Canada's Ice Hotel & Station touristique Duchesnay

The day we planned away from Quebec City started in style. A limousine arrived early and picked the 9 of us girls up for a ride about an hour to Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier. We arrived at Station touristique Duchesnay, on the shores of Lac Saint-Joseph and headed straight for Hotel de Glace -- the Ice Hotel. What a marvel. Massive blocks of ice are used to create the hotel and inside is filled with carved ice and snow. I can't believe people really sleep there, but the nightly rate includes the gear you'll need to stay warm. We did take a break from our tour to stop by the coffee bar for steamy cups of hot chocolate. 

While the ice hotel is the big winter draw, the Duchesnay Inn is ideal for summer getaways. There are 88 rooms in the inn and lodges along the lake. Even in the winter it was filled with folks snowshoeing, skiing, and enjoying the tranquility of winter on the lake. 

We had lunch at the inn's restaurant, le Quatre temps. I started with a cream of tomato and oregano soup, perfect after our trip through the ice hotel, then enjoyed pesto and shrimp Alfredo penne pasta. The bread served with the meal was divine.

After lunch, we went a bit farther up the hill to Tyst Tradgard, a new-style Scandinavian spa set in this winter wonderland. The 9 of us girls had our own private hydrotherapy session and it was one not to be forgotten. 

Keep in mind, it was cold and everything was outside in the snow. After changing into swimsuits and robes, we climbed down snow-covered stairs to the outdoor hot whirlpool. during our 30 minutes there, we ventured out to douse our warm bodies with water from the ice cold waterfall, plunge into the cold pool, throw ourselves in a snow bank, or simply walk around in the single-digit weather in a swimsuit. We followed that with 15 minutes in the sauna, also broken up with trips to the ice tunnel and waterfall. We finished in a pool of warm water. Afterward, we dried out snuggled in blankets while relaxing in hammocks around a fire. I definitely enjoyed my day at Station touristique Duchesnay.

The trip back to Quebec City was filled with laughter, bubbling champagne, and memories of a lifetime.