Family Road Trip (part 2) Quebec City to Montreal

We started our second morning in Quebec, with packing up our bags to leave the Four Points by Sheraton Lévis Hotel.  Our plan for the day was to see the Plains of Abraham, and whatever else we could before heading off to Montreal.

We spent the later part of the morning at the Plains of Abraham.  We parked a little distance away, because we wanted to hike around the area.

At the entrance of Plains of Abraham

Québec City from the Plains

After all our walking, we got some nice views of the scenery.  We ate a picnic lunch before setting off again to our next point of interest.
The Chutes de la Chaudiere is a waterfall in Lévis and is quite unique because of the rock formations which direct the water as it flows over. I would recommend making this one of your stops if you are planning to go to Quebec City, since it is very close by.  We drove to entrance B after studying the park map and decided this would be the better route in for us (since we didn't plan to hike all the way around).  There is no cost for parking or park entrance.  From entrance B, it was very quiet, and we seemed to be the only tourists greeted by a few locals on the trail.  We walked to the first lookout which is at the crest of the falls and also got a good view of the hydro electric project which has been installed there.  We kept walking down the trail (which is not a difficult one) and were impressed by the views of these falls.

When we felt we were done, we ate some snacks before leaving for our next long drive.  It was 3 hours to Montreal, and we were also in the middle of the Friday afternoon rush.
We drove straight to our next hotel, the Aloft Montreal Airport, where we would be staying for the next 2 nights.

Our room at the Aloft

In the morning of Day #3, we hurried off to Namur Metro Station to ride the metro, and further explore. We bought day passes for $8, then proceeded down to the track.  We found the metro system of Montreal fairly easy to navigate, and it seems faster than what we are accustomed to in the GTA.

Waiting for the Metro at Namur Station

We got off at Place D'Armes Station and walked up to see Notre Dame Basilica. We sat in the courtyard for a while, taking in our surroundings.  I have an appreciation for historic architecture, and I was impressed by the beauty of Notre Dame Basilica, along with other nearby structures.

Notre Dame

Notre Dame, built in the 1820's -1830

We were among other tourists taking pictures there, and we went inside for a look as well.  It cost $5 per adult to enter.  We were instantly amazed with the inside of the old church, resplendent with gold and brilliant hues.

inside the Notre Dame Basilica

We continued our walk outside, and down the strip. We stopped at a small restaurant called Faste Fou for late lunch, and ordered some Montreal smoked meat sandwiches with fries.  It was yummy.

Smoked meat sandwich- yummy!

After our meal, we had more energy to continue exploring.  There is a lot to see in Old Montreal.

While we were walking, there was a troop of people costumed in historical military clothing. We thought it was pretty neat.

We kept walking around, and found our way to the cruise port.  Holland America's Maasdam cruise ship was at port, so we took a walk to see it a bit closer.  In the same boardwalk area, there was a group of artistically formed concrete slabs. Up close, a sign said Silophone, enter and play.  The point of it was to stand in the middle of the 5 pillars, and speak into the microphone built in to one side to hear your voice reverberate.  I brought my 3-year old in, and he enjoyed it.

Holland America's Maasdam

more fun than it looks!

Further on our walk back into Old Montreal, we discovered the 18th Century Market.  The stalls for the vendors were fashioned out of wood and cloth, as close to what you'd expect to see in the 1700's.  The vendors were dressed in the same period costume.  There were people dressed as pirates, noblemen and noblewomen whom you could pose with for photos; musicians playing historic looking instruments, and areas designated for children's games, which added to the quaint atmosphere.

18th Century market

After our visit to the market, we moved on again. We found the metro station to return to our car, then we decided to drive to the next spot, which would be about half an hour.  We visited St.Joseph's Oratory in the late afternoon, and enjoyed taking pictures of its exterior and interior.

inside St. Joseph's Oratory

We then drove a little farther to the Mont Royal summit for sunset - the only thing is, the sun sets on the other side of where the summit lookout is, so it's completely obstructed (but the other tourists didn't mind).  The view of Montreal is still breathtaking from this point and there is some good hiking to do in the park.  You may also get a view of the resident raccoon family while you're there.

view from Mont Royal

Resident raccoon family!

Aloft at night

After a long day of sightseeing, we headed back to our hotel for our last night in Quebec.

Leaving the hotel

We checked out of the Aloft Montreal Airport Hotel at 11 am, and headed for home in the GTA.  We spent about 8 hours on the road, making stops for our children, and arrived home sweet home around 6:30pm.

