12 Best Hotels in Side Trips from Montreal, Quebec

A local landmark since 1849, when it was first a stagecoach stop, and later a railway stop, this rustic inn is a special-occasion venue for locals and a delightful option for visitors who relish period style and good regional cuisine. Its long porch and antique looking furniture can make you feel as if you stepped back in time. Bistro Le Relais, on the first floor, serves local wines and cheeses and offers a wide range of dishes, including confit de canard (duck), all of which can be savored on the terrace during the summer months.

From its lofty perch, this delightful century-old inn has spectacular views day and night—it's within the International Dark Sky Reserve—and is less than a minute's drive from Mont Mégantic National Park and the Astrolab. Sitting at an altitude of 600 feet, within extensive landscaped gardens and 105 acres of rolling hills, the tiny B&B is also in a wildlife-rich area, including wolves, moose, and wildcats. Lovely rooms are spacious and comfortable, with queen-size beds, modern bathrooms, and interesting artwork. Suites, accommodating up to four, have private balconies. Fruit-laden breakfasts and dinner (by reservation) draw on local produce, and hikers can get a packed lunch. Reservations are essential.

Walking into this charming bed-and-breakfast is like being transported to a cozy Bavarian mountain inn. Originally owned by a Bavarian frau and her Quebecois husband, every door, shutter, and breakfast room tabletop—and even the claw-foot bathtub in one room—is lovingly hand-painted in colorful Bavarian designs. With her meticulous attention to detail, current owner Josée Casavant has added some lovely touches of her own, including an antique tricycle and a bespectacled sheep mascot, from her travels in Europe, Tunisia, and Egypt. Pointed cathedral ceilings, rich wooden beams, attic windows, and a fireplace in the small lounge add to the cozy Bavarian Quebecois country ambience. If you choose the B&B option, Josée makes breakfast herself using fresh, organic products to prepare popular favorites like fruit smoothies, homemade granola, French toast, and egg in the basket with Gruyère to fortify you before you head out for a day of cycling or cross-country skiing.

With a year-round Nordic spa and outdoor hot tub, hammocks hung all around the property, and a waterfall, relaxation is the order of the day at this rustic riverside retreat. Rooms in the fieldstone building have hardwood floors, and although furnishings are spare there's plenty of space for spreading out; all suites have fireplaces and double Jacuzzis. The spa includes a steam room and Finnish sauna. Breakfast and lunch are served in the spacious dining room. The auberge also offers a variety of packages that usually include dinner off-site at one of several local restaurants as well as a spa treatment or outdoor activity such as skiing, snowshoeing, cycling, or canoeing.

Among the rolling hills of the Townships and with great views of the local countryside from every room, this modern hotel is part of the Domaine Château-Bromont complex, and well priced, considering all the amenities available. The pool and whirlpool, along with its proximity to the popular Château-Bromont golf course, and some of the best ski hills in the area make this a great choice for a getaway any time of year.

The majority of rooms at this popular inn on Magog's waterfront have lake views, including some with fireplaces. The large windows overlooking the mountain-ringed Lac Memphrémagog make L'Ancrage restaurant bright and airy. The French and Mediterranean-inspired dishes served here include organic pork and veal as well as duck confit and grilled lamb. In summer you can eat outside on the terrace overlooking the lake.

This auberge by the main road is one of the best-equipped spa destinations in the area, and its outdoor terrace is a pleasant place to relax. An all-weather outdoor garden has waterfalls and cold-water pools. Although the rooms are basic and are showing signs of wear and tear, they are comfortable, service is friendly, and the rates include access to all the pools.

At this 1,200-acre resort you can relax in a contemporary room with a valley view or commune with nature in a rustic-style cabin with a fireplace, and there are activities aplenty. In winter, you can ski out from many rooms; in the spring, summer, and fall, you can get your golfing in; and year-round you can indulge your senses at Spa Relaxia—there are even spa packages for kids. The French cuisine at L'Ambroisie restaurant is good, with entrées such as salmon rotolo with balsamic sauce and duck breast with black cherries. On a historical note, this place started out as a log structure with about a dozen rooms, built by Josephine Hartford Bryce, whose grandfather founded the A&P grocery chain.

If you're looking for a room with a double-size Jacuzzi, a fireplace, and a balcony with a superb view of Lac des Sables, try this white-painted, lodge-style hotel, which is also convenient for the boutiques and cultural activities in Ste-Agathe. Inside, the lounge and restaurant are decorated in a casual country style, and you have a choice of either a basic motel-style room or a larger room with pine or wicker furnishings. The hotel also features a small spa area with two small swimming pools (one indoor, one outdoor), indoor and outdoor hot tubs, a cold bath, a sauna, and massage and esthetician services. It gets especially busy here when there's a show on at the theater, Le Patriote, next door.

A longtime favorite with Montrealers, this hotel has seen better days, but it remains a good choice for active types wanting to expend some energy. Built in the 1930s, this rustic spot in the Laurentians, near the lovely Lac Ste-Adèle, offers a good range of year-round activities. These include skiing, ice-climbing, skating on the lake, and snowshoeing with a trapper in winter, and horseback riding, golf packages, and mountain biking in summer. And if you overwork your muscles, massage therapy is available. Rooms and chalets, furnished with Canadian pine, have a rustic appeal and some have a view of the lake. For business guests there are various meeting rooms and conference amenities.

At this Scandinavian-style log-cabin hotel, on 13½ acres on the shore of Lac Ouimet, you'll find great year-round amenities and activities for families and sports lovers and a resort-style feel that survives its busy conference trade schedule. Rooms, from studios to two-bedroom suites, are spacious, with kitchenettes, stone fireplaces, and balconies that overlook the water. The indoor-outdoor Whisky Bar, which overlooks the lake, serves light bistro food; the more formal Chez Borivage has a good wine cellar and specializes in French and Québécois cuisine. Families will appreciate the game room for teens, the pool and skating rink, and activities that include making summer bonfires on the beach and taffy on the winter snow.

Once a wartime refuge for well-heeled English children and their governesses, this inn and spa now offers everyone a refuge from everyday stress, with a fireplace and a whirlpool bath in every room and a year-round outdoor heated pool and steam room. The building has a traditional sloping Quebecois roof and dormer windows.  There is no restaurant, but the hotel has partnered with some of the restaurants around town to offer guest discounts.