Romantic and family friendly seems like an impossible combination when traveling but we found it here at the Saint-Antoine. We had amazing adjoining rooms on the top floor overlooking the St. Lawrence river, with cozy beds with a gas fireplace. It was winter time, and my husband and I enjoyed watching the boats charge through the thin layer of ice on the river, while the kids played in the snow on the balcony.
Story book perfect!
The hotel matches the charm of this magnificent city. Quebec was a total surprise to us, as we knew very little about the city before visiting. It has an amazing old world vibe, thanks to the the walled city. Imagine yourself navigating the cobblestone streets, twisting and turning, around the steep hills. Take a funicular (tram) up the hill to see the glorious views, walk down the narrow pedestrian-only streets. (Pro tip: Bring two umbrella strollers instead of a double stroller, so that you can handle the terrain). Our kids fell asleep daily in the strollers while we explored!. There's hot chocolate for the kids, and warm maple syrup lattes for the adults.
The snow and bright sunny skies were such a contrast to our warm hometown. Very refreshing.
My review is almost as much for the city as it is for the hotel. But I question how well we would have been able to discover and navigate it without the help of the professional concierge staff. I have never done this before on a trip, but I communicated with them before arriving, so that our activities were expertly and professionally determined with an insider's view, before we even arrived. What a difference! I'll be doing this again for sure!
Here's some of our activities as picked by the staff during our four-night stay: I need to also write a separate review for almost all of them! Strolling down all the beautiful picturesque streets; the sugar shack was such an insider's activity, where we saw maple syrup dripping from the trees and ate authentic, somewhat quirky (by American standards) cuisine. We didn't hear English spoken even once!; The winter playground, where my 2 and 4 year olds had a blast, zipping down the hills on inner tubes. There was also an ice hotel, which felt like exploring a fort. One night we got a sitter in the hotel room, went downstairs to Chez Muffy, the onsite restaurant, and had a wonderful meal. (The weekend brunch buffet is also an amazing treat). The babysitter, booked by the staff, was able to entertain the kids by taking them to the hotel's movie theatre. Another night we ordered burgers and poutine via Uber Eats from Le Chic Shack, a local hot spot, so we could just enjoy our magnificent room more!
This trip was so special to my family. It's hard to put it into words. My only wish is to return now during the summertime so we can discover what the beautiful city has to offer once the snow has melted!