One thing that remains consistent is change, and in this year’s Global Traveler GT Tested Reader Survey awards, some longstanding winners dropped away as your favorites. As competition among airlines, hotels and credit cards continues to intensify, I predict further changes afoot in 2025.

This year I took my birthday trip to Québec to visit the Wendake Nation reservation outside Québec City.We were guests of Hôtel Musée Premières Nations, which the Wendake built to house and preserve tribal artifacts. Because artifacts were scattered over a wide geographic area, the museum offered a needed structure to negotiate their return and safekeeping. The museum features a replica longhouse modeled after the Wendake/ Huron structures dating back thousands of years. Guests may book an overnight in the longhouse with a back-up in the hotel. Wendake storytellers share ancient tales and teachings from the Wendake people, and a light show experience relates their history. Look for my special two- page GT Tested review of the property in 2025.

The hotel offers many outdoor activities, especially hiking. With a topography much like that of Upstate New York, I envisioned Hawkeye running through the falls as he did in The Last of the Mohicans. We bought traditional moccasins at the Bastien factory and saw how they are made using machinery, some of which is nearly 100 years old.We witnessed a local resident smoking salmon in his home to perfection, regulated by the Canadian health department.

My good friend and sommelier Carl Etcheverry invited me to visit the property. La Traite, the hotel restaurant — headed by Chef Anora Lia Collier (see her profile on page 32) — specializes in indigenous cuisine. Carl’s involvement as sommelier increased the variety of wine served from around the world, including Canada. Anyone who knows Carl admires his ability to tell the story of the wine he serves; in this way, he fits in well with the Wendake people.

Our trip ended in Québec City, a first visit for me. I always heard wonderful things about it, including from my mother who honeymooned at Château Frontenac and said her favorite memory was a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the city. We stayed at Auberge Saint-Antoine Relais & Châteaux, a charming property far from the bustling city. When we found a little restaurant
away from it all we referred to it as “civilized.” I enjoyed dinners at Chez Muffy, a top-rated restaurant at the hotel, and Bistro L’Orygin around the corner, where I chatted with the owners about their successful struggle out of the pandemic.

By the time this issue reaches you, I will have completed the Global Traveler-hosted cruise on Windstar’s Star Breeze. Where to next year?