Has anyone stayed at the Manoir Richelieu in La Malbaie, Quebec? I'm looking at staying there in June while on my honeymoon. Looks very nice on the Fairmont website and has generally good reviews on tripadvisor, but I'd like to hear from my fellow FT'ers, of course!
Also, if you have any suggestions on things to do in the Charlevoix region, please let me know.
Thanks!
ml
Bumping this old request..also asking for reviews on this property and wondering about things to do in the area.
From the moment we arrived here we have been impressed by the can do attitude of the staff at this hotel
I absolutely love it
will review later when I am not having such a lovely time.
IThis hotel is not worth the rack rate of $300-$400/night. The rooms at the Ramada Inn are more updated than these rooms. The size of the rooms didn't bother me (very small bathroom), but to have cathode ray tube TV's and old matresses and beat up looking walls? I would expect much more for hundreds of dollars per night.
We were in the Stanley Thompson wing a couple of weeks ago. It's a mountian view, but the rooms are renovated. Very modern, flat screen TV, fridge, nice bathroom. Maybe the tradeoff is room vs view!
Programs: National Executive, SPG Platinum, FPC Platinum
Posts: 366
Le Chateau Frontenac
Mrs. Sleepdoc and I took the opportunity to visit our fair neighbors to the north. Having never been to Montreal and Quebec City we were quite excited based on recommendations from one of her friends. I’m usually a Starwood guy but I can definitely say I was impressed with the quality of service from the Le Chateau Frontenac. I managed to get a suite upgrade certificate by contacting the FPC to see if they did any status matching with SPG Platinum and was told no but offered the certificate for my interest. This was quite nice of them! Did not take advantage of the NFAF rate and booked a traditional rate by calling the FPC line and using the suite upgrade to secure a Junior Suite.
We flew into Montreal and took Via Rail into Quebec City saving me the hassle of renting a car and navigating thru French Canada especially since neither of us speaks any French! Taxi was only a 10-minute drive to the hotel and we were greeted by the bellman professionally dressed in red coats that also assisted us with our luggage. Check-in was a breeze and the staff was very professional and polite. Along with our keys we received coupons for a complimentary breakfast buffet and coupon for 20% off at either of the hotel’s restaurants, which unfortunately did not use.
Le Chateau Frontenac Entrance into hotel pass SAQ
One of the bellman led us up to the room with luggage in tow… there are 3-4 different sections of the hotel built at various times thru the 100 plus year history. There are approximately 600 rooms with 33 of these being suites. I believe we were in the newest section or the Claude-Pratte Wing, which was built in 1993. Our Junior Suite included a separate living room area with wet bar, refrigerator, a small bathroom with only a bathtub as well two bathrobes, and of course a small separate bedroom. Overall an elegantly appointed room and what one would I guess expect in a castle like hotel. Turndown service was provided every night with a couple of maple sugar cookies and a small note with the forecast for the next day. A nice touch IMO.
View of St Lawrence River from 8th floor
View from bedroom window
Suite Living Room
Suite Bedroom
My wife and I only partook in the St-Laurent Bar & Lounge with associated outdoor terrace. They make some lovely drinks with the standouts IMO being the Moscow Mule and Cucumber-Lime Spritzer. Food at this bar was a little bit of disappointment but overall atmosphere relaxing and romantic. We didn’t partake in the any of the other offerings at the Chateau restaurants but these include the relatively downscale Le Cafe de la Terrasse and very upscale Le Champlain.
We did use the pool once which is located on the sixth floor of the hotel. There is a large hot tub as well as a fairly large outside deck if you want to enjoy the sun. The gym is located next to the pool however, we did not use it during the stay.
Tours of the hotel are given throughout the week between certain times on the hour and given in either French or English with the guides dressed in period costume. You are taken throughout the various sections and given the history of the hotel. It would be a real shame if you didn’t partake the tour and quite worth the roughly 10CAD that is charged for each guest. Don’t forget to tip your guide too! Other members in the group either forgot or were quite stingy!
Stairway to Ballroom
As far as location you are perfectly situated in Old Quebec within the confines of the walls. Roughly 5000 people actually live in Old Quebec and another 800,000 live outside the walls according to our horse carriage tour guide. There is a promenade on one side of the hotel facing lower town with a view of the Citadel in the distance. Along this promenade are toboggan slides that are used obviously in the winter by the hotel. Also there is a funicular that conveniently lands you in Lower Town for a small fee if one does not want to walk the hilly streets to the town below. Easy access to shopping and restaurants below as well as to the port and Farmers Market where we bought some lovely Quebec goat cheese and marveled at the selection of fruits and vegetables at very reasonable and low prices!
Promenade
Old Castle walls
Lower Town
There are plenty of shops, cafes, and restaurants also in Upper Town all within very short walking distance of the hotel. If you are staying at the Le Chateau Frontenac one definitely does not need a vehicle unless you want to explore outside of the city. Lastly the Citadel is also a short walk from the hotel and during the summer one can tour the Citadel as well as see the changing of the guard.
