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Carol Patterson

INSPIRING EVERYDAY EXPLORERS Through wildlife tales and trails

Carol Patterson

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Six reasons you’ll love Quebec’s ultimate log cabin even if you hate the cold

March 12, 2019 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

FAIRMONT LE CHÂTEAU MONTEBELLO

This may be North America’s coldest winter in recent memory but you’ll wish it were longer if visiting the world’s largest log cabin in Quebec. Why? Fairmont’s Le Chateau Montebello in Quebec’s Outaouais region has elements history and nature aficionados can find nowhere else.

It’s BIG

Inspired by chalets in the Alps, the Chateau is a large wooden building that made headlines when it was built and almost ninety years later, hasn’t lost its appeal. Built in a headline grabbing four months during the Great Depression this three-story chateau has a massive six-sided fireplace in the three-story lobby. Stepping into the lobby you’ll appreciate the craftsmanship that shaped 10,000 logs into the walls and ceilings and give the place a fairy tale aura.

You’ll feel famous

You may feel like you’ve living the lifestyle of the rich and famous and you’d be right. For years the resort was a private club and a favourite destination for celebrities and politicians. Princess Grace and Prince Rainer of Monaco were guests. The G7 has been hosted here, as have NATO meetings and gatherings of presidents and prime ministers. Looking at the famous faces in photos lining the walls is a stroll through history.

Your inner musher will come to life

On the banks of the Ottawa River halfway between Ottawa and Montreal the Château is surrounded by Quebec wilderness. You can learn to drive a dog sled or explore 42 kilometers of cross-country ski trails.

You can learn to hurry hard

Curling – rural Canada’s favorite winter pastime – doesn’t require the fancy duds made famous by the Norwegian Olympic curlers but technique is important. Every guest gets a free curling lesson in the Chateau’s four-sheet curling arena. You’ll be surprised at how much fun it is to throw a rock or hurry hard as you sweep your teammate’s rock to victory!

Canadas-largest-indoor-pool

Your backstroke will be better

All that bending and stretching will put you in the mood for a dip in Canada’s largest indoor hotel pool with its own log cabin (it was built slightly shorter than Olympic length so athletes wouldn’t want to train here) or let you dine guilt-free at Open Table’s 2018 Diners’ Choice – Aux Chantignoles.

parc-omega

Elk will love you

It’s hard to leave the resort but if you like wildlife, you’ll enjoy visiting Parc Omega where you’re encouraged to feed elk and deer and you can score great photos of arctic fox and wolves.

Plan a visit here.

arctic-fox

TWEETABLES

Six reasons you’ll love Quebec’s ultimate log cabin even if you hate the cold! Click to Tweet.

My friend, @Reinventure, is sharing 6 reasons you’ll LOVE Quebec’s ultimate cabin adventure here: Click to Tweet.

Filed Under: Quebec Tagged With: quebec

Scandinave Spa highlights the value of contrast

January 11, 2017 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

scandinave-spasYou don’t realize how much you talk until someone asks you to be silent. When I arrived at Mont Tremblant’s Scandinave Spa Angelique Papadopoulos, Directrice Marketing greeted our group of weary travelers with a warm smile and an invitation to relax.

She showed us a map of pools, saunas and relaxation areas, and explained how we should start our hydrotherapy with a dip in a hot pool, followed by ten seconds of cold water, and then relax for fifteen minutes before repeating the sequence. “The sequence traps heat in your muscles,” Papadopoulous explained.

The hot tubs and steam bath sounded inviting but the cold choices were leaving me, frankly, cold.

I could stand under a cold shower or if feeling adventurous, hop into the Diable River winding by the spa. I was still reeling from the idea of ruining a warm feeling with an abrupt slosh of cold water when she made one other announcement “no talking in the spa”.

Phones and cameras were verboten – that made sense because I wanted to unplug and relax. But I hadn’t seen the ‘No talking’ edict coming. It seemed the contrast here wasn’t just between hot and cold, but between conversational chatter and quiet, and between looking inward versus outward.

I was eager to take the challenge.

The first pool was easy to slip into, the warm water soothing my tight muscles and the steam rising from the water tickling my nose. I dragged myself out after the prescribed ten minutes and decided I was getting cold for no longer than necessary. I tensed my recently relaxed muscles as I edged under the Nordic waterfall, liters of cold water pounding my shoulders. I gave those water droplets the minimum time needed to cool me off and I was out of there.

The next stop was a large hot pool a few steps from the river. There were other people in the pool but everyone was respecting the silent rule. I didn’t miss the small talk and with nothing to say, closed my eyes without feeling rude, letting the water pull months of tension from my muscles.

