Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby

Giles and Monica experience the warm embrace of Fogo Island Inn on a rocky, sea-sprayed outpost of remote Fogo Island in Newfoundland. White, angular and perched atop zig-zagged stilts like the local fishermen's houses, it pays homage to the European settlers that arrived from Ireland and Devon to fish cod. A cod-fishing moratorium was put in place in the 1990s, and the island's population subsequently shrank as families moved away in search of other work. Giles and Monica meet founder Zita Cobb. Her family has lovingly folded its rich heritage into a unique retreat for guests from all over the world. Giles is initiated as an honorary Newfoundlander by the inn's housekeepers, who rope him into a community boat race. Monica spends time with local guide Norm, who reveals how to grow the perfect potato. Monica and Giles both help to put on a traditional Fogo Inn 'wedding scoff'. Above all, they tell the poignant story of the fight to revive the island.