A Fabulous Luxury Getaway to Manoir Hovey in the Eastern Townships

Manoir Hovey a Relais & Châteaux property located in the Eastern Townships of Québec south of Montreal just a stone’s throw from the picturesque village of North Hatley, is ideal for a luxury getaway. My husband and I visited in the early fall for a 3 night stay but the historic inn is beautiful at any time of the year.

If you’re a fan of Canadian author Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series, this is the region of Québec where Penny makes her home and where the fictional village of Three Pines is located so you can add some literary travel to your itinerary as well.

Read 5 of the Best Three Pines Sites to Visit in the Eastern Townships of Quebec

About Manoir Hovey

Located on the shores of Lake Massawippi, Manoir Hovey was originally built in 1899 as a private summer residence (modelled on the iconic residence of George Washington in Mount Vernon) before becoming a hotel in the 1950s. This historic lakeside resort was acquired by the Stafford family in 1979 and has been owned and operated by them since.

Manoir Hovey has been part of Relais & Châteaux, a family of more than 500 luxury properties, since 2008. The resort which sits on a 30 acre property within a birch and pine forest is known for its blend of historic architectural charm with modern comfort and exceptional service.

Accommodations at Manoir Hovey

Manoir Hovey has 51 rooms featuring luxurious finishings, vintage artifacts and local artwork with views of the countryside or Lake Massawippi. The rooms are inspired by nature as well as the inn’s history and are uniquely styled – no cookie cutter rooms here! Accommodations include Classic, Deluxe and Luxury rooms as well as Signature Suites, Lakeside Pavilion rooms and Dragonwatch Cottage (2250 square feet sleeping up to 8).

We booked a Luxury Room with a private balcony overlooking the lake and gardens which had an electric fireplace, a double whirlpool bathtub, and a gorgeous free-standing tub as well as L’Occitane toiletry products which are my favourite. I fell in love with it the moment we walked through the door – definitely one of the loveliest rooms that I have ever stayed in!

Dining at Manoir Hovey

There are two restaurants at Manoir Hovey – Le Hatley Restaurant and Le Tap Room Bistro.

Le Hatley is an elegant fine dining venue offering lovely views of the inn’s English gardens and of Lake Massawippi with seasonal menus created by the chef which are both inspired by and a celebration of Québec. The inn also has a private wine cellar with a collection of fine and premium wines. Reservations are strongly recommended for dining at Le Hatley and smart casual attire is encouraged. Breakfast is also served at Le Hatley Restaurant.

Food at the Tap Room Bistro is also delicious (same chef) but it is a more relaxed dining experience and there’s also an outdoor dining space on the verandah.

We ate dinner at Le Hatley one night of our stay and twice on the outdoor verandah of Tap Room Bistro. Dinner at both was very good but we preferred Tap Room Bistro because we’re just not that fancy!

Another option would be to dine at one of the restaurants in North Hatley or nearby towns but we found it simpler to just eat at the inn.

Activities at Manoir Hovey

It’s perfectly acceptable, of course, to just put up your feet, relax and do absolutely nothing at all for the duration of your stay at Manoir Hovey, however, you would be missing out on a lot! There is much to enjoy at the inn including a year-round heated outdoor pool, the peaceful retreat of a picturesque spa providing an indoor-outdoor thermal experience and an inviting library where you can settle by the fireplace with a good book and read the afternoon away.

Nature is your playground in the Eastern Townships so there are plenty of seasonal outdoor activities to enjoy as well including cycling (complimentary bicycles available at the inn), snowshoeing, tennis, watersports (kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards) and golf on nearby courses.

There are also a number of free activities for guests each week such as yoga and pilates, fly fishing, pickleball clinics, live jazz, wine tasting and mixology classes. There are paid activities such as painting workshops available as well.

Things To Do in the Region

If you can pull yourself away from Manoir Hovey, you can spend some time exploring the Eastern Townships. It’s only a short drive to the village of North Hatley where we enjoyed a stroll to check out the shops, boutiques and restaurants. We also went for a drive to explore some of the other towns in the area including Knowlton, Sutton, and Compton as well as to St. Benoît-du-Lac to visit the Abbey, a Benedictine monastery with a shop selling artisinal items made by the monks.

My husband and I are both fans of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series so we made it a priority to visit some of the Three Pines sites in the Eastern Townships on our visit. We used a map on Louise Penny’s website to choose the spots that we wanted to visit and were able to visit several sites including Brome Lake Books and Café Three Pines within a few hours on one day.

Scenic drives, food wine, outdoor activities including cycling and hiking – whatever the season of your visit, you will find plenty to keep you busy in the region of the Eastern Townships in Québec. Check out the tourism website for the Eastern Townships for itinerary ideas.