The Brand New Club Med Québec Takes Care of Everything While You Enjoy Your Ski Vacation

Club Med Québec’s activities

Club Meds are always the ideal resort for those who want to maximize their vacation by learning something new, perfecting their skills, or wanting as many activity choices as possible to fill their days.

At Club Med Québec, the focus is on the runs and trails of Le Massif – whether for skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or hiking. Le Massif has the highest vertical east of the Canadian Rockies at 2,526 feet. Yes, your ears will pop at least once as you ascend the gondola, all while you gaze at the wide St. Lawrence River at the base of the mountain.

Photo: Club Med Québec Charlevoix

In addition to the gondola, Le Massif has three high-speed quad chairs plus several surface lifts. That includes a brand new magic carpet to effortlessly get you from the base of the gondola almost to the door of the hotel, making Club Med Québec a true ski-in-ski-out resort. Le Massif’s lift capacity is 10,060 skiers per hour. Lots of snow falls here — between 200 and 250 inches annually — plus there’s a recently upgraded snowmaking system. You’ll have more than 400 skiable acres to explore, with a mix of green runs for beginners plus both groomed and ungroomed slopes for those with more experience.

Ski and snowboard classes, guided skis, and ski workshops are all included in your Club Med Québec stay. Here’s a tip to help you get a ski school A+: casually use the French word for moguls — les bosses — in class (pronounced “lay boss”).

Outside of the snow season, Le Massif has 12 enduro-style, lift-accessible mountain biking trails. The majority are at the intermediate level, with three beginner trails plus four for expert riders. Club Med Québec provides bikes and helmets plus mountain biking lessons.

Kids aged four months to 17 years have access to four different kids clubs, differentiated by age, with a full range of activities including ski, snowboarding, and mountain biking lessons by certified instructors. Care for babies and toddlers, plus babysitting, is at extra cost.

Year-round, Club Med Québec’s classes include their circus school’s juggling, acrobatics, and trampoline, plus yoga, pilates, meditation, spinning and high-intensity training. Guided hikes are also included and you can choose themed hikes to learn about the region’s flora and fauna and what’s edible in the forest, a forest survival hike, and an outdoor meditation hike.

Photo: Club Med Québec Charlevoix

Regardless of the season, Club Med Québec tempts with its 25-yard-long indoor pool (complete with shallow wading area for kids), outdoor hot tub, and co-ed eucalyptus steam bath, plus two gyms. Guests of the eighth-floor Exclusive Collection space — with its deluxe rooms and room-service breakfast included — have a few more hot tubs on a balcony off a lounge. You can also book a treatment in the Spa by Sothys (at extra cost), or just buy a day pass to enjoy the views over the St. Lawrence River and the circuit of outdoor hot and cold pools, indoor dry sauna and steam bath, and even a snow fountain.

In the evenings, the focus turns to Club Med Québec’s gourmet restaurants and the large theater area with its expert bartenders at the open bar, nightly specialty cocktails and snacks, plus on-stage entertainment.

The stay at Club Med Québec

Photo: Club Med Québec Charlevoix

Photo: Club Med Québec Charlevoix

Club Med Québec’s 302 superior and deluxe rooms and suites overlook the wide St. Lawrence River or face the mountain, complete with a balcony so you can admire the views and double-check the weather. For superior rooms, you’ll have either two doubles or a king bed plus a pull-out couch in an area that can be curtained off from the rest of the room. A smoked glass window, etched with snowy trees and star constellations, separates the bathroom from the sleeping area. You’ll have a large bathtub with shower (the mobility-accessible rooms just have a shower stall), plus a double sink with plenty of storage space. The toilet is in a separate room. Your closet has an area for hanging items plus two large shelving units. You can store your sports clothes in the drawers under the bed or in your room’s ski locker next to the entranceway to the slopes.

Photo: author

As with all Club Meds, food takes a high priority and Club Med Québec takes advantage of the region’s thriving local food scene. The Charlevoix region is within an immense 340-million-year-old meteor crater. It and the salt-and-fresh-water St. Lawrence River bring a unique terroir that the area’s farmers turn into specialty local products like foie gras from traditionally-raised ducks, vodka made from sheep whey, boar charcuterie and pheasant mousse. Club Med’s chefs feature this terroir in the resort’s three restaurants, where 30 percent of the ingredients come from within 62 miles of the resort; almost 80 percent of the ingredients are from within Canada.

Local Charlevoix foods are particularly highlighted in Le Chalet Gourmet Lounge. It’s part of the all-inclusive plan, but you’ll need a reservation to enjoy its seasonal multi-course, family-style dinners. You’ll find cheeses from La Famille Migneron de Charlevoix drizzled with M le Honey, Quebecois meats, fish and vegetables, and even local Omerto wines made from tomatoes.

Club Med Québec’s main restaurant is Le Marché, serving a buffet at breakfast, lunch, and dinner with several cooking stations. In the mornings, you’ll find fruits and vegetables turned into fresh juices, proper croissants and pain au chocolat, plus eggs, meats, cheese and charcuterie, and sweet treats like pancakes. Lunch and dinner have ever-changing international selections — even grilled Atlantic Canada lobster tails — plus freshly-made pizzas and pastas. Gelato, fruits, pastries and — in the French style — more cheese await for dessert.

Part of the Le Marché space, Terroir & Co. is aimed at families and you can order make-it-yourself raclettes and fondues. As at all Club Meds, your ski instructor, yoga teacher, or your child’s favorite kids club staff member might ask if they can join you at your table. It’s an ideal way to get their advice on the runs to try tomorrow, the best dessert, or just to make your child feel special.

Club Med Québec’s excursions

Photo: Club Med Québec Charlevoix

If you can tear yourself away from the resort and the mountain, Club Med Québec offers a wide variety of excursions. You could go dog sledding or snowmobiling, take a tour of Quebec City and the historic Chateau Frontenac, discover the history and traditions of the Huron‑Wendat First Nation, visit the shops in the town of Baie-Saint-Paul, sample local products on the Flavour Trails of Charlevoix, or admire the river and cute towns while aboard the seasonal Train de Charlevoix. Springtime means experiencing a sugar shack to see how maple syrup is made and eating taffy in the snow. May to October is whale watching season — 13 types of whales swim in the St. Lawrence east of Club Med near Tadoussac, including belugas and blue whales.

Getting to Club Med Québec

Fly to Quebec City (possible connections through Toronto or Montreal). If you like, Club Med can arrange the hour-and-a-half transfer from the airport to the resort (at additional cost). If you want to drive yourself, Club Med Québec is seven hours from Boston, six hours from Portland, Maine, and four hours from Montreal.