WEEKEND TRIP IN MONT TREMBLANT, CANADA

For Valentine's Day/Presidents Day I went on an amazing trip with my AMAZING boyfriend in one of the most cute & quaint skiing towns in Canada. I had been when I was younger in the summertime, but it was an entirely different scene in the winter. We only had 3 1/2 days there, and although I would have preferred 5-6 days, it was totally manageable in that short timeframe. On our first full day, we explored the town, but if I could re-do this day, I would spend 1/2 day exploring the town, the other 1/2 day at the spa (more details below). The other 2 days we skied... and I highly recommend at least 2 days of skiing. Getting to & from this little village is not easy, so I highly recommend renting a car if you fly into Montreal airport so you have the flexibility to explore outside the town!

THINGS TO DO:

Skiing:

Quite literally what this beautiful place is all about... The best part about skiing here is that if you are staying in the town, it is so easy to navigate with all your equipment. Although most hotels allow you to valet your skis, if you rent, you can valet for $10 a day at the top of the mountain. NOT A BAD GIG. Rentals are roughly $300 for 2-days which includes your lift passes! If you are staying in the town, there is a standing lift that will take you right to the base of the mountain. Talk about easy breezy. Also great skiing for someone who is not advanced since there are so many green & blue trails!

Le Scandinave Spa:

I found out about this spa from someone at work who quite literally said you cannot go to Mont Tremblant without visiting Le Scandinave. You don't need to get any service to hang out on the property and use the many different pools & saunas they have. We did get a massage which was around $150 a person, but we didn't get to spend enough time outside. We also went at night post-skiing, but I would highly recommend going during the day. I stole this pic from Instagram since there is a strict no phone policy & silence. We could probably all use more time away from our phones. It it is definitely a beautiful experience!

Mont Tremblant Casino:

We didn't get to go to the casino, but it is a popular attraction since there aren't places to actually go out at night aside from Cafe D'epoque and no, I didn't go there either :)

RESTAURANTS:

La Forge:

La Forge was really neat. There are two restaurants. The first floor is very casual with a bar and the second floor is very fancy americano bistro food (think steaks, oysters, etc). This restaurant is known for it's different steak & sauce options. I got the 8 oz filet with truffle butter and LOVED IT.

O Wok:

Wok is a bit of an enigma to me. It was asian fusion and had everything from General Tsaos Chicken to Pad Thai... but don't expect the American version of these foods. The sauce in the chicken had cinnamon in it and the noodles for the pad Thai were also different than your usual. The presentation is definitely an A+. If you are into asian fusion, this is the place for you.

Chou Gras Brasserie:

This restaurant is inside the Fairmont hotel. The environment is very trendy yet upscale. Could not in the set of Mad Men. The food was VERY expensive and I'm not sure it lived up to the hype, but if you're willing to spend $$$, this is a cool spot.

La Maison de la Crepe:

This Creperie was so warm & cozy and perfect for an apres-ski sweet or savory crepe OR hot chocolate. There aren't many breakfast spots, so this can also double as a pre skiing restaurant if you are looking to sit down versus grab & go. One thing to note: if you like dessert crepes like me and are expecting Nutella, be warned... their chocolate hazelnut sauce is good but it is no Nutella... if you don't like chocolate syrup, don't fret, their maple syrup is to die for.

Bullseye:

- If you want a sit-down and stay-a-while place to eat lunch to have a long break from skiing, this is a good place! The menu is pretty much the same at all other lunch spots: poutine, nachos, French onion soup, chicken fingers, quesadillas.

Other restaurants for lunch similar to Bullseye include:

- Le Shack

- Microbrasserie La Diable

-Fat Mardis

Oh La Vache:

- Bryan and I kept searching for a breakfast spot and aside from the creperie, there really aren't any! We stumbled upon Oh La Vache for coffee, and soon realized they had chocolate crossaints, bacon egg & cheeses, bagels, etc. It turns out, their bacon, egg & cheese on French bread is AMAZING and their chocolate croissant was one of the best I've had in years. I loved this place.. but there are barely any seats to sit so you may want to grab & go :/

PLACES TO STAY:

- Fairmont is by far the most known & upscale hotel in the area. We did not stay here but it looked nice & is directly on the base of the amount!

- Holiday Inn & Marriot are right next to one another and look identical on the outside. They are both right next to the standing lift that will bring you to the base of the mountain in less than 30 seconds!

OVERALL, I decided I am in love with this place & cannot wait to visit soon! It was as if I went to Europe, sans the 8 hour flight. I hope you visit soon! <3

xoxo,

Em