Quebec winter holiday and Ice Hotel, Canada
| country: | Canada |
| location: | Quebec |
| departures: | This trip is tailor made and can depart any day between January and March 2010 |
| price: | From £1245 (8 days) excluding flights |
| more info: | Price includes: Accommodation, 7 breakfasts, 3 dinners, return transfers between Quebec City and Duchesnay, activities, fully qualified wilderness guides and instructors, cold weather clothing. Overnight at the Hotel de Glace - £195 supplement. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Quebec winter holiday and Ice Hotel, Canada
Marvellous Montreal, charming Quebec, delightful Duchesnay and the world famous Hotel de Glace combine some wonderful activities to make a truly memorable winter holiday in Quebec Province, all only 6 hours from the UK.
Your holiday starts in the vibrant city of Montreal from where you will travel to Auberge Duchesnay around 45kms from Quebec City. Here you will undertake some amazing activities that will provide you with a true flavour of this region. A visit to the world famous Hotel de Glace for a tour and a drink in the bar is a highlight of this trip and an overnight stay can be added to your itinerary if you should wish to spend a night in one of the ice rooms!
You will stay in top class accommodation, including Hotel Manoir Victoria, the four star Marriott Chateau Champlain as well as The Auberge, all stunning accommodations and ideally located to explore Quebec in comfort and style.
There is time at the end of your trip to explore Quebec City.
Your holiday starts in the vibrant city of Montreal from where you will travel to Auberge Duchesnay around 45kms from Quebec City. Here you will undertake some amazing activities that will provide you with a true flavour of this region. A visit to the world famous Hotel de Glace for a tour and a drink in the bar is a highlight of this trip and an overnight stay can be added to your itinerary if you should wish to spend a night in one of the ice rooms!
You will stay in top class accommodation, including Hotel Manoir Victoria, the four star Marriott Chateau Champlain as well as The Auberge, all stunning accommodations and ideally located to explore Quebec in comfort and style.
There is time at the end of your trip to explore Quebec City.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive and overnight in Montreal. Your holiday starts in the vibrant city of Montreal. You will be transferred from the airport to your downtown accommodation |
| Day 2: | Montreal. Today is free for you to explore marvellous Montreal on your own. This city is multi-faceted and there's a great deal to see and do. The old town is stunning and a walk along the St Lawrence River is not to be missed. |
| Day 3: | Duchesnay. This morning you need to make your own way to the train station (a few minutes' walk away) and board your first class carriage on the train to Quebec City. The train journey takes around 3.5 hours and will whisk you to Quebec City whilst providing a great introduction to the scenery of Quebec Province. You will then be transferred from the train station in Quebec to Duchesnay. You will arrive mid afternoon, in good time to take advantage of the facilities at Duchesnay such as the swimming pool and jacuzzi before dinner. |
| Day 4: | Husky safari. Today you will get to experience the thrill of handling a team of huskies. You will be given full instruction and training on how to handle the dogs before hitting the trail in the delightful countryside which surrounds Duchesnay. The sound of the sled and the dogs' paws on the snow will be all that disturbs your journey through the countryside. |
| Day 5: | Snowmobile safari and the Hotel de Glace. Snowmobiles were invented in Quebec Province so where better to experience the exhilaration of racing along the snowy trails - it's great fun! You will be given full instruction and a safety briefing before you depart on your safari and spend half a day in the wilds of Quebec. In the afternoon you'll visit the world famous Hotel de Glace for a tour and a drink in the ice bar. You will be blown away by this beautiful building constructed entirely from ice and snow. The sculptures, the art and the ice chapel are just some of the highlights of the visit. We can of course also arrange for you to spend the night in one of the ice rooms at the hotel. This is a truly unique experience so please contact us for a quotation. |
| Day 6: | Transfer to Quebec City. This afternoon you will wave goodbye to Duchesnay and be transferred to your accommodation in Quebec City. You will spend two nights here giving you plenty of time to experience the delights (especially culinary) on offer in North America's only walled city. |
| Day 7: | Quebec City. Today is free for you to explore Quebec City. The shops and restaurants are enough to keep most people entertained however there is a great deal to do here. Historic Quebec is a UNESCO world heritage site and the architecture and the history do not disappoint. |
| Day 8: | Departure. Today you will take the train back to Montreal where you can either continue on further adventures or travel back to the airport for the return flights. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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This holiday is designed to showcase the culture and nature of Quebec Province as well give you the opportunity to try some fantastic activities.
Duschesnay is part of the Sepaq group, the society of outdoor establishments in Quebec. Duschesnay therefore complies with their wider sustainable development policy. This is constantly being expanded is extremely comprehensive. The latest developments include the use of fully biodegradable products throughout the restaurants, the removal of plastic bags from all on site shops, the use of electric vehicles on site wherever possible. There is an organization wide usage of recycled paper and they are aiming for reliance on solar energy wherever possible. They are also upgrading their fleet of snowmobiles to the cleaner 4 stroke engines. The combination of the Ice hotel and Duchesnay brings an immense amount of money into the region in the winter months which is vital to the Province's economy. The employment produced directly, and through the tourism multiplier effect, is large and helps to rebalance the economic and social benefits a swell as the pressures away from other tourist hot spots. The accommodation used throughout uses local produce wherever possible in their menus and tries to incorporate a flavour of the region into the cuisine. This holiday also includes train transfers between Monteal and Quebec City. This journey obviously is more time efficient for our clients but also much more fuel efficient with regards to the environment. The fleet of trains is currently undergoing a revamp and this will see a huge boost to the industrial sector of Canada as well as a 12% reduction in the emissions from the trains by 2012. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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