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Family Road Trip- GTA to Quebec City

On the way to Quebec City, we had to drive through Montréal

A couple weeks ago, my husband and I packed up the kids in the car, as well as 5 days worth of clothes, snacks, and baby gear, to make the 9 hour drive to Quebec City.  We were prepared to make plenty of rest stops to accommodate our young children's needs, and planned accordingly.

We started our journey near 6:30 am, and by 4:00 pm, we checked into the Four Points Hotel in Lévis, across the St. Lawrence River from Quebec City.

Four Points by Sheraton Lévis Convention Centre

After we had settled into our room, we checked out the local sights.  We used the free shuttle service from the hotel to the marina, and enjoyed the short drive.  We walked a path in the park near the marina and watched the sun set over the Quebec City skyline from across the St. Lawrence River.

End of day one in Quebec

The next day, we visited the St. Anne de Beaupré Shrine.  Finding our way there was a little tricky, because many of the road signs we needed to find were not visible from the direction we were heading in, or only visible after we passed it (ie covered by a tree).

The building itself is stunning, built in 1923, after a fire had destroyed the first church structure a year before.   Religious pilgrimages take place here, and there are other things to see as well; such as a museum, chapel, and various pieces of artwork depicting Christianity.

St. Anne de Beaupré  Shrine

Memorial Chapel, built in 1876

inside St. Anne de Beaupré

Our next destination was Montmorency Falls Park. It was busy, since it was prime summer vacation time, and a well known tourist spot.  Nevertheless, we still walked around and enjoyed the scenery with our two kids. Some of the paths were not stroller accessible, so we made our stay short.

Montmorency Falls Park

the clouds moved over briefly, for this dramatic photo

We headed back to our hotel, just in time to catch the shuttle to take us to the marina again. We boarded the ferry, and got out on the other side of the St.Lawrence River. In lower Quebec City, we spotted horse-drawn carriages giving tours, which was kind of neat. We walked around  lower Quebec city, and took the Funicular  to the upper part. 

the Funicular -looking up from the bottom

the Funicular- looking down from the top

the Chateau Frontenac greets you when you get out from the funicular

Next, our goal was to find an appropriate place to enjoy local cuisine.  There are many restaurants in the historic/tourist area of Quebec City that serve up all types of cuisine from local specialties to Thai food.  Really, any restaurant in this area will have great food based on the menus visible outside and the luring aromas of each eatery as you pass by.  We wanted to try authentic Quebec poutine, so that influenced where we chose to stop and eat. We found a nice little restaurant, called Café Buade, adjoining an art gallery.

I got excited when I saw pea soup on the menu, so I ordered that to start. My husband ordered the French Onion soup, and there was a kids menu to satisfy our three-year old.  The soups and poutine were delicious, and the poutine was very filling.  

We realized the evening was quickly approaching, and we needed to return to the ferry before the last shuttle pick up for the hotel, so, we expedited our sightseeing through upper Quebec and took the stairs down to lower Quebec. There, we returned to the ferry, and then took the shuttle back to our hotel.  What a busy day!  

I'll be continuing this post about our Quebec adventures in my next post: 

Family Road Trip- Quebec City to Montreal.  

Thanks for reading!

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Aulani and the end of our journey (Days 12-16)

Looking at the main lobby lanai

While at Aulani, we enjoyed the pool areas and the beach.  The water was a bit on the cool side in the kids play area (Menehune Bridge) and the lazy river (Waikolohe Stream) but a good temperature in the family pool and the hot tubs.
I also took the opportunity to enjoy a manicure at the Laniwai Spa, while my husband entertained the kids back in our suite. 

Laniwai Spa

Laniwai is a full service spa and salon, offering many luxurious treatments, with a Hawaiian touch.  I had reserved my appointment for a manicure the morning of, and luckily, they had a spot open for me. I would not have gotten an appointment that same day, however, if I had wanted a different package, since the treatment rooms were full already. The decor of the whole place has a calming effect, and the music playing made me feel relaxed as well. The staff know how to make you feel welcome too; I was offered a glass of fruit-infused water while I waited.

reception desk

Waiting area and boutique

entering the salon

Use the Daily Iwa (the name of the resort activity guide) to determine what you would like to check out.  Some things are free, and some are an extra fee to cover materials, etc. but these are great.  Try out the lei making classes, or the hula lessons; take the tours, do the interactive Menehune Adventure Trails, go to all the character meet and greets, check out the firepit story telling in the evenings, and definitely go to the Starlit Hui Luau.  There is a lot to write about in terms of activities but I'll just touch on the ones we enjoyed the most.

Aulani Art Tour
If you take this tour, you will really begin to appreciate the effort and thought that has gone into the design of this resort.  Just a couple of highlights, but you should take the tour which is certainly worth the time.

