Objective. Chalet, cabin, or motel not far from Montreal is wanted.
Romantique. With a fireplace.
nature, park, forest, or mountants are prefered .
Something I could reach by a train, bus, etc
I DO NOT drive

Answers accepted 
Specific places  
or where to find (phones, websites)

Hello neznaika:

I have found the following places for you in the Mt. Tremblant area,
which is about 120 km (1.5 hours) north-west of Montreal. It is a
beautiful are with tons of nature, mountains, woods, etc. - and there
are an abundance of chalets and cabins for rent there.

A ton of information on the area can be found at: 

Tremblant Ski Resort - Official Site:
http://www.tremblant.com/index-e.asp

As for getting there, you can catch a bus from the Montreal-Dorval
airport:

Mt. Tremblant - Getting Here
http://www.tremblant.com/gettinghere/shuttleandlimos/airporttransfers/index-e.asp

and a cab once you get there to your final destination. 

Specific Places: 

Chalet le Colibri 
URL: http://www.mt-tremblant.com/colibri/anglais.html

Swiss Chalet:
URL: http://www3.sympatico.ca/mmasse1/indexenglish.html

More listings in area:

http://www.tremblant.com/accommodation/index-e.asp

http://www.clic-laurentides.com/Touriste/Chalet.htm

How do these fit with your needs? If you have other criteria which you
haven't told us (e.g., number of bedrooms, exact distance from
Montreal allowed, etc.), please let me know with a Clarification
Request.

Thanks. 

websearcher-ga


Search Strategy (on Google):

chalet montreal
mt. tremblant

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Request for Answer Clarification by neznaika-ga on 05 Feb 2003 11:48 PST

Mt Tremblent is good (though I do not ski)
anithing else?

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Request for Answer Clarification by neznaika-ga on 05 Feb 2003 11:50 PST

1.5 hour is not bad too,
however there could be other places

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Clarification of Answer by websearcher-ga on 05 Feb 2003 13:56 PST

Hi neznaika:

Well, I've done some more searching for you. The most difficult part
of your request is the "public transport" part. Most of the
interesting places to stay are "out of the way" and far off the major
transportation routes.

However, I did find the following:

Hôtel du Lac Carling 
URL: http://www.laccarling.com/english.htm
Getting there: I called their 1-800 number and was told you can get a
bus to Lachute and then a 20-minute taxi ride to the hotel.

Hovey Manor 
URL: http://www.manoirhovey.com/English/welcome.html
Getting there: I called their information and was told you can get a
bus to Magog and then a 15-minute taxi ride to their inn.

Auberge Ripplecove
URL: http://www.ripplecove.com/index2.htmlGetting there: I called
their information and was told you can get a bus to Magog and then a
20-minute taxi ride to their inn.

I hope this helps! Have fun!

websearcher-ga

Additional Search Strategy (on Google)

quebec romantic
quebec romantic inns
Quebec chalet

Everything depends upon what type of thing you want to do when you get
there. Mt. Tremblant started off as a ski resort, but has undergone
massive expansion to try to attract the European and USA tourism
market.. they have sunk a couple of billion dollars (literally) into
the place. Consequently, it has become a huge tourist attraction with
services that go beyond skiing... you have the snowmobiling thing,
snowshoeing, horse-drawn sleigh, all that kind of touristy stuff.
Along with it one has quite a variety of restaurants, gift shops, and
all of the other stuff that makes for an extremely "commercial" and
expensive (by Canadian standards) getaway. If that's what you're after
(the "carefully managed winter chalet experience with all
conveniences") then it's certainly the #1 area outside of Montreal.
You will get a lot less of the "French culture" exposure in Tremblant
on account of the fact that it is about 90% populated by Americans and
Europeans at this time of year. Personally I think that is a negative
- experiencing the culture is a big part of the Quebec experience.

If you find the Wally-World chalet stuff annoying and are looking for
a place that is a little more tranquil (and consequently rather less
well serviced) then I would go for something more like St. Agathe des
Monts (in the Laurentides, like Mt. Tremblant, but closer to Montreal
and a bit less commerical). Another possibility is the Monteregian
Hills area, southeast of Montreal (for example, Chambly or St.
Hilaire). St. Hilaire is rather nice... a fully serviced community,
but on the side of a nature area.

Montreal itself is not bad, either. The "underground city" is quite
impressive... literal miles of underground boutiques, mostly
independent as opposed to the hideous masses of franchises you tend to
get elsewhere, and the restaurants are superb, and for the most part
cheap. The advantage to Montreal is the transportation infrastructure,
and there is plenty of romantic stuff to do. Old Montreal is gorgeous,
with cobblestone streets and lots of nice cafes and restaurants. You
can do the horse-and-carriage thing if you are so inclined. The
Biodome is an indoor ecological garden, and the Jardin Botanique
(Botanical gardens) has some year-round stuff, including a huge indoor
greenhouse.

If you do not mind crossing the border, consider Lake Placid, NY,
about 80 miles from Montreal. As the former site of the winter
Olympics it inherited a lot of infrastructure but still maintains a
nice mountain setting. It's sort of like a Mt. Tremblant equivalent,
but to my mind a little more of a mature community that (unlike
Tremblant) does not look like it was built yesterday by Mayor McCheese
Megadevelopments Inc.

If I was looking for the ultimate in romantic (and this is a very
subjective thing, depending on individual taste) I would go for Quebec
city, about 200 miles from Montreal. It's just about the closest you
can get to being in Europe without going to Europe. The city is old,
and has preserved much of the old architecture and street work. It is
on the side of an escarpment overlooking the St. Lawrence river, so
the topography is quite irregular, especially in the old town - narrow
winding streets populated by remarkably rugged street artists that
seem to be there regardless of the temperature, as well as the
mandatory boutiques, cafes and restaurants.

I was a Montrealer for 27 years, and all my family is still there. As
residents you do not usually get into the touristy stuff, but the
areas I have mentioned are the basic areas that are pleasant and
geared to visitors. It's actually quite hard to make a "bad" choice.

Quebec is very organized and geared up for the tourist trade, so the
government site is actually very useful (and in English "pour nous
anglophones"). Browse around at
http://www.tourisme.gouv.qc.ca/anglais/index.html, and you will
undoubtedly find some good ideas. I hope you have a fabulous time,
wherever you end up, and that you bring back some fine memories.

Cheers, Blanketpower