow and we took his zodiac tour out to the puffin colony, which was great. (He tried to take us out in their smaller zodiac but when we had left the dock the engine died and tho he tried a number of things, it would not restart. My partner ended up helping paddling us back to the dock!) They have two zodiacs; if you do his tour, try to get on the larger zodiac with benches/seats on it which is much more comfortable than sitting on a pontoon the whole way and holding on to handles to avoid falling off the boat. I’m not sure what has changed at this B&B as other posters have said good things about it. For us, Elaine had a very matter-of-fact attitude. The house has a commanding view of the ocean, but having been to NF now, I realize most coastal B&B places have a view! People can take the zodiac tour without staying at the B&B, and I would recommend the zodiac tour to the amazing puffin colony but would not be able to recommend the B&B.

klam_chowder

Things to Do
Having 3 full days at Gros Morne was the bare minimum amount of time to see the highlights of this UNESCO world heritage site. The 2005 day use rate increased for those camping in GM from $5 to $8.

The Discovery Centre is worth some time (and different from the Visitor Centre). Excellent interpretative displays. However, they both show the same two videos.

Western Brook Pond – If you’ve done any research, you’ll know this is a must do! Leave yourself an hour to walk the trail in so you can enjoy it, and there may be a line up of people at the dock, buying tickets, using the facilities, etc. Tips: If you’re told to pick up your tickets from the Ocean View Motel, call them to confirm when you’re in town. Although we planned a special stop there, we ended up having to pick ours up at the dock. It’s cash only at the dock (no debit). On the way back take the scenic route (right hand turnoff); it follows the water and is very picturesque.

In Trout River, just a bit more than kitty-corner to the Seaside Restaurant, I was drawn to a clothesline with clear plastic bags pinned to it and a “for sale” sign of the Patsy’s handknit socks. These wool socks, like the ones you wear with hiking boots, are great quality and for $10/pair the best deal in town. Although she claimed they are all the same size, open the bag up and check as we found the sizes varied quite a bit. (Each pair is the same size, it’s just that the size of the pair varies from bag to bag.) She’s good at sales too, and we ended up also buying pairs for my brothers who fly-fish.

L’Anse aux Meadows
Parks Canada staff were pretty disappointing at this site. Beware that although the site is open to 8 pm, the costumed interpreters, “Vikings”, leave the site at 6:30pm. So while we arrived at 5:30pm thinking we would have lots of time, and at the Park staff’s recommendation saw the 30 min video then again at their suggestion waited for the tour to start, the Vikings past us heading back to the center to leave for the day. The tour would be much better hearing what it is the Vikings did, etc., from the interpretive staff who from their handiwork, are very knowledgeable about the techniques of that time. Our young guide just gave us a spiel from rote memory.

Puffin colony at Witless Bay is another must do!! Incredible to see so many birds so close up. The puffins are a hoot: they’ve gorged themselves so full of fish they can barely get themselves flying off the water; at their nesting site they stand outside of their burrows (in the ground) and it’s hard to tell if they’re checking out the tourists going by, chatting over their balcony with their neighbour, or guarding their nest!

In St. Anthony’s we took the Northland Discovery Iceberg Tour. No icebergs this year (well, there was one but it was very far out and even the boats in L’Anse aux Meadows weren’t going to it.), but there were lots of whale sightings. Great outfit – family operation and one son, a marine biologist type, does a lot of educational talk on it if you want to listen (explaining different types of whales, passed around a baleen, etc.), his dad could spot whales way off in the distance and suggested where the boat went. Sitting up top was more “wobbly” but I thought had better sight lines.

Twillingate: Lovely hiking with incredible views at the headlands around Durrell. Great handicrafts at the museum gift shop by white church; one of the best handicraft stores I saw.

Terra Nova – great marine interpretation center.

Fluvarium in St. John’s was an unexpected treat! With its well thought out displays and unique environment, this is a little gem! If it fits in your day to be there for their 4 pm feeding, there’s a lot more info to hear about.

GeoCentre in St. John’s was interesting and can take up a lot of time!

