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Real People. Real Reviews.®
I was in Quebec for a conference in the fall and this was one of the recommended properties hosting it. By far, one of the most beautiful and luxurious hotel properties in the city. Prices reflect it - even with our conference discount, the room with taxes came out to about $175 / night.
Make sure you sign up for the President's Club before arriving, which lets you check in separately from the masses and even better, allows free internet access.
The room was beautiful and I had gorgeous sunrise views of the river with the ships passing. Loved the bed - nothing like acres of pillows and lovely white down feather duvets to keep you warm.
But the room was SMALL - as in I could barely fit my suitcase in the room by the queen-sized bed and I tripped over it daily.
Buffet breakfast was a jaw-dropping $20 a person (maybe more, I can't remember), so if you're not a big eater, don't bother.
Location was perfect for walking along the river and around town.
We stopped in for a drink in the big round room that is a bar. The coffees were good and warm after walking around the city, but even though my husband and I are in our mid-thirties we were like the kids in the room. It just seemed like a place where old fogies go. The room next door where people were eating we even more old people. Just not an atmosphere you are looking for when you go out.
It was a great place to look around and pictures of the hotel from around the hotel are spectacular, but I would recommend taking advantage of all the other places to dine and drink around the city.
All three stars are for the location and general beauty of the hotel. The service is terrible. Took hours to have a room available and that was four floors lower than promised due to a lack of rooms ready at 4 pm. Then at check out we had to carry our bags to the storage room as the bell hops were no assistance. Not what you would expect from such an expensive hotel.
Location, views, service combine to make this one of the great Hotels of the world.
beautiful building and great location in the middle of the old city. the standard rooms are nicely decorated but not very big. it is an old property so i expect that. internet is $14/day.
the real disappointment about it is that there is hardly any common area to hang out in. there are a ton of small shops in the lobby and in the corridors on the lower level but there are very few couches or even benches, no fireplace or anything like that. for such a classic old hotel i was expecting more. the only reason i can think of is that there are so many tourists around (on tours largely) that they don't want them camping out in the common areas so they make it sort of standing room only. the bar is pretty small also so you don't feel like you can just relax there unless you are eating and drinking the whole time.
I stayed here while in Quebec on a business trip - the room was beautiful, the hotel was gorgeous inside and out. Old Quebec is about as picturesque as you can get.
Parking was pretty painless - IF you park in the hotel's parking garage, and don't mistakenly park in the spots designated for government officials.
I upgraded to a room with a view facing the Old Quebec area with a king size bed. The room was spacious, and the view was gorgeous.
This place is amazing. I mean the room could have been bigger but this hotel IS the skyline of QC. Anybody who is anybody that has visited QC has stayed here from presidents to the Queen of friggin England. Beautiful views on top of a hill. I loved it. Left the window open and on Sunday morning was serenaded by a saxophonist playing romance on the "boardwalk" below my window. I asked my bf if he planned it, he of course was like yes totally.
Anyway, it was great.
This the only place to stay in Quebec City for me. I agree with Stephanie the Frontenac is the Quebec City skyline.
Hands down...the most impressive property in Quebec. It's like staying at a lovely old castle.
The Frontenac is a Fairmont property. So it's worth it to go online and join their Fairmont Club prior to your stay. They will adjust your room to your tastes...ie. down pillows, etc. if you give them a heads up prior to your stay.
They have a concierge level that's worth the upgrade dollars. This level has it's own private check in and check out , a private concierge, turn down service and includes happy hour appetizers and breakfast daily.
The first room they offered us was a shoebox. We asked for something better and upgraded (by choice) to the Concierge level. It was worth it.
Yes, the interior could use an overall updo. But service is taken seriously by the management of this property and it's certainly the loveliest in the city. Given the competition...5 stars.
after walking around the old city, kick up your feet for a glass or cup of tea at the st laurent room at the chateau frontenac. a panoramic view of the river can be enjoyed while lounging on the comfy low seats.
aside from the small stain glass ships topping the windows, the room reminded me more of an english feel rather than french. as a few yelpers have relayed to me, it was owned by the english. these days, you'll hear a few different languages in this room as it is visited by many tourists.
the cappuccino came with chunks of rich dark chocolate to stir and melt into your java - perfect for the crisp chill outside. as for you vino lovers, there is an extensive list of wines around the world so do ask for recommendations.
We got a nice room with fantastic view of Old Quebec and St. Lawrence River thanks to our lovely concierge, Roger. Merci beaucoup! I give 5 stars for its castle-like architecture, you feel like a V.I.P. by just being there! I was more impressed by its elegant exterior than its interior, I expected more old world grandeur and opulence for the decor and atmosphere, but the inside was just like a standard 5 star hotel. The room was spacious and clean, but then again, I expected more luxury for the price!! Too simple!!
