It is no secret that Canada has beautiful winters and that the province of Quebec receives a lot of snow in the winter, but there are places in Quebec that receive just a little bit of extra powder and the Parc National des Monts-Valin is one of those places. Actually, the Ghosts Valley or, Vallée des fantômes, is the place where it snows the most in the whole province, receiving an average or 3 meters of snow each year. This amount of snow offers peak conditions for winter activities such as snowshoeing and cross-country skiing and some of the most beautiful views.

To get to the Ghosts Valley, you need to catch a ride on one of these bad boys pictured below. These mini buses equipped with snowmobile tracks are the only way to make it up the mountains in the winter. If you are lucky, you can make a reservation to stay overnight at one of the cabins available here, but if you aren't able to make a reservation for a cabin, you can still make a reservation for the shuttle. Try to book in advance because there are limited places and they often sell out months in advance.

I'm not going to lie, on the day that we visited, it was freezing cold. I mean -20 degrees, windy, my breath froze on my hair cold. But in the valley, where you are hidden from the wind, it really wasn't so bad and, to be honest, I was so amazed by the view and the amount of snow on the trees that it took me a while to even feel the cold.

The trail, from where the bus drops you off, is 2 km to a small cabin where you can go to warm up or eat a snack, and an additional 1 km to the summit. So basically, 6 km total. The trail is always uphill all the way to the summit, but most of the way it's not a very steep hill. It will be a challenge, but is attainable to anyone moderately active in my opinion. Most of the people that were there on this week day were retired and over 60 years old and, though they looked in fairly good shape, I don't think they trained for this hike.

Honestly, I have hiked way longer trails and some that were way steeper, but it was still a challenge for me. I am not used to wearing snowshoes and they are pretty heavy. The cold also made it harder to breath and made me tire more quickly than usual. Still, I have no regrets visiting and absolutely enjoyed the whole day. It just made me appreciate the cabins and fireplaces a little bit more! 

The pictures really don't do it justice! The whole hike was beautiful!

If you can, try and rent a cabin directly at the park. If you can stay for 2 nights, that means you get a full day of playing in the heavy snow and the opportunity to see the sunrise or sunset.

If you can't manage a reservation directly at the park, make sure to make a reservation for accommodation close by as you have to arrive pretty early for the shuttle. Personally, we stayed in St-David-de-Falardeau in a dome that you can check out here and it was the perfect distance. We were a 15-minute drive away. There are also plenty of hotels in Chicoutimi, which would be a 30-minute drive form the park, but you'll find a wider range of options and more affordable prices there.

Warm clothes! I can't say this enough! Of course, you should check the weather and plan accordingly, but plan to bring extra layers and extra clothing so you can change when you get to the cabin and don't have to wait for the shuttle in humid clothes. 

I also recommend bringing a lunch. We had to be at the park for 8 AM for our 8:30 shuttle and it was picking us back up at 2:30 PM so I was glad we had packed a sandwich and plenty of snacks. Also think about bringing water in a thermos or very well insulated bottles so your water doesn't freeze mid-hike.

You need to bring your own snowshoes or cross-country skis or rent them at the park entrance. If you don't own any, make sure to plan ahead.

If you are like me and enjoy taking pictures of your adventures, this is going to be a challenge for you. I had brought two batteries for my camera and both died before we even reached the summit because of the cold. I had to wear them in my mittens so they would warm up and work again for about five minutes. Same with our cellphones, they both kept dying from the cold. Make sure you keep your electronics in your coat and close to you so they last long enough for you to get good pictures of the hike. 

I think the pictures pretty much speak for themselves. Wether you are from the area or visiting Quebec on a short trip, this will impress you. It is one of those pretty short and attainable hikes that have a very good effort vs views ratio. Even though it might be a challenge, you will still love every minute and appreciate every single turn around the bend.

In my opinion, it is a bucketlist hike that everyone will love and should do at least once in their life!

