Visiting the Province of Quebec is like taking a trip to France without the jet lag, travel time and unfamiliar currency. In fact, Quebec City is just four hours by air from cities like New York City, Boston and Philadelphia.
To make your trip to Quebec even more enjoyable, the area offers a number of resorts that offer a weekend (or week) worth of activities, dining options and gaming without you ever having to leave the resort. Our favorite picks for Quebec resorts are outlined below:
Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu in Charlevoix
Located along the St. Lawrence River in the town of Malbaie, about 100 miles east of Quebec City, Fairmont Hotel’s AAA four-diamond Le Manoir Richelieu offers a relaxing combination of scenery, outdoor activities, gaming and food. The 405-room hotel, one of the classic Canadian Pacific Hotels, was built during the 1920s, and the restored, castle-like structure retains the architectural details of that by-gone era. Facilities at the hotel include 27 holes of golf, with scenic views of the Laurentian Mountains and the St. Lawrence River. There are three restaurants, a coffee shop, a health club and a spa, as well as two outdoor swimming pools, a steam room and a sauna. During the winter, the hotel offers a complimentary shuttle for the ten-mile jaunt to the Mont Grand-Fonds ski area and the 14 downhill runs there.
Le Manoir Richelieu is connected via an underground tunnel to the elegant Casino Charlevoix, which offers more than 20 table games, 950 slot machines, a poker room and keno, as well as three additional restaurants. If you’ve never visited a casino outside the US before, visit their website or this related site to brush up on rules and regulations before you go.
Mont Blanc Hotel, Mont Tremblant
Situated at the base of Quebec’s second-largest mountain, Mont Blanc, the Mont Blanc Hotel offers a myriad of winter sports activities without ever having to leave the area. There are 40 ski trails, snowshoeing and cross-country ski trails, moonlit sleigh rides, ice-skating, snowmobiling and more. Accommodations include comfortable lodge rooms or ski-in/ski-out two or three-bedroom condo units. There’s also an indoor kids play area, the “Jungle Magique,” the largest facility of its kind in Canada.
However, Mont Blanc is not just for winter fun. During the summer, guests can enjoy the hotel’s recreational lake and the beach and water sports available there. There’s also a full spa, two outdoor swimming pools and a sauna.
Fiddler Lake Resort
Located 45 minutes from Montreal, Fiddler Lake Resort features 86 luxury chalet-style cottages as well as a host of year-round activities. The three to five-bedroom cottages sleep up to 18 people and include stone fireplaces, screened-in porches, picnic areas and full kitchens. Some units also have six-person hot tubs. The resort facilities include tennis courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a game room for kids. Fiddler Lake itself offers canoeing, kayaking, fishing and other water activities.
For winter enjoyment, the Saint-Saveur ski area is just five minutes away and features more than 90 miles of cross-country ski trails and 145 ski runs, 89 of which are lit for night skiing.
So, if you enjoy French flavor as well as being pampered at a self-contained, luxury resort, head to Quebec this season. A world of rugged scenery and year-round activities await you.
