Mont-Tremblant, Canada, located in the province of Quebec in the Laurentian region offers breathtaking views, and is the perfect playground for a winter weekend getaway without even needing a car.

When Edward and I decided to take a ski weekend holiday, we did not want to spend a lot of time traveling to get to the resort, which can often be difficult and time consuming, however, not so with Mont-Tremblant, Canada.

We flew direct from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) on Continental Airlinesand arrived at the Mont-Tremblant International Airport(YTM) in less than 90 minutes. Flying on Continental felt like we were on a private airplane with attentive service provided throughout the flight, recalling the "good old days" of air travel. Mont-Tremblant is easily accessible via 90-minute flights from Toronto and Newark, New Jersey, and is approximately a 90-minute drive from Montreal.

Landing at Mont-Tremblant International Airport

The Laurentian experience began the minute that we stepped off the aircraft and walked towards the charming wood chalet that is the Mont-Tremblant International Airport terminal where the airport and customs staff were professional, courteous, and most welcoming.

Mont-Tremblant Airport Terminal Chalet

Mont-Tremblant International Airport
150 Roger Hébert, La Macaza, Québec
Canada J0T 1R0
Telephone:     +1-819-275-9099
Fax:                +1-819-275-1258
Email:              This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  
www.MTIA.ca 

We used the convenient Airport Shuttle for the 22-mile (35 km) drive from the airport to the luxurious 314-room (64 are suites)Fairmont Tremblant. The scenery was lovely as we passed through quaint villages with colorfully painted chalets, tiny chapels with tall steeples, a red painted covered bridge, and soaring pine trees wearing sugary coats of snow.

Location, location, location, describes the Fairmont Tremblantbuilt in 1997, where Mont-Tremblant looms large, literally in the backyard of the hotel. The only ski-in, ski-out resort, the ski lifts are accessible by foot or simply skiing a very short distance from the hotel, which incidentally has enough bells and whistles to keep even non-skiers or snowboarders pleasantly occupied during ski season. Our attractive guestroom afforded us with a spectacular view of the mountain as well as the charming and brightly painted Pedestrian Village where a plethora of boutiques and restaurants beckoned.

Fairmont Tremblant

Open year-round, the Fairmont Tremblant has two restaurants, the casual Wigwam, open during ski season, and the attractive Windigo, where Executive Chef Daniel Tobien uses local products to create authentic regional cuisine. The hotel has indoor and outdoor swimming pools, as well as indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis where we soaked in the steaming water while gazing up at the snow covered mountain; a sauna, steam rooms, and a Fitness Center. As skiers, we especially appreciated the on-site Ski Rental and Ski Valet service.

Fairmont Tremblant Outdoor Pool Hot Tub

Pampering Spa treatments at Amerispa where we indulged in Ice Cider treatments, and a Business Center, add to the long line of amenities, and for guests traveling with pets, the hotel is pet-friendly. The hotel is also within walking distance of the Pedestrian Village, so no car is needed.

Amerispa Cider Treatment

Read other articles on the Fairmont Tremblantin the Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Spas, and Chefs' Recipessection where Chef Daniel Tobien shares his recipes for regional specialties.

Fairmont Tremblant
3045 Chemin de la Chapelle
Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada J8E1E1
Toll Free:       1-866-540-4415
Telephone:    +1-819-681-7000
Email:       This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  
www.Fairmont.com/Tremblant 

Flying with skis is something that we try to avoid, and with the convenient rental shoplocated at the Fairmont Tremblant, we were able to rent brand new Solomon skis, poles, and ski boots on-site at the hotel. As an added service, there is a Ski Valet at the hotel, where we left our skis at the end of the day and picked them up the following morning.

Mont-Tremblant has an elevation of 2,871 feet (875 meters) and offers 94 trails and 631 acres (255.3 hectacres) of skiable terrain. Although the weather was cold, hovering between 23° F and 27° F (-5° C and -6° C) at the base, and windy and colder at the summit, the sun was shining and the skiers and snowboarders were out enforce, and so were we, braving the elements to have a closer look at the amazing scenery as we skied the many trails.

Riding the Gondola to the Summit

Something that Edward and I found to be very helpful was the 1-hour complimentary Guided Tours at 9:30 am and at 1:30 pm led by volunteers who are there to answer any questions that guests might have, and also provide an overview of the mountain and its many trails. Read about Skiing Mont-Tremblant in the Adventures section.

