Happy Valley–Goose Bay Hotels: Where to Stay

Hotels in Happy Valley-Goose Bay are few, and most of the town’s beds belong to a small group of properties. We rebuilt this guide from current listings, official hotel pages and the provincial tourism board. Two Hotel North properties anchor the town, a third sits in nearby North West River, and a handful of suites and inns round out the list. Several places named in our old guide no longer appear in any current listing, so we removed them. Read on for what we could confirm, what we could not, and how to pick the right bed for your trip to Labrador.

Compare Happy Valley–Goose Bay, Newfoundland hotels on Expedia

Where to Stay in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador

Hotel North (Hotel North One), a Central Hotel in Happy Valley-Goose Bay

Hotel North, often called Hotel North One, stands at 25 Loring Drive in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. The provincial tourism board lists 54 rooms, including 5 suites, and says the hotel is open all year. The hotel’s own website shows king suites, a wheelchair-accessible king suite, and guest rooms with one queen bed or two double beds.

Rooms carry flat-screen TVs, a coffee maker, a hair dryer, an iron with an ironing board, and a refrigerator. Fibre optic internet is offered. Selected units have fireplaces and some housekeeping units have kitchens. The hotel website also lists room service and on-site laundry. Tripadvisor adds free parking and a business centre.

Check-in is at 3 pm and check-out is at 11 am, according to the hotel. You can ask for different times when you book. Children aged 12 and under stay free. The hotel does not allow smoking or pets. Cancellations must reach the hotel by noon on the day of arrival, and a credit card is required to reserve.

The hotel page names Mariner’s Galley as the restaurant, with seafood and Canadian dishes, dine-in and takeout. Tripadvisor lists Subway, Jungle Jim’s, A and W and Trapper’s Cabin Bar and Grill within a short walk. The hotel says shuttle service is available but gives no route, schedule or cost. Call 709-896-9301 or toll free 877-996-9301 to ask.

Hotel North Two, a Larger Choice for Hotels in Happy Valley-Goose Bay

Hotel North Two sits at 382 Hamilton River Road. The hotel website lists 67 guest rooms with king, queen or double beds. The tourism board listing says 95 rooms and mentions a newer extension of 30 suites. The two counts do not match, so ask the front desk how many rooms the hotel has now and which wing you will get.

Jungle Jim’s Bar and Eatery operates on site, along with a bar and lounge. The hotel hosts weddings, banquets and conferences. Its website says the venue holds up to 200 people for receptions, and Expedia lists six meeting rooms. Expect more event traffic here than at the smaller properties, especially on weekends.

Expedia lists check-in from 3 pm and check-out at 11 am, plus a 24-hour front desk, luggage storage and laundry facilities. Breakfast can be ordered from a menu for a fee. The property is smoke free and pet free. The hotel website lists shuttle service and wheelchair-accessible rooms. Call 709-896-3398 or toll free 888-892-5505.

Expedia also places the Amaluk Golf Club about a ten minute walk away and Trapper’s Cabin Bar and Grill about nine minutes on foot. Goose Bay Airport is roughly seven minutes by car, according to the same listing. Confirm distances with the hotel before you plan a walk in winter.

Hotel North in North West River, a Quiet Option Outside Town

The same company runs a newer property at 86 Portage Road in North West River. The hotel website calls the building a new 20-room hotel with one and two bedroom suites. Suites have kitchenettes and pillow-top mattresses, and some are wheelchair accessible. The website says a beach lies less than a five minute walk away. Call 709-497-8105 to confirm details.

Tripadvisor lists a Motel North in North West River with full kitchens and living rooms in every room, and places the area about 17 miles from central Happy Valley-Goose Bay. The company website refers to both Motel North and Hotel North at this location. We could not confirm whether these are one building or two, or whether the older motel rooms remain in service. Ask when you call.

North West River suits travelers who want a village setting, a beach and kitchen space for longer stays. This spot does not suit anyone who needs to be steps from the airport or the town restaurants. You will want a car or a pre-arranged ride.