The 'A' in Aulani is the same shape as the arch's for the roof structures.  This is the shape of the shelters that were used to store canoes when they (Hawaiians) returned home, and is meant to symbolize that guests are returning home to Aulani.

looking up at a tower

The pictures behind the front desk are photographs taken by local Hawaiian students - each student had to take a photo focusing on one colour.  Then the 138 photos were arranged to form a rainbow collage behind the desk.

rainbow photo collage behind the check-in desk

The resort has currently two buildings with the west: one themed masculine (Wai'anae Tower); and the east themed feminine (Ewa Tower).  The water gardens have waterfalls on the masculine side, and there are no waterfalls (just calm water) on the feminine side.  There are also flowers on the feminine side, and no flowers within the building on the masculine side.  There is a third building standing there which is to be opened up next year at some time

the Aulani resort towers-one to be opened next year

Even the compass on the floor of the lobby has arrows made of specific materials depending on where it is pointing (coral towards the ocean, koa towards the mountains where koa trees grow, black rough lava rock to the west - the masculine side, light smooth lava rock to the east - the feminine side).

The compass features the Ewa bird in the centre, with four Taro leaves surrounding it

 There are also menehune hidden around the resort - Evan had a great time finding as many as he could.  Menehune are small people of legend who live in the forests and valleys of Hawaii.  They are supposed to be excellent and fast craftsmen who built temples, canoes, etc. If you bribed them with poi they would even build stuff for you.  The thing is, they work only at night and once they start building something, they have to finish it that night or they can never finish the job.  Since they were so good and fast at building things, they often got bored and so they would cause trouble during other times and earned a reputation of being mischievous.  See how many of these you can find - they're hidden everywhere: under water, in keyholes, on the ceiling, behind trees, in elevators.

Menehune in the garden

Menehune underwater

Menehune under a table

Menehune on a ledge

Menehune Adventure Trails 
This is an interactive trail, in which we were given a smartphone to find each of the areas around the resort, that revealed a touch of the Menehune's magic.  The phone would play a tune, and then something unexpected would happen around us, like in the garden (rocks move), or the pond (where things emerge from the water). It was great fun for Evan.

The phone showed us where to go

The canoe at the top spills water over at the kids play area after you hear the conch

lit images appear on the paths outside, and disappear almost as quickly

Aulani Nature Tour
It was great to learn about the native plants used to decorate the gardens as well as the kukui nut torches which are specific to Hawaii (tiki torches are native to all of Polynesia). There are also hundreds of animal carvings worked into the design of the stones around the resort.

Kukui nut torches

can you find two sea turtles?

Look closely at the mountain- how many animals can you identify?

Movies under the stars
It was a great breather to grab a mat and sit on the lawn at Makaloa Garden.  The view is good regardless of where you sit, and it seemed like there was enough space.  Still, arrive early to get your preferred spot.  They don't have this every night, but be sure to check it out.  We watched  'A Bug's Life" while we were there.

Movie night: pre-movie trivia

Makaloa Garden- where the Starlit Hui and Movies night take place

Starlit Hui
We were able to check this out on our last night at Aulani and it was phenomenal.  Although not a traditional luau, the show was great, and is limited to guests of Aulani only - by the way, no food is served either.  They don't have this show every night and many people look forward to it, so get there early, and I mean earlier than 1/2 an hour.  A line does form and it gets packed, although it never really felt too crowded based on the capacity of the lawn.  We were fortunate enough to get there early and grab a good mat location to view the show.  The show actually starts about an hour after they let you in, but there is a pre-show where you can go do some crafts at a table near the back and play some traditional Hawaiian games.  I went to the crafts table and got a really nice fresh flower arrangement made for my hair.

these fresh flowers were clipped to my hair at the Starlit Hui

 The atmosphere during this pre-show was almost like a family get together and the animation crew made you feel very comfortable participating in everything.
When the show starts you can feel the excitement.  They make it interactive for the kids who can join the act on stage and bang coconut shells together for the music.  The dance does tell a story which is narrated by uncle (from the firepit story telling) and there are a number of musical performances.  The grand finale is great where all the Disney characters you would see here (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Stitch, Chip and Dale) got on the stage and started a dance party which everyone could join into and dance the night away.  Did I mention that the Starlit Hui is included for guests at Aulani - awesome value.  It was the best end to an unbelievable vacation.

During the show

after the show, Disney characters came out to party

Hawaii is beautiful, full of culture, and satisfies those with a thirst for adventure.  If we could have spent more time there we would have, and the Hawaiian Islands should definitely go on your bucket list of places to visit.

Aloha! and Mahalo for following our journey

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