Near the riverfront, Rue St-Paul is the city’s oldest, a winding street lined with gaslights and early-19th-century storefronts, now housing art galleries and boutiques. Along the St. Lawrence, the Old Port has been transformed from a gritty warehouse district into a promenade full of parks, exhibition spaces, skating rinks, and playgrounds. In keeping with the spirit of transformation is the stylish Auberge du Vieux-Port, an 1882-warehouse-turned-hotel with brass beds and luxury bedding, as well as an elegant bistro and wine bar.
A short distance from the busy Vieux-Port is the always popular Auberge Les Passants du Sans Soucy, a fur warehouse built in 1723, now converted into a delightful B&B whose nine rooms—with their stone walls, polished wood floors, and traditional Quebecois furniture—also have all the modern comforts. Nearby, Toqué! is one of Montreal’s most acclaimed contemporary French restaurants, serving up dazzling food and friendly, unpretentious service. Celebrity chef Normand Laprise’s constantly changing menu reflects the long-standing relationships he has built with local purveyors. For a quick bite, head north of the Old Quarter and join tout Montréal at L’Express, a popular spot for authentic French bistro fare.
VISITOR INFO: www.vieux.montreal.qc.ca. PLACE D’ARMES HÔTEL: Tel 888-450-1887 or 514-842-1887; www.hotelplacedarmes.com. Cost: from $160 (off-peak), from $230 (peak). AUBERGE DU VIEUX-PORT: Tel 888-660-7678 or 514-876-0081; www.aubergeduvieuxport.com. Cost: from $180. AUBERGE LES PASSANTS DU SANS SOUCY: Tel 514-842-2634; www.lesanssoucy.com. Cost: from $135. TOQUÉ!: Tel 514-499-2084; www.restaurant-toque.com. Cost: dinner $70. L’ EXPRESS: Tel 514-845-5333. Cost: dinner $35. BEST TIMES: Feb–Mar for High Lights Winter Festival; Jun–Sep for nice weather.
Eastern Canada’s Top Mountain Resort
MONT TREMBLANT RESORT AND THE LAURENTIAN MOUNTAINS
Quebec, Canada
Mont Tremblant, North America’s second oldest ski resort (after Idaho’s Sun Valley; see p. 784) stands atop the highest peak (3,001 feet) of Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains. Established in 1939, Mont Tremblant is often ranked the No. 1 ski area in eastern North America, attracting skiers from around the world with more than 47 miles of trails (broken up into 94 runs). The mountain receives more than 150 inches of snow in winter, and a full 50 percent of its trails are classified expert, including the daunting double–black diamond Dynamite with its 42-degree incline, the steepest in eastern Canada.
At the mountain’s base lies Mont Tremblant Village, a pedestrian-only area designed to resemble Quebec City’s historic district, right down to its cobbled streets, wrought-iron balconies, and tin roofs, and its countless bars, restaurants, and shops. Le Shack, located on the St. Bernard Plaza, is Tremblant’s most popular après-ski spot, with a laid-back atmosphere that’s shared by the whole resort. The ski-in/ski-out Fairmont Tremblant sits just above the village, harmoniously integrated into its natural setting. It exudes the feel of a rustic château on a grand scale, with a fitness center, year-round indoor and outdoor swimming pools, whirlpools overlooking the ski slopes, and a European-style spa. At the resort’s top restaurant, the Windigo, chef Daniel Tobien brings traditional French savoir-faire to fresh local products.
Mont Tremblant is as busy in summer as in winter—families come for the water sports on Lake Tremblant, hiking and mountain biking in the Laurentians, and golf at two world-class 18-hole golf courses—the par-71 Le Diable and par-72 Le Géant—that are arguably Quebec’s best. July brings a popular nine-day blues festival; in September the Laurentian Mountains are ablaze with colorful autumn foliage, particularly the fiery red of native sugar maples.
WHERE: 75 miles/121 km north of Montreal. MONT TREMBLANT: Tel 888-736-2526 or 819-681-2000; www.tremblant.ca. Cost: lift tickets $70; greens fees from $75 (off-peak), from $115 (peak). When: ski season mid-Nov–mid-Apr. FAIRMONT TREMBLANT: Tel 819-681-7000; www.fairmont.com/tremblant. Cost: from $180 (off-peak), from $230 (peak). BEST TIMES: Dec–Mar for ski conditions; Jul for Blues Festival; Sep for foliage and Symphony of Colours Festival.
