Cap off your winter with the ultimate weekend getaway in Canada.

By Robert Cocuzzo

Let’s face it, relations between the United States and Canada have seen better days. You only needed to watch the puck drop during the recent international hockey tournament between the US and Canada to get a sense of the growing tensions. After Canadian fans booed our national anthem, three fights broke out on the ice in the first nine seconds of the game. As any good Canuck might say, “It’s got a little rough out there, eh?”

But that is no reason to steer clear of our northern neighbors. For us New Englanders, an easy trip over the border can offer an exciting quick hit of international travel from the comfort of our cars. That’s exactly what my wife and I were thinking recently when we dropped off our daughters with their grandparents and headed up north to Quebec for a restorative weekend away. 

Immediately after crossing the border by way of Route 91 in Vermont, we banked east twenty minutes until we reached the foot of Mount Pinnacle. Donning winter coats and boots, we entered Parc Harold F. Baldwin, a 155-acre conservation area in the sleepy city of Coaticook. A bearded and bespectacled ranger straight out of central casting met us at the gates to guide us through the four trails to the top. 

The hourlong hike meandered through enchanting groves of maple trees each tapped for syrup harvesting until we started the gradual ascent of Mount Pinnacle. Two-thousand feet later, we stood at a clearing overlooking the snow-covered expanse of Lake Lyster above which peregrine falcons soared.

After making our way back to the car and having worked up an appetite, we drove some thirty-minutes northwest to the charming city of Magog for lunch. Dining options abounded, from Mediterranean tapas at Bistro Koz, to pasta at Pinocchios, to comfort food and cocktails at Les Enfantes Terribles. 

Feeling our oats from the hike, we opted for a crunchy hole-in-the-wall called Om Plante that specializes in a Brazilian delicacy of vegan crepes made of tapioca. Sitting at the small cafe table eating apple-stuffed crepes while the two restaurant owners chirped away in French, we could have been in a cafe in Paris.

After lunch, it was off to the main event, Manoir Hovey, a Relais & Chateaux property set on frozen banks of Lake Massawippi in the town of North Hatley. A winding road delivered us through the leafy hillside property to the hotel where we checked into an elegantly appointed room — “This wallpaper is to die for in here!” my wife gushed—with a balcony overlooking a snowy wonderland where other guests were snow-showing across the frozen lake. 

The history of Manoir Hovey stretches back to the late 1800s when an American entrepreneur erected the stately residence in the spirit of George Washington’s Mount Vernon plantation. Today, the Stafford family, who have owned the property since the 1970s, maintain the classic aesthetic while seamlessly integrating contemporary touches that are a collective homage to the property’s natural setting.

Following a quick wardrobe change to swimsuits, it was up to Le Spa located a short walk from our room. Handed plush robes and sandals, the tranquility was palpable the moment we entered. The spa recommends a Nordic Circuit, beginning with heating up the body in either the two outdoor hot tubs, sauna or hammam steam room for fifteen minutes. This is followed by a five- to fifteen-second soak in the cold plunge (or dip in the outdoor heated pool). The circuit culminates in sprawling out in the pillow-filled relaxation room behind floor-to-ceiling windows.

After running through the hot-cold circuit a few times, we settled into the relaxation room where a sound bath ceremony was just getting underway. With eyes closed and a certain ease already setting over us from the Nordic Circuit, the reverberations of the musician’s chanting and instruments transported us a million miles away from our everyday grind of kid’s play dates, loading and unloading the dishwasher and frigid-cold mornings scraping the cars of ice. 

Dinner was a short walk from the spa at Le Hatley, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant with literally white-gloved service. Waiters moved about the dining room with synchronized perfection. The bar was set the moment the bread service arrived with a crusty, warm baguette paired with two kinds of housemade butter along with small hand-prepared accouterments. Next came an appetizer of creamy risotto with truffles followed by my entree of filet mignon served over potato and spinach and topped with lightly grilled foie gras. The evening was capped with decadent chocolate and caramel ganache, peanut, fleur de sel, caramel ice cream. The meal was nothing short of exquisite.

The following morning broke clear and bright. We borrowed snowshoes from reception and marched out onto the ice. “Don’t worry, it’s two feet thick,” the desk clerk assured us. “You could drive a tank onto that lake.” After walking down the dock and donning our snowshoes, we noticed a little hut set up, which I later learned is used to take guests ice fishing. If you’re lucky enough to hook into a lake trout, they will cook it up for you on an open fire right on the ice. As for us, our breakfast back inside included homemade pastries, cheese and charcuterie followed by a decadent stack of pancakes that would make Aunt Jemima blush.

Before leaving to return to reality, we reported to Le Spa for its signature Massawippi massages. As the therapist dug into one of the many dad-bod-induced knots tying up my back, I enjoyed one last deep breath of rest and relaxation before heading back to the States. An hour later, we were greeted by a smiling border agent. “Welcome home,” he said. Indeed, it felt good being back in the States, especially knowing that a quiet escape could always be found just north of our borders from New England. 

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