This trail is all of the reasons that I love hiking so much all wrapped into one. It has a little bit of challenge, a lot of views, a similar minded group of people and limited access so it's never crowded, a nice place to have lunch and warm up in case of inclement weather and the pleasure of being outside in nature. What more could you ask for?

Sleeping in a dome had been a dream of mine for years, but they are pretty difficult to reserve and ridiculously expensive! But since one of my friends was coming for a visit and this whole staycation in the Quebec area wasn't costing us a dime in accommodation, we decided to splurge for one night of comfort and relaxation glamping in a dome tiny house. Here is what I thought about the whole experience staying at Les diamants de l'Éternel in St-David-de-Falardeau, Canada.

To be completely honest with you, I think this bubble of a tiny house had more amenities than my whole apartment. There was a full kitchen with an oven, cooking plate, kettle, Nespresso coffee machine, wine and champagne glasses and even a fondue pot! There were two queen-size beds, one on the ground floor and one on the mezzanine upstairs, a TV with Netflix, two been bags and a beautiful bathroom with heated floors and a rain shower. I would comfortably live there full time if I could.

As you can probably imagine, I had an amazing experience! My friend, Erin, and I arrived at about 3 PM at the Eternel Spa in St-David-de-Falardeau and, although we couldn't get bring the car up the hill to the closest parking lot because of the snow, there was a second, easier to access parking lot and we were able to bring our excessive luggage to the dome on foot without an issue. They also have little toboggans you can use if you don't have enough hands for your bags.

The entrance was autonomous as I had been sent all of the instructions and the code to open the key box before hand. For a full tour, check out my Instagram Stories.

We spent only one night in the dome, but it was so peaceful and relaxing. We took our time to read, have a long fondue dinner, watch a movie while eating chocolate covered strawberries and just enjoy our time together.

​The next day, we were close to the Parc national des Monts-Valin where we had to arrive at 8 AM for our shuttle up to Vallée des fantômes so the location was also perfect for us.

The price definitely made me consider other options before finally making the reservation, but looking back, I don't regret it at all. The fact that it was an experience in itself instead of just a regular hotel like we would have had to reserve anyway made it worth it in my opinion. We also saved money on food since we had a full kitchen and didn't have to go to restaurants for dinner and breakfast and we were able to make our lunch for the day comfortably instead of on a small desk with no utensils. It might not be an option for everyone, but if you can budget it I absolutely recommend splurging to spend at least one night.

I don't know if I will ever get the chance to sleep in a dome again. I hope so since it was such an amazing experience, but I don't usually spend so much on one night if there are other options. I do hope you all get the chance to try it at least once as it is something everyone should have the chance to experience.

The check-in process was very simple and the employees at the campground were very nice. We then asked what there was to do in the area and the man told us of a free hike that starts on the campground and is about 3 hours long. Apparently there is a nice lookout about mid-way and the trail leads to a beach where you can see whales. It seemed perfect!

So we had a good night in our small cabin with the rain lulling us to sleep and woke up the next morning ready for this 3-hour hike. We put on our training shoes, grabbed a bottle of water and got on our way.

The trail was pretty muddy because of the rain, but the weather that day was nice and it wasn't a very difficult trail until we got to the lookout. To get there, we had to hike a pretty much vertical trail to the side of the main trail. It was muddy and slippery and the whole time I was climbing I was just wondering how I was going to get down later. Fortunately, it wasn't a long way to the lookout where we had an amazing point of view on the Strait of Georgia and the British Colombia mainland. It was so beautiful! By that point, we had been hiking for about an hour so we decided to keep going to the beach.

Getting down from the lookout was thankfully uneventful. We took our time and it was easier than expected. But from the lookout, the trail to the beach just got more difficult. The trail wasn't as clearly marked and we had to keep looking out for blue dots on the trees to make sure we were still on the trail. It just kept going up and down and up again, over fallen tree branches and between boulders, holding on to ropes and crossing tiny rickety bridges. Every time we saw the ocean through the trees we thought we were almost there only for the trail to turn back inland and keep going.

