Great in Both Winter and Summer

Tremblant is essentially the largest ski hill within a quick drive of Montreal. I think it has nearly 100 runs at this point and the village really abuts the mountain so you can literally ski off the slopes at the end of the day and right into a bunch of restaurants and bars. The mountain is much much larger and more challanging then other nearby ski areas such as St. Sauveur and Avila 25 miles to the south. It is a great little resort community but by no means is a "world destination" ski resort. Don't come here expecting a Whistler or Tahoe. Great for families and couples.

Quick Tips:

Mont Tremblant and the ski mountain (simply Tremblant) like many other ski resorts actually has a huge range of activities and things to do all year round. Obviously skiing/sledding and other winter sports will be the major highlights during the cold months. During the summer there are a ton of things for outdoors enthusiasts to do as well. Nearby lakes (too many to count) offer boating, swimming, fishing, waterskiing and other activities. Hiking and biking trails are everywhere.

One of the best times to visit this area is actually in autumn, especially if you are not from an area where the trees change color at this time of year. I have never been to a better place to watch this change of seasons in my life than in the Laurential mountains. SO many trees (everywhere is dense forest) that change into a huge array of colow in Sept/Oct/Nov Amazing thing to see.

Best Way To Get Around:

There are two really feasible ways to get to Tremblant for tourists. The vast majority of tourists to the area will be coming from Montreal and will drive. The drive is easy and usually takes an hour and a half or less. If you will be staying in Montreal with no car a rental car could be the best way to go. If you are flying into Montreal I believe there is now a shuttle service that runs between the airport and Mont Tremblant for tourists. Mont Tremblant also has its own airport so flying directly to the village is possible althought sometimes those short connector flights can be as expensive as flying cross country so if you are on any kind of budget a shuttle or rental car may be your best bet. And why not spend a few days in Montreal first? AMAZING city to visit. Mont Tremblant itself is very walking oriented. Once you are these if you are staying in or near the village you can (and will have to) walk to most of the bars/restaurants. The village is a pedestrian village and the central area is free of cars.

This hotel is high-end but not up to the level of luxury one would expect at something along the lines of a Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton. Rates are usually in the high $200's or low $300's. Definately one of the best places to stay in Tremblant though. West up here with my parents a couple of times when I was a kid and they were always big fans of the place although I feel like it might not be the best place for kids. It has more of a romantic feeling to it. For this reason, we also gave weekend trips to the Fairmont as gifts a number of times throughout the years to couples/clients. They have all your standard amenities that you would expect at a hotel in this class. Restaurant, bar, pool, jacuzzi, valet parking, concierge, etc. I would recommend getting out of the hotel and going to eat/drink in the village as it is a much more unique experiece. There are lots of great places to eat in the village and really no reason to come all the way here and just sit in the hotel. Tremblant is about getting out and seeing the area.

If you are visiting Tremblant in the summer a day trip to Park Aquatique in St. Sauveur is a MUST. This is the great waterpark. Forget waterslides and any kind of ride you will find at a waterpark in the US. I have never in my life seen or heard of another waterpark like this one and I can't believe it hasn't gotten more recognition. Unlike a traditional waterpark where the rides are built vertically off the ground and thus limited to a certain height by cost and engineering this place is built into the side of a whole ski mountain. The runs are literally on top of all the water rides in the winter. They have traditional waterslides as well as a wave pool, kid zone, lazy canal and a ton of concessions. What sets this place apart however are the rides that go ALL THE WAY down the mountain, from the top to the bottom. Instead of walking up a staircase to get to the top of these you get on the ski chairlifts and ride all the way to the top where the rides start. They have one called the Colorado River Raft where two people get in a full sized raft facing each other and ride man made rapids all the way down the mountain. They also have two tube tracks that send you down a series of chutes and pools all the way from top to bottom. The tube ride literally lasts at least half an hour. You may wait in line for 30 minutes but instead of getting a 20 second ride like on most waterslides you could literally be on this ride for as long as 40 minutes. It's so much fun. They also have speed slides etc.

You will have to drive about an hour away from Tremblant to do this as most of the apple farms are on the far outskirts of Montreal. There are a ton of them so when you get to your hotel you should just ask what the nearest one is. I don't even remember which ones we used to go to when I lived there but it's a lot of fun. It's only like $10-15 and you get to fill a whole bucket with apples and eat as many as you want while doing it. You can climb into the trees and stuff so it's a great activity for the whole family. I loved it as a kid. My parents had a great time and we even used to bring the grandparents along. You will never taste anything like this at a grocery store. Make sure to pick McIntosh. This is what Montreal is known for although most of the farms will have a variety of trees. They also serve cider and other apple oriented products are usually available for purchase.

St. Sauveur is a great little tourist town about 25 miles south of Tremblant down the highway. I grew up a few miles away from St. Sauveur and this was our main hub for dining, shopping and essentially everything. St. Sauveur has a great restaurant scene. Biftheque, Gibby's and Bentley's are all great for steak, burgers etc. Birtheque offers great steak as does Gibby's although both are quite pricey. Take home some bottles of Biftheque's steak sauce or a set of their knives for a good souvenir. Bentley's is all American bar/pub/restaurant that is always packed with good food and a very lively atmosphere. St. Sauveur has good shopping with lots of unique smaller stores. An outlet mall also opened a number of years ago. La Cage aux Sports is also a fun place to go for lunch if you are looking for a sports bar. Pool, darts, good food and a ton of tv screens. I don't know if it is still around or not but Da Tulio's was our favorite restaurant in St. Sauveur. It was in its heyday back in the 80's and by the time we moved was not doing great business. It sort of went out of fashion but the italian food is great. My guess is that it either closed or remodeled. If it is still there it is worth a visit just don't be scared away if you walk in and the large dining room looks fairly empty. The service and food are very good.