Shout it from the rooftops: Silence makes for memorable stay at the monastery

Tick, tick, tick.

While there wasn’t actually a clock counting off the minutes, I could certainly hear one in my head.

Having breakfast in a room full of people all silently eating is a bit unnerving for those of us who like to chat. But the silence is mandatory for the morning meal, as a way to encourage self-meditation and to honour the legacy of the place.

Needless to say, I survived and the experience, along with a later mindful breathwork session, had me intrigued enough to inquire about longer stays at the Monastère des Augustines in Quebec City

Rated by National Geographic Traveler as the No. 1 destination worldwide for a physical and mental reboot, the monastery was founded on the concept of healing. It occupies the historic wings of the Hotel-Dieu de Quebec where Augustine Sisters coming from France in 1639 launched the first hospital north of Mexico.

Stonework in the basement bears evidence of an English bombardment in the 1700s. A revolving wooden platform where babies were abandoned remains, as does another heavy door with a slot where parents left letters for their nun daughters whom they could no longer see. Artifacts discovered during renovations are displayed in rooms, including early medical instruments for dental work or surgery.

Over the centuries, many sisters lived and worked there but their numbers have dwindled to five. As such, they bequeathed the monastery and the fascinating collections and archives for the public to enjoy.

“They lived their life in action and contemplation. They were businesswomen and women of science. They worked hard every day and all the profits went to the monastery,” said the media relations manager Anne-Josee Cameron.

The monastery is now a wellness haven with 65 rooms that can be booked (33 authentic monastic and 32 redesigned in a contemporary style), a restaurant with healthy meals, holistic health treatments and daily activities. It’s in the heart of Old Quebec so, after breakfast, you can immerse yourself in the happy noise of the tourist city.

monasrere.ca

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While the monastery is perhaps the most unusual lodging experienced on a recent trip to Quebec, there are several other standouts, both in location and history.

Down a side street in the picturesque port of Old Quebec City, you could almost overlook Auberge Saint-Antoine. That would be a mistake.

The hotel is spread out over four connected buildings with a history dating back to 1687 when docks were built nearby to accommodate fur traders. The hotel’s restaurant Chez Muffy sits on the site of a former warehouse built in 1822.

When land for a hotel expansion was excavated in 2003, as many as 5,000 artifacts were discovered. Auberge Saint-Antoine has gone to great lengths to showcase them in revolving displays around the building, and even through replicas in each room. The bedside tables in one room were antique wooden stools like those the upper class might have used to climb into their beds four centuries ago. Outside each suite’s door is a glassed-in artifact, such as a carved stone pipe at Room 417, La Chambre de L’Empereur. While a hotel, all the antiques and displays give the hotel the feel of an elegant museum.

A member of Relais & Chateaux, the hotel also boasts two Michelin Keys, one of only two hotels in the province awarded the distinction so far. A boutique inn, it follows a farm-to-fork philosophy and harvests all its fruits, vegetables and herbs from a 60-plus-years family farm on nearby Île d’Orléans.

saint-antoine.com

This small First Nation community just north of Quebec City should be on all visitors’ itineraries. The Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations is the place to start your immersion into the local culture. The unique hotel includes Indigenous touches on its menu (grains and bannock) and in its interior design (lots of wood, furs). An attached museum tells the story of the Nation while outside a large replica of a longhouse provides a visual of their former way of life. Be sure to sign up for a guided tour to get the most out of it.

As part of your exploration of the Wendat culture, be sure to do the enchanting 1.2-km forested night walk, Onhwa’ Lumina. In partnership with Tourism Wendake, Montreal’s Moment Factory has created an experience for all your senses. Music, speech, lights and imagery all combine in a forest to illustrate the Nation’s rich history, culture and myths.

hotelpremieresnations.ca/en/

An hour’s drive or 90 minutes on the quaint train from Quebec City, a luxury hotel has become one with the countryside. Hôtel & Spa Le Germain Charlevoix has taken over the footprint of what was once the largest wooden farm building in the country dating back to 1889. Run by a Franciscan order, as many as 1,500 nuns have worked there over its lifetime. The farm burned down in 2007 but you can view a model of the structure outside the train station connected to the hotel.

Not wanting to overpower its surroundings, Le Germain constructed five low-rise buildings with views of the countryside or the thermal pools. The grounds are charming as highland cattle graze, hens roost and a large garden provides all the herbs, flowers and vegetables used in the restaurants.

While in the country, it’s also on the edge of the picturesque town of Baie-Saint-Paul, a haven for artists and creatives, including, at one time, contemporaries of the Group of Seven. Here you can wander the shops and galleries, visit a brewpub or take a tour of the meadery, Hydromel Charlevoix where owner Alex Cote will explain the beekeeping process and you can taste some of the resulting wines and spirits before taking a bottle – or case – home for later.

https://www.germainhotels.com/en/le-germain-hotel-and-spa/charlevoix

One of the most fascinating rooms in the vast Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City has to be the Rose Room. The pink rose-patterned carpet, wallpaper and drapes seem a bit dated given the rest of the hotel’s grandeur. But this inconspicuous room had an important role to play in history.

In August 1943 and September 1944, Le Château Frontenac hosted the Quebec Conferences of the Second World War involving U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. The Allied leaders held secret talks in that room which proved decisive in bringing the war to an end. Old photographs on the corridor outside show the leaders dining but the public was given a cover story for their visit.

This grand dame of hotels, which first opened in 1893, underwent a seven-year, $75-million renovation starting in 2014 to revitalize and modernize the 18-storey building which has 610 rooms. A premier chef was added to oversee the prestigious Champlain dining room and a fabulous pool terrace has been added.

fairmont.com/frontenac-quebec

History is also very much on display further north at Fairmont’s Le Manoir Richelieu. Overlooking the St. Lawrence River, the hotel is celebrating its 125th anniversary and a photo gallery near the lobby gives a glimpse into its storied past. The first hotel on the site was built in 1899 to accommodate passengers from luxury steamships that became known as “the white ships.”

Slightly smaller than the Frontenac, it’s as majestic. It has 405 rooms, indoor and outdoor heated pools, a putting green, and a full-service spa. In 2018, it was the site of the Charlevoix G7 Summit. On the grounds, there’s a standalone casino and a 27-hole golf course that just hosted a PGA Quebec event.

fairmont.com/richelieu-charlevoix