Tremblant-Insider Summer

Helpful Hints

CURRENCY EXCHANGE

Everyone please do not exchange American currency at any of the banks, bars,
hotels, boutiques, and or restuarants. Please only use the ATM's. The ATM's at Bank
National machines at the mtn and in Saint Jovite do not charge a user fee for American ATM card holders. You will also avoid the $5 transaction fee that most of the banks charge here for currency exchanges. Furthermore, the rate of exchange you get if you use US Dollar Currency for
purchases at any of the shops, and or restaurants is much lower than if you
used the ATM's to get Canadian Currency before hand.

If you drive to Tremblant do not exchange currency at the US, Canadian border. The rate is usually 10 cents lower there as well. Stick to the ATM's for cash while visiting here.
Your US dollar will go much further. The ATM's are located in the "la
Kandahar, Country Inn and Suites" Bank National offices, and by the upper
metered parking area at the bottom of the Fairmont Hotel. Do not use the ATM in the entrance to the
"la Shack" restaurant. It charges a $3 fee on top of a $2.50 charge your bank will charge you to use it.

GROCERY STORES/PHARMACY'S

Now many people when they come here with family's tend to check into the
condo first, then go shop for food. They are tired and don't want to travel
far, but get stuck paying high prices at the mountain grocery store with a
very limited selection. We have several grocery stores located on Highway 117 just as you get here. I suggest you stop in there first to save money, and for a wider variety of products choose from. The grocery stores on Highway 117 are IGA, Super C and Maxi.I prefer the IGA because it offers better quality everything. For bulk
foods the Super C and the Maxi serve the same needs. Also the IGA has better
produce and carry's a wider variety of Kosher/ethnic baked goods and food stocks.

There is also the GEANT TIGRE . The Geant Tigre is the discount store. It
has everything from clothes to food. If you are on a budget and need to save
money. This is the place to shop. You can even find frozen Salmon steaks of
4 for $2.98. Most products aren't name brand products. But they do have some. It
is the cheapest place to buy chips, diapers, soda and other goods. I shop there on a regular basis.

Now if you need Aspirin or cold medicine. You just can't buy it over the
counter at a grocery or convenience store in Quebec. You must go to a
Pharmacy here to find those medicines. We have two pharmacy's to choose
from. UNI PRIX and JEAN COUTU. Jean Coutu is usually cheaper, and has better
parking and access. You get off of the 117 at the 327 exit and head
into town. At the 1st light you turn left. Jean Coutu is on the left hand
side in a little strip mall. There is a Subway next to it.

TEACHING THE TODDLER SKIING

This can be a frustrating task for both parent and child.

DO NOT TEACH THE CHILD YOURSELF.

KEEP YOUR FAMILY HAPPY ON VACATION AND PUT THEM IN A CLASS.
Now here is something that is not published. We have 3 magic carpet lifts
for beginners at the base of the mountain on the south side. They are free.
You don't need to purchase a lift ticket to use them. You and your child can
make as many laps as you want to for free. Gratuit means free here. Now if
your child does take a class. Just don't dump your child at the ski school
before you meet the instructor. Meet the instructor first, and then
introduce your child to the instructor. This will show your child that the
instructor is an authority figure and not a teenage baby sitter. When the
lesson is done. Ask the instructor how your child did, and what tips he/she
can tell you that will help your childs skiing. And don't forget to TIP the
instructor. They earn it. Trust me on that one.

PARKING, TAXI'S, AND BUSES

At the base of Tremblant's south side they have a parking lot that is very
close. However, it cost's $10 per day to park there. They also have several
free lots with shuttle service to the mountain. But if you have a family
with lunches, it is worth it to pay for the VIP parking. Be careful when
parking at the meter lots up by the Westin and Fairmont hotels. They have
tow trucks standing bye for when your meter runs out. Not recommended to
park there because it cost's alot to get your car back.

We have a very good bus system here. Each ride cost's one dollar per person.
It is a coin called a Loonie that is $1. It is bronze in color. The bus's
stop close to each and every hotel and Inn in the area.

