Quebec lodging encompasses resorts, hotels, inns, condos, B&Bs, motels, chalets, cottages, eco-lodges, cabins and campgrounds.
For memorable alternatives to these traditional vacation accommodations, consider the following unusual Quebec hotels.
Where to stay in Quebec City
The ice hotel in Quebec City is open from early January to late March. Built from 15,000 tons of snow and 500 tons of ice, the Hotel de Glace is the only ice hotel in North, South and Central America.
Besides 36 rooms and suites, the Quebec ice hotel has an ice bar, ice café, ice sculptures, ice slide, fireplaces and even an ice chapel for weddings. Hotel de Glace guests have access to heated bathrooms and an exterior sauna and spas.
Lighthouse hotel
In Quebec Maritime, you can stay in a former lighthouse keeper's house located next to Pointe-des-Monts Lighthouse in Baie-Trinité. The four rooms in Auberge du Gardien are available from mid-June to mid-September.
Besides dining on fresh crab, scallops, lobster and shrimp, guests view exhibits in the Pointe-des-Monts Lighthouse, whale-watch and observe marine mammals.
Snow shelter
In the Porc-Epic area of Parc National du Bic in Rimouski, Quebec, guests can stay in two igloo hotels. The NunaBic package provides all required equipment.
Ferme 5 Étoiles family farm, in Sacré-Coeur, offers igloo accommodations in winter. Guests sleep on caribou skins in the igloos.
Yurt camping
In addition, the Ferme 5 Etoiles family vacation site offers yurt rentals in the Côte-Nord - Manicouagan region of Quebec Maritime. These round Mongolian nomad tents are also available at Parc National du Bic (Bas-Saint-Laurent) and Vert-et-Mer in Fatima (Iles de la Madeleine).
Garden of the Glaciers (Jardin des Glaciers) in Baie-Comeau, Quebec, has yurt camping, as well. Each yurt has two double beds, kitchen equipment and a propane stove.
Yurt tents at Cime Aventures, in Bonaventure (Gaspesie, Quebec), have fridges, outdoor firepits and private bathrooms. Yurt rentals at Aube Aventure in Cap-aux-Os (Gaspesie) feature a shared kitchen and great views of Forillon National Park of Canada and Gaspé Bay.
Teepee camping
Cime Aventures and Ferme 5 Etoiles offer teepee camping. The Cime Aventures teepees have wooden floors, indoor and outdoor fire pits, beds and picnic tables.
Teepee camping is also available at Paradis Marin in Les Bergeronnes (Cote-Nord - Manicouagan). Campers can watch whales from the shore of the St. Lawrence Estuary and take guided sea kakaking tours of the St. Lawrence River.
Huttopia
Families wanting to experience the pleasures of camping with the comforts of home can stay in Huttopia tents. Parcs Quebec has installed these fully equipped tents in 14 Quebec national parks, including Bic, Gaspésie (Sainte-Anne-des-Monts) and Saguenay.
Each Huttopia tent accommodates five people (maximum five adults). Besides electric or gas heating, Huttopia campers have two bedrooms separated by canvas, a two-burner camp stove, small fridge, table, chairs, kitchen equipment and a picnic table.
Tree house hotels
Saguenay-Lac-Saint Jean has several unusual accommodations. Besides campgrounds and log cabins, Parc Aventures Cap Jaseux offers tree house cabins.
Located eight meters (26 feet) above the ground, the tree houses have wicker furniture, tables, chairs and barbecues. Each tree house hotel accommodates up to four people and offers great views of the Saguenay Fjord.
Guests can experience zip lines, kayaking, sailing, rock wall climbing (Via Ferrata), river rafting, sailing, hiking and an aerial ropes course.
Wildlife camping
At Zoo Sauvage in St-Félicien, Quebec, families camp in a prospector tent next to a herd of caribou or the Amur tigers habitat.
As an alternative to a Laval hotel, parents (on specific programs) and kids (ages nine to 15) can stay in space station modules at the Cosmodome Space Camp. Each module has four bunk beds.
Mobile hotels
For more unusual lodging in Quebec, consider a mobile hotel that travels while you sleep. Sleeper cars on Via Rail trips between Montreal and Gaspé, for example, provide accommodations in berths, in cabins for one, two, three or four people and in suites.
Alternatively, consider a floating hotel. Passengers sleep in economy or superior cabins on the M/V Nordik Express as it cruises between Rimouski and Blanc-Sablon, Quebec. The coastal supply ship visits remote ports, including Anticosti Island.
Passengers can also sleep aboard the M/V Vacancier on ferry trips from Montreal to Iles de la Madeleine. During St. Lawrence River cruises, the CTMA ferry stops at Gaspesie and Quebec City.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Tourism Quebec: www.quebecoriginal.com
More things to see & do in Quebec:
Casino de Montreal & Casino de Lac Leamy Restaurants
Mont Avila Quebec Tubing
Bistro à Champlain - Quebec Laurentians
Quebec Bicycle Trips
Charlevoix Food and Drinks
