Fishers' Loft Inn By Ship Cove

The following are reviews by the travel world's leading guides and magazines.

The Rough Guide to Canada, 2004

The finest accommodation hereabouts is in Port Rexton. From Trinity, it’s about 8 km round Trinity Bay – via Route 230 – to Port Rexton, which actually consists of two pocket-sized outports (Robin Hood and Ship Cove) on either side of a headland. These twin communities once flourished on the back of the Labrador fishery, but things are very quiet today with a haphazard jigsaw of houses rambling across the foreshore. Overlooking Ship Cove from the side of a hill is Fishers’ Loft Inn whose five separate houses – and 21 en-suite guest rooms – are of recent construction, though they are built in various versions of traditional Newfoundland style. It’s an extraordinarily successful ensemble and the interiors are simply superb, a well-conceived balance of the intimate and the smart from the wooden floors through to the handmade furniture and the large and comfortable beds. The views over Ship Cove and out across Trinity Bay are similarly delightful and breakfasts, which feature local ingredients, are tasty and filling, but note that dinners are by prior arrangement only.

Frommer’s Newfoundland & Labrador, 2004

It’s a 15-minute road trip outside Trinity proper to the favoured destination of visiting movie stars. Both Dame Judi Dench and Kevin Spacey stayed at Fishers’ Loft during filming of The Shipping News. With good reason: on the exterior it fits in well with the local architecture, but inside it has the world-class flavour you’d expect from its cosmopolitan owners. John and Peggy Fisher are from England and Ottawa, Ontario, respectively. They led the reconstruction of Toronto’s Adelaide Court Theatre and brought their talents to Port Rexton in 1990, when they decided to turn their summer home into a year-round residence. Their handiwork is evident in each of the distinctive guest rooms, all of which have a big-screen view of the mini-islands scattered along the shore of Trinity Bay. The quilts and simply styled furnishings hint at old-world austerity, but the down duvets are pure luxury where it counts the most.

The royal treatment becomes even more evident in the dining room, where the in-house cooks work under the tutelage of consulting chef Todd Perrin. (Perrin is a freelance chef; his culinary artistry has graced the tables of the The Church Restaurant in Stratford, Ontario, and the Canadian Pacific Lodge at Kanunaskis.) Together they create unique menus that are several steps ahead of the fare you’ll find in most inns this size: carrot-ginger soup with fresh French bread, grilled chicken with lime mayonnaise and roasted vegetables, and frozen meringue cream with a partridgeberry coulis. Tip: Breakfast and a 4-course dinner is approximately $100/night per couple, over and above the room rate. Splurge – this is the place you’ve been saving for. Hint: Daily menus are fixed, so call ahead to see what’s being served.

Fodor’s Guide, 2004

Whales sometimes swim among fishing boats in the harbour in sight of this inn, and icebergs drift by farther out in the bay. Rooms are bright and airy, with down duvets, handcrafted furniture and original artwork. Several rooms have cathedral ceilings. The owners will pack you a lunch and give you guidance for hikes in the area.

Travel & Leisure Magazine, August 2003
Discovery Trail Visitor’s Guide, 2004

The Skerwink Trail which can be reached from the door of Fishers’ Loft Inn has been selected by Travel & Leisure Magazine as one of the top 35 walks in North America and Europe in its August 2003 World’s Best Awards issue. It takes one trek around this 5.3 km loop trail to see why it is only one of three in Canada to make this international list. Skerwink winds it way through some of the most stunning landscapes to be found anywhere. Skerwink Trail is where forest and meadow abruptly meet rocky headlands. The hiker can see seabirds, humpback whales and panoramic views of Port Rexton and the surrounding coastline. One of the most outstanding features of this walk is its unique rock formations known as sea stacks. . . these bear descriptive names such as “Flat Fish” because of its resemblance to the flounder and “Music Rocks”, a sea stack that creates musical sounds when the wind blows around it. The name Skerwink is believed to be derived from a local seabird “Haigdown” which locals called the Skerwingle. The geology of Skerwink consists of 540 million year old Pre-Cambrian sedimentary rock. The trail passes by Sam White’s Cove; Sam White was a merchant who established a fishing business in the late 1600's. Skerwink has been occupied variously by British and French troops during Queen Anne’s wars. Trenches and cannonballs have been found by local residents. It is also claimed that Skerwink contains the grave sites of several French soldiers.

Town & Country Magazine, January 2005

George Butterfield, President, Butterfield & Robinson (Canada’s leading active travel firm): “On Trinity Bay in rugged and beautiful Newfoundland, Canada is a 21-room inn called Fishers’ Loft. The decor features furniture crafted by local artisans; the food is simple and delicious. Eagles, osprey, whales (and the occasional iceberg) interrupt the sweeping views of the Atlantic, and the air is as clean as you can get. Nearby are world-class walks – the Skerwink Coastal Trail has been rated one of the top three trails in Canada. It’s the type of place you can go back to over and over again.”

Where to Eat in Canada, 2007-2008 Edition (Oberon Press)

Oberon's Guide has been around for 25 years, and is the longest standing publication of its type in Canada. Here's what they wrote to us;

"...This year your restaurant has been chosen as one of the best in the country by the national restaurant guide,Where to Eat in Canada.Where to eat in Canada is unlike all other guides in one important way:we accept no payment for listings. If you're in the guide, that's because you deserve to be there."

Superb food, capturing the fine balance of perfecting interesting flavours without being fussy and over the top. Most importantly all the food is drawn locally from the ocean, freshwater ponds, seaside meadows and their kitchen garden, when in season. This is food as it should be and each night is different, depending on what's fresh and available.

The pre-theatre dinner begins at 5.30pm, while the evening meals begin at 7.30 and it really is a great treat. The dining room has stunning views over Trinity Bay, has some good wines and is certainly the finest restaurant, in Newfoundland, outside St John's. It's also wonderfully low key.

Also, for star spotters, this is where Kevin Spacey and Judi Dench, etc stayed while filming the Shipping News. So if your dinner is too good and the wine too tempting you can always stay the night (though in the summer it does get very booked up so if you're clever book ahead!)