Restless Explorer | Travel Blog – Tips, Reviews & Destination Guides

When most people think about travel, they picture hopping on a plane to somewhere far away, and I get it, because that’s usually what I like to do.  I’ve been to 26 countries; all over the Caribbean and Latin America, Europe, and Asia and I’m always looking for a new place to go. But over the last year, we’ve been spending more time travelling withing Canada and exploring our own country, and surprisingly, we’ve had some amazing trips.   

Québec is probably Canada’s coolest province, and asides from Montréal and Québec, there are other cool places to visit like Tadoussac where you can find Fjords and some of the best whale watching in the world. Tadoussac is known as one of the best whale-watching spots on the planet, and it lived up to the hype. It all happens because the freshwater from the Saguenay Fjord mixes with the salty water of the St. Lawrence River, creating a giant “whale buffet.” This unique underwater blender pushes tons of food to the surface, attracting up to 13 different species of marine mammals every summer. Because it’s such a massive hotspot, you get the chance to see everything from belugas to giant humpbacks.

Did you know that Québec has a waterfall that’s taller than Niagara Falls?  Montmorency Falls are just outside of Québec City and are a must visit when travelling to Québec.  You can rent a car and explore on your own, but for a stress-free day, you can book a day tour to Montmorency Falls, Île d’Orléans and rural Québec.  We booked with Get Your Guide, and if this is something that interests you, CLICK HERE to check prices and book.  The tour was fully guided, on an air-conditioned bus and stops at I’le D’Orleans, Montmorency Falls, a Copper Art Studio and the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.

The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is the world’s most photographed hotel, and one look and it’s no wonder tourists flock to when in Québec City.  Some tourists just go for photos, others go to look around and those looking for an upscale meal can choose between one of the few restaurants the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac offers.  You can go to Bar 1608 for cocktails and appetizers, for a luxury experience and full course meals there’s Champlain Restaurant and then there’s Bistro Le SAM a casual but upscale restaurant.  We opted for Bistro Le SAM.

I’ve been to Québec City several times, once for a two-week French course with Eduinter several years ago and most recently this past summer with my family.  Québec is mostly French speaking and Old Québec is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It’s safe to say I love Québec and with the culture, history, nightlife and food scene I’d say Québec is Canada’s most unique city.  In Québec you feel like you’re stepping back in time, its historical, and the architecture and cobblestone streets make you feel like you’re in Europe.  It’s a relatively small city so it’s easy to explore and there are plenty of cool day trips you can experience all while staying in Québec.

This summer we stayed in Québec City for 4 nights and wanted to stay in a good location at an affordable price.  Summer is peak season so fancy hotels were pricey, so we opted to stay in a charming bed and breakfast, B & B Manoir Mon Calme which is located on Grande Allée.  Reviews looked good, the location seemed excellent and the price was good, and using my hotels.com mobile app gave an extra discount of $200, so we booked B & B Manoir Mon Calme at a decent price.

Montréal is famous for poutine: fries covered in fresh cheese curds and gravy… and that’s just the classic poutine, you can get all sorts of extras on your poutine like bacon, smoked meat, peppers, hamburger and more!  And there’s nowhere more famous for poutine in Montréal than La Banquise which has an extensive and creative menu and it is open 24/7.

Montréal is one of North America’s coolest cities, and in my opinion, one of the coolest in the world.  The culture is amazing which I discussed in my Montréal Experience Blog, but another reason the city is so awesome is because of all that there is to do.  Whether you’re young and single and looking for a wild night, a history lover, a sports fan or looking for some family fun, there are endless things to do.

Montréal has several professional sports teams, including MLS (or Major League Soccer); so, what is it like attending a CF Montréal game?  How’s the quality of soccer, the atmosphere, stadium and prices?  We try attending a sporting event in each major city we travel to and since we’d never been to a professional soccer game before it was time to attend an MLS game and watch the CF Montréal (formerly Montréal Impact) play.

Montréal is one of the best cities to explore in Canada, there are too many things to see and do, so you’ll want to maximize your time and stay in a good location with easy access to public transportation.  The Residence Inn by Marriott Montreal Downtown, is downtown and on Peel Street; this is one of the two best areas to stay: Centre-ville or Old Montréal.  But Montréal being such a hot tourist destination, especially during the busy summer festival season, staying in these areas gets pricey.  When researching hotels, I found there was no in-between, it was either a nice (pricey) hotel in a hot location or a dive where you’d run the risk of bringing bed bugs home.  So, we opted for the Residence Inn by Marriott Montreal Downtown, which was rated highly and was a reasonable price with all things considered.

Some people say Montréal is one of the coolest cities in North America and others call it Canada’s Las Vegas.  Well, Montréal is one of my favorite cities in the world, and I’d agree with both of those statements, that’s why I keep coming back.  Montréal is where I started my travel journey 12 years ago; I enrolled in the Explore Program, a 5-week summer language program. The program took place at the Université de Montréal and is open to Canadian university students.  I learned a bit of French but mostly partied, made friends and explored the lively city daily.  After that, I was hooked on travelling and haven’t stopped since. Fast forward to this summer, which was my fifth time back in Montréal, but this time with my family.  Things have changed, a few of the old bars (Terrasse Bonsecours & Saint-Sulpice to name a few) are gone and the cheap drink specials aren’t like they used to be, but still Montréal is Montréal and it’s one hell of a city.

Tonga Lumina is one of Mont-Tremblant’s most popular activities, so was it worth the hype?  We purchased the Multi-Activity Bundle and Tonga Lumina was one of our 3 activities.