The taxi's do run regularly here. An average ride from the resort into St
Jovite costs between $12-15.
Saint Jovite Taxi 819-425-5312
Tremblant Limousines 819-425-5446
Taxi Limo Tremblant 819-681-1715

If you want a limo while you are here call 1-866-737-5466.

PACKING LUNCHES & EATING LUNCH

You can no longer take box lunches up to the top of the mountain in the
Grand Manitou lodge. Sad and truly unfortunate for family's. The only places
that you can take boxed/packed lunches into are in the North Side base lodge.

I do not recommend eating at the Grand Manitou lodge unless you have too.
The food and beaverages are way over priced for what you get. The food
quality has gone down do to budget cuts the last couple of years. The food isn't bad just don't ever get the spagetti.

For lunch on the South side base area I recommend eating at Obertie Express
Deli, Coco Paso deli, Phat Mardi's, La Diabe, Casey's, Spagetti Co for the best food and value.

APRE SKI AND NIGHT TIME FUN

For Apre ski I would go to Phat Mardi's, La Diabe Micro Brew, Casey's, or
Caribou for the best apre for Food, Service, and dollar value.

For Night time partying at the mtn village check out Phat Mardi's Friday and
Saturday for live bands until 12:30. Also Casey's, La Diabe, The Pub (use to be Octobar),Cafe Epoque, and of course the villiage night time flagship "La Pit Caribou". Be warned about the Caribou however because it can get so packed you cannot move on some Saturday nights LOL.

In St. Jovite the resto bar "Tavern du Manior" has a pretty lively crowd on
Fridays. The St. George is busy about every night of the week but is royally
packed on Tuesday's staff night. Avoid the "Moulin Rouge" unless you want
to feel like you are at a Junior High dance and somebody spiked the punch bowl.

HOSPITALS

There are two hospitals close by. One is in St. Agathe 15 miles away. The
other is in La Annonciation 25 miles away. The better and larger of the two
is in La Annonciation. So if you get hurt on the mountain and they have to
take you to a hospital. If it is not a life threatening injury tell them you want to go to La Annonciation.

ALL NON CANADIAN RESIDENTS PLEASE READ THIS NEXT SECTION WHEN VISITING HERE.
Being an American up here if you get hurt it is a costly upfront out of
pocket experience. You can have health insurance, but the emergency room
will not let you be seen by a doctor until you fork over $750 CAD as a
deposit. This sad fact is true. They will tell you it is up to you to get
the money back from your health insurance company. The hospitals will not
deal with American insurance companies. If it is life threatening they will
treat you first however. But trust me on this one. Before you see a Doctor a
person comes to you with their hand out first. For those Americans coming up
here. You can go to this website and get cheap temporary health insurance to cover
you up here. I highly recommend it. The link is.
http://secure.lhplans.com/LH/CoverMe/Corporate/LHWebSiteHome.jsp?lang=E&province=&module=

The clinic privately operated at the resort mtn will not be open anymore.
Sadly they have had enough. There are two health clinics located close to
the mountain. One on the right hand side of the road going into St. Jovite
on Rt 327 coming from the mtn and is open untill 7pm nightly. They have full
emergency and x-ray services. The other is located on the right hand side
in Old Tremblant Village and is only open untill 5pm.

If you get hurt on the mtn do not let ski patrol put you in an Ambulance
unless it is life threatening. If you parents can drive you or a friend to
the ER do that. An Ambulance ride to the hospital here is $400, and non
Canadian insurance companies most likely will not cover this expense.

Furthermore, if you have a member of your traveling party that needs special
health care needs I would recommend staying at "La Grand Lodge". Dr. Dion is on call to that Hotel 24hrs. And besides it has the best lake view around here. Frankly it is my favorite hotel here.

SKI/SNOWBOARD THEFTS

Unfortunately you have a ski and snowboard theft problem at any resort.
Little gangs of people up to no good want to steal all the skis and snowboards that they can. Mostly they look for high end demo's which they can adjust the binding to fit them and get away very quickly to a waiting car at the bottom of the mountain. Mix
matching your skis with someone else's won't work. The little gangs watch
for that. Lock your stuff up. Not with the little cable locks either. They
cut through those very quickly. Buy one of the LOCK PLUGS that are sold in
every shop here. We have many racks that these LOCK PLUGS are used for all
over the mountain. Rental/demo shops do not offer any ski theft insurance
with their rental/demo packages. So lock it up, or if it gets stolen you
will end up paying the highest markup for that gear. And no, most often your
home owners insurance will not cover it because it is rental gear, and not your own personal property.