Royal Inn and Suites, an Unconfirmed Mid-Range Pick

Tripadvisor and Trivago both list Royal Inn and Suites. Tripadvisor reviewers mention breakfast, a 24-hour front desk, and a lit garden with picnic tables and a firepit. Trivago shows a four-star rating and a restaurant called Mamattuk. Listings place the inn close to town, the ferry and restaurants, and Trivago puts the town centre about 1.6 miles away.

We found no official website, address or phone number we could verify. Treat this inn as unconfirmed. Look up a current phone number, call, and ask about check-in times, breakfast and parking before you rely on the listing.

Emma’s Suites and Labrador Inn, Two More Listings to Verify

Emma’s Suites appears on Tripadvisor and Trivago. Tripadvisor says breakfast is included and describes full kitchen facilities and home-like rooms. Trivago places the suites about 1.2 miles from the town centre. Both sources are booking sites, not the owner, so call to confirm before you pay a deposit.

Labrador Inn also appears on both sites. A Tripadvisor reviewer describes the building as older and dated, with newer windows and friendly staff. Trivago puts the inn about 1.3 miles from the centre. We found no amenity list. Ask about private bathrooms, parking and breakfast when you call.

Trivago and Tripadvisor show a few other names, including Goose Bay Suite, Fahey Suites and Jon’s Place. Goose Bay Suite is a bed and breakfast and Trivago says pets are welcome. We found no usable details for the other two, so we leave them out of our picks.

Motels in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Budget Choices

Happy Valley-Goose Bay has no large motel strip. Our research found one property called a motel, Motel North in North West River, and Tripadvisor describes the rooms there as having full kitchens. The tourism board and the hotel website do not match on the name, as noted above.

If you want a lower-cost stay, compare the suites with kitchens. A room with a kitchen lets you cook a few meals and trim restaurant bills in a town where food options are limited. Check whether the kitchen is a full kitchen or a kitchenette, since the Hotel North properties use both terms across their listings.

Seniors rates are listed by the tourism board for both Hotel North and Hotel North Two. Corporate rates are also advertised on the hotel pages. We do not quote prices, because rates change by season and by contract. Ask for the rate for your dates and mention any discount you qualify for.

Hotels Near Goose Bay Airport

Many guests arrive by air and want a short ride to the hotel. Tripadvisor lists Goose Bay Airport, code YYR, about one mile from Hotel North. A photo caption on the same page jokes about a long walk, so do not count on walking with luggage. Expedia puts Hotel North Two about seven minutes from the airport by car.

Both Hotel North properties say shuttle service is available. Neither page gives a schedule, route or cost. Call ahead with your flight number and arrival time. Winter flights run late and weather can shift arrivals, so tell the front desk if your plans change.

North West River lies farther out. Wikipedia lists North West River Road as Route 520 from the main highway, so plan on a car or taxi for the trip. We did not find a sourced drive time and will not guess one.

Campgrounds and Remote Lodges Near Happy Valley-Goose Bay

Tripadvisor lists two campgrounds. Gosling Lake Campground is owner run, and a reviewer says the sites were being upgraded with water and 30-amp power. Goose River Lodges is described by a reviewer as the only campground in the Happy Valley-Goose Bay area. Both are seasonal in practice, so call before you drive out.

The same list includes Coopers Minipi Lodges, a remote fly-in fishing lodge with breakfast included and private washrooms in the bedrooms. Torngat Mountains Base Camp and Research Station also appears, with bubble-style units and hiking trails. Both sit far from town, so treat them as expedition stays and not as ordinary hotels.

Old Listings We Removed From This Guide

Our earlier version named Northland Inn, Paradise Suites and Inn, Pinsent’s Brook Cottages, Kanesholm Inn and Suites, and Happy Valley Inn. None of these names appears in the tourism board’s current Labrador listings, on Tripadvisor, on Trivago or on the Hotel North website. We could not verify a current address, phone number or booking page for any of them, so we dropped them.

