Finding the ideal holiday or retirement home has always presented a dilemma. Buy a home in a resort with well-developed leisure amenities and you will likely find yourself cheek by jowl with your neighbours. A more secluded and private abode, on the other hand, is unlikely to enjoy doorstep access to recreation and lifestyle facilities.

Now there is a third option, and it is located within one of the most beautiful scenic and recreational areas in Canada. The Lac en Ciel resort is now releasing lots in the first phase of its visionary development in the province of Quebec, Canada.

“Lac en Ciel is different from any other development in this area,” says Matthew Shear, chief executive of development company, Benjamins Group. “There is no other project in Canada that has the amenities that we have, yet all our homes will be built on private lots of between two and five acres in size. At Lac en Ciel, you get privacy and seclusion within a planned community that offers a fantastic range of facilities.”

Shear, the driving force behind the development, spent several months visiting resort centres in Europe and North America to identify what people want in an international resort destination. Based on his research, he chose the area around Mont Tremblant in the mountains northwest of Montreal as the site for his development. “The Tremblant area offers a complete package,” he says. “Not only do we have the number one ski resort in eastern North America located a short 10 minute drive away, we also have access to a year round playground of sporting opportunities, all the services and shops of Tremblant village and the world class cultural offerings of the city of Montreal just an hour’s drive from here.”

What makes the Lac en Ciel development unique in the Mont Tremblant area is its attention to quality and detail. The site encompasses 475 acres across two mountain slopes and includes its own private lake. In summer, the resort’s own marina has canoes, kayaks and sailboats for those who want to get out on the lake.

There are also extensive walking trails around the lake and throughout the development. The remains of an historic railway line run through the site and have been refurbished to provide an excellent cycling and jogging trail that links the community to miles of recreational tracks in the area. The purpose built club will house a state-of-the-art fitness centre with sauna, infinity pool, barbecue pavilion, tennis courts and children’s playground. Nearby, there is also world class golfing and horse riding.

For winter sporting enthusiasts, many of the walking trails provide excellent opportunities for cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing. The lake will be cleared to provide ice for skating and hockey, and hills have been groomed to provide tobogganing areas. There is even a ski hill with its own ski lift within the community for those people who want to avoid the rush and bustle of the larger ski resort nearby.  “This is a place for people who enjoy biking, walking, jogging, sailing, skiing, working out, swimming…anything,” says Shear. “We’ve got it all, without our residents having to leave their front door.”

Environmental design
What underpins the spirit of the community is its overall architectural vision.  Conscious of the fact that the area is attracting a cosmopolitan population which is twenty percent European, thirty percent American and the remainder from across Canada, Shear was looking to combine the warmth of indigenous materials with a progressive and contemporary design style.

That vision – now a reality – is of an architecturally inspired community that is based on sound environmental principles and offers the best resort commodities in the region. “This is a community that respects the environment in its design and in its construction,” Shear explains. “For example, we have clearing restrictions to ensure the forest is protected, we require people to use natural wood and stone from the area, and we are incorporating geothermal technology in the buildings. We want to create a sense of aesthetic continuity.”

Within the design guidelines, owners will have a great deal of flexibility in the construction of their own lodge, which they will then have the option of renting out when they are not in residence. Benjamins Group have already done more building before sales than any other project in the history of the region, and there is a schedule of when every remaining amenity will be built. What is more, early stage buyers will not have to worry about top-loaded management fees – the developer will cover the cost of unsold lots until there is a majority sold and the project becomes self-sustaining.

Located in one of the most beautiful recreational areas in a country that is currently enjoying one of the strongest economies in the world, Lac en Ciel affords an exciting opportunity to build a holiday home within an architecturally designed community that provides the best amenities in the region and is within easy reach of international airports and world class health, sports and cultural facilities.

Web: www.benjaminsgroup.com