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By Susan Breslow Sardone

Couples who want both the sophistication of an urban holiday and the relaxation and activities of a country getaway will find Charlevoix, 90 miles northeast of Québec City, an ideal complement to that charming and cosmopolitan city.

Standing high on Pointe-au-Pic cliff is Le Manoir Richelieu, a Fairmont Hotel and the most distinctive hostelry in Charlevoix, Quebec. The castle-like hotel, first built in 1899, reopened a century later as a posh, 212-acre destination resort adjacent to a small casino.

In this 405-room country manor, decorated in a style that shows modern, maritime, and Tudor touches, everything has been completely redone, from the expansive sports center to the 10,000-square-foot ballroom. The spa features new indoor and outdoor saltwater swimming pools, each with its own Jacuzzi. Nearby, 22 treatment rooms provide a range of services that include reiki, reflexology, body wraps, facials for men and women, massages with aromatic oils, and more.

On a clear day, guests can watch whales breech from the comfort of their room.

"Heritage premier" guest quarters at Le Manoir Richelieu guarantee sweeping views of the St. Lawrence River, where Samuel de Champlain once explored. Some include a small Jacuzzi by a window. (You can purchase bath products by Fruits & Passion in the gift shop to make it an even more sensual experience. But unless you're very compact people or contortionists, you'll have to take turns in the tub.)

Lodgings on Le Manoir Richelieu's top-floor Entry Gold level come equipped with telescopes. On a clear day, guests can watch whales breech from the comfort of their room. In addition, Entry Gold guests have a private concierge and are served a complimentary breakfast and hors d'oeuvres daily in the private lounge. Stays are made even more comfortable with down pillows, king-size beds, and plush terrycloth bathrobes that actually fit.

Perfect for a wedding, the resort's tall-ceilinged and graciously proportioned public rooms are beautifully decorated. And Le Manoir Richelieu is the first hotel in the province where civil wedding ceremonies are permitted to be held on site. (The banquet manager can help make arrangements.) Salon Murray, a cigar room, provides a masculine setting for a small bachelor party beforehand.

Photographs by Vince Sardone.