Ermitage Saint-Antoine

We've stayed at Ermitage Saint- Antoine at least eight times over the years, and we keep coming back, even though it's a 430-mile drive from home. The scenery around Lac(Lake) Bouchette is amazing, and the place has a peaceful ambiance. There's daily Mass for anyone interested. It's a beautiful location, and the staff are competent and very friendly. The area is predominantly French speaking, but although we know only a little French, it hasn't hindered our stay. People make a real effort to communicate.

The neighbourhood is beautiful, and that was the one positive part of the stay. I booked an air-conditioned room but was quietly put in one without AC. When I challenged this, staff flatly told me none of their rooms had AC. Hotels.com, the travel agency, later confirmed the hotel had given the room I booked to someone else. I asked for compensation because I hadn't received what I paid for. The receptionist said I wasn't being nice, told me to leave, and said they'd refund my money. I also had a terrible customer service experience as a non-francophone. They call this a place of worship, but the hotel is run on what I consider unethical business principles. If you stand up for your consumer rights, they may label you a not nice person and ask you to leave. I don't trust even 1% of what the owners wrote in response to my review. They said they gave me the same room I booked on hotels.com, but I booked an air-conditioned room and got one with only a small fan. Hotels.com told me they would most likely remove the hotel from their listing because of overbooking. Why would they say that if the owners were being honest? It feels like one blatant lie after another. The hotel seems used to overbooking its rooms. I'd urge people to check they're getting the room they paid for. If they're offered an inferior room, they should ask for compensation without any compromise whatsoever.

The rooms at Ermitage were okay, if small, and stayed a bit warm even with the window open on cool nights. It was fairly quiet and a good place to sleep in lovely surroundings, with nice views by the lake. We had a meal at the clean, airy restaurant. Service was good and the menu had an interesting variety. We liked the soup, tourtière and veggie burger. The blueberry pie was quite small and too sweet, and we expected a more authentic filling given how popular it is in this area. Prices were a little high overall, though the quality was fairly good. A good meal option with few alternatives nearby.

We hadn't planned to stop here, but needed somewhere for the night and were pleasantly surprised. It's very kid friendly, the beds are comfortable, and the rooms stayed at a nice temperature. Service was excellent, and the place was beautiful, scenic and clean. There aren't TVs or fridges in the rooms. We were fine without a TV, though a fridge in our room would've been preferable. There's a TV and fridge in the common living room downstairs, which worked for us. Thanks for a pleasant stay!