This winter, Le Massif de Charlevoix is offering special vacation packages for families to welcome them to one of Canada’s most beautiful mountain resorts. Book their “Happy Parents” promotion right away… or wait a bit longer, and there are still good deals to be had.
Let’s start with Happy Parents: if you book before February 12, 2015 and visit between February 16-March 22, your family will enjoy 15% off a three-night stay or longer at Hôtel La Ferme, and one free day lift ticket per child (1 – 17) with every adult or senior day lift ticket purchased (3-day lift ticket minimum). La Ferme, designed as a barn-like complex in the nearby riverfront town of Baie-Saint-Paul, is a contemporary inn and social hub with 145 varied yet spacious rooms and lofts fanned out across five pavilions. Family Rooms have bunk beds and rainfall showers and, fortunately, the ski resort packages use this stylish hotel as their base.
Why would you ski at Le Massif?
More developed than at our last visit, this high style vacation resort is the brainchild of Daniel Gaulthier, best known for having co-founded Cirque du Soleil. His company is comprised of the massive Le Massif, whose slopes have trained the Canadian Olympic female racers; the stylish Hôtel La Ferme; and The Train to get there. One of Le Massif’s unique features is that its base it at the top of the mountain, so there’s a spectacular view of the Saint Lawrence River from even novice slopes. While large, there are only 52 trails on the mountain ranging from beginner to double blacks and, at 806 meters, it’s the highest vertical east of the Canadian Rockies.
In addition to excellent skiing, Le Massif de Charlevoix offers outdoor sledding, ice skating, backcountry tours and more. During the Canadian spring break (March 2-6, 2015), both the mountain and the hotel are running daily kids’ activities, such as “Mini Mountain Guides” in which kids are trained by guides so they can then lead parents down the best trails. For après-ski all season, there are firepits with nearby bars serving hot cocoa or hand-crafted cocktails. Your family can sample a variety of on-mountain restaurants serving delicious Quebecois cuisine, with French-inspired entrees based on what’s in season and locally available.
What’s the deal?
The “Le Massif Ski & Stay” package, which is available now through season’s end on April 5, 2015, includes one night of accommodations at Hôtel La Ferme and two lift tickets that offer access to three of Québec’s premier ski areas: Summits of the St. Lawrence or Le Massif, Mont-Sainte-Anne or Stoneham. This package can be purchased any time, and starts at CAD $359 (approximately US$316) and is based on double occupancy; inquire about adding on children’s lift tickets.
How do you get there?
Quebec City is the nearest international airport, and this beautiful city is so close to the mountain that it could be your base. But for the full experience, book one of the local shuttles there and just settle in. Tours of Old Quebec runs daily trips to Le Massif or Mont-Sainte-Anne from the city; the 8-hour excursions cost CAD $91.80 if you buy a Family Ticket. Unfortunately, the company’s The Train only runs in spring and summer, making sightseeing excursions from Quebec City with stops at Baie-Saint-Paul and la Malbaie, serving fine meals along the way.
For more information or to book your snowsports experience, please call 877/536-2774 or visit Le Massif Ski and Stay Packages.
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