Après-ski: a must!

February and March, with their promise of warmer weather, are synonymous with après-ski. We thought we’d tell you about some of the best places to practice this famous activity. Because yes, while Tremblant is a heavenly place to ski, it’s also the perfect place to sample innumerable spots where you can relax, enjoy a glass or cup of something and good food among friends after a day in the great outdoors. Several bars and restaurants in Tremblant’s pedestrian village have become classics. There’s the P’tit Caribou; the Shack, with its sugar shack decor; the Forge, with its circular bar; The Nansen Lounge in the Fairmont hotel…the last two being right at the foot of the slopes. Then there’s the wonderful artisanal beer at La Diable microbrewery! If you long for some authentic Mexican food, Le Puesta del Sol, which opened just recently, is the place to go. And watch for the February opening of the Ryan Lounge; it promises to be highly popular.

Other area classics include the famous pub-restaurant Au Coin in the Old Village on Lac Mercier, and for those who like the warmth and ambience of a log building, there’s the Whisky Bar in Le Grand Lodge hotel. This latter is located close to the tourist bureau and offers a magnificent view across Lac Ouimet.
Bon “Happy Hour”!

Comments: dprimeau@tremblantexpress.com

News brief

Quintessence wins yet another award

Mont-Tremblant’s Quintessence Hotel is on TripAdvisor’s list of the world’s top hotels. The annual list, published on TripAdvisor’s website on January 19, is based on reviews by “millions of travellers” who use the site. There are several top 25 lists, based on geographical location. Quintessence is on the list of Canada’s top 25 hotels.
It is one more honour for the five-star boutique hotel. Quintessence is one of the world’s very few hotels to be recognized as being among the best by a widely-known travel Internet site as well as a luxury travel magazine and a prestigious travel guide – Robb Report and Condé Nast. Most recently, Quintessence was named by Condé Nast in its March 2011 issue as Most Excellent Small Hotel in Canada and the United States, after being named for the same title in 2008 and on the Condé Nast’sGold List in 2010. In 2008, Robb Report named Quintessence as one of the world’s top 100 luxury spots.

André Courey, journalist