Signal Hill hike is a must!! You’ll know which trail I mean when you’re at the Cabot Tower and look down. That trail is amazing. On a windy day, I wouldn’t suggest it for small children – I think they could get blown away! And the last washroom is at the Visitors’ Centre (there isn’t one at the Cabot Tower). When you get to the end of the trail, you haven’t missed a turn – you walk thru the deck of a private household! I think they’re used to it by now!

The lost Colony of Avalon is worth the visit. Phone ahead to find out what time the archeologists finish for the day as they leave before the tours stop.

La Manche hike was excellent. As other Fodorites suggest, take time to hike past the suspension bridge as there are many excellent views further on.

Cape St. Mary’s bird sanctuary was incredible and we’re not even birders!

Without a doubt, one the highlights of our trip was our half-day kayaking tour with Stan Cook kayaking. This being even after a VERY frustrating situation: we had booked 3 months in advance and their website nor on the phone did they say they would cancel if minimum numbers were not met. We have taken guided kayaking tours many times and tours go out even if it’s just the two of us who show up. If outfits have the “right to cancel” clause usually it explicitly states what minimum numbers are for each trip. We were called late the night before, saying that since it was just the two of us signed up, they wouldn’t be going out as they had to drive from St. John’s (where they lived) to Cape Broyle (where their store is) for it. We let them know we were clearly disappointed as kayaking was a highlight activity on our trip. We had literally planned the days, activities, and accommodations around this one activity, and had we known that they had such a cancellation policy, we would have found another outfitter even if it meant booking them for the whole day ourselves. We traded 3 calls that night with them, and the owner ruefully admitted that they were used to dealing with local customers who could just come another day. Quite late that night, they called to say another couple had called for a tour so it would proceed. By the time the owners were at the shop the next morning, there were 7 customers for that tour. I hoped they learnt something by it.

The area is superb for kayaking with arches, tunnels, sea caves to explore, various marine life encrusted on rocks, whales breaching close by, capelin forming a new floor under our boats was incredible when they swam and opened up the real sea floor, even a waterfall for us to take turns getting our “National Geographic photo”! This is one of the best kayaking places we have been to and the tour was fabulous.

klam_chowder

Eats
We ate at a lot of the places suggested on this board; here are the highlights (and lowlights) worthy of mention, not in any particular order:

Rocky Harbour: Ocean View Motel had surprisingly good food. I’d heard about all the other places (Seaside, Java Jakes, Fisherman’s Landing, etc.) and they were all good but I guess I was pleasantly surprised with OVM since I had no expectations. We had lunch there on our first day there and my partner said he wished we had gone back for dinner at some point rather than one of the other places we tried.

Treasure Box is good for a quick and simple breakfast.

L’Anse aux Meadows: Norstead had the perfect amount and type of service, probably our best meal of our trip. Excellent entrees to choose from (both the caribou and lobster we had were superb). When you order lobster, you can go out to the pound and choose which one you want after one of the fellas pulls the cage up. Also has an interesting gift shop there.

Cape St Mary’s area: Eat at Rick’s Inn Atlantic Restaurant further down the road (lots of signs) even though the Gannet Nest (greasy, raw fries…yuck!) is more convenient as it is right at the highway turnoff to CSM. Believe me, it’s worth the drive. We ate at GN before CSM and stopped for a snack at RIAR – everything about RIAR was better.

Deer Lake Motel was recommended a couple of times on this board. If you’re just driving through Deer Lake to get somewhere and need a place to stop for a bite, I recommend going to the Ivirng Big Stop just across the street. Many of the patrons at the DLM restaurant know the servers so there is a very laid back, no rush attitude. We had to wait at least 5 minutes each for menus, for water, for someone to come and take our order, etc. The servers/cashiers stood around their station and chatted with each other. We ended up going up and asking them for menus.

Twillingate: Harbourview Restaurant has tasty seafood served by the most talkative owner in town, I’d guess. But, he was harmless and helpful and made for a memorable meal.

Glovertown: Lilac Inn B&B tea room was a wonderful surprise. If you like tea rooms this one is lovely with lots of tea things to examine on your table and on the walls. The hearty homemade soup and the beautiful grounds made this unexpected stop, and short drive off the highway, worthwhile.

