Taste!

If you’re a seafood lover, you’ve come to the right place. Lobster season varies from year to year and by area, but May to early July are usually great times to score some lobster directly from the local fishermen in both Whiteway and Heart’s Delight-Islington. Lobster pots and tools can be provided upon request at all of our cottages.

If you’re the type that likes to ‘cook their catch’, you might like to participate in Newfoundland’s ‘recreational food fishery’. Again, summer and fall dates vary by year, but we can help hook you up with local fishermen if your dates of your visit line up with this year’s season!

If the last thing you want to do is cook on your vacation, no worries. Our Whiteway cottages are just a few steps away from Brown’s Restaurant, and their newly opened The Flake Lounge & Eatery. Try their fish and chips or pan fried cod – you won’t be disappointed. They also feature live local entertainment and are a favoured local watering hole.

Not far away in scenic Dildo, one of our favourite spots is Dildo Dory Grill. A casual pub-style restaurant situated right on the fisherman’s wharf. Enjoy great views, fresh-caught seafood and friendly service from the Waterfront deck or dining room. Featuring hand-cut homemade fries and the BEST fish & chips in the Avalon!

While in Dildo, sample a ‘beer flight’ at Dildo Brewing Company & Museum, a recently opened craft beer pub with good beer and great views, indoors and out.

In nearby Green’s Harbour, romantics and foodies rave about their experiences at Secret Garden Restaurant at The Doctor’s House. Reservations recommended, and while there, say hello to the sheep, goats, and Newfoundland ponies for us!

Also in Green’s Harbour, Jigs and Reels is another great place to rub elbows with the locals and see some great local music.

Every cottage is outfitted with a Guest Info. Binder with all kinds of other options. If there’s anything we can do to make your visit memorable, all you need do is ask.

Surfing?

We wouldn’t have believed it unless we’d seen it with our own eyes, but intrepid surfers love the waves at New Melbourne, considered one of the best surfing locales in the North Atlantic. Join them, or just watch – it’s fun either way.

Whichever option you chose, we highly recommend the 45 minute drive to New Melbourne – you’ll see colourful scenery, including beautiful buildings and old churches, along the way.

Explore Historic Landmarks

We’re happy to be near so many historic landmarks. Like the Cupids Legacy Centre  in nearby Cupids, which celebrates John Guy’s Colony, the first English colony in Canada. The Cupids Archaeological Dig, where archaeologists work to learn more about the first English settlers in Canada, was rated one of the ten best archaeological digs in Canada. Make a day of it, enjoying Shakespeare at Perchance Theatre and hiking seacoast and forest trails at Spectacle Head and Burnt Head trails.

Just 30 minutes away from our cottages in Brigus, you can take a leisurely hike around charming streets sloping up into green cliffs, before stopping for a slice of homemade blueberry cheesecake. The town is a picture postcard, reminiscent of the quaintness often found in European villages.  Its well-kept old-style architecture, rustic stone walls, lush green gardens, and winding narrow lanes are reflective of its English, Irish, and Welsh heritage. Visit Hawthorne Cottage National Historic Site, the former home of Captain Bob Bartlett, hailed as the greatest ice navigator of the 20th century.

Also not far from our cottages, on Route 80, you’ll find the Heart’s Content Cable Station, the site of the first successful transatlantic cable crossing that opened up a new era in communications in July 1866. Perfectly preserved exactly as it was when it was an operating station.

And don’t miss the Heart’s Content Lighthouse, built in 1901 and designated a Recognized Federal Heritage Building in 1990.

Once you get started, there’s a rabbit-hole of historic sites, homes and places – have fun exploring!

Be the B’y that Builds the Boat

We love being so close to the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador, a museum that archives, conserves and exhibits the traditional wooden boat of the province and its importance to our way of life. Open from June to September, visit this unique museum to explore its beautiful exhibits, or take one of their regular hands-on workshops to learn how to build a wooden boat yourself. Their motto is “Look Aft and Learn.” When seafarers tell you to ‘look aft,’ they mean to look behind you; indeed, visit this museum and you’ll come away with a new appreciate for the life and culture of the early days of this island.