DRINKING AGE

In Quebec the drinking age is 18. But be advised that most of the bars in
the mountain village are 21 and over Thursday through Sunday. The only bar
that isn't is the "Octobar". Well you can purchase beer and wine at any gas
station, carry out, or grocery store. But any hard liquor has to be
purchased at the Gov't run stores called SAQ. There is one in St. Jovite
right across from the Police station. The other SAQ is located in the Westin hotel in the resort village area.

GETTING TAXES BACK

Up here in Canada if you are an American you can get your taxes back.
However, your purchase must be above $50 CAD before taxes. You can only get
your taxes back from hotel bills and hard goods. No food, wine, dining etc.
And you will only get the GST 6% tax back. To get both the GST 7% and PST
7.5% tax back your purchase must be above $600 on the receipt. Ask your
hotel clerk, or shop clerk for the form to send the receipts in to get your
sales tax money back. Now if you drove up here you can get your taxes back
at the duty free shop on this side of the border in Canada just before you cross.

If you stay at the resort on the mountain. There is an extra 2%
royalty tax that is charged for all goods purchased. If you stay over night
you have to pay an added 3% royalty tax on your nights stay. However, if
you stay away in Old Tremblant or in St. Jovite you don't have to pay these taxes. Now the tax rebate forms offered at the hotels and shops for is a service. And they do take a percentage of your tax refund. However, youcan go to this link and get direct forms and avoid that.
http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/E/pbg/gf/gst176/gst176-03e.pdf

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL NO LONGER BE A GST TAX REFUND FOR NON-CANADIAN
RESIDENTS VISITING HERE FOR THE 2007/08 SKI SEASON. SO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT
THIS YEAR.

LA SOURCE AQUA CLUB

It is an indoor water park/health club. It can be very expensive if you have
a family. Like $23 CAD per person. They do have family packages available,
but you must make use of all your temporary membership days to make it worth
your while. I recommend checking with your hotel about pool and hot-tub
availability to save money and maybe skip the place. If your kids get a
taste of this place they will be bugging you about it all the time. That can
be a good thing because it will tire them out, and get them in bed early.
And if you are not staying at the base area. When they ask you: "you are
staying at the base area?" Say you are. The admission price is higher if
you are staying away from the mountain.

TEEN/COLLEGE STUDENT LIFT TICKET PURCHASES

When families come here with their teenagers/college aged students that wish
to ski or snowboard, quite often they end up having to pay full Adult price
because they were not properly informed. If your children do not have an ID
with your children's birthdate on it, or College student ID. Well then you
will be forced to pay full price adult ski pass prices. And that will put a
damper on your ski holiday from the start. No excuse's. It is not the poor
ticket windows sales persons decision. This comes down from upper
management. Even though it can be rather obvious that your son or daughter
may only be 13 years old. They will make you buy a full adult priced adult
lift ticket if you don't have picture ID and proof of age. So do the
following to avoid this inconvenience. Now if you stay at any Hotel, or
condo off of the mountain, or at the following properties on the mountain
(Marriott, Westin, Fairmont, Hilton, Country Inn & Suites). Purchase your
lifts through the units main reception desk when checking in, and you will
not run into this hassle. They are not going to make you grab everyone and
do an ID check. And most often the prices for lift tickets are cheaper if
you purchase them through your hotel/condo registration desk.

IF YOU NEED A MECHANIC

Well most people do drive their cars to this destination for their
vacations. And sometimes their car/van/truck/SUV breaks down and needs
repaired. Well this is a resort area, and garages will jack the price up for
tourists. Especially if you have US plates. But there is one place that
won't. They are in the Old Tremblant village. It is the "Petro Canada"
service station. Ph# 819-425-7969/8315. They also offer 24 hour wrecker
service available. I know the owners very well. And Nick and his father will
never cheat you, and they do great work. Do not let the concierge service send you any place else.

