Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The dock at Manoir Hovey on Lake Massawippi in Quebec. ©drewhadley.com At dusk along Lake Massawippi, in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec, the only sound you hear is the occasional duck skimming along the water.
There’s no motorboat traffic, no noise from other people admiring the view. That’s typical of this region known for its solitude and pristine scenery and it’s definitely true of Ripplecove Hotel & Spa at the southern end of the lake, a 90 minute drive southeast of Montreal and about 30 minutes over the Canadian border from Vermont. Dining outside on the terrace at Ripplecove Hotel & Spa.
Ripplecove Hotel & Spa Most nights, regulars congregate on the terrace of this inn which opened in 1945 and has gone through various renovations and expansions since. Some own the individual suites in the modern building that opened a few years ago next to the original, butter colored main pavilion which also contains rooms in traditional style. These 29 new suites are outfitted as residences with kitchens, fireplaces and terraces overlooking the lake; when the owners aren’t there, hotel guests can rent them.
That also gives them access to the rooftop terrace with hot tubs, firepits, a dining menu and loungers with those lake views. A Terrace Condo suite at Ripplecove Hotel & Spa. Ripplecove Hotel & Spa MORE FOR YOU ‘Don’t Get Left Behind’—Crypto Suddenly Braced For A ‘Game-Changing’ Trump Bombshell After Wild Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana And XRP Price Swings The ‘Borderlands’ Movie Debuts With A 0% On Rotten Tomatoes ‘Inside Out 2’ Gets Digital Streaming Premiere Date Even with kitchens in these rooms, though, the hotel’s restaurant Le Riverain and more casual bar/terrace Cove draw residents, including area residents, in for well-executed preparations composed of local ingredients.
Options at Cove include an artistically composed Endive Salad with blue cheese, pecans and green apples, Salmon Tartare with cucumber and radish and Moules Marinière. The more complex options at Le Riverain include Daikon Roll stuffed with crustaceans, crustacean bisque, cauliflower puree and radish and Guinea Fowl with shitake mousseline, boar bacon, grilled butter lettuce, runner beans and anchovy vinaigrette. The rooftop at Ripplecove Hotel & Spa which includes hot tubs and fire pits with a lake view.
Ripplecove Hotel & Spa function loadConnatixScript(document) { if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.
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render(randId); }); })(); Given the hotel’s location directly on the lake, water activities are at a premium with kayaking, paddle boarding and cruising onboard a pontoon available. The lake is also prime for fishing for rainbow trout, pike and perch. More fishing is available nearby from the shore of the Tomifobia River for trout and pike as well as canoe rentals to paddle down the river.
The main building of Manoir Hovey surrounded by gardens. Daniel Aluha Thirteen miles away on the northern shores of the lake, the family run, 125 year old Relais & Chateaux Manoir Hovey regularly nails the number one spot of Best Resort in Canada in Travel & Leisure’s World’s Best Awards, as it did again this year. The reason is a combination of the lake location surrounded by 30 acres of forest, sophisticated design in the 52 rooms (including the 12 rooms and suites in the Lakeside Pavilion due to open August 30), elevated, hyper local cuisine and a comprehensive spa that opened last year.
The Cartier Suite at Manoir Hovey. ©drewhadley.com It's extremely easy to arrive there: apart from driving, seaplane transfers can be arranged from various cities including Montreal, Toronto, Boston, New York and Washington D.
C. While there, guests gravitate to the spa for treatments such as the signature Le Massawippi massage utilizing rhythmic strokes and hemlock essential oil, the signature facial incorporating honey from the beehive on site and the steam/sauna/cold plunge thermal circuit. Outdoors, activities range from cycling on nearby trails, horseback riding, kayaking, fishing or swimming from the small beach on the lake in the warmer months.
Tuna with elderberry and bell pepper at Manoir Hovey's restaurant Le Hatley. Laurie Werner The gourmet restaurant Le Hatley has a firmly farm to table focus with 60% of the ingredients from local Quebec producers and 90% from Canada overall. They combine in ambitious menus that include dishes such as Lobster from Gaspé with tortellini, asparagus, lovage and gorria pepper and Lamb from the Bas-Saint-Laurent with tomato, marigold, garlic and lamb jus.
The more casual Tap Room which includes a terrace overlooking the lake features a scaled down menu including lobster rolls, salmon gravlax marinated in gin, and since this is Quebec, poutine (for the uninitiated: French fries and cheese curds topped with brown gravy) but a more elaborate version with duck, mushrooms and birch syrup. The bucolic setting of Spa Eastman. Spa Eastman Culinary creations are also a major draw at Spa Eastman , a wellness retreat in the town of the same name; the therapeutic effect of proper nutrition was one of the main principles when founder Jocelyna Dubuc opened the retreat in 1977.
As chef Jean-Marc Enderlin expresses it in his “Cuisine Tonique” (gluten free, dairy free, low carbohydrates, high quality fats, local, organic produce and animal proteins cooked at low temperature), the flavors are lively, the presentation is colorful and there is no hint of deprivation anywhere. With dishes such as Duck Breast Tournedos with Sichuan berries and ginger and Seared Tuna with a sesame crust, kale, lemon, galanga and lime leaves, every meal is an event, not always the reality in a wellness retreat. A typical Cuisine Tonique beef option at Spa Eastman.
Spa Eastman Apart from the culinary aspects, this facility has a staff of proficient experts and therapists starting with a very incisive naturopath to analyze guests’ condition and help determine the goals that they’re trying to achieve there—reducing stress, losing weight, increasing energy and strength among them. (The staff is also filled with very sweet, helpful people, some of them surprising such as a server in the restaurant who is also an expert on the techniques and benefits of cold plunge.) A comprehensive program is then assembled using elements ranging from the full thermal heat/cold plunge circuit and sound healing to the Essentrics fitness regimen, yoga and Qi Gong along with the more pampering facials and massages.
But at least part of the day is usually spent in one of the varying temperature hot tubs or in an Adirondack chair gazing at the pond and the extremely verdant nature surrounding. A bedroom at one of Spa Eastman's new Oasis Pavilions. Phil Bernard Photographe Accommodations range from the traditional/original rooms in the main building to the contemporary, spacious rooms in the new Oasis Pavilions a short walk up the path and across the main road.
Eco-friendly with solar heating panels and a greenhouse that provides both organic vegetables and energy for hot water, these six room pavilions have slight differences. Groups traveling together would prefer Oasis 1 and 2 which have communal spaces; Oasis 3 doesn’t but it does have individual temperature controls in the rooms (the other two don’t) and it’s closer to the main complex, meaning a shorter walk for guests walking to it clad in their spa robes. Given the relaxed atmosphere in the region, however, none of the drivers who occasionally pass seem to give people in bathrobes on the road a second look.
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