AUBERGE SAINT-ANTOINE, A FUSION OF GREAT
HISTORY IN QUEBEC CITY by Maralyn D. Hill and Norman E. Hill
On our last visit to Quebec City, we went ahead of the group we
were traveling with to experience the Auberge Saint-Antoine. Both being
interested in history, we had walked by this property in the late 90s, took
part in a site inspection in 2010 and were convinced we needed to
discover more this past year.
Auberge Saint-Antoine is part of the prestigious Relaix & Chateaux
group. Guests may or may not know that all of its properties must have
a story. Well, this hotel has a soul and guests are aware of it throughout
the entire property.
Very few hotels combine what its owners call a “fusion of tourism and
history.” This is exactly what guests can enjoy in Quebec City’s Auberge
Saint-Antoine. As we explored the hotel, it was easy to discover why in
December it had just been recognized in Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold
List for 2014 as one of the top hotels in the world. In addition, the hotel
is included in the prestigious Platinum Circle, which recognizes
consistency in excellence for properties who make the Gold List five
years in a row. January brought another accolade, Saint-Antoine was
named one of the top hotels in Canada. It scored highest in the Quebec
region, in the “Best Hotels by Region” category in the Travel+Leisure
500 Awards. Auberge Saint-Antoine received a score of 90.71 out of 100
– the highest score earned by a hotel in Quebec. Earlier in 2013 Robb
Report listed it on "The World's Top 100 Hotels."
These awards confirmed what we already thought, but nice to
know we were right on target in our evaluation.
Today, the hotel is located in the oldest part of the city, close to
the St. Lawrence River in the heart of Quebec City’s Old
Port. In 1687, the French king awarded waterfront lots to two
prosperous fur merchants. By 1704, the 䁡