Spa Girl is heading to Newfoundland

History, culture and natural beauty are all part of the Newfoundland experience. The oldest city in North America, St John’s Newfoundland is place where icebergs can be seen from the inner harbour, where you can go whale watching, hiking, enjoy Celtic music, festivals and most importantly the people. They say to prepare yourself to be lost and found in Newfoundland.

This is my second visit to Newfoundland, and I am excited to return and spend time exploring the spectacular coastlines and the rich history and culture of the place. I also understand St. John’s has a few new spas since my last visit, so I am looking forward to some east coast indulgence as well.

St John's is located on the eastern side of the Avalon Pennsula of southeast Newfoundland. Its landlocked harbour is approached through a long, narrow channel and is protected by the high hills on which the city is built. The origin of the name St John's is not known, but its use appears on a Portuguese map by Pedro Reinel (1516-20) as "Rio de San Johem" and later, in a 1527 letter by the English seaman John Rut, as the "Haven of St John's." According to popular folklore, however, the city takes its name from the feast of Saint John the Baptist and the discovery of Newfoundland for England on 24 June 1497 by the Italian discoverer Giovanni Caboto (John CABOT).

St John’s is also known for its architecture, distinctly different from the rest of Canada. As one of the first British capitals and an outpost for European fishermen, St. John’s is known for its Gothic revival and the more significant Second Empire wood-framed homes many painted in bright colours which were built after the great fire of 1892 which destroyed most of the original buildings in the downtown core.

Since the mid 1960s the city's skyline has been gradually undergoing change as several new hotels, banks and office buildings have been completed. Nearby, the city has erected a 6000-seat hockey arena and attached convention facility, which opened in 2001. In 2005 an archives-museum-art gallery complex (The Rooms) opened near the basilica, having a commanding view of the city and its harbour. It has quickly become one of the city's must-see tourism sites. A number of the older buildings in the city's downtown have been redeveloped as private condominiums and other lands in the area have been developed for this purpose, reflecting the city's new wealth generated by offshore oil production.

More on St. John’s can be found at: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0007085

Spas and wellness travel in Newfoundland: http://www.traveltowellness.com/newfoundland_spas_wellness_travel#monestary