Winter Site


*Weather*	*Lodging*	Golf	Biking	*Chat*	*Contact*

*Helpful Hints*

*Medical&Spas*

*Dining*

*Luxury Lodging*

	Helpful Hints CURRENCY EXCHANGE Everyone please do not exchange American currency at any of the banks, bars, hotels, boutiques, and or restuarants. Please only use the ATM's. The ATM's at Bank National machines at the mtn and in Saint Jovite do not charge a user fee for American ATM card holders. You will also avoid the $5 transaction fee that most of the banks charge here for currency exchanges. Furthermore, the rate of exchange you get if you use US Dollar Currency for purchases at any of the shops, and or restaurants is much lower than if you used the ATM's to get Canadian Currency before hand. If you drive to Tremblant do not exchange currency at the US, Canadian border. The rate is usually 10 cents lower there as well. Stick to the ATM's for cash while visiting here. Your US dollar will go much further. The ATM's are located in the "la Kandahar, Country Inn and Suites" Bank National offices, and by the upper metered parking area at the bottom of the Fairmont Hotel. Do not use the ATM in the entrance to the "la Shack" restaurant. It charges a $3 fee on top of a $2.50 charge your bank will charge you to use it. GROCERY STORES/PHARMACY'S Now many people when they come here with family's tend to check into the condo first, then go shop for food. They are tired and don't want to travel far, but get stuck paying high prices at the mountain grocery store with a very limited selection. We have several grocery stores located on Highway 117 just as you get here. I suggest you stop in there first to save money, and for a wider variety of products choose from. The grocery stores on Highway 117 are IGA, Super C and Maxi.I prefer the IGA because it offers better quality everything. For bulk foods the Super C and the Maxi serve the same needs. Also the IGA has better produce and carry's a wider variety of Kosher/ethnic baked goods and food stocks. There is also the GEANT TIGRE . The Geant Tigre is the discount store. It has everything from clothes to food. If you are on a budget and need to save money. This is the place to shop. You can even find frozen Salmon steaks of 4 for $2.98. Most products aren't name brand products. But they do have some. It is the cheapest place to buy chips, diapers, soda and other goods. I shop there on a regular basis. Now if you need Aspirin or cold medicine. You just can't buy it over the counter at a grocery or convenience store in Quebec. You must go to a Pharmacy here to find those medicines. We have two pharmacy's to choose from. UNI PRIX and JEAN COUTU. Jean Coutu is usually cheaper, and has better parking and access. You get off of the 117 at the 327 exit and head into town. At the 1st light you turn left. Jean Coutu is on the left hand side in a little strip mall. There is a Subway next to it. TEACHING THE TODDLER SKIING This can be a frustrating task for both parent and child. DO NOT TEACH THE CHILD YOURSELF. KEEP YOUR FAMILY HAPPY ON VACATION AND PUT THEM IN A CLASS. Now here is something that is not published. We have 3 magic carpet lifts for beginners at the base of the mountain on the south side. They are free. You don't need to purchase a lift ticket to use them. You and your child can make as many laps as you want to for free. Gratuit means free here. Now if your child does take a class. Just don't dump your child at the ski school before you meet the instructor. Meet the instructor first, and then introduce your child to the instructor. This will show your child that the instructor is an authority figure and not a teenage baby sitter. When the lesson is done. Ask the instructor how your child did, and what tips he/she can tell you that will help your childs skiing. And don't forget to TIP the instructor. They earn it. Trust me on that one. PARKING, TAXI'S, AND BUSES At the base of Tremblant's south side they have a parking lot that is very close. However, it cost's $10 per day to park there. They also have several free lots with shuttle service to the mountain. But if you have a family with lunches, it is worth it to pay for the VIP parking. Be careful when parking at the meter lots up by the Westin and Fairmont hotels. They have tow trucks standing bye for when your meter runs out. Not recommended to park there because it cost's alot to get your car back. We have a very good bus system here. Each ride cost's one dollar per person. It is a coin called a Loonie that is $1. It is bronze in color. The bus's stop close to each and every hotel and Inn in the area. The taxi's do run regularly here. An average ride from the resort into St Jovite costs between $12-15. Saint Jovite Taxi 819-425-5312 Tremblant Limousines 