Paid Partnership with Destination Canada
Do you remember that time I did a blog post fangirling over my Quebec adventure? (if you don’t, it’s the last post I’ve posted – also linked here – so feel free to go and have a nosey) Well, today’s post is part 2 of my I ROADTRIPPED CANADA AND YOU SHOULD TOO BECAUSE IT WAS THE BEST EVER guide, and… it’s a goodun. If I do say so myself. We’ve got helicopter rides, fat biking, more spas (no you feel like Beyonce), casinos, light shows and some really, really bloody great food.
So, after departing Montebello, we arrived in the Laurentians an hour later. One thing I really loved about Quebec was literally just driving through the most incredible green and lush landscapes. Everywhere you look feels like something from a postcard and really made me, kind of… detach from the world. Or maybe it was the fact that all of the road signs are french and I can literally only say bonjour so I didn’t actually have time to concentrate on anything else, LOL.
Anyway, we headed straight for D-tour Mont Tremblant for my first ever fat biking experience and oh my blimmin god, I absolutely loved it. We drove through the breathtaking national park on electric bikes and it was honestly one of the highlights of our trip. Couldn’t recommend enough.
As if a morning with the animals, a 2 hour drive through the gorgeous Laurentians and fat biking through the national park wasn’t enough, we finished our day with a helicopter ride over Mont Tremblant with the amazing Heli tremblant. Our driver (Jean Benoit… what an absolutely cracking name!) was absolutely incredible. He put a very nervous MumNextDoor at ease and gave us an amazing history of Mont Tremblant from above. A once in a lifetime experience!
It was then back to Hotel Mont Tremblant for the night to rest up – it’s really awfully hard work this jet setting stuff – before a morning at the Spa.
No honestly, please try harder not to feel sorry for me.
Next stop was the Scandinave Spa, otherwise known as heaven on earth. I remember sitting in the heated pool after my 3 stage cycle (ice cold, heat and room temp pools), surrounded by incredible nature thinking, how on earth did I get this lucky? It was by far the most serene and relaxed I’d been in a very long time. Years in fact.
After turning myself into 99% zen AF and 1% “I still don’t know how I’m navigating these french roads signs but I’m nailing it”… we headed to Tremblant resort, which is a gorgeous village full of restaurants, shops, activities such as zip lining and cable cars. Had lunch in the incredible Samurai sushi – it’s where I discovered poke bowls and my love has only ever grown since – went to the top of the mountain to be greeted by the most insane view of Tremblant and then came back down to check into one of the best hotel I’ve stayed in to date.
Hotel Quintessence is a 5 star luxury boutique hotel in the Laurentians, located on Lake Tremblant, it’s a stone’s throw away from Tremblant resort, so an amazing location, but also manages to make you feel like you are totally shut off from the world, in your own little slice of pure heaven. I have never, in my life, received customer service like the service we had here. From just all round incredibly helpful and lovely staff, to the chauffeur’s that made our lives so easy, I’ve genuinely never felt so looked after. Our suite was luxurious and decadent but not even mildly pretentious. The perfect cosy haven!
After lounging around [read: running around, jumping on beds and freaking out at the view], we had a quick change and headed for the casino #player for a goregous dinner at Altitude. We topped off the evening with Tonga Lumina – a night walk/light show which was honestly not like anything I’ve seen before. It’s almost like something from a disney movie. Incredible!
I still laugh when thinking about the next morning of our trip. We headed to the National park (Parc du national Mont Tremblant) for a hike. Now, I am not a sporty or fit person. I haven’t stepped foot in a gym for 10 years and my poor Mum is equally unfit (soz babes but it’s true). So our “little hike” which turned into a 2 hour hike was very luckily saved by one of the most incredible views I have ever seen. I could’ve stayed there for hours (and not just because I didn’t want to start the trek down).
Onto Esterel resort for our final stay of the trip. I loved staying in Esterel resort, it was slightly more modern than the other hotels we’ve stayed in and had plenty of activities you could take part in. My favourite however was of course the 6 course tasting menu and Wine tasting session (do they count as activities?… they do now). The food was absolutely stunning, if you’re in the area I genuinely could not recommend enough.
On our last day, we took a trip to Val David Village and had one of my favourite “casual” meals of the trip at Le Baril Roulant. A quaint gastro pub/micro brasserie which served up an absolutely banging Mexican bowl. The perfect fuel for our final wander before heading for the airport.
I could wrap this up with a big long and emotional epilogue (lol, nobody needs or wants that) but actually all I’m going to say is… if Quebec is on your bucket list, book the flights immediately. And if it’s not, you need to grab a pen and add it instantly. By far, one of my favourite trips of all time!
Thank you so much Destination Canada for working with me on the absolute dream Job, I already can’t wait to return!
xx