View of Old Quebec City from the Citadel
In conclusion we absolutely loved the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac and Quebec City. We actually plan on coming back during the Winter Festival… quite remarkable, as my wife hates the cold and winter! The Fairmont chain definitely gave us a great first impression and we wouldn’t hesitate staying at any of the other Fairmont hotels!
My apologies on the pictures… iPhone quality nevertheless enjoy!
Just back from two nigts at Fairmont Olympic Seattle and enjoyed the stay. The hotel is within walking distance of much of downtown and for that reason and it's vintage reminds me of the Hotel Vancouver. Nice main entry way gives you the sense of arriving at a grande hotel, an impression that continues when you step off the escaltors into the large main lobby with its columns and wood panelling. The pool & fitness facility was a nice oasis to swim & read the paper on a lazy morning, though the pool is both smaller and shallower (2-4 feet) than I prefer. Nice hot tub to soak away the day.
The room, which was #628 an Executive King Suite, was spacious and comfortable and well equipped with two large flatscreen TV's. I was sharing the room with a fellow Edmontonian attending the Flyertalk do in SEA and the sofabed wouldn't deploy the first night, though maintenance and housekeeping were very earnest and quick in trying to first fix the contraption then when that failed moving on to find a workable solution so get good marks for recovering from the initial problems. While we were out the next day there was a card left on the sofa saying the problem was fixed but the mattress on the floor temporary solution was as comfortable so was kept for night number two. Gotta say the sofa looked a little beyond it's due date regardless of the malfunctioning sofa bed.
However, the stay overall featured wonderful Fairmont service I've come to enjoy including a very quick & efficient check in at the FPC desk as well as a nice welcome card from the hotel manager and fruit basket in the room. I'd return here again at the right price if I found myself in SEA again despite the minor age issues.
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2009 Q miles: UA 28166 NW 6818 WS 1008 YouTube Jukebox: a-haTake On Me
Just back from a wonderful stay at the Fairmont Masai Mara Safari Club in Kenya. Excellent resort! I have written a trip report with photos if interested.
Had the good fortune to stay 2 nights at the Fairmont Scottsdale this past weekend and wanted to update this thread with some quick impressions.
The hotel is still known to most locals as the Princess and despite a fairly recent name change to the Fairmont Scottsdale some signs of the former name can still be seen on-site. I opted to catch the Super Shuttle to the resort from PHX, which thanks to a fellow FTer provided discount codes wound up being around $40 RT. The drive from PHX with only one other couple to drop off at a Hilton close to the Fairmont was approx 45 min. though this was mid-Sat. afternoon so can eaily see it being much longer on a busy mroning or late afternoon weekend rush hour.
Fairmont distinguishes between its city & resort location and I can see why this one of one of the latter as it's in a suburban area of Scottsdale well away from Phoenix so benefits from a quiter setting but is somewhat out of the way if seeing greater Phoenix is a plan. There seemed lots of parking though can imagine it would probably run at least $30/night for valet parking though didn't ask the rates.
The TPC championship golf course is adjacent to the resort so the sport is one big draw and to cater to that demand a gold concierge can help with tee times reservations, rentals, etc. There is a large conference & convention centre attached to the Fairmont and the last morning I was surrounded by accountants on a break from seminars & trade shows.
The resort is quite spread out with some room categories such as the Casita Signature suites being in a quiet area with their own pool a healthy distance from the main lobby and restaurants. The main pool was actually closer to my room but with the music turned up higher than my liking I walked over to the nearby east pool which is much quiter but on occasion gets a few families stopping there instead of the nearby Sonoran Splash, a purpose built family-friendly pool attraction with waterslides. Very much enoyed the pool afternoons and at 85 degrees F it was perfect weather to lounge around in.
My room was #4051, a Fairmont room, and was perched almost directly above the outdoor Stone Rose lounge which attracted a younger crowd and was open quite late. Luckily because it was lower season it didn't seem as busy at it would be at other times of the year however I found the noise was noticeable so light sleepers beware. The noise wasn't something that kept me awake until the middle of the night but it was loud enough as to be harder to ignore, much like a loud TV in the next hotel room with poor sound deadening. The room itself was very well appointed in a Southwestern way and featured two double beds, a large walk in closet, larger bathroom with wonderful walk in shower with the great rainfall showerhead though smaller tub, nice balcony with a rattan table & chairs, and a writing desk with two comfy armchairs. The room layout was convenient but somewhat interesting in that the large 32 inch flatscreen TV was perched atop the mini-bar cabinet beside the sliding door to the balcony but at an angle from both beds especially the one closest the door. I wasn't that tuned in to watching TV but could see how watching a movie without turning the unit, which didn't appear to be on a swivel stand or made for rotation, would be a tiny downside. Overall a very comfortable room that was quite spacious and well appointed.