After two hours of hiking, we thought we had to be close. After all, the hike was supposed to take 3 hours to the beach and back! The three of us were almost out of water, we were getting tired, it was harder and harder to spot the blue dots and we had to push away branches to clear the way. Let's just say the further we got the more it became clear that most people just turned around before reaching the beach.

Finally, after over two and a half hours of hiking, we reached the beach to find the rocks covered in slippery alguae and crowded with tiny crabs. After falling down, hurting myself and coming face to face with a crab, I didn't really feel like sticking around, whales or no whales. So after all of this effort, we just walked back to camp defeated.

We made it back after a little bit over five hours of hiking, completely dehydrated, so hungry that we didn't even feel the hunger anymore, and ready for a shower and some sleep. Back then, I was in pretty good shape and used to walking a lot during my travels, but I hadn't done much hiking, I didn't own a pair of hiking boots and I wasn't used to bringing snacks and extra water, just in case. This hike definitely changed my perspective, and now, I make sure I know all of the information on the trail (the length, the difficulty level, the incline, etc) before I start. I also make sure I bring a change of clothes, a first-aid kit and enough sustenance to survive about twice the distance I am about to take on. I would never leave for an unknown trail with just a bottle of water and my car keys like I did that time and, every time my friends and I put on our backpacks, we joke about how we'll never get caught without equipment like we did in Telegraph Cove.

That day, after having a later lunch than planned and finally sitting down, we figured the guy probably said it was a three hour-hike to the beach and we misunderstood, or it was a three hour-hike to the lookout and back. Who knows what he meant, but he definitely did not mean that it would be a three hour-hike to the beach and back that's for sure!

For more information on the places we visited on Vancouver Island, click here.

In August 2021, on my way back from a long weekend in Niagara, I decided to cut the road back in two and spend the night in Presqu'Ile Provincial Park, a small protected strip of land on Lake Ontario, in Canada. I spent an afternoon and one night there camping by myself and decided that I would need to come back for a few days and explore the park properly. Then in May 2022, my friend Amy and I were looking for a place to visit during a long weekend at the end of the month and I jumped at the chance to visit Presqu'Ile again. I think it's the perfect camping destination for beginners and it has plenty of fun activities!

Amy and I arrived in Presqu'île passed 10 PM on the Friday of our long weekend. We had a reservation so we were able to go in to our campsite without any issue, which was good because the campground office was closed. There are indications that were easy to follow to our campsite. 

It was the end of May when we visited so it was pretty cold, but still comfortable with a regular sleeping bag. In the two and a half days that we were there, we had one day of rain, but the other days we had perfect weather. There was also a huge thunderstorm on our second night that lasted about 30 minutes, but our tent was protected by the surrounding trees and we were able to take shelter by the amphitheater. We then had a beautiful evening and the weather cleared up for the night.

All in all, it was a great weekend where we were able to do multiple activities, enjoy the park amenities and even try a new recipe: we baked chocolate cake in an orange peel on the fire!

There is so much to do in Presqu'île, but at the same time there is a relaxed atmosphere. There is no rush!

We personally spent the rainy day exploring the small town near the park and going on a hike in the forest to be somewhat protected from the rain. During the sunny days, we went swimming and paddleboarding in the perfect turquoise waters, we went for a walk on the beach and spent time reading by the water. We also saw plenty of swans and other small birds that we couldn't identify as we are very much not specialists in that area.

Most people had bikes and could ride along the bike path around the peninsula or went bird watching. There is also a lighthouse and museums that you can visit and guided activities with the park rangers are offered for children and adults alike.

Honestly, it's just a great place to relax, unwind, enjoy the beautiful scenery and spend quality time with friends and family.

