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Super Terra NovaThis rugged and increasingly sophisticated outpost is best experienced on the rocks.
Play At Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, hikers cross paths with caribou and Arctic hares. Guide Bob Hicks, who co-owns Gros Morne Adventures, will point out some of the hundreds of bird species while navigating the coastal plain along the fjord-slashed Long Range Mountains. The antique store adjoining the Newfoundland Emporium may be ramshackle, but its impressive collection of bric-a-brac, old books and rare artifacts (check out the vintage radios) offers a 20th-century Atlantic history lesson. Knitted sweaters and artisan goods from the Emporium make good souvenirs – if you can bear to give them away. The Rock lives up to its nickname at Corner Brook caves. It’s mostly a walk in the dark, but vertically inclined spelunkers can rappel down to a subterranean river. On our visit to this surprisingly warm underworld, My Newfoundland Adventures’ Marty Hanzalek gave a lesson on tiny cave spiders and the wonders of plate tectonics. Above ground, guides will take you power kiting and whitewater kayaking. Snack Bulgarian expats Lilly Ana and Stoyan Zahanov introduced gourmet pizza to these parts. At Sorrento Pizza, Pasta & Grill, they also make most of the pasta from scratch for dishes like seafood ravioli in a saffron cream sauce. Strawberry Hill Resort was once the summer home of pulp and paper baron Sir Eric Bowater. Although we didn’t meet the Queen (a repeat visitor), the restaurant was almost as good as any royal sighting. A short, refined dinner menu, which changes weekly, features the likes of seared local halibut with an olive oil-lemon infusion. The globe-trotting wine list is more extensive, as are the views of the salmon-rich Humber River. Relax Sitting in a backyard hot tub at all-season Humber Valley Resort on Deer Lake, it’s easy to see why well-heeled foreigners are falling for its roomy, brightly painted chalets. The staff, a gregarious mix of locals and expats, likes to welcome arrivals with a beach bonfire. In summer, they’ll point you toward the best spots for salmon fishing. (In late 2008, the resort’s developers will launch an equally luxe condo-hotel on St. Kitts called Ocean’s Edge Resort.) Write to us: letters@enroutemag.net |
