The Doctor’s House Inn & Spa: A Hidden Jewel Uncovered

Tucked away between the trees and the water’s edge in a tiny little seaside town in Newfoundland lies a place even those ‘in the know’ never knew about. Until now.

Recently opened as a luxury oceanfront retreat called The Doctor’s House Inn and Spa, this stunning 100-acre property was first envisioned over half a century ago by a young doctor of psychiatry that recently emigrated from Ireland. He worked at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s and built his country hideaway bit by bit over several decades.

For close to 50 years the property’s beautiful Tudor-style mansion was under construction while the doctor, his wife, and family lived in a tiny section of it. Outside, they created beautiful gardens and exquisite landscaping including a large number of maple trees and a stunning selection of flowering trees and shrubs that Newfoundland had never seen before. They had a soft spot for animals, especially the hearty Newfoundland Pony so they added barns, chicken coops and outbuildings, and had ponies, cows, sheep, hens, and several different kinds of birds roaming the property.

Now, 50 years after the first stone was laid, the doctor’s sanctuary has finally been completed. The property features twelve luxuriously appointed guest rooms spread out over two floors, each with en suite bathroom, lush furnishings, and a balcony with ocean or garden view. The on-site Aveda Spa has five spa rooms with private showers, including a double room designed for side-by-side couples’ massage.

An elegant dining room boasts a roaring fireplace and sun-filled solarium, with walkouts to natural stone patios reminiscent of old world country inns. Newly added greenhouses provide the kitchen with organic ingredients for world-class dining under the direction of esteemed Executive Chef Christopher Chafe, Competitor on Food Network’s Top Chef Canada and silver medal winner at Gold Plates St. John’s 2011.

With a nod to meetings and events, the original livestock barn has been recreated as an elegant 200-seat wedding and event venue overlooking the sparkling waters of Trinity bay. Newfoundland ponies graze side by side with sheep and goats. Geese, ducks, and birds roam freely over more than 100 acres of gardens and meadows. And tree-lined trails to the ocean energize both body and mind.

This previously hidden jewel in the charming seaside town of Green’s Harbour is now open to the public for romantic getaways or retreats, meetings and events, and fine dining by reservation. And, at just an hour’s drive from St. John’s, it’s a jewel many are discovering is ‘just what the doctor ordered’.