(Lac Delage, Quebec, Canada)

I subscribe to a number of travel-related mailing lists.  Many of the e-mails are irrelevant, while others advertise “deals” that are not really deals at all.  However, once in a while, a great opportunity comes along…and this was exactly what happened with the promotion for a stay at Manoir du Lac Delage.

Lac Delage is a small lake located just north of Quebec City, very close to the (ski) resort village of Stoneham.  I had never heard of Lac Delage before receiving the e-mail but I was intrigued by the offer of 60% off the price of a superior room.  The offer was only valid for weekdays but that’s exactly when we planned to be in the area.  The offer also included unlimited sports activities.

I did my due diligence on the resort and it seemed to be a reputable place.  However, you never really know until you arrive and experience it for yourself.   Within minutes of arriving, we knew we had made the right choice:  this was basically a sports camp!   And so, shortly after arriving, we had already played mini-golf, shuffleboard (the real outdoor version), and basketball.

We went canoeing the next morning:  with our early start, we were the only people out on the still water. However, motorized boats were banned from the lake anyway, so it wouldn’t have mattered if there were others out there too. After taking a nice 21-speed bike out for a ride, we played pétanque (similar to bocce) for the very first time.  We then moved on to swimming (there were both indoor and outdoor pools) and hiking around the lake.  As the day wound down, we finished with a game of billiards (and more mini-golf).  We were so busy with sports that I hardly took any photographs!

I always loved sports camps as a child:  for me, spending all day playing different sports was the perfect way to spend the summer.  I think I rediscovered some of that feeling at this resort…and I suspect that a subsequent stop on this road trip (also booked via an e-mailed offer) will allow us to engage in a few more sports that we wouldn’t normally have the chance to do at home.

In the end, despite being within easy driving distance of Quebec City, we actually didn’t leave the resort area until we checked out.  We’ll still have a chance to see more of Quebec City, however:  our itinerary will bring us back to this region in a few days.

First, however, we have to achieve some closure.  Several years ago, we stayed in a nearby B&B that was torched by an arsonist while we were staying there.  Luckily, nobody was hurt and the only damage was to the building.  It’s now time for us to return to that town and replace those memories with some better ones!