Bonavista Hotels: Where to Stay in Newfoundland and Labrador

Bonavista sits at the tip of the Bonavista Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador. The town has about 3,190 residents, according to the 2021 census. Visitors come for the lighthouse, the puffins, and the historic waterfront. The lodging list is small and mostly made of heritage inns and bed and breakfasts, not chain hotels. This guide covers the Bonavista hotels, inns, and B and Bs we could confirm with two or more sources. We flag every gap and every conflict. We also drop five properties from our old guide because we found no proof of them. We do not quote rates, because rates change by season. Call each property before you book.

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Bonavista Hotels: Where to Stay in Bonavista

The Harbour Quarters Inn

The Harbour Quarters Inn is the closest thing Bonavista has to a hotel. The address is 42 Campbell Street. Call 709-468-7982 or the toll-free line at 866-468-7982. The inn lists info@harbourquarters.com for email.

The building is a registered heritage property from around 1920, and the owners restored the building in 2004. The inn lists 12 rooms, made up of 10 rooms and 2 suites. Every room has a private bathroom. The inn describes queen beds, air conditioning, and harbour views.

Fodor’s and Roadtrippers both describe the building as a converted 1920s general store with locally made furniture. The Newfoundland and Labrador tourism listing adds free Wi-Fi, free parking, an elevator, wheelchair access, and a jacuzzi. Confirm which room has the jacuzzi when you call.

Skipper’s, the on-site restaurant, serves traditional Newfoundland food. The restaurant holds a full liquor licence and runs an outdoor patio. The inn also runs a gift shop.

Season matters here. The tourism listing gives a season of May 1 to October 31, and Fodor’s says the inn closes from November to April. Fodor’s also says breakfast is not included. We could not confirm check-in or check-out times, so ask.

Choose this inn if you want harbour views, a restaurant downstairs, and a short walk to the Ryan Premises.

Russelltown Inn and Vacation Homes

Russelltown Inn stands at 134 Coster Street in a quiet residential part of town. Call 888-963-8282 for reservations. The tourism listing also shows 709-470-0395. Fodor’s calls the property a decentralized inn. Suites spread across several restored heritage buildings, not one single block.

The official site lists three lodging types. You can book inn rooms, vacation homes in restored heritage buildings, or glamping pods. The tourism listing counts 10 rooms and lists Wi-Fi, private bathrooms, and an iron and board. Fodor’s reports free breakfast.

Breakfast has a catch. The tourism listing says breakfast stops in the off season because the main house closes. The same listing shows the inn open all year. Ask which building you will sleep in and whether breakfast runs on your dates.

We found no check-in times in any source we could read. Phone the inn to confirm. Choose Russelltown if you want a quiet street, a heritage setting, and the option of a whole house.

Mifflin’s Heritage Inn

Mifflin’s Heritage Inn sits at 5 Ackerman’s Lane, behind the Garrick Theatre. The building is a renovated 1900 heritage home. The inn has three rooms. Two are queen suites with ensuite bathrooms. The third is an accessible double room with a private bathroom.

Mifflin’s includes a full breakfast for two guests. Staff serve the meal at Mifflin’s Tea Room across the road, between 8 AM and noon. The tourism listing also names Wi-Fi, a firepit, laundry, and a licensed dining room.

The seasonal phone line, 709-468-2636, runs from June 1 to September 30. The inn lists a cell number for the rest of the year, 705-688-2139. We found no check-in time or pet policy, so ask both. Choose Mifflin’s for a small, personal stay with breakfast built in.

The Lancaster Inn

The Lancaster Inn stands at 219 Confederation Drive. The inn offers five rooms, named the Matthew Suite, the Cabot Room, the Mattea Room, the Elliston Room, and the Melrose Room. The tourism listing adds air conditioning, Wi-Fi, a play area, and a junior suite with a fireplace and a double jacuzzi tub. The listing describes home-cooked breakfast with homemade breads and jams.

The two sources disagree on the phone number. The inn website shows 709-468-5656. The tourism listing shows 709-468-8802. Try the website number first, and then the second number if no one answers. The tourism listing gives a season of January 1 to December 20. We could not confirm check-in times. Choose the Lancaster if you want a larger B and B with several room styles.

HI Bonavista Hostel

HI Bonavista stands at 40 John Cabot Drive. The hostel’s own page lists free Wi-Fi, free bicycle use, satellite television, laundry, and a full kitchen. The page places the hostel near the lighthouse, the Ryan Premises, and the Matthew replica. Wikivoyage lists a phone number of 877-468-7741. We found no confirmed season dates or check-in times, so call before you plan around a stay.

Possible Options We Could Not Confirm

Three more places each appeared in only one source. Treat all three as unconfirmed.

Harbourview Bed and Breakfast, at 21 Ryans Hill Road, appears on the tourism site only. The listing shows four rooms, ocean views, fireplaces, laundry, and breakfast. The season runs from June 1 to September 14. The listing says pets are not allowed and mentions a two night minimum. The listing gave no phone number, so search for current contact details before you rely on this B and B.

White’s B and B, at 21 Windlass Drive, appears on Wikivoyage only, with the phone number 709-468-7018. Robbin’s by the Sea, at 38 Ryan’s Hill, appears on Wikivoyage only, with harbour views. We found no second source for either one. Call before you plan around them.

