Our room was very large with a queen bed, a double bed, a double pull out sofa and a round table. The room had a small balcony, a fireplace, a small television, small fridge and coffeemaker. We noted the carpets had seen better days and there were only 4 drawers and 6 hangers.

As is common in many places we stay, the room lamps seemed to have only 40 watt lightbulbs in them (Dual-purpose, no doubt: to save money and to hide any imperfections. We promptly went out and purchased brighter bulbs. In fact, this is permanently on my "things to pack" list, but we never do because they are so fragile.)

In our package, breakfast was included and the choices offered were more than adequate with variety of egg entrees, ham, bacon, sausage, french toast, fruit salad, cereals, etc. This is served in the restaurant area which is on the roadside overlooking the mountain--a very nice way to start the day.

The hotel has two pools, one indoor and an outdoor pool, which is open in winter. My kids totally loved prancing through the snow in their bathing suits and then jumping into the heated pool.

On our table every night there was a little card with the weather forecast along with a few small treats (chocolate covered cherries, fudge, etc.). There was a book at the front desk with activities the hotel could arrange and while we were there, there was a tour group from Pennsylvania and one night they went into Montreal to the casino. Snowmobiles could be rented on site.

On the whole, we quite enjoyed our stay at Estrimont. There are many different combinations of packages which could include all meals, lift tickets, etc. The dinner menu was tempting, but since we were having breakfast on site, we were keen on trying some of the other intriguing restaurants nearby.

The website is www.estrimont.qc.ca

Club Vacances is comprised of four or five buildings with several units in each--not a very large resort. Across the street there is a recreation complex with courts, a pool, a bar or lounge of sorts, and a rock climbing room with very old sofas as I recall. I am not sure if it belonged to Club Vacances or if we were just able to use it, but to get there we ended up wading through knee deep snow. Our teenage daughters wanted to try the pool, and we were not pleased to find we had to pay $2 for towels.

Our unit was on the second floor and we had an interior staircase where we could stash our skis and boots. It did not lock, however and we had some unfounded concerns that our equipment would be stolen.

At the front desk there was a book with the various restaurants and their menus.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Poor
• Amenities: Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Very Good

French cuisine and Breton Creperie are the cuisine highlighted on the web site http://www.paimpolaisedemagog.com/.

Our food was uniformly delicious. We ordered a variety of crepe dishes. On our next visit to the Townships we were wanting to return but it was on one of the nights it was closed.

Our meal for four cost $80 Canadian.

The restaurant is on the main road, but somewhat difficult to access and I believe we ended up driving past it and turning around.

The food is typical of those chicken places--great for kids and teens and just fine if that is what you are looking for during the evening.

Quebec serves these flavored beers called Tornadoes or Hurricanes. I always have one when I visit.

There are two floors. We were seated upstairs and fairly close to other patrons and also conveniently located next to the "grill your own bread" station. Our kids loved that. I loved the flavored beers called Tornadoes and Hurricanes.

The pasta dishes were nothing special, but their dessert--a kind of upside down cake--was very much enjoyed by the whole family.

The restaurant is in an old two-story home that was decorated with twinkly lights outside. Inside there were lots of antique mirrors and sconces on the walls. There was a fairly large main area and several smaller areas off the main one which smaller groups of people could have some privacy in. We sat beside a window overlooking the garden, although it was winter and snow-covered.

We were met at the entrance and shown where we could hang up our coats and escorted to our table by a very friendly maitre d', who had no trouble when we mentioned our voucher.

I ordered from the table d'hôte. The cream of tomato soup was delicious. There was a spinach brioche and a tasty salad. The main course was a heavenly lamb tenderloin in a maple sauce. My husband had a Caesar salad and a nicely cooked steak. The teenage girls we had with us ordered tagliatelle. I suggested they split one, but they each wanted one to themselves and ended up eating about half. Nevertheless they had room for a chocolate bombe, which was like an ice cream cake with a brownie base.

We enjoyed great service and great food and have learned that the name may not be the best indicator of the appeal of the restaurant.