Imagine being an heiress to a railroad fortune in the late 1800’s, a time where grandeur and opulence abounded amongst the wealthy. A quick jaunt to stay in a brand new château, with turrets overlooking one of the most important waterways of the time, was just a train ride away. First class service, fine dining, and impeccable accommodations are waiting for you, begging you to indulge.
That is what it should feel like staying at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City, Canada. This gorgeous hotel, which opened in 1893 during the peak of the Second Industrial Revolution, was designed in the Châteauesque architecture style favored by Canada’s grand railway hotel builders. It’s been expanded three times since it was built, but it still hold the splendor of the original hotel.
When it was finally time to take The Husband to Quebec City (he skipped the trip I took with my mom and grandma years ago), I knew we had to stay at the Château Frontenac.
We booked three nights there, after staying a night with the wolves at Parc Omega and before staying three nights in Montreal. The location is perfect for a first visit to Quebec. It sits atop a hill over Old Quebec, with sweeping views of the city and the St. Lawrence River. It’s as easy to get down to Old Quebec (especially if you aren’t terrified of funiculars like I am), as it is to get around to other neighborhoods.
Driving in Old Quebec’s Upper Town is a bit chaotic, with the narrow streets and lots of tourists roaming around, and the valet wasn’t much better. There were a lot of people and, like most expensive places, everyone staying there thinks they should be first. It was practically snowing (freezing rain but close enough) so we just patiently waited in the car for the valet.
The line was pretty long to check in, and went quite slow. We booked a Fairmont Queen, and that’s what we got. Since it was the slow season (second week of April) I thought we might get upgraded. We did get a $50 CAD room credit per day, which no one told us until the third night, when we asked about something else.
Our room was in the corner, with a great view of the roof and part of the hotel. The room was small, the bathroom was smaller, and the bed was tiny! It felt more like a double than a queen. There was barely any space to walk around the bed, yet the closet was huge and there was a pretty useless desk area. Useless because the wifi was horrible. It didn’t work at all in our room.
The lobby, restaurants, and bars were beautiful. The restaurants were all more upscale than casual, but we did manage to find something we would both eat for lunch. It was nearly freezing and pouring out, so we really didn’t have a choice. It ended up being quite good.
Because of the weather, we got a lot of our steps in the gym. They have a decent amount of equipment, and it was clean. There is also a pool and a sauna.
Overall, it was a nice experience and a lovely hotel, but not worth approximately $400 CAD per night, and that was the off season. For the same room in mid-July, it starts at $541 CAD per night. If we go back, I would stay somewhere else and stop by the Frontenac for a drink.