Less than two hours from Montreal and 15 minutes from downtown Ottawa enjoy this outdoor Nordic type spa set against a backdrop of the granite rock outcroppings of the Canadian shield.
The indoor/outdoor cafe is for guests only and features healthy, inexpensive meals, fine wines and chocolate fondues.
A great gift idea as visits start a $55.00 per day with food and beverage options. All types of massage are available for an extra fee. Visit Le Nordik Nature SpaT: 819-827-1111
A twenty minute drive east of Gatineau finds this challenging, yet fun for all levels of golfer course. Carts are mandatory on the 320 acres of natural hilly mature forest terrain interspersed with meandering streams.
14 elevated tees from 20 to 100 feet provide excellent views of the Gatineau hills. While the holes are mostly short, the varied scenery adds to the enjoyment. Strategically placed rock and fauna formations, not to mention the signature "sorcier tree" potentially come into play on many of the holes.
Visit Le Sorcier Golf Course
T: 819.669.9797
One of Canada's foremost parks, Gatineau is filled with scenic vistas and a wide variety of walking trails. Highlights include the Pink Lake (which is really green) and the King Mountain Trail from which visitors can see the Ottawa valley, downtown Gatineau and Ottawa. Canada's first triangulation point is found here at 1,129 feet.
The Park is very popular with cyclists though the hills are too steep for the casual rider.
A beautiful five star property with loads of free extras which include lighted tennis courts (open until 10 pm) minimum three hour bike rentals for touring the lake route on which the hotel sits and a second level indoor/outdoor pool and spa.
Situated next to the Casino du Lac Leamy, the 349 rooms offer an urban resort experience.A CAA-AAA five diamond restaurant since 2001, Le Baccara dinners start with French champagne and beautiful views of Lac Leamy making the walk through the casino worth the visit.
The creative young chef fuses such disparate ingredients as local bison and a quail egg tempura to come up with a very original cold entree. A hit off the hot entree menu features pan fried duck foie gras combined with mango and salted caramel and cocoa.
Visit Le Baccara Restaurant
T: 819.772.6210.
Trendy yet laid back and very popular vegetarian restaurant just a few blocks from Le Nordik Nature Spa on Chelsea's main street at number 168.
Try to score a seat on the sunny patio by arriving just before or after the lunch hour rush. Best bets include the over-sized healthy, yet tasty salads and signature pizzas. T: 819.827.7687