St. John’s: Django’s provided excellent food and wonderful service. We had rambled around Signal Hill earlier in the day and were not well-dressed when we arrived at Django’s but the staff made us feel welcome anyway. (We were also respectful of their establishment and had an early dinner.)

Trepassey: Like other posters on this board have said many times, Trepassey Motel is a good stop for a friendly and good meal.

Dinner Theatre: At Cow Head (Gros Morne) and Crow Head (Twillingate area) were both fun and affordable. The one at Cow Head does sell out so if you plan on going book your seats facing the stage, early. Get to the one at Crow Head a bit early; we arrived on time and the small audience (about 40) was already finishing their soup! The host was great tho and as we had called earlier in the day to make reservations, he brought us to reserved seats up front.

Mabou: Glenora Pub has superb food. They call it a pub but the tasty offerings are definitely not typical pub fare. (Tho the Distillery Tour was a little ho-hum.)

klam_chowder

General Traveling Tip for Newfoundland
The last week of June isn’t shoulder season. It’s off-season. Don’t expect there to be activities, transportation, etc. starting up for the season if even if the outfitter’s website says so and the person you talk to in April/May says so. Be prepared to be flexible or in Newfoundland you will be disappointed a lot.

Many of the activities we planned to attend (Signal Hill tattoo, Parks Canada activities, Gros Morne water taxi, etc.) were not happening for a day to a week later than were advertised in brochures/websites or when I called in to inquire/book. It seems the season starts the weekend after Canada Day, July 1st (in our case, July 4th). I think going after July 8th is safe, as I mentioned above the main (only?) accommodations in Fortune weren’t even open yet on July 6th.

As well, booking and confirming doesn’t mean you have a reservation in Newfoundland. It seems to only indicate to the business that someone is interested in their service/product. But, it does not mean if you make a booking, they are committed to their offering. For instance, when you arrive you may find out that a business, which runs a 25 minute “factory tour” of its premises as part of its regular operations and has the times posted on their website, may choose to not run them for the last two hours of the day you show up because it is a staff member’s birthday and they are going to celebrate instead. While this is cute and quaint, it can be a little unsettling to the tourist who planned their schedule to arrive in time.

Now I know some people are not going to like the last bit I wrote. I am telling fellow Fodorites so that if they are the type of traveler who likes to follow a specific itinerary, they will be prepared to have flexibility in their schedules (and minds!).

That said, the people we met were wonderful, friendly and laid back. What an incredible trip and I’ll be disappointed if I die before we make it back to NF!

klam_chowder

St. Pierre
Take the fast ferry (SPM Express - The Atlantic Jet) is the second biggest tip I can give for a visit to St. Pierre. It is not only faster, but FAR quieter and steadier.

So what’s the biggest tip? Stay away from St. Pierre Tours (a NF company located in Fortune). We called and booked our tickets with them much in advance, told them where we would be staying the night before and called again to confirm from our home before we left for our NF trip. When we arrived in Fortune, we found out from a fellow traveler we had met that “our” ferry had already left. It left 2.5 hours early. Had we been told even the evening before, we would have easily re-arranged our plans to catch the ferry. In fact, we were staying in Clarenville and since we had time before the scheduled 2:45 pm sailing, after we went to Marystown we drove the entire south loop of the Burin peninsula to Fortune (fabulous vistas). We arrived in Fortune with time to spare for a leisurely lunch.

When we went to the St. Pierre Tours offices to inquire about the ferry sailing, the agent told us they had left a message at our HOME the night before, and just hoped we’d check our messages. In none of our phone conversations did I indicate that we would check for messages (we left them the number of the B&B we were staying at the night before), nor were we told to call the day before to confirm.

To add insult to injury, the staff seemed to think that it was rather amusing, offered no apology, nor discount on the next ferry which didn’t leave until the next day. Their error cost us an EXTRA $60 in accommodations that night and of course, this ruined our plans to see the other islands and wild horses as St. Pierre was our last stop before heading home. The capper was because we were not out of Canada for 48 hours, we couldn’t bring back any French wines or other products.