I would have loved to be in Presqu'île when I first started camping. Back then we were in British Colombia and Alberta in huge National Parks where the closest grocery store was two days away.

You don't have that problem in Presqu'île. Although it feels secluded by being on a smallish peninsula, it is a 15 minute drive to the closest town where you will find a grocery store, liquor store, sports equipment store, as well as cute little books and souvenir shops. So if you are missing anything, there is always the possibility to go and buy it.

Another thing that I love is the rain shelter. By the group sites, there is a large building with tables, big enough to seat about 30 people, where you can go to cook or eat if its raining and you don't feel like eating in your car or in a small tent. For people that don't have a lot of equipment, it is great and allows them to enjoy their food in all weather. We went there for breakfast and lunch during the rainy day that we had and we even saw deers from the window while we were eating.

There is also a camp store with last minute items like butane cans or bug spray and the staff was really helpful everytime that we had questions or needed anything even if it was the beginning of the season and they probably were still being trained.

Honestly, except for camping essentials, you don't need anything in particular. A tent, a sleeping bag, clothes for all weather, rain gear, a mattress, a camping stove if it's easier for you than cooking on the fire and cutlery, a cooler, and that's pretty much it. Most of these can even be rented at local outdoors equipment stores if you would like to try camping out before buying your own equipment. The water is drinkable and available at multiple places around the campground so there is no need to bring a big tank. Like I said, if you are missing anything, you can always buy it in town.

Presqu'île is one of those lesser known places in Canada where I would like to go back year after year. It's just as pretty as Bruce peninsula, but less crowded and the water is just so clear and nice that I can't help, but love the scenery.

To be fully honest with you, I profoundly dislike winter. I hate being cold, wearing so many layers that you feel like the Michelin man and weight twice as much as you usually do, having to shovel your driveway twice a day, walking on ice or in sludge for 3 months, etc. But, having lived in Quebec City almost all my life, winter is part of the deal and I've had to find somethings to like about it. I have to admit that winter has a way of making some destinations just a little bit more magical!

As most people in Quebec would say, there is no bad weather, the are only bad clothes! Honestly, winter here is pretty harsh and you need to be dressed appropriately, but otherwise, it can. be a lot of fun. I hope you get the chance to explore the region of Quebec City in your travels.

One of the popular tourist destinations in Canada is Niagara Falls and summer is the perfect time to visit. Although you can also visit the American side, the Canadian one is definitely better with its popular Horseshoe Falls. Niagara Falls (the town) is also home to casinos, resorts, multiple restaurants and so many activities. Here is a list of everything you won't want to miss on your long weekend getaway.

If you're going to visit Niagara Falls, you have to see the falls from the top, the bottom, the side and you can even seem them from the back! At Journey Behind the Falls, you can go down an elevator and walk in the 130 year old tunnels carved in the cliff behind the falls. It is the closest you can get to the impressive and powerful Horseshoe Falls. You will also find signs explaining how they are stopping the erosion of the cliffs, the amount of water going down the falls every year and stories of people going over. For more information, you can visit their website here.

One of my favorite activities that we got to do on our weekend in Niagara was to go kayaking on the Niagara river near Fort Erie. It is far enough from to falls to be completely safe and the weather was perfect for a long ride. We rented the kayaks on Airbnb from a local and had a great experience. The water is absolutely gorgeous in that area and it felt good to be away from the crowds for an afternoon.

One of the classic activities when visiting Niagara Falls is to ride a boat to the center of Horseshoe Falls. You should know that even with the very sexy red poncho, you will get wet, but it is definitely worth it! There is no view more impressive than to be surrounded by one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world.

Wether you love hiking or not, you will love this one! At Niagara Glen Nature Center, you can walk down the stairs to the bottom of the cliff where you will find about 5 km of trails by the river. The views are beautiful and you can also look at fossils or even climb the boulders.

