Clos Saint-Louis

Caribou: The Drink of Carnival

Clos Saint Louis — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:49:39 +0000

Wondering how all of those Winter Carnival attendees keep themselves warm from all the cold and snow? In addition to bundling up, some of the adults are probably drinking “Caribou.” For the uninitiated, Caribou is an alcoholic drink made from port or red wine, a hard liquor such as whisky — although some recipes use brandy or rum — and sometimes sweetened with maple syrup or soda pop. It can be served at any temperature.

While legend has it that Caribou was named after a drink from colonial times that contained of a mix of actual caribou blood and whisky, today there are a number of different variations of the drink — and they don’t contain unsavory ingredients.

If you’re unable to travel to Québec for Winter Carnival this year, Caribou is easy to make at home. Here’s a recipe from the official Carnival website:

Caribou

3 oz. Vodka
3 oz. Brandy
12 1/2 oz. Canadian Sherry
12 1/2 oz. Canadian Port

(Serves 10)

If you’re a particularly big fan of Caribou, here’s a link to a page that features a number of different variations: http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m0508M06.htm.

Just remember not to enjoy it too much!

Take Advantage of Our Winter Discount

Clos Saint Louis — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:09:17 +0000

Reserve one of our romantic rooms now and take advantage of a 15% discount off of our listed rates until the end of April. (*These rates do not apply during Winter Carnival, January 28 – February 20, 2012.)

Deluxe Room (including Breakfast): $175 – 15% = $149
Superior Room (including Breakfast): $195 – 15% = $165

Conditions/Notes:

The prices shown above are for two people, per room, per night.
Room availability is limited.
Taxes are additional.
Minimum two nights stay.
Breakfast is included.
Parking is not included.
The prices are valid for new reservations only.

Book online of call us toll free from anywhere in North America: (800) 461-1311

Bundle Up: It’s Almost Time for the Quebec Winter Carnival

Clos Saint Louis — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:14:35 +0000

Have a case of the winter blues? Has cabin fever set in? There’s no better way to beat it than to get outside and celebrate. And, there’s no better occasion than the Quebec Winter Carnival.

A tradition dating back to the early days of the French colony, Carnival is more than your typical a pre-Lent celebration.

Key events and attractions include:

Opening ceremony at the Ice Palace, hosted by the Bonhomme – the giant snowman “Ambassador” of Winter Carnival.
Colorful Night Parades – during the 2^nd and 3^rd weekends.
Snow sculpture contest – featuring the work of sculptors from all over the world.
Bikini snow bath – for those who really love the cold!
Canoe race on the St. Lawrence River between Quebec City and Lévis.
Dog-sled race through the snow-covered streets of the Old City.

And there’s much, much more.

This year’s Carnival will take place from January 27 to February 12. Most events take place on the historic Plains of Abraham. Dress warmly or warm up by drinking caribou – a traditional Quebec winter drink – at one of the ice bars along the Grande Allée.

The purchase of an effigy – a small Bonhomme keepsake figurine – grants visitors access to most events. The cost is $13 and they are easily available at kiosks, at over 450 stories in Quebec City, as well as online for groups of 25 or more. (Note: some events are free.)

Learn more by visiting the official Quebec Winter Carnival Website.

25th Anniversary Special at the Hotel Le Clos Saint-Louis

Clos Saint Louis — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:48:07 +0000

The management and staff of L’Hotel Le Clos Saint-Louis wish our customers and friends perfect health, prosperity and passion in all of your endeavors. May love surround you throughout the year.

Have a wonderful 2011.

Ghislaine Donais
Owner

To celebrate our 25th anniversary L’Hotel Le Clos Saint Louis is offering a jubilee special, 25% reduction from March 1st 2011 to May 1st, 2011.
Reserve one of our romantic rooms now and take advantage of the 25% rebate off the price of the room indicated below.

De Luxe Room :
$175 – 25% = $129, breakfast included
De Luxe Plus room :
$185 – 25% = $139, breakfast included
Supérior De Luxe Room :
$195 – 25% = $145, breakfast included

The amazing Cirque du Soleil returns again to Québec City. This time, the Cirque presents “Totem”, the story of the genesis of the human race and its evolution. Artists and acrobats glide about the stage in the form of a giant turtle. The turtle is the symbol of the primordial origins of life for many of world’s primitive peoples. Starting out from a swampy and marshy environment, Cirque du Soleil tells the beginnings of mankind through and up to the conquest of space. Gradually, the marsh is transformed into a lake, an ocean, a volcanic island and finally into the vault of heaven during the course of the narrative.

A young Native American dancer leads you with his magic rings through the tale of human evolution. The stars of this dazzling event are man himself – at times a brilliant and conscientious scientist, at other a thoughtless polluting fool, and yet at others, an avid and ferocious defender of the animals in our midst – and, we must not forget, the animals themselves, as we transport you from the amphibian world of earth’s early years to the terrestrial world of the present. Robert Lepage, a Québec City native, was the creator and the architect for the design and staging of this glorious event.

The world’s largest circus returns to its native Québec

This recently created two-and-a-half hour event debuts in Québec City on July 22 and will run through August 29 before moving on to its next tour stop in Amsterdam. Cirque du Soleil hosts 20 shows simultaneously worldwide across five continents, including shows that continually tour the world as well as permanent shows in New York, Tokyo, Orlando, Macau and Las Vegas. This Canadian company has literally taken over Las Vegas with permanent performances in seven of the city’s major venues. No other theatrical organization to date has been able to make such a claim.