Old Listings We Removed From This Guide

Our earlier version named five properties. We removed all five. Searches for Bonavista Seaside Suites, Seaport Inn, and The Dockside Inn in Bonavista returned only generic booking pages and no property sites. Fodor’s, the tourism board, and Wikivoyage do not list them. We could not confirm Artisan Suites at Long Point either. A different place named the Artisan Inn does exist in the Trinity area, according to Fodor’s, but we cannot tie the two names together.

The Inn at Trinity also appeared in the old guide. We did not verify the property under the name we had used. Trinity does have real inns, and the next section covers them. A name you cannot find on any official site is a warning sign. Skip any listing like this unless you reach the owner by phone.

Where to Stay in Bonavista for the Ryan Premises and Lighthouse

The Ryan Premises National Historic Site stands at 10 Ryans Hill Road. Parks Canada describes four white buildings with red trim and an indoor exhibit on 500 years of East Coast fishery history. Parks Canada lists the 2026 season as June 1 to October 9. Call 709-468-1600 for hours, and check dates for later years.

Harbour Quarters describes itself as within walking distance of the Ryan Premises, and the HI hostel page places the hostel near the site. Harbourview shares the same road, Ryans Hill Road. We did not measure distances, so check a map.

Cape Bonavista Lighthouse is the other big stop. Wikivoyage lists the Cape Shore Trail as a 3.5 km one way walk to the lighthouse. The same page lists the Matthew replica ship, Mockbeggar Plantation, and The Dungeon Provincial Park. Hours and fees change, so check each site before your trip.

The Lancaster Inn lists sea kayaking, swimming, and trails nearby. The inn also names the Discovery UNESCO Global Geopark and the puffin site in Elliston.

Motels and Chain Hotels Near Bonavista

We found no motel or chain hotel inside Bonavista. Every confirmed property is a heritage inn, a B and B, or a hostel. If you want a standard hotel room, you will likely look outside town.

Fodor’s lists the Freshwater Inn at Terra Nova National Park, 42 miles from Bonavista. Fodor’s also lists several Trinity area stays, including Fishers’ Loft Inn, Sherwood Suites, Maidment House, and Artisan Inn and Vacation Homes. Fodor’s puts Trinity 22 to 24 miles away. Wikipedia notes more than 120 homes in town became vacation rentals by 2023, so short term rentals also exist. We did not vet any rental.

Hotels Near Elliston Puffins and Root Cellars

Elliston sits just a few minutes from Bonavista, according to the town. Puffins return in May and usually stay until the end of September. The viewing site lies a five minute walk from the main road. Elliston also holds more than 130 documented root cellars, and about half still work, according to the tourism board.

The Bird Island Puffin Festival runs in July, according to the tourism board. Wikivoyage lists iceberg season in May and June, and Discovery Day on June 24. Rooms fill fast around those dates, so book early. A bed in Bonavista puts you close to all of these sights.

Getting to Bonavista

Most visitors drive. The tourism board puts Elliston about three hours from the Argentia ferry and from Gander, and about three and a half hours from St. John’s. Wikivoyage lists St. John’s at 3.5 hours and Gander at 3 hours, and names Routes 230, 233, and 230-A as the road access. Wikivoyage also lists a taxi service from St. John’s. Confirm the schedule before you count on a ride.

The Wikipedia entry notes heavy winter snow and strong wind. Check road conditions in cold months. Several inns also close or reduce service in the off season, so winter travelers need a phone call first.

How to Choose a Bonavista Hotel or B and B

Pick Harbour Quarters for harbour views and an on-site restaurant. Pick Russelltown for a quiet street and a full house rental. Pick Mifflin’s for three rooms and breakfast across the road. Pick the Lancaster for a bigger B and B with five named rooms. Pick the HI hostel if you want a kitchen and bicycles.

Travelers with mobility needs should call Harbour Quarters first, because the tourism listing names an elevator and wheelchair access. Mifflin’s lists an accessible room. Confirm the details by phone.

Before you pay, ask for the building you will sleep in, the check-in time, the breakfast days, the cancellation rules, and the total with taxes. Compare the total on two booking sites and by phone.

What We Checked and What We Could Not

We checked each confirmed property against two sources or more. For Harbour Quarters we used the official site, the tourism listing, Fodor’s, and Roadtrippers. For Russelltown we used the official site, the tourism listing, and Fodor’s. For Mifflin’s we used the official site and the tourism listing. For the Lancaster we used the official site and the tourism listing. For the hostel we used the official hostel page and Wikivoyage. We took attraction details from Parks Canada, the Town of Elliston, the tourism board, Wikivoyage, and Wikipedia.

We could not confirm check-in times for any property, current room rates, pet rules for most properties, or the Lancaster phone number. We could not open the provincial historic sites page, so we do not quote lighthouse hours. Policies and seasons change, so confirm every detail before you travel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Bonavista offers a small list of real places to sleep. Harbour Quarters, Russelltown, Mifflin’s, the Lancaster, and the HI hostel all passed our two source test. Harbourview, White’s, and Robbin’s by the Sea stay unconfirmed. We dropped five old listings with no proof. Call ahead, confirm seasons and check-in times, and book early for a summer trip to the lighthouse, the Ryan Premises, and the Elliston puffins.

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