Auberge Saint-Antoine

We had stayed at Auberge Saint Antoine before, loved it and recommended it to our friends. When planning our return trip to Quebec City, we had not doubt and reserved again at the same hotel. As soon as we checked in, before unpacking, we realized that the bathroom sink was clogged. Since we did not want the inconvenience and the mess of maintenance coming into our room, we requested to be changed to a different room. The person at the from desk checked with the manager and the answer was that only if pay a difference we would be transferred. This means that they had other rooms available, but would not change us as our comfort did not matter to them. Since we were not willing to pay extra, we reluctantly accepted to have maintenance come to repair the clog. Fortunately, we travel with Clorox wipes, so we cleaned the bathroom, but a weird smell persisted. Initially we thought it came from the chemicals used by maintenance, but soon realized that it came from fumes coming from the bathtub after flashing the toilet (yes, you understood correctly: fumes coming from the bathtub when flashing the toilet), but realized that we better spend our time enjoying Quebec city rather than trying to get a different room. We loved Quebec City and will probably go back, but certainly not to the same hotel.

Having stayed at many R&C throughout Europe over 20 years, I was looking forward to a visit to Quebec City and staying at the 'Auberge St Antoine'. . I am not a contributor who gives a wonderful establishment a negative review because ' The hotel had not supplied each room with a teapot'. That said, I do like to overspend for vacations as my partner and I love to stay at 'Relais & Chateaux'. Exploring a destination is great when you return to a hotel where the stay could be a big part of the vacation in itself. .. This was not the case at this R&C. It is a shame because the Hotel itself, is quite exemplary. Checking in was easy. Mostly because of the help of the one terrific member of the staff,Felix. The rooms are well appointed. The balconies overlooking the St Lawrence are terrific and the ancient artifacts that had been found when digging under the hotel are displayed throughout the hotel. This certainly puts the hotel in a special category. That is where it ends. We had two experiences that were the worst we'd ever encountered in a R&C. Number 1) We sat down to diner in the more casual restaurant, Artifact. There was a very loud bartender regaling a group of guests and ignoring everyone else. There were three servers in a small half empty restaurant but it took more than 30 minutes before we were brought water. The waiter was clearly out of his league, whether for lack of training or some other reason. I will make no assumptions. But the service was the worst we'd ever had traveling in thirty years. After another fifteen minutes, I stood up and flagged this poor unkempt waiter as his female counterpart did not seem to be helping him. I told him that we'd been waiting an hour and we knew the kitchen stopped taking orders in 20 minutes. It was a Sunday night so there was no other place to go to by this point. I told him we'd like a bottle of sparking water and to then order. He came back with a pitcher filled with enough water for maybe two glasses. He forgot the menus. I told him that we did not want a used pitcher of water. We wanted a bottle of whatever sparkling in a bottle was available. We were starving so we insisted on ordering and 86ing the Sparkling. He return after ten minutes with two menus. He was very apologetic. We ordered and I asked if we should order our dessert now. "Not necessary" he replied. He came over with a basket of bread that looked like it was from a diner, "Because you are hungry and I'm sorry" he said. I can honestly say that he brought my soup an hour and a half after we arrived, it was cold. I then got very strident, which is not my style and told him to take the soup away and bring just the entrees. They were also luke warm and inedible. I asked him when he brought the entrees if we could now order dessert before we missed out.This is 2 hours after we sat down.. He came back and told us,. "I am so orry but the kitchen is not taking anymore orders". I told him to take my entree away as it was inedible and I walked straight up to reception. I explained everything with a heightened attitude and asked to have something brought to the room which I was told they could not do at that hour. I told them that I at least wanted a simple dessert that needed no preparation. Nope. They could not go in the kitchen. I was so angry as why had I paid hundreds of dollars to stay at a hotel where the experience had caused my BP to spike. Felix knocked on the door with scoops of ice cream quickly put on a plate and there were cookies as well. Felix, a fine representative of the hotel and a natural tendency for R&C service was a prince. He should be promoted to being in charge of customer relations. Number two. At breakfast, as it is a buffet, the plates were small so it is necessary to use several. If you return to the buffet, and use another plate, your bed plate at the table should be gone. I know this sounds picky but by the end of one breakfast, we had 12 plates on our table and not one of the servers, as they passed by, cleared the table. Even as I stayed to have a second cup of coffee alone at the table, I had to bus the 12 plates, napkins and silverware. I looked for the cleaning towel and wiped off the table. Try having a second cup of coffee with your table overflowing with every plate, cup and the rest, from breakfast. Reminded me of a bad diner. Not acceptable at a hotel that charges high prices because of attention to every single detail. The hotel looked to make up for a disastrous stay by trying to reconcile for falling short, It means nothing as it is after the fact.

Elegant getaway- almost did not want to leave the luxurious nooks and crannies of this historic hotel. Breakfast buffet was memorable. Knowledgeable concierge. Need to be able to walk on cobblestones and climb stairs for this location. Enjoyed happy hours in the bar.

Beautiful hotel perfectly in walking distance to all you want to see. Fabulous service, fantastic restaurants and very comfortable well appointed rooms. Loved the history that was preserved through out the hotel. Looking forward to a return trip soon.

Truly a spectacular experience that is so warm and welcoming - every detail perfect yet approachable and definitely not formal. The design elements were incredibly thoughtful and beautiful - whatever you might need was right where you needed it. Bravo Madame Price and family!!!