The dining options on-site are varied but I found as expected were quite pricey. The Michael Mina run Bourbon Steak restaurant and bar had steaks starting at $40 and up but opted to economize and try one of his lounge's gourmet burgers for super the first night instead. Note that while the $15 burger is gourmet and you can choose your toppings, type of patty, etc. it comes without any side order or salad which are all in the $10 range, so expect a gourmet burger & fried to set you back $25 in all. I opted for the truffled Mac & Cheese appetizer instead and it was delicious as was the gourmet burger. Washing it down with 2 beers meant around a $40 meal, though the service was oustanding in the bar which was a little too dark for my liking. The second night I was off-site at an Italian restaurant in the Promenade, a shopping common a mile or so from the Fairmont, and the food & service was as good but had a large meal with appetizer, entree and two beers for around $30 so a better value. The area around the Fairmont seemed to offer a good variety of restaurants should you have a rental car.
The Promenade was an easy 20 minute walk from the Fairmont on nice wide sidewalks the staff advised were fairly new. The complex has a few big name outlet stores I wanted to check out as a morning diversion but the one very pleasant surprise was one the concierge had passed along. She said when I was asking directions to check out a smaller cafe called the First Watch, The Daytime Cafe which is only open 6 am - 2 pm and served up a great breakfast at a very reasonable price with friendly service and was a bright airy diversion at a fraction of the price of what resort breakfast options were. I'm glad I hadn't defaulted to eat whatever the resort had for breakfast that morning as it was a nice interlude in the resort getaway.
So that's a highlight of the weekend escape to the Fairmont Scottsdale and now it's back to the grind. I very much enjoyed this resort and at some of the prices seen lately, which are in the $99/night range, find it an incredible value at that price. Post or PM if you have detailed question and I can try and anwer them.
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2009 Q miles: UA 28166 NW 6818 WS 1008 YouTube Jukebox: a-haTake On Me
Finished a 3-nighter at the Chicago Fairmont about a week ago.
Overall, the experience was okay. Unless I need the stay credit, I don't think I'll stay at this hotel next time I go to Chicago.
Drive-up:
Taxi pulled up to the hotel. No doorman in sight. It was 3 pm. Perhaps all occupied with other guests. Don't know. Good thing I only had the one carry-on.
Check-in:
Line-up was not very long, but it took a while. No check-in packet was prepared ahead of time with my info, etc. on it. First time I experienced this at a Fairmont. Person was pleasant enough, though.
Room:
Used an upgrade coupon and supposed got an upgraded view room. Well, the view was still primarily the building next door, though I did catch a glimpse of the park.
Furnishing looked fresh and new. Maybe a bit too "new," in the sense that it doesn't have the typical Fairmont flaire, but felt more like the normal upscale business hotel. Like perhaps a nicer version of a Westin.
Pretty small room, though. Checked the floor map thing on the door, and it seemed to me that this FPC Plt was in one of the smaller rooms on the floor. Well, I was alone, so it's not that big a deal. But certainly the upgrade cert was wasted.
Never was offered a further upgrade (not even for money), electronic or otherwise.
Bathroom was good-sized. Surprisingly, not even mouthwash in the room. That's a first for me too.
Housekeepers are friendly and nice.
Coffeemaker is the Nespresso thing. Pretty cool. Large flat screen tv, probably too large, considering how small the room itself was.
Closet was absolutely TINY.
The Lobby Bar:
Indifferent service. Very indifferent service.
Breakfast at Aria's:
Greeted with great apathy. But waiter was fine. Food was okay. Not great, but it's only pancakes and stuff. Never mind. I think I'd rather go to the Hyatt next door and pig out for the same price.
Overall, not a bad experience. But really, there was a reason why I switched from a lot of business class hotel chains to Fairmont. The Chicago Fairmont would not justify such a switch in my mind. It's all about expectations, I suppose. Properties like San Francisco, Washington, heck, even the old Frontenacs and Chateau Lauriers, they have a certain character. This is greatly lacking in Chicago.
Just did 2+ nights at the Vancouver Waterfront and 2 nights at thw Royal Yorkk in Toronto.
Booked the Vancouver Waterfront through gtahotels.com as pay for 2 nights 3rd night free, left on ViaRail's Canandian at 8:30pm on the 3rd night. so I wasn't expecting a great room.
Room was 1716 which turned out to be a corner room with a view of the city and a view of the waterfront. What a set of views and a very nice room.
Enjoyable stay, despite the sometimes wet weather.
Four days later I arrived in Toronto at just before 10AM. Went to the Royal York, about 100 steps from Union Station depending on how you walk. Checked with the Fairmont President checkin and was told my room was ready and that I could check in. Room was okay, not the 1716 room from Vancouver, but okay. Booked a king room with a view of the lake. The view is being slowly diminished by the sky scrappers but you can see Toronto Island in between the buildings.
Room was small and so was the bathroom, but not unexpected given the age of the building.
Fairmont st Andrews basic room