Ski Trails at Mont-Tremblant

Skiing definitely works up an appetite, and for a resort area, we were amazed at the number and the diversity of the restaurants, from tiny, yet charming, casual dining, to more elegant fine dining. During our stay in Mont-Tremblant we stopped for a late afternoon lunch at Au Grain de Café, located in the Pedestrian Village, where we had vegetarian sandwiches made with tomato, mozzarella, and pesto, and the ambience was casual and bustling. A small fireplace hung on a wall, there was a copper pressed tin ceiling, round tables and chairs, high-top bistro tables and stools lining the wall of windows embellished with stained glass that added to the overall appeal. The menu features sandwiches, soups, salads, muffins, alcohol, coffee, and enormous bowls of hot chocolate with mountains of whipped cream to chase away winter chills.

Au Grain de Caféis the oldest café on the mountain and is open daily from 8:00 am until 9: 00 pm (low season), and from 7:30 am until 11:00 pm (high season).

Au Grain de Café
3035 Chemin Principal
Le St-Bernard, Mont-Tremblant, Québec, Canada J0T 1Z0
Telephone:       +1-819-681-4567
www.AugraindeCafe.com 

We also had a very nice aprés-ski lunch at La Sandwicherie Lunch Stop, a charming newcomer on the Mont-Tremblant landscape that opened in July 2008 and serves breakfast and lunch. Owners Paula Ingerman and Kim Reid's focus is "good service, good food, and good value." They roast their own chicken, roast their own beef, make muffins, and take pride in creating healthy fare. The ambience is comfortable with wood tables and painted chairs, a television hangs on a wall in the corner flanked by black leather sofas; the restaurant has WIFI and two mini-laptops that guests may use. Parents will appreciate the children's playroom the comes with the humorous warning, "children left unaccompanied will be served an espresso and given a free puppy."

We had a traditional chicken club with chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and spicy curry mayonnaise on toasted bread accompanied with blue tortilla chips, pickle slices, and a tomato; and grilled veggies and goat cheese sandwich on panini bread with mushrooms, red pepper, zucchini, asparagus spears, and goat cheese, accompanied by blue tortilla chips, pickle slices, and a tomato.

La Sandwicherie Lunch Stop is open Sunday through Thursday from 8:00 am until 6:00 pm, with extended hours on Friday and Saturday to 8:00 pm.

La Sandwicherie Lunch Stop
3035 Chemin de la Chapelle
Mont-Tremblant, Québec, Canada J8E1B1
Telephone: +1-819-681-4555
Email:          This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.TremblantLunchStop.com

We had dinner at L'Avalanche Restaurant - Bistro Loungelocated in the Pedestrian Village in a historic house, features a creative martini menu and French cuisine. The restaurant opened in December 2007 and Chef Alexandre Gaudette is the young and passionate talent in the kitchen.

Filet de Porc

A few of the highlights of our dinner included Grilled Salmon topped with lemon and pesto caper sauce with goat cheese and fresh basil risotto; and Pork Filet with mustard and white wine sauce, topped with an apple reduction, and served with julienne vegetables and potatoes au gratin.

L'Avalanche Restaurant - Bistro Lounge is open daily for dinner as well as for lunch, during high season in the winter and summer months. Read about L'Avalanche Restaurant - Bistro Loungein the Restaurants section and Chefs' Recipessection where Chef Alexandre Gaudette shares a taste of the restaurant.

L'Avalanche Restaurant - Bistro Lounge

L'Avalanche Restaurant - Bistro Lounge
127 Chemin de Kandahar
Mont-Tremblant, Québec, Canada J8E1T1
Telephone:    +1-819-681-4727
Email:              This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  
www.AvalancheBistro.com 

We also had an excellent dinner at Windigo Restaurant at the Fairmont Tremblantfeaturing the very talented Executive Chef Daniel Tobien, a native of the Alsace region of France, whose culinary focus is on creating authentic regional cuisine using local products. The ambience at the restaurant is comfortably elegant and the service is impeccable.

Windigo Restaurant

In addition to their àla carte menu, the restaurant also features a special Surf and Turf buffet, on Friday and Saturday nights, that is a veritable seafood odyssey. A few of the many highlights of our dinner, included oysters on the half shell, Alaskan king crab legs, lobster, sushi, and prime rib. A selection of decadent desserts rounded out our dinner for a perfect evening.