If you see one of these names on an old map or social post, call before you travel. A name may belong to a closed or renamed place. We found no sourced evidence either way, and we will not guess.

The old guide also listed the Labrador Straits Museum and the Nunatsiavut Heritage Centre as local sights. We could not verify either as a Happy Valley-Goose Bay attraction, so we removed both from the new text.

Things to Do Near Your Happy Valley-Goose Bay Hotel

Trivago lists several sights near the town hotels. These include the Labrador Military Museum, the Lawrence O’Brien Arts Centre, the Birch Island Trail, the E J Broomfield Arena and the Birch Brook Nordic Ski Club. Expedia also places the Birch Island Boardwalk and the Lawrence O’Brien Arts Centre a short drive from Hotel North Two. Check hours with each site before you go.

The Goose Bay base has a long history. Wikipedia says Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay was built in 1941 on a sandy plateau and served as a refuelling stop on the Atlantic Ferry route. Later, NATO low-level flight training used the base until the numbers fell between 1996 and 2005.

In North West River, Wikipedia lists the Labrador Interpretation Centre on Sunday Hill Road, the Sunday Hill trail with views of Lake Melville, and a Labrador Heritage Foundation museum in a restored Hudson’s Bay trading post. The museum opens regularly in summer, and winter tours need advance booking. The North West River Beach Festival runs on the last weekend of July.

Getting to Happy Valley-Goose Bay

Happy Valley-Goose Bay sits in central Labrador at the southwest end of Lake Melville, near the mouth of the Churchill River. Wikipedia counts 8,040 residents in 2021. Air Canada and local carriers have served the area for decades, and the airport code is YYR. Check current schedules with each airline.

By road, the Trans-Labrador Highway, Route 500, links the town with Labrador City and with Baie-Comeau, Quebec. A summer ferry runs from the town to Cartwright. Wikipedia notes container ships dock at Terrington Basin, usually from June to December.

Weather shapes your trip. Wikipedia gives winter average highs near minus 12 degrees Celsius and summer highs near 20 degrees. Snowfall averages about 406 centimetres a year. Pack warm layers even in shoulder months, and ask your hotel about plug-in parking if you drive in winter.

How to Choose a Hotel in Happy Valley-Goose Bay

Start with your purpose. Business travelers and groups will find Hotel North Two the best fit, since the property has meeting rooms and a bar and lounge on site. Solo travelers who want a smaller building and a seafood dinner downstairs should look at Hotel North. Families who need a kitchen can ask about housekeeping units at Hotel North or the suites in North West River.

Next, check how you will get around. Hotels in Happy Valley-Goose Bay sit along the main roads, and most restaurants are a short drive apart. Ask about the shuttle, parking and winter conditions. Then ask about pets, since both Hotel North properties ban them.

Finally, confirm the details we could not. Call the front desk and ask for the current room count, the bed type you will get, the breakfast hours and the cancellation rule. Write down the name of the person you speak with.

What We Checked and What We Could Not

We confirmed Hotel North and Hotel North Two through the hotel website, the provincial tourism board and at least one booking site. We confirmed the North West River property through the hotel website and Tripadvisor, but the naming gap remains. We found Royal Inn and Suites, Emma’s Suites and Labrador Inn only on booking and review sites.

We did not state any price or rate, because the sources disagree and rates change. We did not state drive times we could not source. We could not confirm check-in times for Hotel North Two from the hotel itself, and the room count differs between sources. Please phone before you book.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The best hotels in Happy Valley-Goose Bay come down to a short list. Hotel North suits a central stay, Hotel North Two suits groups and events, and the North West River property suits a quiet base with kitchen space. Royal Inn and Suites, Emma’s Suites and Labrador Inn need a phone call before you book. Decide how you will get around, ask about the shuttle, and confirm room details with the front desk. Then enjoy Labrador, from the old air base history to the trails above Lake Melville.

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