KEC

Hi everyone!
My husband and I are in the process of planning a 4 night trip (from Philadelphia) for our 10 year anniversary in August 2009. We were originally thinking an Island, but then realized that August isn't the best month for that. My husband suggested Quebec or Montreal & I am starting to research it.

We are looking for a romantic, relaxing & luxury getaway. Something intimate and memorable. We love gorgeous scenery, but also love fun cities as well. I was in Quebec City once about 20 years ago, but I remember it being very European (which is great!).

Would this be a good idea for a romantic getaway (time away from the kids!)? Another thought was Bermuda...2 totally different types of destinations, but we can't decide which we prefer.

Also, any suggestions for luxury hotel/inn/resort?

And, would you spend all 4 nights in the same location?

NorthwestMale

By all means, yes, go to QC (again)!

You can get there reasonably quickly from Philly and not spend too much of your allotted time in transit.

The old style of QC is still there, and it is a great size to offer plenty to see and do, as well as the feeling that you aren't missing too much if you just decide to "stay-in" and snuggle the day away!

With just 4 days, and such meaning to your trip, I would stick with QC alone and not add Montreal to it.

There are a number of side-trips you could take from QC, and among the more remarkable visions I ever saw in Quebec were the small towns along the St. Lawrence River, and the impressive churches that each one seems to have.

Go for it in QC!!

P_M

I'm a huge fan of Montreal. It feels like you are in Paris but without the jet lag. I love the parks and flowers, the boat rides, museums, great food etc. August would be a perfect time to go weatherwise. I stayed at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel which was nice, but I'll bet one of our Canadian pals will have a better idea.

Quebec City is also gorgeous, but I think there's more to do in Montreal. You can't go wrong either way.

almcd

As a Canadian, I would highly recommend Quebec City and Montreal. The former is much more French speaking than the latter and that will make it more interesting. With the exchange rate for C$ the way it is at the moment, you will find it cheaper than Bermuda. Try and splurge and go to the Chateau Laurier in Quebec City. It is fabulous and will make your stay memorable. Flying to Montreal and taking the train to Q.C. would be a good way to go.

Daniel_Williams

Well, if you want an island, technically Montreal IS an island (albeit in the St. Lawrence River ). You can't go wrong with either Montreal or Quebec City. Laurentians/Eastern Townships to the north and east of Montreal and Charlevoix to the northeast of Quebec City have some lovely scenery especially.

Both Montreal and Quebec City have their charms and I STILL can find myself smitten with both even though I've lived in Montreal for some 11 years now, and visited Quebec City some 7 times.

Pick one and enjoy.

DANIEL

francophile03

We'll be visiting Quebec City soon, but we visited Montreal in summer. Montreal is really wonderful as everyone else has stated. It is like being in France only quicker to get there and much cheaper. The Quartier Latin where we stayed nearby had great atmosphere.

KEC

Thanks so much everyone!!! From the research I have been doing, it really is cheaper than Bermuda (which is insanely expensive!).

Any ideas (in either city, hotel might help us to decide) for an upscale, luxury style accomodation? We would love something that has a spa, if that exists.

Thanks agaiN!

KEC

Hello again everyone!
I was just looking into more infomation on the Montreal/Quebec City area & came across Mont Tremblant. That seems to be a gorgeous & relaxing location with some beautiful resorts on the water & spas too. I am wondering if it sounds do-able to spend 2 days there & the other 2 days in Montreal or Quebec City? The flight is very short (about 1.5 hours) & we can get there early on the first day.

If this sounds like a good plan for those of you who know this area, would it make most sense to rent a car? Would it be easier & better to stay in Montreal the first 2 nights & then drive to Mont Tremblant and spend 2 nights there?

Thanks again!

icithecat

To your origional question. 'Is Quebec a romantic destination'.
My answer is 'YES'.

LJ

I wouldn't switch my thinking from Quebec City to Mont Tremblant is your wish is romance and it is summer. QC is the place to be and I would heartily endorse the Chateau Frontenac as the hotel...but eat elsewhere, the food is banal in the hotel and there are great restaurants elsewhere in the city.

tovarich

We were in Montreal and Quebec last Sept.and we prefer Quebec to really feel you're back in Europe.For hotels I can advise you the following :
for Montreal there's the wonderful hotel Le Dauphin(you even have a computer in the room).
For Quebec we stayed within the city walls of the old town;Manoir de l"esplanade.Have a great trip.Paul

Aduchamp1

As many have stated:

Quebec has a greater sense of Europe but Montreal has more to do.

aucho53

Hi KEC,

you've gotten some pretty good answers but just to add a bit here's my thoughts:

Quebec has an older city feel to it, and is very romantic. That being said it is smaller than Montreal and has less to offer to keep you busy over 4 days. I personally feel 4 days too much for Quebec City. It's charming and fun but I would give it 2 days.

Montreal is an amazing city that has more that enough to keep you busy for your entire 4 days. It would be my choice for sure. However if you wanted to split it 2 days in Quebec and 2 days in Montreal it's definitely doable as the train ride is only 3hrs between the 2 cities.

In regards to Mont Tremblant...it's a cute and charming place. But it's not cheap. Average meal and accomodatio prices are slightly higher than you would find else where, for the same quality services. That being said, I wouldn't pass it up if it interests you, however I wouldn't choose Mt. Tremblant over Quebec City.

Hope that helps a bit!

Layla

joliane

Mont Tremblant is an easy daytrip from Montreal if you don't want to spend the night. There's plenty (PLENTYYYY) to do there. You can buy passes that allow you to do a few activities per day.
I was there last summer. My mother had a conference in the area and my dad and I tagged along. We spent the day in the "village" as they call it. We really loved doing the go-kart race at the bottom of the mountain. It's quite safe (doesn't go too fast) and everyone was having a great time. There seemed to be a lot of grown-ups trying it too. You can also take the "funiculaire" which brings you up at the top of the mountain. Lovely scenery, but be sure to bring a jacket as it gets a little chilly up there. There's shops and restaurants everywhere. My parents went golfing the next day, and I went to the spa. I don't know if I'd recommend spending 2 whole days there though, maybe your first day, first night and part of the second day?
Also, another thing to consider if you want to go to Tremblant is how to get there? Do you plan on getting a car?
Forget Bermuda, both Montreal and Quebec are great. Look for the festivals in Montreal, there's always something going on.

colbeck

Montreal and Quebec are very different, but both romantic and wonderful in their own ways. Tremblant is fun too, but more of a mountain resort.

For hotels, Chateau Frontenac in QC. In Montreal we love Lowes Hotel Vogue, a lovely boutique hotel on Rue de la Montagne, near major shopping and great restaurants. There are several nice small hotels in the Old City as well.

Another idea for you if you don't want to spend 4 nights in either city, there are some lovely inns in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Our favorite "romantic" place of all is Auberge Ripple Cove (www.ripplecove.com)on Lac Massawippi. It is located near Magog in the village of Ayers Cliff, kind of between Montreal and Quebec City. The rooms are very nice, the food great (included in the price) and there is a spa, along with a pool and access to water sports.

Are you planning to drive or fly? If you would like some nice scenery, a suggestion would be to fly to Burlington VT (US Air from Philadelphia), then drive up through the Northeast Kingdom to the Eastern Townships, then on to QC. Or, through the Champlain Islands of Vermont to Montreal.

Enjoy!