The perfect getaway weekend should always include the following: a dream car, splendid weather, a luxurious hotel in a bucolic destination, gastronomy, curling up by a fire and getting massages. That is exactly how we spent last weekend, as we drove to the Eastern Townships, in the strikingly beautiful estoril blue metallic BMW 430i Gran Coupé.
Located just an hour an a half away from Montreal, the Eastern Townships is always a great place for a weekend getaway from the city. I never fail to find in this region the quietness in nature I seek so vividly during these days off, to fully unplug, recharge, get pampered and go back to work stronger than ever.
We stayed at the Ripplecove Hotel & Spa for the weekend and… what a treat! From the moment we entered the hotel to the time we left, it felt like we were plunged in a dream filled with all the essential things a human needs to fully disconnect from the stress of their daily lives: nature, phenomenal cuisine and relaxing activities. I was blown away by the beauty of the establishment and their cozy installations around the relaxing Lake Massawippi that incite wellbeing, tranquility and make unplugging from “real life” oh so easy.
I don’t even know where to begin, to describe the perfection of our experience at the five star hotel that truly felt like home. We were welcomed with a plate of nuts and dried fruits, along with a fantastic bottle of red wine that awaited us in our room, which was amazing because firstly, it was snack time, and secondly, whenever I travel and stay in hotels, it’s always more difficult to eat healthy, so I was seriously ecstatic about these snacks. We enjoyed the bottle of wine at happy hour, on our beautiful balcony with a view on the lake, surrounded by the splendid colors of fall everywhere around, which added to the warmth of the moment, as the sun had started to set.
After visiting the hotel, I got so excited about the time we were about to spend there. I couldn’t wait to snuggle under a blanket around the fire on the terrace, while sipping a latte; sit on the edge of the dock facing the lake and marvel at the view, or get comfortable in the living room and read a book from the hotel’s great selection or literary works. But first things first, we headed to the spa, to relax in the jacuzzi. I fell in love with the wood decoration of the spa, with the fire, blankets and calming music that played in the background. The Jacuzzi was just outside the spa and felt divine.
Three course dinner at the hotel’s sumptuous restaurant Le Riverain was exquisite! We loved the everything from beginning to end. The restaurant makes their own smoked salmon, which we tried for starters and loved. For mains, I had the delectable Char, with almond and sweet pepper crust, roasted nuts, basil oil, celeriac purée, kale cabbage, while my husband had the Beef filet with mashed potatoes, Fondant de Compton cheese, hazelnut et fine herbs, Nantaise carrots, carrot gel, Bordelaise sauce, which he described multiple times throughout and after dinner as the best beef filet he’d ever had.
My absolute favorite thing, however, was my desert, of course. I used to go to restaurants and flip the pages of the menu to find the deserts. I would wish I could just skip the starter and main course and jump to desert time right away. That’s how much I love deserts, and chocolate ones are the highway to my heart. Lucky for me I now only indulge in deserts on special occasions and this was one of them. The chocolate fondant with raspberries, raspberry mousse and raspberry sorbet had me feeling like the windows of heaven had just open and the angels started to sing. Yes, that’s how divine it was. The cherry on top? Sipping on a succulent latte on the side. My entire night was made. My husband, who loathes sugar, had the cheese platter filled with a great selection of cheese from the region which he adored.
After dinner, we took a short walk to the end of the dock, sat for a while, then went by the fire on the terrace, curled up under a warm blanket, and quietly savored the moment before returning to our room and enjoyed some more cozy time by the fireplace in our beautiful room.
Breakfast the next morning was out of this world: coffee, mimosas, a plate of fruits and Viennoiseries. I had not had croissants in such a long time and the ones we had at Le Riverain were so good, warm and practically melted in mouth. As a hot plate, my husband had the Eggs Benedicts, with smoked salmon, which he loved, while I had the omelette with potatoes on the side. Of all the breakfast we’ve in any restaurants we’ve ever had the opportunity to stay at, this one was hands the very best one. It is unmatched. My omelette was scrumptious, made with ham, tomato, mushroom, Alfred le Fermier cheese.
Coffee with a view in our room first, before heading for breakfast at the restaurant.
After breakfast, we hopped in our BMW 430i Gran Coupé, and followed the Townships Trail, that is always unbelievably beautiful this time of the year.
To complete our already magical stay, we had 50 minutes of massage at the hotel’s Spa, Arboressence. We tried the Swedish massage which felt incredibly good. As you all know, I train twice a day five days a week, so some parts of my body like my arms and shoulders are very tight. Nathalie, my massage therapist was excellent in making me feel on cloud 9 as she released all the tension I had in my body, from head to toe. She even gave me stretching techniques which I have been applying ever since, as she said my shoulders and arms were particularly tensed. The Spa also offers facials, Californian massages, back and leg exfoliation, as well as REIKI (energetic treatment).
Our extraordinary weekend in the Eastern Townships was all the more phenomenal thanks to the car we drove: the dynamic BMW 430i Gran Coupé. We instantly fell in love with the sporty,
elongated lines of the estoril blue metallic vehicle that turned heads everywhere we stopped. The elegance of the interior is unparalleled and I was very surprised by how spacious the trunk was. Other great features of the car were the wireless smartphone charging; Multifunctional Instrument Display, which allows you to go from SPORT mode, to ECO PRO or COMFORT, depending on the driving experience you choose to have. We will always be impressed by the performance of BMW ConnectedDrive services, which provides unmatched in-car driving experience: remote control parking, intelligent voice assistance, Advanced Real Time Traffic Information.
A couple photos from our weekend and the video recap at the end:
The view from our room