You know those villages in Hallmark movies where all the houses are painted different colors and have flowerpots in the windows, where there is an old bookshop next to the patisserie? That's what Niagara-on-the-Lake is like. I loved it! There are plenty of cute restaurants and a park by the water. I could have walked around the few streets of the village over and over again and still been happy because of how pretty everything was.

On Clifton Hill, in the town of Niagara, you'll find wax museums, go karts, 4D movie theaters, and lots of other activities, but one of my favorites was Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum. We spend half a day walking around the museum and looking at all of the different exhibits. From statuettes made of real human hair and teeth to life size pictures of the tallest man on earth and everything in between you definitely won't get bored at Ripley's.

There are so many vineyards to visit in Niagara-On-the-Lake that we rented bikes and spent a whole day cycling from one to the other. My favorites were Trius with its beautiful different tasting rooms and many kinds of bubbly wine and Jackson Triggs where we had the best service. Let's just say, by the end of the day, both of us were pretty bubbly!

I think you could eat at a different restaurant everyday for six months in Niagara Falls. With all of these options, why not treat yourself to a good one? We had dinner at Table Rock with a beautiful view over the Falls and at Weinkeller which was absolutely delicious and totally worth the price! I would recommend both of them.

Every night, the falls are illuminated in multicolored lights and change colors every few minutes. It's beautiful and a good place to admire the view is from the top of the Skylon Tower. You'll have a 360 degree view over Niagara.

One thing's for sure, you'll have plenty to do!

When I discovered that I liked traveling... a lot...too much? I decided that I would start by visiting my Canada. Starting elsewhere would have felt like cheating. Kind of like taking my own country for granted. Everywhere we go, people tell us how lucky we are to live in Canada and they are right. Canada is freaking beautiful! So I left to work on Vancouver Island and spent the year visiting British Columbia and Western United States before driving across North America to go back home to Quebec City.

Then, I felt ready to explore a bit further from home. I went to Costa Rica, Morocco, Italy, and then BAM! Covid-19 hit and we weren't allowed to cross the borders for an unknown amount of time. The thing is, when you start traveling, it is kind of like a drug, it's very hard to stop once you're addicted. So I went back to visiting my old friend Canada and decided to discover a little corner that I had never explored: the Bruce Peninsula, a small strip of land separating the Georgian Bay from Lake Huron in the south of Ontario. Internet promised me Caribbean blue water, long and peaceful hikes and a ton of water activities. It's kind of hard to say no to that!

My friend wasn't very hard to convince and a month later, we were on our way to Ontario on a 10-hour drive from Quebec City to this new adventure. I'm pretty sure the pictures will make you want to visit this area of Canada, but just in case you need more convincing, here are 6 reasons you should head to the Bruce Peninsula.

Let's start with the easiest reason, but gosh can this landscape get any better? I have been back from this road trip for a while now and still can't get over it. You see it on pictures and you have a hard time believing the water can be this blue in real life, but it totally is. Not only is it a bright turquoise, it is so clear you can see all the way to the bottom even when it is meters deep. All along the coast, you discover little bays that are all prettier than the last. Hiking trails will lead you past viewpoints where you can admire the view from the top of cliffs, rocks covered in green moss, clumps of colorful mushrooms, fields of wildflowers, etc. And let's come back one more time to the color of the water because it deserves to be mentioned a second time. My friend and I spent the whole time saying it looked like we had just been transported to the Seychelles, or the Caribbean, or an island in Thailand. The fact that this is in Canada just blows my mind!

For someone who loves the great outdoors, there is plenty to do in Bruce Peninsula. Kayaking, paddleboarding, snorkeling and diving (yes there are two shipwrecks where you can dive and many underwater grottos), hiking, beach days, sailing, swimming, there is something for everyone. You can also go on a boat ride with a glass floor around the islands, go fishing, camp, etc.

