Relais & Châteaux captures the spirit of the traveler in our tradition of La Route du Bonheur (the road to happiness) across Eastern Canada. We invite you to experience our fellowship of luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants as you wander Canada from the Atlantic westward. Your first stop will be the Haute rustic wilderness resort Trout Point Lodge along the Tusket River in Southwest Nova Scotia. Trout Point Lodge lies adjacent to the largest protected area in Atlantic Canada, yet within easy distance you’ll encounter fantastic beaches, Acadian French villages, and whale watching. Trout Point’s dining rooms specialize in fresh local seafood, including lobster, haddock, and scallops prepared by chef-proprietors whose culinary influences include New Orleans, southwest France, and the Mediterranean.

Your next stop is luxury country house of Kingsbrae Arms in St Andrews, New Brunswick. The Kingsbrae Arms sits high above the harbor amid salt-air gardens. At your feet are the world’s highest tides and the quaint harbor town. Whales and seals are part of the natural wonders of St Andrews. The table at Kingsbrae features organic gourmet cuisine prepared by a chef whose exposure to African, Israeli and Middle Eastern influences his unique and creative approach to gourmet dining.

The Charlevoix region of Québec is a Unesco World Biosphere reserve and the next stop on your Eastern Canadian journey. Our luxury hotel La Pinsonnière is a cozy, charming, luxury inn with its own art gallery, a breathtaking view of the St. Lawrence River, an unspoiled beach and a signature spa. Whale watching, quaint villages and horseback riding are among the dozens of outdoor activities Charlevoix has to offer. La Pinsonnière offers an epicurean experience in wine tastings, a wine list with 750 labels and the best gourmet cuisine of the region.

On to the Restaurant Initiale in Old Québec City where the Seasonal Menu, the Grand Menu and the à la Carte Menu are perfectly balanced with the Wine Menu in French and Québec gourmet culinary traditions. Simple and elegant is the fare and the décor at Restaurant Initiale where our Grand Chef Yvan Lebrun transforms fine regional products in surprising combinations to stir the senses and satisfy the palate.

The luxury hotel, Auberge Saint-Antoine, will host your visit to the heart of Old Québec City amid the history and culture surrounding the City’s Old Port. Museums, shopping and roaming the picturesque streets are coupled with outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, sailing and biking. The Auberge Saint-Antoine’s restaurant Panache is located in the historic 19th century Hunt maritime warehouse and offers a table of traditional French Canadian gourmet cuisine interpreted with a creative flair that follows the seasons and the produce Québec has to offer.

Out of the city, your Route du Bonheur next travels to the historic luxury country inn of Manoir Hovey. Here you can find all the summer and winter recreation Québec has to offer, like ice fishing, a private skating rink, snowshoeing or kayaking, canoeing, tennis, bike touring, swimming in Lake Massawippi, or enjoying Manoir Hovey’s two beaches and pool. The luxury accommodations and the fine gourmet dining complement the beauty of the location, the warmth of the staff and create a true Relais & Châteaux experience.

Moving on to Montréal, a visit to the table of our Grand Chef Normand Laprise at the Restaurant Toque! reveals local, fresh vegetables and herbs, edible flowers and mushrooms coupled with duck, venison, scallops, beef, lamb and fish for original gourmet fare. Restaurant Toque! in Montréal offers bold cuisine, exquisite wines and impeccable service – a true gourmet culinary experience for the sophisticated traveler.

A country cottage, transformed by Grand Chef Anne Desjardins and her partner, Pierre Audette, a hospitality and culinary arts graduate, into a small, quaint gourmet restaurant, grew in popularity and so transformed once again into the luxury country inn of the Hôtel & Spa L’Eau a la Bouche. The destination hotel, located in the Laurentian forest, offers outdoor recreation, luxurious rooms and a full spa experience. But the table is still the passion—the complement of food and wine, the style of service, the experience of fine gourmet dining is all to be had at the Hôtel & Spa L’Eau a la Bouche. Best yet, the hotel offers cooking classes for those who would like to see how the table is created.

The luxury country house hotel of Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa might be your last stop on your Eastern Canadian Route du Bonheur. Located between Toronto and Niagara Falls, the hotel offers a tranquil retreat like a step back to an earlier time. There are walking trails and restored Victorian gardens that reflect their English origins. Outdoor activities and a sophisticated spa are complemented by the luxury accommodations and the table of Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa’s Grand Chef Jonathan Gushue, whose passion for French-inspired cuisine will delight your senses.

Canada offers an infinite variety of experiences. Through the centuries its culture has been shaped by a succession of diverse peoples - native North Americans, French, British and American settlers and, in more recent times, waves of immigrants from every corner of the world.

The country’s motto - Ad mare usque ad mare (« From sea to sea ») encapsulates its vastness. Canada is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the mighty Pacific Ocean to the west and the icy expanses of the Arctic Ocean in the north. Eastern Canada, the region that embraces the Atlantic Provinces, as well as Ontario and Québec, gives an intriguing taste of this huge country.

Where land and ocean meet

Along the Atlantic coastline are the maritime provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. This region is characterized by picturesque communities, whose names ring with their British and French colonial past. Nestled along sandy shores and rugged, indented coastlines, they have, for centuries, made a living from the sea.

Ontario’s natural wonders

Ontario harbors one of the most awe-inspiring natural wonders of the word - spectacular Niagara Falls. Mother Nature has blessed the region in other ways too. Rich, fertile soil has turned the Niagara region into a destination for agritourism, renowned for its wineries and orchards.

Toronto, overlooking Lake Ontario, is the capital of the province - a vibrant, cosmopolitan metropolis. Ottawa, the country’s capital, is home to the nation’s major museums and the stately Parliament buildings. Away from the cities, there’s plenty more to discover - the bucolic region of Cambridge, Stratford Festival which showcases the works of William Shakespeare and the wild beauty of Algonquin Provincial Park.

The spirit of New France and gourmet delights!

The province of Québec - known as New France in the 16th century when French explorers first came to these shores - is where the St. Lawrence River, one of the longest waterways on the planet, flows seawards. Rich in the history and spirit of New France, Québec proudly guards its francophone heritage - a unique society within North America.

The province offers an abundance of natural and manmade attractions - rivers, lakes and vast forests of maple, birch and pine. Then there are the national parks, museums and heritage villages. Its two largest cities (major tourist attractions in their own right) are Montréal and Québec City, metropolitan centres where the spirit of the past contrasts with the fast-paced culture of today.

In this corner of Canada, the preparation, presentation and enjoyment of gourmet cuisine is an art! The quality of Québec’s regional produce and gastronomic diversity of its restaurants, where food is served with typical Québecois flair, rivals the great gourmand destinations of the world.