A Toast to Winter’s Chill
CARNAVAL DE QUÉBEC
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
In winter’s frosty midst—partly in defiance, partly in celebration—Quebec City springs to life during the Carnaval de Québec (Quebec Winter Carnival). The world’s largest winter carnival and the Mardi Gras of the north, it promises 17 festive days of dancing, music, parades, winter sports, and high spirits—much of the latter due to a traditional beverage called the Caribou, a mixture of brandy, vodka, sherry, and port. Plenty of events that cater to the whole family round out the roster.
Presiding over the carnival is Bonhomme, a snowmanlike creature who serves as festival ambassador and mythical resident of the Ice Palace, an enormous castle built entirely of ice near the Quebec Parliament building. A high point of the carnival is the International Snow Sculpture Competition at Place Loto-Québec. The narrow streets of Vieux-Québec (Old Quebec; see next page) ring with the mushers’ cries as La Grande Virée dogsledding competition circles the city; adults and children alike whiz down icy chutes on toboggans; and after downing a fortifying Caribou (or many), hardy Quebecois engage in the annual Snow Bath by stripping down to their Speedos in front of a raucous crowd and diving into a snowdrift. The annual canoe race is even more daring: Paddlers have raced across the ice-choked St. Lawrence River since 1894.
While all Vieux-Québec hotels put on a festive air, there’s no more appropriate place to check in than the Hôtel de Glace, a 32,000-square-foot hotel constructed of ice and snow. Located 30 minutes west of Quebec City, this “icetablishment” offers 36 guest rooms and suites and includes a wedding chapel, an art gallery, an ice slide, a Nordic-style spa with hot tubs and sauna, plus a bar and nightclub—all fashioned anew each year from 15,000 tons of snow and 500 tons of ice. Admittedly the Ice Hotel’s accommodations don’t appeal to everyone (and few reserve for more than one night), but at least make time to come for a drink—in an ice glass, of course—at the Ice Bar.
If you’d prefer a Carnaval nightcap with a bit less chill, ask for a Neige (a cider made like icewine) at the Auberge Saint-Antoine, an intimate hotel fashioned from an 1820s stone warehouse in Quebec City’s old port district. The Auberge’s restaurant, Panache, is one of the city’s top spots for fine dining, serving updated traditional Quebecois cuisine. Its lavish guest rooms, beautifully appointed in a mix of modern and historic themes, are likewise a contemporary iteration of a great classic.
The St. Lawrence River is the only place in the world where canoes are raced through the ice.
INFO: Tel 866-422-7628 or 418-626-3716; www.carnaval.qc.ca. When: late Jan–early Feb. HÔTEL DE GLACE: Tel 877-505-0423 or 418-875-4522; www.icehotel-canada.com. Cost: from $350. When: Jan–mid-Mar. AUBERGE SAINT-ANTOINE: Tel 888-692-2211 or 418-692-2211; www.saint-antoine.com. Cost: from $155 (off-peak), from $290 (peak); dinner at Panache $80.
Old France in the New World
VIEUX-QUÉBEC
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Once the capital of New France, Quebec City is one of the oldest European settlements in North America and the continent’s only walled city north of Mexico. Perched on Cap Diamant, a rocky promontory above the St. Lawrence River, it was established in 1608 by French explorer Samuel de Champlain. The walls of Vieux-Québec (Old Quebec) didn’t stop the British from taking the city in 1759, ending France’s colonial aspirations in eastern North America. Spend some time in this charming old-world enclave and you’ll wonder if the French ever got the memo.
Vieux-Québec is divided into the Haute-Ville and Basse-Ville (Upper and Lower Towns), designations that are now simply geographic but were once economic and strategic. Haute-Ville is the fortified city that occupies the crest of Cap Diamant. Brimming with atmosphere, it is best explored on foot. Winding, hilly streets lined by vintage stone houses and chic boutiques lead to leafy public squares, with glimpses of the St. Lawrence in the distance. Constructed by the British to defend against U.S. invasion during the War of 1812 a
nd occupying the highest crag of Cap Diamant, the Citadel is still a military fortification. At the center of Haute-Ville, the Auberge Place d’Armes bridges history by occupying two buildings—one from the 1640s, the other from 1853. The lovingly restored inn balances the genuinely old—antique stone walls and one-of-a-kind period details, such as furnishings from Versailles—with every modern comfort. A few steps down Rue St-Louis is Aux Anciens Canadiens, a venerable restaurant in a 1677 structure known for its home-style Quebecois fare, such as savory meat pies, maple-glazed duck, and platters of local cheese.