The peninsula is almost completely part of the Bruce Peninsula National Park which means there are lots of hiking trails that are well maintained and mostly well indicated. For experimented hikers, the Bruce Trail is a more than 800 km trail from Tobermory, at the end of to peninsula, to Niagara. It offers incomparable views on the Georgian Bay and its islands. Beginners can do parts of the Bruce Trail or one of the many others on offer in the park. There are also trails suitable for families with strollers or people with a handicap that lead to easier to reach viewpoints. For most parts of the trail, I recommend good hiking shoes and to bring a map with you. There can be some steep hills, but it is totally worth it.

Traveling in your own country is of course always easier as you don't need to worry about insurance, exchanging money and things like that, but even for people from other countries, the Bruce Peninsula would be an easy destination. It can be reached by bus from Toronto and you don't need reservations years in advance or to make tons of research. I recommend making reservations for your accommodation once you find out the days you will be traveling, but we booked just a few days before our trip which was during a long weekend in the first summer of Covid when Canadians from the cities flocked to national parks and we didn't have trouble finding a place to stay or booking activities on site. It's a pretty stress free vacation since there are always many other options if what you wanted to do ends up being full.

Like I said earlier, the year we visited was particularly crowded because of Covid, but even then, we found once we started hiking, we were totally alone and barely crossed paths with a few other people. The park is so huge and there are so many different areas that, if you feel like it's crowded where you are, you can just go a little bit further down the path and you'll be completely alone. The only place that we found crowded was the grotto, but even that, the parking lot is so restricted, it never really gets busy. I think that even in high season, it would be a good destination if you need some time surrounded by nature without the distraction of other humans.

Sunrises and sunsets are moments that I talk about often and that I try to plan for while on vacation. I organize my schedule to make sure I will be in a good spot to watch at the exact point in time where the sun meets the horizon. I loved the fact that, being surrounded by water, the peninsula offered both great sunrises and sunsets over the water of Lake Huron. We were lucky enough to get a full on spectacle every morning and every night during our 5 day trip.

So wether you are looking for breathtaking landscapes, activities to do with your friends and family or if you want to spend some time in nature, the Bruce Peninsula is waiting for you. Enjoy your visit!

The next day, we were driving to Jasper in the same weather, only to get to the village where it was snowing like Christmas Eve. Our plan of camping was quickly thrown out the car window and we were lucky to find a room in an airbnb in the village. When we woke up the next morning, there was still snow on the ground and we still could not see the mountains as we made our way to Five Lakes trail, but at least it wasn't snowing or raining anymore. During our walk along the trail, as the wind shifted the clouds, we could see the silhouette of the enormous mountains surrounding us, but still no luck seeing the summit or getting a clear view.

It turns out that we worried all for nothing as the very next day, as we were driving through the Icefield Parkways on our way to Banff, the sun finally came out and we enjoyed two days of clear blue sky and enough mountain views to last me a few years. ​

Every year, around 40 rooms make up the Hôtel de Glace, half of which are sculpted according to the theme chosen for that year.

The hotel also contains a chapel for weddings, a slide, a grand entrance hall and a bar where you can select one of the winter themed cocktails served in an ice glass.

Guests can stay overnight like in any regular hotel. Of course, the rooms are not heated, but the heavy duty sleeping bags work like a charm.

If you are interested in spending a night in the Hôtel de Glace, check out how I survived my experience here.

Have you visited an ice hotel before? Let me know in the comments!

Have you ever seen an activity that people were doing and thought in your head: "I could never do that" or "you would have to be crazy!" On my list of crazy things I would never do there is: swim in shark infested water, jump from building to building, spend more than a week at a time in a place with no electricity, etc. Well sleeping in the Hotel de Glace, was also on my list and it seems I need to stop making a list of things I would never do and switch it to a list of things out of my confort zone. (Maybe jumping from building to building is a bad idea though.)

