Hovey Manor

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Hovey Manor
Hovey Manor as seen in winter.

Manoir Hovey, or Hovey Manor, is a five-star inn located in the village of North Hatley, in Quebec, Canada. North Hatley, a resort town on Lake Massawippi, owes most of its grand houses and particular architecture to the first summer people – aristocrats, captains of industry and large landowners, mostly Americans from the South. For some time after the American Civil War (1861-1865) many wealthy southerners renounced New England (Yankeeland) as a summer retreat and continued further North into Canada, some by private railway car. Legend has it that many drew their blinds in passing through New England.

These new arrivals brought their lifestyles with them - butlers and servants, horses and carriages, and the gentlemanly sports of golf, sailing and tennis. Around 1895 they started to build on the west side of the lake. Their summer homes were large, many with over 15 rooms. Some continue in the hands of the same American families, who continue to summer here, others have been converted to inns or bed and breakfasts. That, in fact, is what happened to the grandest of all summer homes, called The Birches. Built in 1900 by Henry Atkinson, from Atlanta, with a broad porch and white pillars (copied from George Washington's home at Mount Vernon, Virginia), it was later renamed Hovey Manor and is today the town’s most luxurious inn.

As a private estate, the grand house had its own stables and coach house, servants’ quarters and even a private 9-hole golf course which is rumored to have been designed by Bobby Jones Sr., a friend of the Atkinsons. Many of these spaces, including the old ice house and servants’ quarters have since been converted into luxurious rooms, most with whirlpool baths and balconies facing the lake.

Manoir Hovey draws thousands of vacationers each year. The grand mansion is surrounded by 25 acres of woods and stunning English gardens bursting with blooms of all colors. Its 1700 feet of lake front include two sandy beaches equipped with canoes, kayaks and windsurfers. Guests have free use of a fleet of bicycles, a clay tennis-court, an exercise room and a heated pool. But most guests return time after time for the rooms outfitted with jacuzzis and (mostly) wood-burning fireplaces, and, above all, for the outstanding food.

Chef Roland Ménard has, for twenty-five years, shown a deft hand at dishes designed to showcase the excellence of local ingredients. The cuisson is always perfect on hard-to-find game such as caribou, venison or even wild boar, which he prepares with an herb crust and glazes with jelly made of l’Archer wine from nearby Cep d’Argent winery. The menu always includes different preparations of Quebec pork and lamb, and duck from nearby Lac Brome, often paired with sauces made of local berries or sweet wines.

Chef Ménard’s cooking has earned the inn a long list of awards, including five stars for service, décor and food in the Montreal-based Voir restaurant guide. In March 2004 it earned the Grand Prix de Tourisme for best gastronomic restaurant in the province. The wine list, which boasts an above-average selection of Québec labels, receives each year the Best Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine and was named best in Québec for the year 2004 (Prix Carte d’Or).

In 2007, the inn was named one of Canada’s top 10 hotels in Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold List – which makes it the only country property in Eastern Canada to have received the honor.

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