Villegiature Matawinie

Nice chalet for a big group, we enjoyed our weekend way too much. Beds were comfy. Everything was clean. The view was breathtaking. We got hit by a snowstorm and had to dig and shovel for two hours but it was more funny than anything. But there is absolutely no phone service for miles around and the GPS doesn't where he is.

My family and I made a reservation to stay at Villegiature Matawinie this week to try and beat the heat. Its almost exactly a 2 hour drive from Laval. The grounds are clean, there is lots of boating equipment to use and the lake itself is quite pretty. Should you arrive even slightly early there is no one working in the office before 4pm. So absolutely no early check in. We got there early and were allowed to jump in the water and use the equipment if we wanted. There is a cute small beach on the property that is buoyed ruffly 10 ft from shore. One of the items they omitted to tell us is that while using the beach if you wish to go past the buoyed area which is where the floating dock and the floating iceberg is, and you are under the age of 18 you must wear a life jacket. Which hinders the kids ability to dive under and move freely(making it harder for those who can swim). My 12 year old is a tall lad, about 5'6" and is quite a good swimmer. The buoyed area which is literally just above the knees of a average adult is as far as he was allowed to go without a life jacket. The management was unwavering to our requests to possibly sign a waiver and stated it was a municipal regulation that would not allow it. Only if we ourselves were licensed life guards would they accept no life jacket. This is of course not true because after we left we went to the municipal beach not even 2km from the site and there where no such rules posted anywhere. In addition to this rule the beach and boat equipment hours are limited from 10am to 6pm. Lucilky the manager was kind enough and allowed us to cancel our reservation without penalty so I therefore cannot comment on the food or lodging.

Like most people we met at ​the ​ secluded Villegiature Matawinie we heard about it through Groupon. It's a great place for family's with kids, nice lake, lots of organized activities, and good access to canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, etc. We had a great time, but make sure you read the fine print of your Groupon, and call ahead before you pay to ask lots of questions. First of all, what caught our attention​ at first​ was the price, $299, 2 nights, 2 breakfasts, one dinner. But after reading the fine print we learned that there was a $109 tax, tipping and service fee, plus we had to bring our own bedding or pay $5 per bed. All that sounded fishy. Also, the add boasted a photo of people zip lining, but after getting there the very small zip line was out of service. Another odd thing was the staff's reluctance to lend out the free sail boats. Each time we asked they said that they were about to close up, even while they were lending out Kayaks, etc​ to other people​ . When we finally managed to get a sail boat the guy in charge was quite rude about it. But in the end, we did have ​fun and would highly recommend it.