Last winter, I got a new job working as a receptionist for Hotel Valcartier, a beautiful brand new hotel just outside of Quebec City. What I didn't know since I wasn't in Quebec last winter, was that the Hotel de Glace is now owned by Valcartier. So all winter, I got to check-in people that would sleep in Hotel Valcartier and people who would get the chance to sleep in the exclusive Hotel de Glace. The experience is not for everybody as you sleep in below freezing temperature in a room with no window, but as I saw everyone trying it and giving it a chance, the desire to try it for myself grew. And at last, at the end of March, one week before it was set to be destroyed for the season, I convinced one of my best friends to experience it with me!

The Hotel de Glace is an hotel built entirely out of snow and ice. It takes a few months to build every year and it has been open from the beginning of January to the end of March for 18 years now. This year, 45 rooms were built, half of them themed suites. Every year a different theme is chosen by the team and the hotel is decorated with the most impressive ice sculptures representing the year's theme. This year, everything was about the circus. One room had sculptures of clowns, another, magic tricks or wild animals, all of them made out of ice or snow and accentuated by coloured lights. The end result is always breath-taking and magical.

Although the hotel is outside in the cold Canadian weather, the air inside is maintained between 0 and -5 degrees Celsius as the snow acts as insulation and regulates the temperature. You are also provided a sleeping bag created to keep you warm in -30 degrees Celsius temperature. So you don't need to wear four sweaters and 12 pairs of socks, just a light layer of comfortable clothing preferably made of synthetics or wool so it doesn't retain humidity. Bring extras so you can change right before bed and be sure to wear dry clothing. It is important to eat a good meal at dinner and not to drink too much as you don't want to have to get up to use the bathrooms during the night. Also, bring a bathing suit and flip flops so you can take advantage of the Arctic Spa which can help increase your body temperature before going to bed. I think the most important part is not to stress yourself out. It can seem intimidating and scary, but the experience is well organized and has been tested over the last 18 years: you'll be fine!

We arrived pretty late as I was working during the day, so we started by having dinner at a pub close by and then made our way to the Ice Bar to participate in the activities organized by the night guide. It was fun to get to know the other participants as we would all experience a night in below freezing temperature at the same time. For those interested, you could also get a cocktail in an ice glass or a bottle of champagne to celebrate the special occasion. I also tried my hand at ice sculpting and it is even harder than it looks. I tried making an elephant and it ended up looking more like a koala. I guess I better stay at the front desk because they wouldn't hire me as an ice sculptor.

Once the activities were over, it was time to go put on our swimming suits and go for a relaxing dip in the hot tub. We put on our robes and walked in the snow in our flip flops to our private hot tub and sauna, courtesy of Valcartier (thanks to the management team for the upgrade in the Deluxe suite. It was definitely appreciated!) This was my favorite part. The hot tub and sauna are located in a small open room connected to the suite. The snow walls make you feel disconnected to the outdoor world as it is completely silent and you can look at the stars above you and just relax. We enjoyed a nice glass of wine and talked for hours while enjoying the bubbling water and the warmth of the sauna.

Once our fingers were wrinkly and we were feeling at peace and relaxed, it was time to dry off and go to sleep. Putting on the sleeping bag is a challenge as you need to take off your winter gear and stand on the bed to put it on and then tighten the collar so the cold air can't get in, but once you are settled, the lights are closed and you finally drift off, it is the best sleep of your life. I don't remember having ever slept that well. We both slept through the night... and through our first wake up call! Although we went to bed late and were woken up early, I woke up feeling energized and ready to take on the day. Until about 5 PM when I was ready to go back to bed.

Definitely! Like I said earlier, it is not for everyone, but I think it's an experience to try at least once. It was way easier and more confortable than I thought it would be as I am not a winter person. I hate being cold and I don't get all excited for the first snow, but this was a wonderful experience. The hotel looks like you've stepped in an ice palace and every little part is beautiful so although it is not the most glamorous destination as you are still kind of camping, the location makes you feel like you are in wonderland, or maybe Elsa's castle.