Balance November 2017 - 63

back to the f u t u r e

AT A G LAN CE

Booking info:
Authentic rooms at
Le Monastère des
Augustines start from
$84 (£50) a night.
See monastere.ca/en
Flights: London to
Québec, fly direct
with Air Canada
from £588 return
(aircanada.com).
For more information,
visit explorecanada.co.uk or
quebecoriginal.com

Le Monastère des
Augustines - 'slick,
glass walkways blend
effortlessly with
ancient stone walls'

T

he moment I cross the threshold, I
feel the stress ebb out of me. Sunshine
spills in through vast windows casting
puddles of light on the polished wood floor.
Above, slick, glass walkways blend effortlessly
with ancient stone walls. A pair of women in
yoga pants drift down a corridor. All is calm and
quiet - fitting, given that this is a place that has
been dedicated to silence, introspection and
healing for more than 400 years.
I am in Le Monastère des Augustines, a
holistic hotel in the heart of Canada's
French-speaking Québec City.
Originally founded in 1639 by a
group of nurses and pharmacists
sent from France to restore the
bodies and souls of the French
colonists, it is still a working
monastery, but became a
not-for-profit wellness hotel in 2015
following an extensive refurbishment.
The result is a perfect union of the
building's rich heritage and contemporary
architecture. Today the hotel offers guests
experiential accommodation (you can sleep
in a former nun's cell), a museum brimming
with artefacts, a healthy-eating restaurant and
a wellness programme, including restorative
yoga, morning meditation and retreats focusing
on everything from sleep to intuitive dance.
There's even a boutique shop onsite selling yoga
mats, an exclusive range of herbal teas blended
by the sisters and more.

NATURAL HIGH
Before arriving for my one-night stay, I explore
another part of the province, the Laurentians.
An hour's drive north of Montréal and
under four hours from Québec City, it is home
to rolling mountains, meandering rivers and
tranquil lakes. I take in the autumnal colours of
Mont Tremblant - an outstanding skiing area

November 2017 BA LA N CE

in winter with plenty
of hiking trails for
summer - from high
up, via zip wire and
'via ferrata', where you
scale mountains using
a series of fixed ladders,
cables and bridges. It's a
thrilling way to experience the
beauty of the landscape.

HABIT FORMING
Back at Le Monastère des Augustines, I check
in and wander the quiet, low-lit corridor to my
room, which has a window overlooking Old
Québec with its Citadel and cobbled streets.
Of the 65 rooms, 33 are former 'cells', simply
furnished with a single bed, hand-embroidered
quilts and basins.
Sustainability is evident. There are no plastic
water bottles in rooms and the Oneka shampoos
are organic, locally produced and not tested
on animals. My room still has the rack once
used by the resident sister to hang up her habit.
The days begin quietly, literally, with
'silent breakfast' - a tribute to the sisters who
would have eaten all their meals in silence.
The restaurant decor is like the food: clean

63
http://www.monastere.ca/en http://www.aircanada.com http://canada.co.uk http://www.quebecoriginal.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Balance November 2017