…and what luck! The Hotel Le Clos Saint-Louis is located just a few minutes walk from the staging area of this magical and unique event that will undoubtedly be the highlight of Québec City this summer.

Quebec City Summer Festival

Clos Saint Louis — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 02:26:55 +0000

Quebec, July 8 to 18, 2010

For the past 43 years, the Quebec City Summer Festival has been drawing crowds with its unique holiday atmosphere. For 11 days the city is transformed into a giant outdoor stage where hundreds of performers show off their talents at some 10 venues in and around Old Québec City, all within easy walking distance.

The best summer music festival in Canada

Quebec City Summer Festival, “the best summer music festival in Canada” (National Post). This amazing, eclectic, world-class outdoor event is surely the most elaborate festival of the summer: world beat music, Francophone song, pop-rock, street and circus performances and classical music. A friendly, safe and clean event for the whole family.

Robert Lepage’s Fabulous Image Mill

Clos Saint Louis — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:01:28 +0000

One of the world’s most unique shows!

The show takes place every day at sunset, at the Louise Bassin in the Old Port of Quebec – the soft sounds and demure lights of the “Image Mill” – a show of sound and light that is sure to amaze you.

The “Image Mill” is the creation and realization of the international renowned artist Robert Lepage. The daily event takes place in the open air and is offered at no cost in the beautiful city of Quebec, the francophone capital of North America.

On a screen so big, it got listed in the Guinness Book of Records

The Image Mill is projected on the 81 huge, ancient grain silos of the Bunge Company in the harbour of Quebec City. The silos become a projection screen 30 meters (100 ft.) high by 600 meters (2,000 ft.) wide with the great Saint Lawrence River as a backdrop. Officially recognized by the Guiness Book of Records as the largest projection surface in the world, the the collection of silos is the equivalent of 25 Imax screens, about a half kilometer (1/3^rd mile) long.

The 40-minute Image Mill show narrates Quebec’s history since its foundation by Samuel de Champlain, through the colonial period, covering the politics of the region, the importance of religion and the major role that it played, the successive periods of administration under France and then under England, technology advances and more… Four centuries of history from 1608 to the present day.

“The Image Mill does not ressemble a documentary, nor a movie, but looks more like a direct happening between fireworks, a movie and a rock show“– Robert Lepage

You will be able to view the Image Mill show throughout the summer, Tuesdays through Saturdays, evenings at 10pm, from many vantage points within the city, all of which are just a few steps away from the Hotel Le Clos Saint-Louis. Tickets are also available for reserved seats.

To get a better idea of this fantastic show and to view a short clip taken of one of the rehearsals during the preparations.

Other Image Mill videos are available on YouTube

Easter Everywhere and for All

Clos Saint Louis — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 02:57:28 +0000

Easter traditions as we know them in Quebec have their roots in panoply of influences religious and pagan. At all times and in all cultures, the arrival of Spring has been celebrated. American Indians “made the trees cry” for maple syrup, while elsewhere the first lamb was sacrificed to mark the occasion.

The custom of offering eggs as a harbinger of Spring dates back to antiquity! Universal symbol of fertility and rebirth, the egg thus was handed down through the centuries coloured, painted, ornamented with dried flowers or stones and precious metals in the Fabergé mode, eventually ending up alongside the religious traditions of Easter.

Taking place the first Sunday following the full moon of the Spring equinox, the Christian celebration of Easter marks the resurrection, the power of life. Within the orthodox church, the celebration occurs a few days later but its rites and customs are all inspired by this idea of renewal! Rome’s chiming bells on Easter morning, egg hunts, candy and holiday meals take place to celebrate life, the arrival of Spring and the wish for happy days.

The snow geese: epic voyagers

Clos Saint Louis — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 02:51:37 +0000

A GATHERING NOT TO BE MISSED

Twice a year, hundreds of thousands of snow geese alight alongside the St. Lawrence River. An unbelievable feast for the eyes and ears, the immense flocks transform the river into a rippling sea of white as the air fills with deafening cries. And when these valiant vagabonds suddenly take wing, the sight of their breathtaking aerial ballet is the stuff of legend.

Spring migration

Wintering on the Atlantic Coast, the Snow geese complete their yearly migration of some 8 000 km (5,000 miles) by leaving the Atlantic Cost in late March. Other bird species, including Canada geese, ducks and birds of prey, join them during their Québec stopover, their favorite spot being Baie-du-Febvre, on the South shore of Lac Saint-Pierre (near Trois-Rivières) where the most important populations can be observed in mid-April.

Although to a lesser extent, the geese also favor Cap Tourmente, East of Québec City, where perigrine falcons and ruby-throated hummingbirds join them later. In addition to themed exhibits, the Interpretation Centre offers lookouts, trails, as well as an observation corridor, to the visitors.

The New France Route (Route de la Nouvelle-France), some 50 km (30 mi.) in length, is an absolute jewel. Imagine it: ancestral homes all along this historic roadway lend it a unique cachet. As a backdrop: the Laurentian mountain chain and its imposing Mont Sainte-Anne; wide open views of the St. Lawrence and Île d’Orléans, known for its bucolic charm and pretty villages; nearby is Québec City, seated majestically atop Cap Diamant.