819-425-5446 Taxi Limo Tremblant 819-681-1715 If you want a limo while you are here call 1-866-737-5466. PACKING LUNCHES & EATING LUNCH You can no longer take box lunches up to the top of the mountain in the Grand Manitou lodge. Sad and truly unfortunate for family's. The only places that you can take boxed/packed lunches into are in the North Side base lodge. I do not recommend eating at the Grand Manitou lodge unless you have too. The food and beaverages are way over priced for what you get. The food quality has gone down do to budget cuts the last couple of years. The food isn't bad just don't ever get the spagetti. For lunch on the South side base area I recommend eating at Obertie Express Deli, Coco Paso deli, Phat Mardi's, La Diabe, Casey's, Spagetti Co for the best food and value. APRE SKI AND NIGHT TIME FUN For Apre ski I would go to Phat Mardi's, La Diabe Micro Brew, Casey's, or Caribou for the best apre for Food, Service, and dollar value. For Night time partying at the mtn village check out Phat Mardi's Friday and Saturday for live bands until 12:30. Also Casey's, La Diabe, The Pub (use to be Octobar),Cafe Epoque, and of course the villiage night time flagship "La Pit Caribou". Be warned about the Caribou however because it can get so packed you cannot move on some Saturday nights LOL. In St. Jovite the resto bar "Tavern du Manior" has a pretty lively crowd on Fridays. The St. George is busy about every night of the week but is royally packed on Tuesday's staff night. Avoid the "Moulin Rouge" unless you want to feel like you are at a Junior High dance and somebody spiked the punch bowl. HOSPITALS There are two hospitals close by. One is in St. Agathe 15 miles away. The other is in La Annonciation 25 miles away. The better and larger of the two is in La Annonciation. So if you get hurt on the mountain and they have to take you to a hospital. If it is not a life threatening injury tell them you want to go to La Annonciation. ALL NON CANADIAN RESIDENTS PLEASE READ THIS NEXT SECTION WHEN VISITING HERE. Being an American up here if you get hurt it is a costly upfront out of pocket experience. You can have health insurance, but the emergency room will not let you be seen by a doctor until you fork over $750 CAD as a deposit. This sad fact is true. They will tell you it is up to you to get the money back from your health insurance company. The hospitals will not deal with American insurance companies. If it is life threatening they will treat you first however. But trust me on this one. Before you see a Doctor a person comes to you with their hand out first. For those Americans coming up here. You can go to this website and get cheap temporary health insurance to cover you up here. I highly recommend it. The link is. http://secure.lhplans.com/LH/CoverMe/Corporate/LHWebSiteHome.jsp?lang=E&province=&module= The clinic privately operated at the resort mtn will not be open anymore. Sadly they have had enough. There are two health clinics located close to the mountain. One on the right hand side of the road going into St. Jovite on Rt 327 coming from the mtn and is open untill 7pm nightly. They have full emergency and x-ray services. The other is located on the right hand side in Old Tremblant Village and is only open untill 5pm. If you get hurt on the mtn do not let ski patrol put you in an Ambulance unless it is life threatening. If you parents can drive you or a friend to the ER do that. An Ambulance ride to the hospital here is $400, and non Canadian insurance companies most likely will not cover this expense. Furthermore, if you have a member of your traveling party that needs special health care needs I would recommend staying at "La Grand Lodge". Dr. Dion is on call to that Hotel 24hrs. And besides it has the best lake view around here. Frankly it is my favorite hotel here. SKI/SNOWBOARD THEFTS Unfortunately you have a ski and snowboard theft problem at any resort. Little gangs of people up to no good want to steal all the skis and snowboards that they can. Mostly they look for high end demo's which they can adjust the binding to fit them and get away very quickly to a waiting car at the bottom of the mountain. Mix matching your skis with someone else's won't work. The little gangs watch for that. Lock your stuff up. Not with the little cable locks either. They cut through those very quickly. Buy one of the LOCK PLUGS that are sold in every shop here. We have many racks that these LOCK PLUGS are used for all over the mountain. Rental/demo shops do not offer any ski theft insurance with their rental/demo packages. So lock it up, or if it gets stolen you will end up paying the highest markup for that gear. And no, most often your home owners insurance will not cover it