Spa welcomes you to a world of silence
Spa welcomes you to a world of silence

Thoroughly warmed, I wandered over to a hammock tucked into the forest along the river. It wasn’t a warm day but I was well-done from the hydrotherapy and laid back in the adult-version of a cradle. I rocked back and forth gazing up at the leaves, noticing veins and patterns I’d been oblivious to only hours before. I was so relaxed I feared I might start drooling!

I headed back for one more dip in the warm waters before lying on a lounger that resembled a half-cracked egg. A gentleman glided into sight with pieces of fruit and water infused with cucumber. “Would you like something?” He asked in a low voice. I was strangely reluctant to speak; the effort to form words suddenly an expensive use of energy. I settled for nodding and sipped the water with an appreciation I usually reserve for a fine Pinot Grigio.

The spa has several places to relax between soaks
The spa has several places to relax between soaks

The contrast between hot and cold, speaking and silence had done its work. I was reconnected to my inner guru, however zany she may be, and my mind, body and spirit were united in their relaxation response. The toughest part about this experience wasn’t the cold shower. It was leaving.

If you go:

Quebec’s Scandinave Spas are found at Mont Trembland and in Old Montreal. They are also found in Blue Mountain, Ontario and Whistler, B.C.

Hang your hat at Westin Resort & Spa located in the heart of Mont Tremblant’s pedestrian village and keep the relaxation going by walking to restaurants and shops.

TWEETABLES

Discover why Mont Tremblant’s Scandinave Spa is a must visit on your travel list: Click to Tweet.

My friend, @Reinventure, recently got to experience the value on contrast on her travel adventure: Click to Tweet.

Cold pools, warm pools, hot pools and no talking…Why you must visit @ScandinaveSpaMT: Click to Tweet.

Filed Under: Quebec, Travel tips Tagged With: Mont Tremblant’s Scandinave Spa, new year resolutions, new year's resolutions, quebec, Scandinave Spa, spa, travel

Tremblant Resort’s festival waste hits the right note

November 8, 2016 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

Volunteer Vincent Denis weighs festival garbage. Photo credit: Tremblant
Volunteer Vincent Denis weighs festival garbage. Photo credit: Tremblant

While tapping my toes to the sweet notes of blues musician Sugar Brown, the last thing on my mind was my empty water bottle. As I danced to the Porn Flakes in Place Saint- Bernard I wasn’t calculating how much waste the Tremblant International Blues Festival generates. But if I had paused in advance of Mike Gaudreau’s performance at Scene Casino to ponder garbage generated by travelers, the sustainable tourism initiatives of Quebec’s Tremblant Resort Association would have had me kicking up my heels.

The festival attracts thousands each summer to Quebec’s Mont Tremblant with more than 100 musical events over ten days. Festival organizers recycle signage from year to year, minimize handouts by putting event schedules online and on large signs, encourage walking by grouping events in the pedestrian village and keep the gondola working into the evening.

Organizers also reduce food waste through their ‘green squad’. These keen volunteers hover near garbage cans and in food courts – not the first place I usually look for music lovers – and help visitors sort their food waste so little goes into the garbage. There are also gentle reminders from the stage to think of the environment. “Our emcees often remind our visitors of many possible green initiatives that can be taken on site,” explained Linda Lloyd, Director of Operations, Tremblant Resort Association on how sustainability initiatives permeate the event.

The festival is a certified eco-responsible event by Conseil québécois des événements écoresponsables and has moved to a Level 2 rating as staff green more festival activities. The biggest sustainability challenge is reducing carbon emissions for artists’ air travel. With the need for international performers this facet is daunting but in other areas, progress is impressive. As part of the certification process all garbage from the event is gathered, sorted and weighed. In 2016, only a few bags of garbage went to the landfill! Now that is something to sing about.

If you go:

Mont Tremblant International Blues Festival happens 7 to 16, 2017

Stay within walking distance of most events at Westin Resort & Spa

Slip away from the crowds for a drink at the uber hip Le P’Tit Caribou ptitcaribou.com/en/

For information on the festival or its sustainability initiatives, contact Annick Marseille amarseille@intrawest.com

TWEETABLES

#Tremblant Resort’s festival waste hits the right note: Click to Tweet.

My friend, @Reinventure, recently attended a blues festival where only a few bags of garbage went to the landfill. Click to Tweet.

Discover how the #Tremblant International Blue Festival is reducing waste in all areas of the festival: Click to Tweet.

Filed Under: Quebec Tagged With: adventure travel, quebec, travel, tremblant international blue festival, tremblant resort association

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