Accommodator of the Year, plus a Deal for You!

Forgive the lengthy post, but this is some of the most exciting news I’ve had yet to share on the blog. Last Friday, although it was our first year in business, Ocean Delight Cottages won the coveted H. Clayton Sparkes Accommodator of the Year Award from Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador.

Presented annually, this award acknowledges quality service, commitment to the tourism industry and on-going community involvement. We are excited to see our efforts pay off in so little time.

Forgive me for the bragging, but Ocean Delight is quickly becoming a favourite spot for both tourists looking for an authentic Newfoundland and Labrador experience, and for local residents looking for the perfect getaway without going far from home. Loyal guests come back for multiple stays, and we are now the #1 recommended place to stay in the province by travelers on Trip Advisor. Guests love our pet-friendly policy, this daily blog, and the hands-on attention we all strive to provide. Of course Joe Friday deserves as much of the accolades as we do in this regard.

Joe Friday and Lisa Day (Queen of the Faeries in Trinity Bay, Yoga Instructor, and Light Show Spectacular) accepted the award (and didn’t they look great doing it!) and we Skyped in from Belize. We wished we could have been there, of course, but it was a blast either way.

As we Skyped in, we had many people to thank, and they bear thanking again. We have made some wonderful friends here and cannot thank them enough for all they have done to help us get established in the community – The George’s, the Harnum’s, the Legge’s, the Drover’s, and everyone else we have met.

We thank Kathi Stacey of EDMO, MRON, the folks at Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador, the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, and of course the people of Whiteway, Heart’s Delight-Islington and Cavendish, all for their patience, guidance and support. Being tourism newbies, we definitely needed it!

Of course we also thank our area friends and fellow tourism operators – Brown’s Restaurant and Blazing Horizon Cottages, Inn on the Bay, George House, Sunset Inn, Golden Arm, Shagview RV parks, Drovers, Cramms and Legge’s Midway for all their tips and referrals and for making the Baccalieu Trail a wonderful destination.

We’re also grateful to all the judges and volunteers who chose Ocean Delight for this prestigious award, and for the Sparkes family and this award named after Clayton Sparkes, a true pioneer in our industry.

And now, to the good part, and to our biggest thank you – thank you to all our guests and all our readers and followers who have made our job so wonderful, who have helped us spread the word, who have given us glowing reviews and glowing hearts. To thank you for your support over the past year, we are offering a limited time, Buy One Get One Night Free Spring Special! This offer is good for Spring bookings up until May 16 – that includes St. Paddy’s Day weekend, and Mother’s Day! (And while Easter weekend is excluded, stay tuned – we’ll be rolling out a special for that too, so stay tuned).There’s just one catch – you have to book by this coming Friday, March 1 to take advantage of this BOGO offer, so don’t wait – we’re already booking up fast. Call 1-877-588-2026 or email info@oceandelightcottages.com and mention ‘Accommodator of the Year’ take make your special reservation. We can’t wait to have you and show you what all the fuss is about!

Family Teamwork

Let your children learn a little something about the old ways – take them fishing! Here’s Lynn with her grandson, Henry; she caught the cod, he reeled it in. And everyone helped eat it that night!

 

Campfire on the Beach

Newfoundlanders love a good campfire. You can enjoy one any time of year right on the beach at our ocean front cottages. Here’s co-owner Laurelyn’s daughter, Rebecca, toasting her marshmallows to perfection.

Newfoundland Sleigh Ride

Our friend, famed Newfoundland artist and Whiteway ambassador supreme Clifford George, lives nearby and has a beautiful horse, Misty. We can’t promise it, but when the weather and mood is right, some lucky guests get treated to a horse-drawn carriage ride with Clifford all around town. Or in the winter, a sleigh ride!