because it is rental gear, and not your own personal property. DRINKING AGE In Quebec the drinking age is 18. But be advised that most of the bars in the mountain village are 21 and over Thursday through Sunday. The only bar that isn't is the "Octobar". Well you can purchase beer and wine at any gas station, carry out, or grocery store. But any hard liquor has to be purchased at the Gov't run stores called SAQ. There is one in St. Jovite right across from the Police station. The other SAQ is located in the Westin hotel in the resort village area. GETTING TAXES BACK Up here in Canada if you are an American you can get your taxes back. However, your purchase must be above $50 CAD before taxes. You can only get your taxes back from hotel bills and hard goods. No food, wine, dining etc. And you will only get the GST 6% tax back. To get both the GST 7% and PST 7.5% tax back your purchase must be above $600 on the receipt. Ask your hotel clerk, or shop clerk for the form to send the receipts in to get your sales tax money back. Now if you drove up here you can get your taxes back at the duty free shop on this side of the border in Canada just before you cross. If you stay at the resort on the mountain. There is an extra 2% royalty tax that is charged for all goods purchased. If you stay over night you have to pay an added 3% royalty tax on your nights stay. However, if you stay away in Old Tremblant or in St. Jovite you don't have to pay these taxes. Now the tax rebate forms offered at the hotels and shops for is a service. And they do take a percentage of your tax refund. However, youcan go to this link and get direct forms and avoid that. http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/E/pbg/gf/gst176/gst176-03e.pdf PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL NO LONGER BE A GST TAX REFUND FOR NON-CANADIAN RESIDENTS VISITING HERE FOR THE 2007/08 SKI SEASON. SO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT THIS YEAR. LA SOURCE AQUA CLUB It is an indoor water park/health club. It can be very expensive if you have a family. Like $23 CAD per person. They do have family packages available, but you must make use of all your temporary membership days to make it worth your while. I recommend checking with your hotel about pool and hot-tub availability to save money and maybe skip the place. If your kids get a taste of this place they will be bugging you about it all the time. That can be a good thing because it will tire them out, and get them in bed early. And if you are not staying at the base area. When they ask you: "you are staying at the base area?" Say you are. The admission price is higher if you are staying away from the mountain. TEEN/COLLEGE STUDENT LIFT TICKET PURCHASES When families come here with their teenagers/college aged students that wish to ski or snowboard, quite often they end up having to pay full Adult price because they were not properly informed. If your children do not have an ID with your children's birthdate on it, or College student ID. Well then you will be forced to pay full price adult ski pass prices. And that will put a damper on your ski holiday from the start. No excuse's. It is not the poor ticket windows sales persons decision. This comes down from upper management. Even though it can be rather obvious that your son or daughter may only be 13 years old. They will make you buy a full adult priced adult lift ticket if you don't have picture ID and proof of age. So do the following to avoid this inconvenience. Now if you stay at any Hotel, or condo off of the mountain, or at the following properties on the mountain (Marriott, Westin, Fairmont, Hilton, Country Inn & Suites). Purchase your lifts through the units main reception desk when checking in, and you will not run into this hassle. They are not going to make you grab everyone and do an ID check. And most often the prices for lift tickets are cheaper if you purchase them through your hotel/condo registration desk. IF YOU NEED A MECHANIC Well most people do drive their cars to this destination for their vacations. And sometimes their car/van/truck/SUV breaks down and needs repaired. Well this is a resort area, and garages will jack the price up for tourists. Especially if you have US plates. But there is one place that won't. They are in the Old Tremblant village. It is the "Petro Canada" service station. Ph# 819-425-7969/8315. They also offer 24 hour wrecker service available. I know the owners very well. And Nick and his father will never cheat you, and they do great work. Do not let the concierge service send you any place else.
*Real Estate*




	C Copyright 2004. E. R. Williamson & M. S. White, tremblant-insider All rights reserved webdesign: kokotele@bendcable.com