After three and a half hours on the road from Quebec City, we treated ourselves to something a little different: a suite at the Hôtel Matha, at 2650, route Louis-Cyr in Saint-Jean-de-Matha. This isn't camping in the strict sense — and we fully own the gap, same as with our dome in Baddeck!
The place isn't a simple hotel either. Expérience Matha is a four-season complex that brings together on one site a mountain golf course, water activities on lac Rond, the Super Glissades — among the best known in Quebec for more than 40 years — a thermal area and the Bistro Matha. As the house puts it nicely: here you don't choose between the golf and the lake, between the adrenaline and the unwinding. You take it all.
The lodging counts 36 units in three formats: 22 spacious rooms with two queen beds, designed for families and groups of friends, 8 suites built for two, and 4 condos. Our suite came with a king bed, a whirlpool tub, a fireplace, a full bathroom, a coffee maker and a fridge. After a day on the road, let's just say the whirlpool tub was warmly received.
The detail that changes everything: access to the thermal area is included with every stay, whatever the room or package you choose. You'll find two outdoor hot pools with complementary moods — one for unwinding quietly while taking in the view, the other for stretching out the relaxation after activities — a dry sauna and an outdoor fire area surrounded by nature. No supplement, no complicated booking.
For dinner, the Bistro Matha seats you indoors or on the covered terrace. And for golfers, the mountain course is open from May to the end of October; it has been there since 1972 and a number of players find it has the quality of a private club.
A real favourite for a getaway as a couple, and a fine way to start a weekend in the Matawinie on the right foot.
-This isn't camping, it's a hotel — and we own the gap!
-Suite with a king bed, whirlpool tub and fireplace: perfect after 3 h 30 on the road.
-Thermal area included with every stay: two outdoor hot pools, a dry sauna and a fire area.
-36 units in all: 22 rooms, 8 suites and 4 condos.
-Mountain golf course, Super Glissades, water activities on lac Rond and the Bistro Matha, all on the same site.
-Electric-vehicle charging station on site: a real plus for us.
-15 minutes from the Maison Louis-Cyr and the Magasin de l'Abbaye Val Notre-Dame.
