This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
A fierce country is said to be wild and harsh. A fierce person who is difficult to approach. However, the new Farouche shelters, in Lac-Supérieur, are the complete opposite, just like their owners.
Geneviève Côté and Jonathan Casaubon allow themselves to reinvent everything in their own way. “I’ve never been in the accommodation or catering business and I don’t really look at how other shelters work. So we can do things our way,” says the former lawyer. With her boyfriend, an urban planner, she imagined a new way of welcoming people and completely transformed their daily lives. “We came to the area every weekend with our three children, and on Sundays, the whole family was depressed to come back to Montreal. We said to ourselves that ultimately, it was up to us to decide the life we wanted to lead…” she adds.
In 2017, they got their hands on a splendid piece of land “enveloped by the Mont-Tremblant national park and eight minutes from the north slope of the ski mountain,” describes Mme Side. It is this land with a view of the mountains which will be their muse for the future. The idea is first to have a farm that would allow the family to be self-sufficient. Then, quietly, the dream of a nature accommodation service and that of a refreshment bar where the food grown nearby was prepared was born. The professionals, who were still working in their respective jobs at the time, began developing their projects in the evenings and at night until the opening of Farouche and its eco-luxurious refuges in July 2022.
Luxury in nature
As soon as you cross the high fence that separates Farouche from Chemin du Lac-Supérieur, you fall under the spell of the seven A-frame houses scattered around the grounds. Under the crazy snow, magic happens and the shelters set up between garlands of lights give the impression of being in a story.
Inside, you have access to a king-size bed, a sofa, a gas fireplace and storage space. But what steals the show is the window, the size of which extends from floor to ceiling and which allows you to stay in touch with nature. “I thought of my sister, who doesn’t understand the point of going camping because she finds it lacking in comfort! » said Mme Côté, by showing you the bathrooms adjoining the refreshment bar and intended for guests of the shelters. Large shower and terrazzo counter: one wonders, looking at these bathrooms worthy of large hotels, if his sister has been convinced. “I did it!” » assures the owner of the place. This is without mentioning the pretty Nordic bath set up high up that guests can reserve exclusively for a period of 45 minutes.
Those who sleep at Farouche and who are hungry can sit at the tables of the refreshment bar and enjoy dishes inspired by the region accompanied by cocktails, beers or natural wines. During the week, the refreshment bar is open in the morning and at lunchtime for accommodation guests only. In the evening, it is possible to order an aperitif board to eat in your refuge or to purchase products from the store to grill on the barbecue, which is located in front of each cottage.
Play outside
There are numerous possibilities for activities around Farouche. In winter, you can choose between downhill skiing at Mont-Tremblant, cross-country skiing or snowshoeing at the adjoining National Park, or you can borrow skis, snowshoes or bikes with oversized tires from Farouche. In summer, you can paddle board on the Diable River, which winds a few meters from the shelters.
The Farouche calendar also offers yoga retreats, wine-related workshops, special aperitifs, barbecues, après-ski evenings, sugar time activities as well as various packages. During the week, workers are also encouraged to come and enjoy the place.
The farm, the restaurant, the accommodation… The former Montrealers are having fun despite the colossal task that their projects require. “We are dreamers who try things,” confirms Mme Côté, happy with the success their ambitions have enjoyed so far.
The journalist was the guest of Tourisme Laurentides, Farouche and D-Tour, who had no right to review this text.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.