Ski season is almost upon us and Mont Tremblant offers a relatively local option for young Canadian professionals who crave a winter escape on the slopes. Offering an experience as refined as the Grey Goose brand, the place to stay is Mont Tremblant Quintessence Resort. Known to locals as simply “The Q,” the boutique luxury hotel’s slogan is “where the mountains meet the lake.”
Sounds comforting, doesn’t it? The hotel is Mont Tremblant’s more discrete gem, tucked away from the rowdier après-ski scene of Mont Tremblant Resort Village and the mass of tourists on the mountain. Nestled on three acres of private landscaped grounds in the heart of the Laurentians and on the shore of Lake Tremblant, the hotel is inspired by Old World estates and features 30 uber-luxury suites.
If you are partial to a room with a view, each of the suites (which range in size from 700-1200 square feet) is designed to ensure a spectacular view of the lake. With thick carpet and cozy warm wood interior, the suites are warm and luxurious, with the kinds of plush beds you want to stay in all day. For added warmth and romance, all suites are equipped with a wood-burning fireplace. You can tell a lot about a hotel by the bathrooms and the ones here do not disappoint, with a heated marble floor, deep sunken therapeutic spa bathtub, separate rain shower and private water closet. An added bonus? The bathroom is stocked with products by one of our favourite brands, Aveda. Each suite has a private balcony or large terrace with screened French patio doors that open for fresh air in the warmer months.
The hotel offers the best in unpretentious fine dining. La Quintessence Restaurant & Winebar, located on the lower level of the hotel, offers a memorable culinary experience in a welcoming, comfortable ambience. The cuisine created by chef Jean-Luc de la Bruère has been recognized with a Four Diamond rating, awarded jointly by the CAA and the AAA. For the wide-eyed foodies, a tasting menu is a popular option and is available with either a five-course or seven-course option.
After a day on the slopes, take a seat at the inviting Bistro Bar and shamelessly enjoy some comfort food like butternut squash soup with a confit maple-tomato salsa or the famous “Q Burger,” and perhaps an ever-appropriate après ski cocktail. Naturally, Grey Goose is the house vodka and drink specialties include the Orange Cosmo (where Grey Goose L’Orange adds a citrus twist to the cosmo), or the pear martini, made with Grey Goose La Poire and white cranberry juice.
If you like to sip, swirl and savour, this is your place. Winos will be excited to hear of the top-notch wine bar and cellar. It features an in-house sommelier and tasting room that adjoins the cellar, which boasts close to 5,000 bottles in more than 500 square feet of surface area, including great gems from around the world. If your visit is work-related, cooking classes and wine workshops are available to enhance your meetings, the perfect team-building activity.
Although the hotel has us excited for the prospect of a ski trip this winter, it is a year-round establishment, with the cottage-esque summer activities (like bonfires, swimming and boating) and golf in the warmer months to replace skiing. An outdoor infinity pool (seasonal, open in winter for Nordic bath experience) overlooks the lake as well as a hot tub.
Winter ski getaways and the spa are synonymous and the spa elegantly covers all the basics, with a fitness room, steam room, dry sauna, massage rooms, manicures, pedicures, facials and body treatments, all with Yonka and Carita products from Paris. If you don’t want to leave your room, the hotel offers in-suite massage services.
The ultimate winter getaway for couples, a family trip with the folks or business trip, Hotel Quintessence is sure to leave a lasting impression and is definitely Grey Goose Notable. It isn’t cheap, we will tell you that, but worth every penny.
Hotel Quintessence
3004, chemin de la Chapelle,
Mont-Tremblant (Quebec), Canada
http://www.hotelquintessence.com
Photos courtesy Hotel Quintessence