Day 1 - Travel Day, Lower Town, Chateau Frontenac
We left Toronto at 9am with Air Canada Jazz for Quebec City with a stopover in Montreal. In Montreal we had a bit of a delay as our intended 50 seater did not pass maintenance so we were bumped to a 37 seater. Seeing that meant the flight was now overbooked Air Canada asked for 3 volunteers to give up their seats until a later flight that day in return for a $200 credit and free access to the Maple Leaf Lounge, which supposedly has unlimited alcohol. Before we even had a chance to debate this, 3 people eagerly jumped up and offered up their places. No biggie just meant we would still get into Quebec City by lunchtime, which meant more sight seeing for us.
Basking in sunshine, we arrived at Quebec City's small airport and quickly jumped into a cab to take us to our hotel. They have a fixed rate of $30 from the airport to downtown, which isn't too bad. Our cabbie was friendly and tried to speak some English to us, pointing out some nice areas to see. As we drove along the St. Lawrence River, the difference in landscape from the lower part and higher cliff part was obvious. As we pulled closer to the downtown area, we were able to see the Chateau Frontenac and the narrow cobblestone streets that make up old Quebec City; a very obvious European feel. Then before we knew it we pulled up to a quaint, narrow street and that was our hotel, the Auberge Saint-Antoine.
We picked this hotel because it was recommended by Frommers as the best romantic hotel in the city. They had a doorman that quickly helped us with our bags and welcomed us to the hotel. When we walked into the lobby it was exactly like how we read about it. It was the first time for me staying at a boutique hotel but I was impressed with the dim lighting to the ancient artifacts in the wall set in front of bright neon lighting that alternates between the colour spectrum. Just to the side from the lobby was the bar and three fireplaces with sofas where you can relax and enjoy a drink. Very chic and modern looking and a pleasant change to the standard business style hotels that we often normally go to.
We were well earlier than the normal 4pm check in time, but they had a room for us on the second floor. The doormen showed us to our room. As we came off the elevator the halls also were dimly lit and the corridors went off in a zigzag pattern in various directions, which gave it a mysterious kind of feel, which I liked. Once in our room we were amazed by the layout and details and quality of the furnishings. A nice walk in space for our clothes, a huge bathroom with a separate room for the toilet, oversized tub and a sink and heated bathroom floors. The living area had a nice soft queen sized bed with warm duvet covers, a lounge chair and sofa as well as a TV and CD player, which was cool. All the lightings were adjustable so you could set the right strength to set the mood. Overall very cozy and very comfortable. The view was of the St. Lawrence River and our little terrace area just outside our room. If we were a little further up we would have been able to see the river better, but we were not complaining.
After chilling in our room for a bit, we decided to go out and take a stroll of Lower Town. Before we left the hotel we booked a country tour for the next day to see the falls since Aleen was very adamant on seeing them. We finally hit the cobblestone streets and enjoyed the nice sunny day. We walked over to Place Royale, which is very picturesque with its old stone houses and church dating back to the 1600s. Lots of people are also wandering around taking pictures and enjoying the old school charm. We walked down a couple of narrow streets and found various shops and cafes and all very evidently French.
We made our way over to Quartier Petit Champlain which is were we saw on the top of the cliff the Chateau Frontenac. Built in 1893 this building is the symbol of Quebec City and majestically overlooks the Lower Town on its perch. You can walk up the winding road or steps or take the Funiculaire, which is like a trolley that goes up the cliff, for a $1.50. Seeing we had been in a plane most of the morning we decided on the road and steps. Lots of others took the same route.