We dined at "Le Champlain", a very romantic and elegant restaurant located on the first floor which was very memorable. The service was great and they serve unique and delicious Quebecoise haute cuisine consisting of regional specialties. Even if you can't stay at this hotel, I recommend trying at least this posh fancy restaurant to complete your stay in Quebec!
First,
Is it funny that a hotel is the most prominent building in the skyline of a historical town?
Second,
Shouldn't a french-sounding place have O-my-god-I-can't-believe-this-is-for-real desserts?
We got the creme brulee and the tarte tatin. While they looked elaborately pretty, they both tasted pretty meh to me. The caramel layer was way too thick and the creme was pasty. The tarte was lacking in sugar and butter but the cinnamon ice cream was great.
I saw the word mixology on the menu and I knew I had to try something here. I got a mango based cocktail with bacardi 8 and champagne which was interesting, and my friend got the bellini which she really enjoyed as well.
I would recommend you drop in for a drink and enjoy a lovely view of the river.
Having old fashioned tea at Le Chateau Frontenac with my girl friends has become a yearly tradition for my birthday. In a few months, we will head over to Le Champlain restaurant for some tea and afternoon snacks for the third year in a row (I can't wait). I secretly love to dress up and indulge in fancy things from time to time and this definitely fits the bill. Tea is served in a separate section with floor-to-ceiling windows so it feels more like being in a quiet boudoir than in a busy restaurant.
The afternoon tea service begins with smelling a dozen different loose leaf teas to help make our choice while eating a plate of fresh fruits. Then, they bring out the petits fours, scones and pastries, which are plenty and delicious. Trust me, the best thing to do is to make a reservation when they open at 1:30 pm and only eat a light lunch before hand because you will get full.
Both times we were there, the service was very attentive. Once, the waiter brought us some extra scones after (we suppose) having heard us rave over how good they were. The second year, they were more than happy to substitute the foie gras petits fours for something else at my request.
I gasped when I read Robin Z's review...I couldn't have said it better! However, the last time I stayed here (about one year ago) I was not all that impressed with my room. Very out dated...small compared to the previous trip and stay there...cost was wayyyyyyyy more than I had paid for a larger and more updated room before. OK...now to the positive...service is excellent...perfect location...beautiful views...
You GO, Robin Z!!! Your review is excellent!!!
Quebec is like, how do you say, France without the long flight?
Actually, it's not. It's more like being in a beautiful, old, intimate city where everyone speaks French, but don't look down their noses at you for being American and actually know how to provide service.
We stayed here on our honeymoon. Great hotel, beautiful, apparently one of the most photographed hotels in the world. We had an amazing room with a turret window over-looking the river.
If this had been a Motel 6, I would have zero complaints. Since it's a 4 star deal, however, I have a few.
A) the bed squeaked. This was a small problem because we were, how do you say.... on our honeymoon... newlyweds + squeaky bed = no bueno. On the plus side, I called housekeeping and they came quickly and fixed it.
B) the mini-fridge sometimes whirred at a high-pitched level. Only every now and then, but just enough to annoy me.
C) Our room also faced the round-about that serves as the main entry to the hotel... It also serves as the main spot where the tour buses taxi and line up. After a while, you get a little over hearing the braking, the exhaust whirring, the inching up in the line... then you just get used to it as a backdrop of noise... Incidentally, you would not BELIEVE the amount of Japanese tourists that hit the town in Old Quebec City. Not sure what the big draw is from the land of the rising sun (exchange rate?), but it was interesting.
On the plus side, just outside of the hotel there's a street performer who has his three dogs stand on each other. That's nifty.
The hotel formal tea service is SLAMMING.
My husband and I enjoyed walking the halls late at night murmering "Red Rum.... Red Rum..." and reenacting various scenes from the Shining in different hallways... It's so ginormous, the hotel, that it kinda has that feel... but... in a good way.
It is a nice place to come and take photos from outside so you can show your friends you were in Quebec City, but for me it is just a castle-shaped tourist trap. Most of the people who come to Quebec think it is a real French castle..it is not, it was build at the end of the 19th century, it just looks like a castle, but it is not a real one, it is just an old hotel that happens to look French. Quebec has many more architectural gems, such as the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (Anglican), the Citadel, the provincial parliament building, the city gates, many other churches...Americans are very often amazed at Chateau Frontenac, probably because they have not visited a real castle in Europe. They charge 8 dollars for a tour of the hotel...thanks but no thanks. The stores are the typical hotel stores with over-priced souvenirs.clothes and the likes. Tea and pastries can be enjoyed somewhere else, the city has dozens of little coffee shops with pastries as good as the ones served here and probably more reasonably-priced. Even if I could afford it I would rather stay somewhere else, like a B&B in the old city or a smaller hotel, so I can have more of the local flavor.
MUST DO list is to take a tour of this historical chateau.
You'll appreciate it more once you get to know the history of the building. The tour is 50 mins long. The tour guide dresses like a bourgeois during the 1800s. Guides are in English or French.
