Dropping kids @ camp in Bridgton ME: help w/ a Canadian vacation, but where? (Portland: best neighborhoods)

[bigfateema]

We are from Boston. After dropping our kids @ camp in Bridgton, ME, my husband and I would like to drive up to Canada for a 5 (ish) day vacation. Where do we start? We're from New England, and would like to maximize the Canadian experience. Montreal, & Quebec City seem obvious, but in what order? Where to go in between? We're looking for luxury (ish) hotels/inns (no B&Bs) along the way. Overwhelmed w/ Google searches, I'm seeking suggestions for how to get the most out of our vacation: scenery; culture; great restaurants, local stuff, can't miss spots, etc. I also don't want to backtrack or overlap what we see on our way up to Canada and then back to Boston. Can you suggest any of the following? where we should go, how we should drive, what we should see, where we should stay?? Thanks in advance.

[gf2020]

5 days isn't very long.

I would suggest heading to Saint John, New Brunswick for a few days. There are many things to see there plus you could day trip to Fundy National Park and then visit Grand Manan or Campobello Island for a day on your way back thru Maine to pick up your kids.

[lrfox]

It really depends on what you're looking for.

Montreal is a major international city. It's cosmopolitan and French speaking but everyone also speaks English. I was just there a few weeks back, actually. I'd consider avoiding it this time through. One of the biggest attractions in Montreal is St. Catherine St. Unfortunately, a number of central blocks of St. Catherine are completely torn up and closed off as a major renovation takes place. It should be in better shape within a year or two, but at the moment it's a big mess. The Old Port area is nice, but a bit too touristy (an alarming number of mediocre restaurants, kitsch shops and art galleries) and small for 5 days. Many of the neighborhoods outside of the city center are great. St. Denis is one of my favorite urban pockets in North America and there are others just like it. Still, I would suggest putting Montreal on hold for now anyway.

Quebec City, on the other hand, is one of the most charming places you'll visit this side of Europe. It's in a gorgeous natural setting, completely French speaking (though in the city center they speak English too) and the architecture is like nothing else in North America. The restaurants are extraordinary (from high-end contemporary French to down home, Canadian cooking). I try to make it to Quebec City one weekend every year and am glad to do it. 5 days is a good duration to visit. It's about a 5.5 hour drive from Bridgton (I usually make the drive from my family's vacation home in Bethel). The drive itself is scenic (straight up 201 along the Kennebec which turns into 173 across the border and continues straight into Quebec Cityyou can jump on 73, the highway to get there a little quicker if you want) and an adventure on its own.

I think everyone needs to visit Quebec City at least once and 5 days is the perfect amount of time. On my visits, I still have yet to leave the city and see the island village nearby or the beautiful waterfall. If you do visit, the best hotel and perhaps signature attraction is the castle-like Chateau Frontenac. It's super expensive, but well located and worth the price. If you don't stay there, visit it anyway (there's a good Creperie next door). I usually stay at the Lowe's Le Concorde which is a great value for the money. It's located just outside the Old City gates on the Grand Allee (home to a ton of restaurants and clubs... a great cigar and cognac place is just around the corner from the hotel if your husband is interested, they have Cubans). Also, the to "musts" if you do dinner there are Le Saint Amour, a high-end French place and Le Lapin Saute for country style Quebecois cuisine (Rabbit is the specialty).

Montreal's a great city, but you wouldn't get to see some of the signature attractions right now. As far as other hotels go, Hiltons are in both cities in good locations and Delta is a Hilton-esque Canadian chain that's well represented in both cities too. Enjoy your trip!

[bigfateema]

...Thanks for the input. Exactly the input we are looking for! Because we're leaving Bridgton around 2:00, we thought Montreal was a good stopping place, drive-wise. After a few nights @ Executive Suites in Portland (necessary, not desired) we're hoping a luxury hotel will be a good place to park w/o the kids. Any other thoughts if we don't want to drive all the way to Quebec from Bridgton?

[lrfox]

If you don't want to go all the way to Quebec, Balsalms Wilderness Resort in New Hampshire is wonderful. You could also spend a few days in nearby North Conway which is great. In Montreal (an hour shorter drive from Bridgton than Quebec), I'd try to stay downtown. Any chain (Sheraton, Hilton, Delta, Intercontinental, etc) will be great. I wasn't thrilled with our last hotel, Hotel Gouverneur Place Dupuis in the Quartier Latin. It markets itself as a four star, but it's VERY generic, dated and the location is only so-so (yes it's near St. Denis and on the subway, but it's also on a vagrant filled park). Last time we stayed at Loews Hotel Vogue which was great (I REALLY like the Loews Hotel brand) and perfectly located. If you do go, make sure you get to some of the outer neighborhoods. Downtown and attractions (Old Port, St. Catherine, etc) are great, but it's neighborhoods like St. Denis (lots of restaurants and cool bars on this semi-collegiate strip), The Plateau ( VERY cool, artsy), and Little Italy that make the city so unique. If you don't leave downtown, Montreal feels a little generic. Unlike Boston, the best neighborhoods (i.e. Back Bay, Beacon Hill, North End, South End, etc) aren't wedged against the city center; but are more spread out. Montreal has great transit to/from these neighborhoods (a great, clean, safe subway as parking isn't always easy). I'd also suggest visiting the Jean-Talon Market if you get a chance. It's a culinary gem. Confusion Tapas on St. Denis was an experience. Do a tasting menu if you go. We also really enjoyed a place called "Pullman" that specializes in small plates.

Hope this helps a bit.