Auberge du Lac-à-l'Eau-Claire

At the heart of a private 2,500-hectare estate in Saint-Alexis-des-Monts, in the Mauricie region, Auberge du Lac-à-l'Eau-Claire watches over one of Quebec's most beautiful natural lakes — 42 km of shoreline, an island, water of rare clarity — and over a dozen other lakes reserved for guests of the property alone. First a fishing outfitter in the 1980s, the site became a four-season resort in 1993: 23 rooms in the Auberge, 32 rooms and suites across two pavilions, 16 cottages with 4 or 5 bedrooms and 12 condos — 151 rooms in all — joined in 2025 by a Prestige cottage on the lakeshore. Anglers chase brook trout, lake trout, rainbow trout and smallmouth bass from May to September, and ice fishing takes over in winter — the Chef will gladly cook your catch. Fishing rights, licences, boats and motors are available at the rental centre; personal boats and motors are not allowed on the lakes, to protect them from cyanobacteria. The Espace Santé adds an indoor semi-Olympic pool, a Finnish bath, a steam room, a whirlpool, saunas, a fitness room and five massage-therapy rooms. In summer: canoe, kayak, pedal boat, pontoon, bike, tennis, beach and quad; in winter: snowmobiling from the on-site relay, dog sledding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, a 600 m lit skating oval and tube sliding. The dining room, looking out over the lake, puts trout front and centre on its table d'hôte, and four meeting rooms, corporate packages and a turnkey wedding package round out the offering. Member of the Ôrigine Artisans Hôteliers network.