My husband and I had a lovely time living in our comfortable, quiet, clean well equipped 2 bedroom/2bathroom condo at La Voliere last week. All the bad reviews prompted us to pack our
own sheets and towels....as if we were heading to the "cabin". However, this was totally unnecessary. The bed was comfortable, sheets and towels were fine, the living room furniture was comfortable, the kitchen was superbly well equipped and the entire space was huge. 6 people could vacation here comfortably. And even our little deck overlooking Moore Lake was
private and a perfect place to sip our morning coffee, taking in the transition from brilliant fall color to bare ski slopes waiting for snow.

We were there to cycle the P'tit Train du Nord. The bikes provided at La Voliere need a lot of work. Previous reviewers were accurate about their condition. We just rented bikes from the
ski hill.

If you’re expecting a five star hotel with a shiny chandelier and superb rooms, then stop reading right here. Do a search for a 5 star hotel in Mt. Tremblant. Now that you’ve gotten past that bit, here is my review and tips…

The resort is situated in the village of Mt. Tremblant, about 5km away from the ski village and mountains. There is plenty of parking for your car. The check-in was seamless, and be prepared to fork over $55 for utilities. The room was a decent size with a living, dining and kitchen area separate from the bedroom. We were on the lower floor so it was nice and cool. I can imagine the upper rooms get warm in the summer, so I would recommend asking for a lower floor. The toilet was off the kitchen so if you’re going to make a poop, then try to time it after meals. The bbq outside works well enough.

Tip: Even though there is a grocery store down the street, rather drive 12 km to Saint-Jovite. There is a huge Metro there that was top notch. More variety, better prices and higher quality.

The bed is hard. Like a lumpy rock hard. Behold, I have a solution. Pull out the sleeper sofa, remove the mattress and place it on your bed. Thrust me…this is the most valuable tip I have. If you have kids, let them sleep on the lazy boy or on the sofa pillows. You’re welcome.

The bicycles are usable but are in need of some attention. Rusted chains and sprockets show that they have never been oiled and left outside. I would recommend you buy a bike rack and bring your own bikes. There are numerous bike trails ranging from easy to intermediate. Follow the bike trails to the ski village. Its paved all the way and is a pleasant 5km ride. When you take the bike loop toward the casino there is a bridge over the river. Cross the bridge if you want some more challenging rides. They also make great trails for hiking.

Tip: remember to take a bike lock with. Even if you’re not bringing a bike, bring a lock so that you can lock your bike up when in the village.

Up the street is a lovely bakery just walking distance away. Their croissants are to die for and the prices are very reasonable. Down to the lake are more expensive restaurants and a sandwich shop that doubles as a bike repair store. So if you get a flat, you can have it fixed there.

There are not a lot of breakfast places around. Your best bet is to head out to Saint –Jovite and find a place at 852 Rue de Saint Jovite. They serve a lovely breakfast for just $4.95.

The ski village: this place is busy. Don’t come too early in the morning as most things only open at 10am. There is a lot to do but beware – it’s expensive. Especially the adventure stuff. Rock climbing was $70, white water rafting was $115 for half a day, horseback riding was $50 for 30 min. Ouch. The only thing I found worthwhile was to take the gondola up the mountain and enjoy the birds of prey show. There is a restaurant up there that is quite reasonable, so I wouldn’t pack a lunch. Take some water and granola bars. There are tons of hiking trails, so wear comfy shoes.

Tip: it’s always colder up the mountain. Take a light jacket.

There are a number of things for kids to do at the ski village, but can all be done in a day. Get a play all day pass for the kids and let them enjoy the euro bungee, wall climbing, adventure land etc.

The casino is a short drive from the village. I’m not really a gambler, so I just went there to see what it looks like. It’s a smallish casino set in a beautiful backdrop. Not really worth the trip unless you’re a gambler. Nothing for kids to do there.

Don’t waste your time trying to explore the area of the laurentians. The trans-canada highway is under construction and traffic is a nightmare. We drove to Mont Laurier and it was a total waste of time.

In closing I want to say that the resort was okay. Not really up to snuff of other RCI resorts I’ve been too. It needed to be thoroughly cleaned, painted and updated. Basically it was a little tired. That said, the location was really good. Close to everything. If an RCI rep slept there for one night they would certainly make an effort to perk it up, seeing it’s one of the more expensive resorts.

My wife, three children and I stayed for a week at Club Privilege, the sister hotel of La Voliere.
THE GOOD - These properties are both located near the beautiful old village of Tremblant, and are a 5 minute drive to the pedestrian village and ski hills. Both properties have pools, barbecues and play structures on site. La Voliere has a private dock with canoes and paddle boats on a pretty little lake (Lac Mercier I think). People staying at Club Privilege have the use of these as well as the bicycles at La Voliere. My kids also enjoyed fishing and swimming in this same lake - my 8 year old daughter caught a 2 pound bass. There is a public beach and boat launch 2 minutes from the hotels.
Both of these RCI properties offer suites with full kitchens, something which is essential if you do not want to spend a fortune eating out three meals a day at the VERY pricey local restaurants (The 2 lunches we ate out were both over $70, and the one dinner was $125). Our room was very clean, everything worked, and it had a nice little balcony and fireplace (didn't use the fireplace as it was August!).

THE NOT SO GOOD - We were on the third floor, and due to the fact there is no air conditioning, our room was about 30 degrees C by the evenings. By opening the windows and using the oscillating fan provided we were able to sleep, but it was warm. We didn't mind the stairs (no elevators) but the elderly or people with mobility issues would have to have the ground floor. We had read that the beds were hard, and boy those people weren't kidding. If you aren't used to sleeping on a rock I would take an air mattress.

OVERALL - If you want to stay at your hotel for your entire holiday and be entertained, this place is not for you. It is not the Ritz, and doesn't pretend to be. If you are active and just need a place to lay your head and eat meals, it will do nicely. The area is gorgeous summer and winter and Club Privilege makes a good base of operations for an active family.

This place charges extra for "utilities" but from my experience they should welcome anyone and give a bonus for just staying there. The rooms were poorly lit, the furnishings were tired, the curtains shabby, the "amenities" very lacking. As examples, the shower head flew off and hit my friend in the head causing a headache and a bump. I encouraged her to go to the ER, but she shrugged it off. Fortunately she exhibited no further sxs of concussion. She got on a bike after rejecting several that had bald tires, no brakes, wobbly wheels, only to have the handlebars come off, the sprocket chain to jump off track twice and the brakes to be very poor. She ended up with a scraped shin and bruise from that experience. The pool was full of bugs and had a large wrinkle across the bottom. The paddle boats were full of water and listed to one side, the canoes were poorly designed and we had to be rescued by a bystander: Otherwise we would have capsized.