Fairmont Chateau Montebello: A Luxurious Weekend Retreat – Day 2

Note: This is day 2 out of a 2-part post. For day 1, click here.

I woke up before Aaron this morning, as usual, and decided to hang out by the fireplace once again. It’s nice to see that there is always space in this huge lobby to sit and relax. I got some reading and blogging done while waiting for Aaron. I eventually got a text from him saying that housekeeping tried to barge into our room stating that we had already checked out. I confirmed that I was not silly enough to check us out, as he was still in the room sleeping. We were both very confused by the mix up. We then packed up and checked-out closer to the actual check-out time of 12pm. We had a brunch reservation at that time and our friends were told they can keep their bills open so we can charge the brunch charge to the hotel bill. However, when we had asked to do the same, the staff at the front desk said that this was not possible and they must close our bill so they can check in their next guests*. Confused, we headed over to Aux Chantignoles once more for their Sunday Brunch.

Baked Brie, Maple Crepes and Sugar Pie, Oh My!

We had high expectations for this Sunday Brunch. We have been here once and we know that many people travel here specifically for this brunch. It was buffet style and had a huge selection of food from traditional breakfast items like eggs, sausages, bacon and eggs benedicts (excellent!!), to cheese, fruits and crackers/bread, as well as more extravagant items like roast lamb, roast bison, baked salmon, and veal stew. My favourite go-to at this brunch is the baked brie. It goes fast, but don’t worry. They do replace it regularly, so just walk around and come back in a bit. If you’re a fan of seafood, you’re in for a treat, from their smoked salmon, to cocktail shrimps, to mussels, you can definitely satisfy all your seafood cravings here. I particularly enjoyed eating the smoked salmon with the dill cream cheese. For those with a sweet tooth, you must check out the large desserts section. They had a sugar shack-themed menu at the time of our visit given it was maple syrup season. The sugar pie and maple crepes are always fan favourites.

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Post-Brunch Relaxation

After brunch, we played another few rounds of cards by the fireplace before heading off. We did not get to do too many activities this time, but I hope to try some of their winter activities (such as snow-shoeing, cross-country skiing) and year-round Land Rover experience next time. We had tried the dog-sledding at our last visit and had a great time. 

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In Conclusion

Overall, we had a relaxing weekend at Fairmont Chateau Montebello. This is a nice destination, close to Ottawa, that you can go to to unwind, do some fun activities and indulge in excellent food. It is extremely hygge! At the same time, we were confused about some of the inconsistencies in the way we were treated compared to our friends and have emailed Fairmont to clarify this for us. 

Addendum:

*There was a bit of a delay in response to our email, but Fairmont Chateau Montebello did eventually respond. They said that they will “revise standards and procedure to ensure that [they] offer a constant service” with regards to the inconsistencies in the check-in process. They did not comment on the check-out issues, however, so I was a bit disappointed.