I have to say first, if you want to see "the whole island" 2 days won't cut it. Remember, the island is about 2/3 the size of southern Ontario. If you want to get any idea of the place, you'll need to leave the highway. The TransCanada through NL is a lot smaller than the 401, but it's not much more interesting. You would need to take a side trip to see most of the things people come here to see. Maybe if you did a side trip on one day, and added a couple of hours driving on the other?

Where did you look for accommodations? Gander, Lewisporte, Grand Falls and Springdale are all towns on or near the TransCanada and between 3.5 and 5.5 hours from St. John's.

For some motels/ hotels/ B&Bs in these places, Look on the provincial tourism website:

newfoundlandlabrador.com

Oh, and the ferry stops in Argentia. Argentina is in South America, so don't take the wrong boat lol!

thanks a lot for your help.

i think there's an Argentina in nfld coz it seems like the ride on the ferry is 14 hours and i did find an Argentina somewhere close to an hour from st john's... which surprisingly i can't find it anymore! lol

but i definitely don't mind ending up in south america! that'd be a dream to get there with 200 bucks...