From the Terrasse Dufferin viewpoint, take the Escalier Casse-Cou (the aptly named Breakneck Stairs) or the funicular to Basse-Ville, the old port district at the base of Cap Diamant. The heart of Basse-Ville is Place Royale, the city’s public market area in the 17th century, now a charming cobblestone plaza flanked by stone houses, cafés, and the Église Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, dating from 1688. Amid the historic shops, galleries, and flower-bedecked squares of Basse-Ville is an updated gem, the Hôtel Le Germain-Dominion, whose vintage stone façade masks a stylish, contemporary boutique hotel. Formerly a warehouse, it has been transformed into a strikingly attractive place, the rooms all appointed with quiet good taste. An equally stylish experience awaits just around the corner at Laurie Raphaël Restaurant, where chef Daniel Vézina charts the frontiers of modern French-Canadian cooking, with bold flavors and exuberant presentations that are excitingly new yet grounded in Quebec’s hearty terroir.
Towering above all of Vieux-Québec with green-copper turrets, and in many ways the symbol of the city, is the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. Designed in the style of a Loire Valley château, it was built in 1893 on the highest point in town. Book an odd-numbered room in the main tower for a view of the St. Lawrence River, or an even-numbered room for a panorama of the city’s rooftops—probably the most European vista this side of Paris.
Château Frontenac is named for a governor of the colony of New France.
VISITOR INFO: www.bonjourquebec.com. AUBERGE PLACE D’ARMES: Tel 418-694-9485 or 866-333-9485; www.aubergeplacedarmes.com. Cost: from $120 (off-peak), from $190 (peak). AUX ANCIENS CANADIENS: Tel 418-692-1627; www.auxancienscanadiens.qc.ca. Cost: dinner $55. HÔTEL LE GERMAIN-DOMINION: Tel 888-833-5253 or 418-692-2224; www.hoteldominion.com. Cost: from $220. LAURIE RAPHAËL RESTAURANT: Tel 418-692-4555; www.laurieraphael.com. Cost: 6-course tasting menu $85. FAIRMONT LE CHTEAU FRONTENAC: Tel 800-441-1414 or 418-692-3861; www.fairmont.com/frontenac. Cost: from $195. BEST TIMES: late Jan–early Feb for Carnaval de Québec; Jul–Sep for best weather; mid-Jul for Festival d’Été de Quebec; Dec for Christmas Market.
Catching Gold Fever in the Klondike
DAWSON CITY AND THE YUKON RIVER
Yukon, Canada
In 1896, the cry went up: Gold! A small party of prospectors panning for nuggets on a remote tributary of the Yukon River discovered gold, and lots of it. Word of the Klondike gold fields spread like wildfire, and by 1898, Dawson City, just 165 miles south of the Arctic Circle, counted more than 30,000 inhabitants, a boomtown if ever there was one. While some early prospectors made easy fortunes, many other “Stampeders” eked out livings without ever holding a pan, working as merchants, suppliers, cardsharps, bankers, saloonkeepers, and dance-hall girls. By the 1910s, industrial dredging replaced prospecting, but not before the Klondike shipped out more than $360 million in gold.
Unlike many gold rush towns, Dawson City refused to die. It served as the capital of Yukon Territory until 1953, and with its late-Victorian hotels, saloons, false-fronted stores, and residences from mansions to miner’s shacks, Dawson City, with a year-round population of 1,300, eventually became an interesting open-air museum. Peer into Bombay Peggy’s Victorian Inn and Pub. Built in 1900 as the town brothel, it now peddles more reputable hospitality as a stylish inn with boudoiry guest rooms.
Stop by to view a replica of novelist Jack London’s log cabin (where he lived during his stint as a gold miner) or hear actors recite the verses of Robert Service, including “The Cremation of Sam McGee.” Or drop in Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall, Canada’s northernmost casino, replete with honky-tonk piano and dancing girls.
Nearly all 1898 gold rushers reached Dawson City via the mighty Yukon River—the fabled “River of Gold,” one of the most powerful rivers in North America. The most exhilarating way to enter town is still by river, perhaps even on a guided multiday canoe trip—you’ll pass rugged pristine wilderness, First Nation fishing camps, and abandoned mining sites before paddling into Dawson. Outfitters in Whitehorse offer a range of Yukon River expeditions (from a week to 17 days, depending on where you begin) that revive the Stampeders’ river journey, but with modern comforts and much better food.
In 1896, news of a gold rush traveled down the Yukon River.
