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Summer getaway to scenic Quebec
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Quebec's scenic outdoors shares the stage with cottages for the perfect getaway
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By Donna Nebenzahl, photos by Donna Griffith
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Banisters created from driftwood and a painted trunk in cheery hues are all part of the charm that earned Martin Gagnon and Jean-Luc Leblond a four-star classification.
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Rubbing shoulders with a world-famous garden in a setting that includes rocky outcrops, seaside villages, meadows, bays and coves, the river in Parc du Bic is so close to the ocean that it's salty. Located on the southern shore of Quebec's St. Lawrence estuary, 33 square kilometres at the northernmost point of the Appalachian mountain chain form this little-known oasis.
Down the river, one might find members of the Molson or Birks families heading to the local club they have frequented for generations, for the town of Métis-sur-Mer has been a summer destination for descendants of these families since the late 1800s. Their cedar-shingled homes along the water's shoreline, many hidden behind century-old cedar hedges, afford rapturous views of the river from their wraparound porches.
This is a place for sea kayaking, fishing and horseback riding, or for taking long walks along the beachfront, collecting shells and observing the seals basking on the rocks. Those who stay at the Auberge du Grand Fleuve, a charming clapboard inn situated on the water's edge, get the added bonus of Bretagne cuisine that is already garnering a reputation based on organic and fair trade produce, prepared by owner Marie Fradette's husband, Reynald Pay. “We have created a paradise for people who stay,” Fradette says.
These inns and cottages gain a certain refinement at Estevan Lodge, Lord Mount Stephen's 1887 summer house in nearby Grand Métis. This British Columbia-fir-lined fishing lodge is the site of the now-famous Jardins de Métis, created more than a half-century ago by wealthy Montreal philanthropist Elsie Reford on 40 acres where the Mitis River and the St. Lawrence River meet. One of the most beautiful ornamental gardens in the country, the land has been completely restored under the watchful eye of Elsie's great-grandson, Alexander Reford, and now also hosts an internationally recognized contemporary garden festival every year.
Just up the road, outside of the town of Le Bic, newcomers to the inn scene Martin Gagnon and partner Jean-Luc Leblond have literally perched six rustic cottages on the edge of the range, each with a panoramic view of the countryside and the St. Lawrence. “We call it the sea here because it's tidal,” Gagnon says. “It's a wild and beautiful area, and the cottages are right in the environment.”
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