A small tour of the Gaspé Peninsula
In October, we planned a trip to Gaspé Peninsula with friends for the holidays. What is better than a snowmobile ride when you are on vacation? We planned a 3 days trips, we meet our friends in Matane to be able to leave early for Murdochville, Murdochville to Carleton and Carleton to Matane.
Snow and trail conditions were perfect at the beginning of January. Our trip officially began in Matane for our tour of Gaspé Peninsula. We stayed at the Quality Inn & Suites, a 70-room hotel located about 4 kilometers from federated trail #5, very well indicated, it was very easy to find it.
We had the chance to talk and have dinner with one of the two owners, Pierre-Luc Thibault. We learned more about the hotel and the services offered. It is a family hotel, Mr. Thibault father built it in 1980 and it is now his 2 sons Pierre-Luc and Yannick Thibault who are the owners. They grew up in the hotel so they care about the success of their business.
Sitting in the restaurant bar l'Imprévu to discuss with Pierre-Luc, the co-owner, he greeted everyone who entered. A lot of people from Matane come to have dinner at the resto-bar which offers a beautiful menu including the "Build your Burger". They give a plasticized menu and a pencil and you choose what you want among the choices, it’s really good idea!
Menu l' Imprévu
You can leave your trailer at the hotel for free when you book a night, either on arrival or return. A service offered, which can be described as exclusive, is that if you break down within a 100-kilometre radius of the hotel, all you have to do is call and they will pick you up for free. They bring you either to a dealership in Matane or to your trailer, it's quite VIP.
Beautiful rooms are available, from the suite to the more conventional room, each room has a large wardrobe to hang your snowmobile clothes. There was a little attention for us, a towel to wipe our snowmobiles the next morning, they really thought of everything! You can buy the snowmobile package that includes a table d’hôte dinner with lots of choices and a buffet breakfast, so you can start the day off right.
It was a very nice stay at the Quality Inn & Suites de Matane, good food, a nice resto bar and a good service. A special mention to the owner, a true enthusiast, he gives his time to the local snowmobile club and makes sure to give the best service to his customers. We really recommend this hotel if you plan to stay in Matane, the quality/price and the services offered you will not disappoint you.
For more information visit https://www.qualityinnmatane.com/.
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The first day of our trip, we took the TQ#5 trail along the river. Pleasure, beautiful landscapes and well-kept paths.
On the way we stopped at a Belvedere to admire the view of Mont St-Pierre, something you must see, those who have already passed through it will be able to tell you, it is a breathtaking landscape. On the mountain, in front of us we could see the river and 132 road which. One word WOW!
After 300 km we reached our 2nd destination, the Copper Hotel in Murdochville. Another hotel operated by 2 brothers, Bernard and Jacques Gauthier. This hotel has only 20 rooms, you should book if you want to stay there. There is a package for snowmobilers, the table d' hôte dinner and the breakfast are included.
Murdochville Copper Hotel
A beautiful and renovated room awaited us, we unpacked our suitcases and headed to the restaurant which in the hotel, you don’t need to put on our coats and boots that you had all day. A wide choice of table d' hôte menus was offered with the snowmobile package. We choose seafood gratin as a starter and entrecôte on the grill as a main course, it was very good. Finally, a chocolate cake that reminded us of our mother's, really delicious!
A visit to the private collection of the Gauthier brothers' about snowmobile is a must. Part of their collection can be found in the hotel's basement. Several models of very rare snowmobiles, one is really unique, we will let you discover it during your visit. It’s a $10 that is well invested and a nice end after a snowmobile day.
A few pieces from the Gauthier brothers' private collection
Then, we went to the bar for a drink and had a chat with the co-owner Bernard Gauthier we wanted to learn more about the hotel. There used to be a mine in Murdochville, but it closed in 2002. The hotel now count on snowmobile tourism in winter and in summer the quad tourism. The Gauthier family like snowmobiling, Bernard is the president of the snowmobile Club Étoile des Monts in Murdochville, it’s in their blood!
For more information visit https://www.hotel-copper.ca/.
After a good night of sleep, we had lunch and when we verified the weather, they were talking about the weather bomb coming in the eastern Quebec. On our last day, we had to go through New Richmond to get to Carleton, so we decided to come back on our way so we wouldn't get caught in the storm… a wise decision, they had more than 50 cm.
We put gas in Murdochville, very close to the hotel, and then we took the raod to go back to our departure point and it was faster than expected.
On the way back, we stopped at the St-Adelme relay, try the special pizza relay you won’t regret it!
Relay St-Adelme
We did a very nice trip, driving in the Chics-Chocs is a great experience and there are many breathtaking landscapes. In the Matane area, we were able to take pictures with the wind turbines which are quite impressive. We invite you to plan your stay in the Gaspé Peninsula, several trails are available for you.
Have a good season
