One town, 5ways
Sitting between Ottawa and Montreal, Montebello offers one-size-fitsall-ages adventure
along unseemly trails. You’ll learn the beauty of moving at snail-like speeds while having as much, if not more, fun than at any track course as you conquer every obstacle in your way.
The Land Rover Experience Driving School is available all year round at Fairmont Le Château Montebello. The introductory course ($400) is the most popular – and a great way to begin your day in Montebello. www. landroverexperience.com
FOR ANIMAL LOVERS
Wildlife welcomes you at Parc Omega. Open all year, the park allows you to see animals from across North America–as well as a few species from Europe – up close and in their natural habitat from your car: grey wolves, black bears, Alpine ibex, monstrous bison, bald headed eagles, and red, whitetail, and fallow deer.
Drive through as slow as you want. Your grandkids will squeal with delight, especially as they feed the animals along the way (Parc Omega sells bags of carrots), and the experience will bring out your childlike nature as well. If you prefer not to drive, hop on one of the open-air tour buses – this gives you a better view of the park, and you can see the Alpine Ibex climb the side of the bus to grab a carrot from your hand. Just make sure you have your camera ready. parcomega.ca
WHERE TO EAT
Le Café du Bistrot, about 15 minutes from the Château, is a boisterous little bistro that feels as if you stepped into someone’s home that’s overflowing with incredibly happy neighbours. Try to grab a seat near the pizza oven to watch their handmade pies created up close or on the popular patio for an open-air experience. cafedubistrot.com
FOR CHOCOHOLICS (so, just about everyone …)
Once a train station, this Montebello landmark now houses ChocoMotive – an artisanal chocolatier. It’s a small space that’s packed with choco-goodness. Browse their lineup of organic free-trade chocolates and other foods that incorporate ChocoMotive’s decadent product (sampling along the way, of course), and take a peek to see the chocolate makers in action – a glass wall provides a window into their craft. Perhaps equally as appealing is their small restaurant, which dishes out fine dining-quality food at bargain prices. www.chocomotive.ca
WHERE TO STAY
Everything here centres on a log cabin. When the first Bishop of Quebec bought a piece of land from the West Indies Company in 1674, he never could have imagined what it would become. The grounds in Montebello, Que. – after being held as a seigneurial estate – were eventually sold to the prominent Papineau family in 1801. In 1930, the spot finally found its true calling when a Swiss-American created a lavish log cabin on the land during the early months of the Great Depression.
After serving as a private club for 40 years, the cabin transformed into a luxury resort, which has hosted NATO meetings, a G7 summit and the three amigos – Prime Minister Stephen Harper and former presidents Bush (U.S.) and Calderón (Mexico) – for the North American Leaders’ Summit in 2007.
Today, the resort, now the Fairmont Le Château Montebello, continues its charmed life and presents itself as the ideal place for an overnight. The red cedar log cabin exudes rustic charm. Unwind with a drink around the hotel’s now-iconic hexagonal fireplace – where such political luminaries as Margaret Thatcher and Harry S. Truman, as well as crowned heads such as Princess Grace of Monaco and Emperor Akihto of Japan and Hollywood royalty Bing Crosby and Bette Davis have warmed their tootsies – before heading to your room that mixes cabin esthetics with upscale amenities.
www.fairmont.com/montebello
FOR OFF-ROADIES
“Go as slow as possible, as fast as necessary.” The mantra – one that could have served you well in your younger years, perhaps! – is repeated over and over again at the Land Rover Experience Driving School.
This is a unique driving course where speed takes a back seat to control and precision. The only one of its kind in Canada, the school drops you into 65,000 acres of wilderness to test the immense capabilities of Land Rover’s off-roading machines.
Where other driving schools let you loose on an open track to see just how fast you can go, this one places you in front of massive dirt hills, rock faces, mud trails and roads ravaged with crater-sized ruts. They’re there for you to conquer – slowly, patiently – after you learn the basics of how all-wheel-drive vehicles work (with the help of your instructor) and the specific features of the Land Rover vehicle you’re driving.
Balance the vehicle as it rides in and out of massive ditches, at times riding on only two wheels; challenge gravity as you drive along sidewalls and watch the vehicle adjust to meet the test of the new terrain; and push your Land Rover over huge rocks and