Be lulled to sleep by the lap of the sea hitting the shore just below your window at this ocean-side family-friendly motel. Located within Gros Morne National Park, Shallow Bay Motel & Cabins provides an ideal jumping off point for many excursions including golfing (course or mini putt), hiking, kayaking, beachcombing, theatre going, or boating in the famous Western Brook Pond Fjord. 

In fact, there is a theatre that sits in the parking lot – the Gros Morne Theatre Festival runs from May to September and performs plays, usually with a Newfoundland and Labrador flavour (like the masterful David French’s Mercer family series). And just minutes up the road is Shallow Bay Beach – a wide and sandy beach with bathrooms, change rooms, and a camp kitchen on site complete with running water and a new wood burning stove. There is even a playground if the kids (or dad) don’t want to brave the very shallow and not-too-chilly water.

Once you’ve done a full day of seeing the area, the motel and cabins provide a great spot to rejuvenate. Two of the rooms have wide decks overlooking the sea, plus there is a heated pool and a hot tub, both outdoor and a pebble’s toss to the ocean. A sauna with a heated towel rack soothes aching “travel” muscles, while a licensed restaurant and on-site lounge (karaoke equipped!) provide sustenance if you just can’t face leaving the front doors for the night. Screech yourself in with the playfully named Newfie Screech Parfait that consists of, quoting the menu: “layers of ice cream divided by the province’s honorary rum, NEWFIE SCREECH.”  

Open year-round with rooms in peak season starting at $109, shoulder season at $99 and low season at $89.