Windigo Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Read about Windigo Restaurantin the Restaurants section and Chefs' Recipessection where Chef Daniel Tobien shares a few of his recipes.

Windigo Restaurant
Fairmont Tremblant
3045 Chemin de la Chapelle
Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada J8E1E1
Restaurant Telephone:  +1-819-681-7685
Hotel Telephone:            +1-819-681-7000
Hotel Toll Free:               1-866-540-4415
Email:       This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.Fairmont.com/Tremblant 

Pedestrian Village

We explored the Pedestrian Village, stopping occasionally to watch the afternoon volleyball game in the square, as well as warm our hands at the many outdoor fireplaces, as we browsed in the boutiques and the shops.

Along the way, we discovered a regional specialty, maple toffee on snow. The Quebec region is renowned for its maple syrup, and we eagerly awaited our turn to sample this simple winter delight, which consists of hot maple syrup poured over fresh snow. After 45 seconds, we placed our wood spreaders at the beginning of a maple syrup line, rolled up the resulting maple toffee, and enjoyed this delicious taste treat of the season.

Another regional specialty is Ice Cider, also called apple ice wine or in French, Cidre de Glace, which is made from apples harvested in January when their sugar content is high, resulting in a sweet and alcoholic spirit that is golden in color, has rich and creamy fruit on the palate, and is perfect as an aperitif, served with foie gras, cheese, or with dessert. After sampling several varieties of ice cider during our stay, whose alcohol content varied from 11% to 12%, we visited the wine shop in the Pedestrian Village to purchase this spirited taste of Quebec. Read the Chefs' Recipes section where Chef Daniel Tobien shares his recipe for Reinvented Apple Pie with Vanilla and Pecan Glazethat uses Ice Cider in the recipe.

The Pedestrian Village has some seriously sloping steps, and while walking down the steps was not that difficult, the return to the top of the village was even easier by taking a ride on the Cabriolet, which provided free access to the top. It not only whisked us to the top of the village quickly, it also provided a great view of the mountains.

Cabriolet in Pedestrian Village 

Always a child at heart, when I saw the children's ice slide, I knew that I had to try it, and waited patiently until all of the other much smaller, and definitely much younger, children had taken a ride before I eagerly climbed the ladder and slid down the ice slide smiling all the way. It was definitely worth the wait.

Although Mont-Tremblant is perfect in the wintertime for skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and dog sledding, the area is also wonderful in any season as it offers great trekking and bicycling, has many lakes for fishing and water sports, there are excellent golf courses, in autumn when nature paints the trees glorious colors, it is absolutely breathtaking, and if you still need further incentive, a casino will be opening in June 2009. No matter when you visit, Mont-Tremblant will delight your senses in any season.

Welcome to Mont-Tremblant

Important Information for Mont-Tremblant

The currency of Canada is the Canadian Dollar (CAD). As of February 2009, the exchange rate was 1 Canadian Dollar (CAD) to 1.23 US Dollar (USD), and 1 Canadian Dollar to 1.60 Euro (EUR). The Canadian Dollar is divided into 100 cents, with coin denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25, 1 dollar, and 2 dollar; bank note denominations are: 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollars.

Electricity is 110 volts/60 cycles, which is used throughout North America. Bring a converter if your appliances do not have dual voltage and plug adapters if traveling from outside North America. There is an airport departure fee of $28 Canadian plus taxes per passenger payable on day of departure at the airport.

Mont-Tremblant, Canada - Winter Playground

While most people in the Laurentian region speak English as well as French, it is always helpful to have some basic language knowledge when traveling.

Read other articles on Mont-Tremblant in the Hotels and Resorts, Spas, Restaurants, Chefs' Recipes, and Adventures sections.

For more information on Mont-Tremblant and upcoming events, please visit the websites: www.Laurentians.com and www.Tremblant.ca.

For information on Quebec, please visit the website: www.BonjourQuebec.com.

For information on Continental Airlines service to Mont-Tremblant International Airport, please visit the website: www.Continental.com. For information on the Airport Shuttle Schedulefrom the Mont-Tremblant International Airport to Mont-Tremblant hotels please visit the website: www.MTIA.ca.

© March 2009. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com All rights reserved.