Auberge Cap au Leste

We stayed at this Auberge in September 2024 for a large family wedding. Most of us are experienced travellers and some of us were apprehensive about the lack of amenities and level of comfort, especially as the cost per night was quite high. I have to say that the setting and the views are absolutely spectacular. The photos truly don’t do the view of the Saguenay Fjord justice. A morning coffee or an afternoon glass of wine on the decks overlooking the fjord is an experience not to be missed! Speaking of photos…Please don’t be fooled by the photos of the accommodations that are on their website. They’ve done a great job of making the rooms look rustic and charming. But the reality is quite different. I’m generally not terribly fussy about where I sleep. I’m a military veteran and I’ve slept in many “rough” places. Virtually every room had the same issues with the smell of mildew, and were terribly dusty. Likely the curtains, area rugs and the bed covers needed a good sanitizing wash. We were not expecting to have air conditioning, and didn’t really need it, as we had to sleep with the curtains pushed away from the bed, and with the casement windows wide open. The nighttime temperatures dropped down to zero. Most of our large family group immediately started suffering from allergies, with two members having asthma attacks. On their website they’ve added a photo of a luxurious walk in shower. I never saw this bathroom! It might have been in the bridal suite! The remainder of the showers were all 2 x 2 acrylic enclosures. Clean, but quite tiny as were the bathrooms themselves. Definitely set up for one person at a time. The auberge’s main building is nicely set up, but is pretty austere. Not much there except for a nice little gift shop. As for food, while they refer to it as a ‘restaurant’, lower any expectations you might have for meals. They provide a basic breakfast, kind of like you would expect in one of the chain hotels, like Comfort Inn, Days Inn etc. Breakfast is not included. They charged a flat rate of $25. There is a bar onsite, but it isn’t open often. You might want to bring in your own! We were not offered a lunch. That may have been because we had a late afternoon wedding. If you want to eat regular meals, you’ll have to leave the property for a 30 minute drive back to Saguenay/Chicoutimi. On the subject of driving, the auberge property is about 10 km (6 mile) off the highway. The in-road is gravel and if you are not familiar with wash boarding, I suggest you prepare yourself for a very bumpy ride. Wash boarding can and will bounce you into the ditch, no matter how good a driver you think you are! I do not recommend you attempt this with a low riding sports car! The place is run by a very nice Belgian family and while they are doing the best they can, they are understaffed and unfortunately it shows. While we enjoyed

We were a little apprehensive about our stay at Cap au Leste, as we had read some poor reviews. However we're most pleasantly surprised. The rustic cabins were delightful, with a lovely big bed and superb bathroom with walk in shower. The staff were most helpful, service excellant and food good with plenty of local produce including local craft beers and gins. The walking trails were excellant, and we found to be well sign posted with either paint or tags every so many trees. Thanks to all you staff. Merci Beaucoup. John & Anita