When we returned, I wrote them a letter and their reply was basically they could not care less and said they enclosed a brochure and told me to read the fine print. They completely missed the point. You can book your own ferry tickets (remember to take the fast ferry) and accommodations at better rates.

I loved quaint St. Pierre but I think to enjoy it one has to be quiet and willing to explore and find the treasures, which is easy enough as the town is tiny! We stayed at Auberge Dodeman, which was wonderful even tho the furnishings were a bit dated. It was easy walking distance to the town center and even when we stayed out late at the pub & then disco, we felt perfectly safe walking back. However, if somewhat less mobile travelers may find it inconvenient as the walk to the auberge is uphill. The host, Josette, is very welcoming and she seemed appreciative of the effort I made to speak elementary (rusty Gr. 11) French to her. She was very patient in letting me practise!

There are a couple of banks/caisse poplaires to easily exchange your Cdn $ for euros. Although many places do accept CAD, I found some tourists rather arrogant and assuming (stuffing their CAD at shop owners).
There are a couple of bus tours that take you around the island. We chose the one that left at noon to make the most of their “down time” as most the shops close down from then to about 1:30 pm. (The other tour left at 11 am and ended just after noon so passengers were back in town when most stores were closed.) The tour we took around town had the driver pointing out highlights along the way; he also went to the outskirts of town and showed us the town folks’ summer homes! We found this quite amusing since the area is so small.
The “must do” restaurants would be one that serves Basque food (Le Cabastuan, which others we had met on St. Pierre had been talking about and was absolutely superb). And, La Voilerie, right beside Hotel Robert. The traditional tartines they serve are out-of-this-world wonderful. When I read the description/ingredients (egg, ham, cheese) I thought, sounds very regular. When I ate it, I understood. What a fabulous meal for us to have before we headed for the ferry terminal just across the street.
As for dinners, make reservations if you want to try somewhere specific. We went to three different places around 9 pm and they were all full (“c’est impossible” they would say to us). In the end we asked the bartender where another restaurant was, and he showed us one on the 2nd floor half a block down. There seemed to be mostly locals at this place and the few remaining tables that were available when we walked in were soon filled too. We had an enjoyable, much more moderately priced meal there (Restaurant Feu de Brais).
And of course, the pain au chocolate is a must!! There were four or five pastry shops and we tried them all!! They were all good of course, and we brought back some treats for our ferry ride back to Newfoundland.
Given that St. Pierre was as close to Europe as I’d get this year, I think it fulfilled my needs: a taste of a completely different culture (but maybe the same could be said about NF!). Next time I plan to go to St. Pierre & Miquelon during peak season with daily ferry sailings so we have time to see the other islands.

Enjoy-la!

Molly2

What a great trip report! My husband and I visited Newfoundland a few years ago, and were as entranced with the area as you were.

I feel a tad responsible for your disappointing stay at Elaine's By the Sea, as I was one of the ones who gave it a favorable review. In retrospect, the review was based more upon the comfort of the accomodations and beautiful location (our room overlooked the bay), then the attitude of the hosts, which was rather matter-of-fact, come to think of it. Harold and Marie at Northwest Lodge were indeed much warmer. Thanks for the observations!

cmcfong

What a great report. One of the few parts of Canada we have not visited, yet. I learned a great deal from this report. Thank you.

JanG

Many thanks for a most interesting and informative report. We hope to visit NF next year after a couple of wonderful holidays in the other maritime provinces in previous years. I will print out and keep your report for future reference, thanks again.

klam_chowder

Molly2, cmcfong, JanG: thx a mint for the kind feedback.

JanG, if you have questions when planning your trip, post back and I'll be happy to try to answer any (and you'll probably find the invaluable NF experts, including Katrina & gannet, ready with detailed responses too).

Molly2, no worries...it's hard not to be taken in by their great website!

Enjoy-la!

NGail

Topping for my wish-list.
Thanks for a great report!

heyjude2919

just book marking for a future trip.. Yours sounded wonderful. I hope to travel that way some year.