Château Montebello Yacht Club

 8/4/23

A short stop on our Great Loop Adventure we loved the Château Montebello, well worth a visit for a day or two or maybe longer to this historic resort which claims to be the largest log building in the world!

It was a pleasure to spend a night at the Yacht Club at the Château Montebello property on the shores of the Ottawa River about half way between Montreal and Ottawa. The Yacht Club is a private club with limited transient slips. In the past you would need to be a guest at the Château Montebello resort to reserve a slip. Lucky for us, that is no longer the case. We contacted the Yacht Club on possibly the busiest weekend of the summer, the last weekend of the Quebec "Construction Holiday". In the early 1970s, Quebec legislated an annual 2 week holiday for the construction industry, it usually runs from late July to early August. Many Quebecers outside the construction industry also take their holidays during this time, so we were thrilled when the marina said they had space. 

The Yacht Club has a beautiful club house with lots of space for lounging if you want to get off your boat and many facilities to grill and gather with boat friends. A nice alternative to on the dock entertaining.

The resort is full service with exceptional dining options. We elected for the summer barbeque. We thought we were going to a buffet. We were pleasantly surprised to find they brought a mini buffet to our table and if we wanted more they would replenish. Canadians are expert smokers, the barbeque was amazing!

Milo was very happy to walk the expansive property from by the shore to into the walking and biking trails. From what we saw, a visit to Château Montebello in any season would be fun. 

There are many historic buildings on the grounds, this was the old stable. Now it is the Nordic skiing center complete with seating and firepits for warming up with a hot toddy or two in the winter. 

One of my favorite parts of the resort was the drive up to the front entrance and lobby. At first it seems to be a narrow unassuming entrance to the resort and once you pull into the lobby vestibule you are engulfed in twinkling lights and feel like you have been transported to a magically land. Its a small space with intricate wall carvings and multi-stone textures, it takes a few moments to take it all in or you come back a few times to examine the details which is what I did.

The lobby is impressive to say the least. Similar to some of the other great hotels of its time in North America the Château Montebello has a majestic lobby with a gallery floor layout, allowing for multi viewing areas. An impressive structure is the massive 6 sided stone fireplace. It huge and comfy all at the same time.

I couldn't believe the indoor pool, it was incredible. I felt like I was in a giant solarium. The log structure adds a warmth to this immense space. I imagine in the colder months this is really fun! They also have a gorgeous outdoor pool I didn’t grab a photo of. 

In the end as always the marina is where we always want to be. If you are ever in this part of Canada, the Château Montebello is a must see. A splurge for sure, but well worth it.

All our best from the vessel COAST , Captain Walt and crew Aimee and Milo