WHERE: 333 miles/537 km north of Whitehorse. DAWSON NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE: Tel 867-993-7200; www.pc.gc.ca. HOW: Up North Adventures offers multi- and 1-day guided Yukon River canoe trips. Tel 867-667-7035, www.upnorthadventures.com. Cost: 7-day trip from $1,620. BOMBAY PEGGY’S VICTORIAN INN: Tel 867-993-6969; www.bombaypeggys.com. Cost: from $135 (off-peak), from $155 (peak). BEST TIMES: Jun–mid-Sep for long summer days; mid-Aug for Discovery Days celebrating the finding of Klondike gold.
LATIN AMERICA
MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA
SOUTH AMERICA AND ANTARCTICA
MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA
Where the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Meet
LOS CABOS
Baja California Sur, Mexico
At the tip of the 775-mile-long Baja Peninsula, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez, the resort area of los cabos (the capes) stretches over a 25-mile corridor that joins the desert towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. Development began in the 1980s, and Cabo San Lucas quickly earned a reputation as a wild, cerveza-drenched spring break destination. It became equally famous for its world-class fishing, with marlin and sailfish the top prizes.
Cabo turned high-end when a cluster of world-class resorts arrived, led by Las Ventanas al Paraíso, cushioned between sea and desert sands on 12 acres along the corridor. It has become a celebrity darling with its breezy suites, seaside drop-edge pool, an 18-hole Robert Trent Jones Jr. golf course, and a spa offering services from a torch-lit couple’s massage to cactus cleansing wraps.
More relaxed and traditional than Cabo is the colonial town of San José del Cabo, with its pink church, shady town square, and old adobe homes. Its slow siesta-time pace is epitomized at the stylish Casa Natalia, tucked away in a lush enclave in the historic center. European owners decorated the 16 high-ceilinged rooms with handmade furniture, local art, and brightly painted walls. Its restaurant, Mi Cocina, is a perennial favorite.
Just north of Cabo San Lucas on the Pacific coast lies Todos Santos, an oasis and artists’ colony with no resorts, golf courses, or strip malls—just a walkable little town with sophisticated galleries, boutiques, cafés, and restaurants. Café Santa Fe is renowned for Italian food (ask for the lobster and shrimp ravioli). There are beautiful, almost deserted beaches nearby and the best surf breaks in Baja California. Just outside of town, Rancho Pescadero is a cozy, luxurious inn where guests can read or snooze in a swaying hammock and spend nights listening to the gentle sound of the surf.
Sensational rock formations tower over the sandy beaches of Cabo San Lucas.
WHERE: About 1,000 miles/1,609 km south of San Diego. VISITOR INFO: www.visitloscabos.travel. LAS VENTANAS: Tel 52/624-144-2800; in the U.S., 888-767-3966; www.lasventanas.com. Cost: from $550 (off-peak), from $815 (peak). CASA NATALIA: Tel 52/624-146-7100; in the U.S., 888-277-3814; www.casanatalia.com. Cost: from $150; dinner $30. CAFÉ SANTA FE: Tel 52/612-145-0340. Cost: lunch $30. When: closed Sep–Oct. RANCHO PESCADERO: Tel 52/612-135-5849; in the U.S., 910-300-8891; www.ranchopescadero.com. Cost: from $185 (off-peak), from $250 (peak). BEST TIMES: Dec–Apr for whale-watching; Oct for international fishing tournaments.
The Aquarium of
the World
SEA OF CORTEZ AND SAN IGNACIO LAGOON
Baja California Sur, Mexico
Separating the 775-mile-long Baja Peninsula and the Mexican mainland, the Sea of Cortez brims with pristine, plankton-rich waters that create an amazing ecosystem like no other on earth. Jacques Cousteau called it the “aquarium of the world.” The uninhabited islands of Espíritu Santo, Isla Partida, and Isla Santa Catalina present a remarkable opportunity to snorkel in the midst of sea lions, dolphins, manta rays, and massive schools of fish. Boaters, kayakers, and snorkelers will find plenty to enjoy as well.
The Baja Peninsula’s Pacific coast is famed for one of nature’s most remarkable annual migrations. Gray whales swim 5,000 miles from their chilly Arctic feeding grounds to the safety of Baja’s warm, shallow waters in order to breed and calve from December to March. Hundreds of dolphins accompany the whales, sometimes along with humpback, finback, Bryde’s, sperm, and even blue whales, the largest animals on the planet.
One of the whale calving refuges is San Ignacio Lagoon, visited by several thousand whales every winter—it can host up to 400 at one time. Calves are about 15 feet long and can weigh up to 1,500 pounds at birth. The whales regularly approach small motorboats, called pangas, to be stroked by awed spectators.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 148