RELAXARIUM CHATEAU BONNE ENTENTE - A SPA EXPERIENCE IN QUEBECStory and Photos by Pamela A. Campbell |
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Ste. Foy, Quebec - A long time ago when Colonel Charles Hugh Le Pailleur Jones built his palatial residence on this 120-acre estate he had no idea his son, Mowbray, would become an innkeeper in 1950.
By 1953 it would debut as Chateau Bonne Entente, a grand country hotel with an appellation taken from the colonel's traditional salutation of 'bonne entente" to his acquaintances. With the dawn of the new millennium, "the other Chateau" is now completely restored with 32 additional rooms in the new wing. A mere 15 minutes by car from Old Quebec brings us to the curved driveway that hugs a white gazebo and a huge |
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duck pond (with ducks) and spouting fountain. We sit in comfort for a speedy check-in, a service reserved for VIP guests in other hotels.
We are here to recuperate from a recent round of outdoor activities (mountain biking, canyoning and canoeing over rapids), and the Chateau's Relaxarium seems the ideal setting for a quick getaway. The spa menu is based on hydrotherapy, massage therapy, facials and body treatments.
To be authentic, here are the French Canadian dishes au naturel - Duo de cerf et canard en salade de legumes marines a la marjolaine, Supreme de pintade farcie de tomatoes et pommes confites, nid d'epinards et noix de pin grilles, Terrine de fromage quebecois glacee de Sauternes, chutney de reaisin au vin de cassis and Cevice de petoncles, vinagrette a la framboise, coulis de betteraves et menthe. If fine dining threatens your fitness regime there is a new fully equipped Fitness Center that will help you burn off the calories. Or if you prefer the outdoors these are the activities (some are seasonal) available to guests - outdoor swimming pool, year-round hot tub, sauna, tennis, badminton, volleyball, petanque, shuffleboard, trout fishing in the pond (on property) and an outdoor skating rink.
Enveloppement aux algues (algae wrap) detoxifies the body and improves skin tone, but to be honest I'm not crazy about the not too pleasant odor I must endure. Pressotherapy involves the fitting of what appears to be vinyl-type inflatable leggings (that remind me of firemen) which fit right up to your thighs. Due to the language barrier I could only assume I would benefit from better circulation. My spa experience at the Relaxarium was more positive in many ways for me. Since my French is borderline and my therapists' English was limited or non-existent except for a few words I was able to relax and retain my inward thoughts much more easily than at other spas. It was almost a golden opportunity to meditate without fear of interruption. In all honesty, I think I would be tempted to return to the Relaxarium at Chateau Bonne Entente the next time I'm in Quebec. "How about you? "And why not?" is what I hope you would say, to which I'd reply, "Bonne Entente." | ||
Although rest and rejuvenation comes highly recommended for the mind and body, I am just as interested in the Quebecois cuisine that is served in the Le Pailleur restaurant. Chef Gaston Couillard and sous chef Philip Rae ensure that guests are gastronomically delighted at every meal and our visit is no exception.
My first encounter with the Vibrosaun leaves me in a relaxed mood. Just imagine lying in a sort of space capsule that's slowly vibrating while you control the degree of heat that envelops your body. My next treatment is a therapeutic massage which relieves those sore muscles and then it's time for Balneotherapy, a therapeutic bath.