Quebec Restaurants

After careers in psychological and social services, husband-wife team Ed and Shirley switched gears and spent a decade running a motel. With those years of experience in guest services behind them, they decided to focus on a smaller enterprise with luxurious, individual attention—and so, in 2011, Abadin Bed and Breakfast was born near the banks of the Ottawa River. It's named after a small municipality in Spain that the couple has travelled through, and is inspired by Europe's bed and breakfasts. And because Shirley is an artist, she and Ed have filled the rooms and grounds with intriguing, contemporary artwork and modern furniture.

Travel-weary guests can relax on the lounge room's white leather lounge chairs in front of the fireplace before apparating up to queen and king rooms. Ed and Shirley decorated each room individually, so guests might open the door to an airy space with white and cream tones, or a daring purple-and-black suite. Each room's 40-inch LCD TVs is outfitted with a media player and cable, which guests can watch as they snuggle into bathrobes and bounce on pillow-top mattresses. In the morning, the iPod docking station's alarm clock rouses them for a hot, plated breakfast. Behind the greek-revival-style mansion, a swimming pool and cozy patio give guests a chance to kick back and perfect their dolphin-show routines.

A year-round hotspot at the Jay Peak Resort, Jay Peak Pump House Indoor Waterpark beckons families to slip into its colorful slides and lounge in its 100-plus-degree hot tubs. La Chute, a quick-descending slide 65’ above the water, launches visitors through a 360-degree turn before depositing them in the pool below only six seconds later. In the Mill Pond kids’ play area, children man water cannons, adjusting their trajectory to blast unsuspecting friends or hydrate parched marathon runners.

An arcade replete with 3-D games and immersive ride simulators provides a break from underwater exploits, and the snack shack quells cravings for pizza, burgers, and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Adults can lounge at the poolside bar, where bartenders serve up frozen cocktails, draft beers, and firsthand advice on shark wrangling.

Lave Auto Royale's attentive technicians only admit two cars per hour in order to give each auto their undivided attention. Armed with high-quality products, they wash and wax cars by hand, adding when necessary a clay-bar treatment, which is a nonabrasive method of removing stubborn debris such as tree sap and recalcitrant mules from cars' exteriors. Additionally, staff members have years of experience providing a host of special services, ranging from window tinting to the installation of bug deflectors, spoilers, decals, and racing stripes.