Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu

my wife and i stayed at this shocking hotel in septemter this year from check-in to check-out what a disgrace this place is rude staff and dont care for guests.indoor pool had a thin layer of what i dont know on the top of the water out-door pool needs a refurb as missing tiles from the walls and floor of the pool paving round the pool all cracked and pieces missing some cracks have been filled with silicne looks awful.the casino is sadly out of date and dirty,the restaurant part flies buzzing round the food.on check-in we was one women asleep on a couch in the lobby its that exciting would not visit again even for free Read less

Going to this hotel and this region was on my lifetime list of things to do. I grew up in the grand days of CP hotels (now all owned by Fairmont), and always still hope to find some of the real luxury of the old days lingering in these old and historic buildings. Well, one will not find that here despite the prices well into luxury range. On a positive note, the location and grounds are nice, but not nearly as breathtaking as the photos would lead one to believe. The pool is fairly well designed and the temperature is good. Our room was old (including old old basic bath and poor water pressure and small closet), but generally nice enough. My 14 year old was allowed to supervise my 12 and 8 year olds in the games room, so this was friendly and helpful. I was unimpressed by: 1. The general attitude of the staff which ranged from "we will tolerate you here" to bored to arrogant to outrightly rude. There were a few very genuinely nice people (2, to be precise), but the general atmosphere was somewhat tense. The most unpleasant experience was the more-than-once very rude inquisition / confrontation that faced me when I tried to order from the children's menu for my 2 children, who are, indeed, children in the official age range for that menu. I felt like I had to produce some kind of government issued document to just order spaghetti. Really unpleasant. 2. Room service, which we had to order (see below) was disappointing. The quality of the food was very different from what was served in the dining room (the same menu items) and one would get better presentation at a fast food chain or at an elementary school cooking class. Items were forgotten on several occasions and I had to monitor that everything we ordered or were supposed to get with our meals actually arrived. 3. This hotel is listed as pet friendly but is, at best, at the limit of pet tolerant. We had one small well-behaved chihuahua with us. Dogs are not allowed to stay alone in the rooms, even caged, and are not allowed essentially anywhere in the hotel either, including on the outdoor patios. This meant that one of us always had to stay in the room or on a walk with the dog and not be with out family. 4. We were given several very different quotes about parking fees with our EV. Shouldn't parking fees be standard? Oh, and parking is free if your come to the restaurant only, but you have to pay if you are a hotel guest. Hmm. 5. One of the worst features: cigarette smoke everywhere outside. SO many smokers outside on the otherwise nice walkway along the river and around the main entrance. To get to some of that nature seen on the photo, you need to first go through a wall of smoke. Despite the size, the hotel has limited entrances and exits ... so it is hard to avoid the smoke. My kids didn't want to go outside because of the smoke. 6. The casino next door is not any kind of glamorous casino. It's a giant arcade with a good portion of the people sitting there looking like their minds have been taken over by another force. The provincial police were there when we arrived, due to "frequent incidents" they told us. 7. The spa. I know that all hotel spas are overpriced, but this was one of the least impressive overpriced pedicures ever. Soak, brief massage with too much talking, brief nail filing, and polish. Other than the file, not a single tool was used. 8.Housekeeping. The room was clean enough, but we checked in to find a hanger hanging from a lamp and a pill of unknown kind on the bathroom floor (I am happy to have found it before my dog did). Obviously, someone is not paying attention to details. 9. There are bikes available, but you cannot bike on the property. If you choose to bike off the property, it is quite hilly and is uphill back to the hotel. The main roads are dangerous. 10. Check in: I stayed at two Fairmont hotels this summer, and both lacked any clear queueing markers at the check in desks. Therefore, twice this summer, I had to stand in amorphous, confused hoards at check in. This is very frustrating after a long drive, and seemingly easy to fix. Both times, not a single employee came forward to help the confusion. Again, a tense atmosphere. 11. There are little hiking trails. They are OK. Many of the lookout structures built along the river seem to be in very bad condition - bad enough that neither I or my husband took a chance to stand on them. 12. Most importantly, do not drive to or away from the hotel at night. Between the natural geography, the little curvy roads that were meant to connect villages but are now used as highways at highway speeds (the provincial police will tell you about that too), and the activities of the casino and drivers heading home afterwards, please stay safe and drive only during the day. The views are beautiful. Enjoy them with daylight. Read less

My wife and I spent five nights at the Fairmont hotel in Le Malbaie Quebec the last week of August 2019. We had read several poor reviews prior to arrival and didn't know what to expect. We were very pleasantly surprised. The room was terrific (definitely try to get a room with a river view) , housekeeping excellent, staff (particularly the activities staff) polite and very responsive. Much to do at the hotel and across the area. The hotel has a good fitness room, hiking trails along the river, and pool area (watched an outdoor movie at night). Great places to eat in La Malbaie. Great whalewatching. Read less