At the end of the tour, I felt that I got an exclusive tour of the place.
My tour guide, appeared in several travel magazines. She's really that great! Merci!
I enjoyed my lunch buffet at Le Cafe de la Terrase. Which is fairly priced $29CAD. This is the most beautiful chateau of all Fairmont hotels.
I've stayed at this property three times in the last five years. Overall fairly consistent, old-world charm, with good staff and service. It is by far the premier property in Quebec. I've stayed in the tower (standard hotel rooms) and in the lower sections of the building facing the river (slightly larger rooms). The accommodations are four-star, clean and new. The rooms are well maintained. I've also dined three times at Le Champlain which is a superb restaurant - experience the "table side" menu where the staff will make a caesar salad at your table (we also had the Chateaubriand). Le Champlain is a refreshing place amid some of the tourist trap restaurants in the area. The Frontenac is not inexpensive, but if you're looking for a first-class Quebec experience, I recommend a stay.
This place is a pretty cool place to stay. But half of the city is just as nice.
The room we got was TINY and for the price you pay to stay here I was a bit disappointed.
Next time I will try out another hotel.
And be prepared to spend $26/night on parking - if you are a guest.
And $13/day for internet
Bonjour Quebec! Ou' sont les toilettes? (Desole', je un rude Americaine)
Our luxury cruise ship, the Maasdam, berthed on a crisp, clear sunny day in May almost directly beneath the towering and imposing castle-like structure of the Chateau Frontenac. How do you describe what words cannot possibly describe? Awesome? Magnificent? Spectacular? Words pale when looking up at this most iconic of Quebec images. The guidebook calls it the most photographed hotel in the world and its easy to see why. It's in-your-face gorgeous. Were I their bete noire, the Queen of the Damned, head vampiress of planet Earth, this would be my North American HQ and blood would ooze from every Gothic-inspired oriel, window and rain spout. Of course, I'd have to enjoy the cold, which I don't so they'd luck out. They can keep the garlic in the food rather than lining the windows. So, I guess I'd have to keep my nightly foraging centered around LA's Chateau Marmont where the Mediterranean climate pleases me even though it's an ugly, backwoods shack compared to Frontenac. And I thought John Belushi would've had better taste (ahem) (http://en.wikipedia.or...). But hell, he couldn't have known, he was just too fucked up and I would've gotten a bloody, narcotic-laden high from his pulsing carotid. But that's probably in bad taste, huh?
Built in 1893 for the Canadian Pacific Railway, it squats lord-like, imperiously looking down on the narrowest portion of the St. Lawrence River (the Indian word is Quebec..."keh-beck" with a "K", now you know). In old Europe, no traveler down a river-way would go unnoticed from these ramparts and avoiding the transit taxes would find you strung up from the highest balustrades. But this is an operating hotel, not a medieval fortification and it costs beaucoup ducats to stay here. And alas, I'm just a poor pensioner on a fixed income and taking blood where I can find it. I couldn't afford to stay here but it did serve as my toilette for the day and a Bloody Mary or cognac in the Bar St. Lawrence is a must-do. The views from the turrets are indescribable and I won't even try.
So as the Quebec license plate states "Je me souviens" ("I remember")...where I peed. (photos posted on link...not of me peeing though).
P.S., I'm not really a blood sucker though some might contest that...
We had such a bad experience here that it's doubtful I'll ever stay in a Fairmont again. For starters, our room (which, by the way, could have used a good fresh coat of paint and new carpeting) was in a wing of the hotel where they were doing construction, which normally wouldn't bother me, except for the fact that we habitually got a lovely 6:00 am wakeup call of drilling and sawing. On top of that, the waitstaff at the hotel bar/restaurant were pretty snarky. One evening, we decided to have cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. It took an hour for our cheese plate to arrive, and the waiter never checked in with us to let us know that there would be a delay. When we flagged him down after waiting for 40 minutes, he curtly responded, "You're not the only table that's in this boat, so you're just going to have to wait." Awesome.
But the final straw came the morning that we checked out. The hotel made not one, but two, erroneous charges on our bill. The first one they corrected right away. However, for the second one, rather than acknowledge their error and correct it, a good 20 minutes of heated discussion with the front desk staff and ultimately a manager ensued. They talked to us like we had never stayed in a hotel before and were incredibly rude and condescending. (Our persistence did pay off, though, and they did correct the mistake in the end.) And, as a final parting gift, the bellman just stood there while I struggled with loading my ginormous suitcase into the trunk of the car.
My recommendation is to just take the tour to get a feel for the hotel, which is quite striking, and stay somewhere else.
A must-visit destination for any QC visitor. Unique in every way! I had both dinner and tea here, and both were magnificent. In an era of sameness and cookie-cutter conformity, it's a pleasure to visit a place like this.
Québec, QC
Québec, QC
Québec, QC
Quebec, QC
Quebec, QC
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