Name: Auberge Wanta-Qo-Ti
Address: 77 Chemin Pointe-Fleurant Point Rd, Escuminac, Escuminac, Escuminac, G0C 1N0, Canada
Rating: 10

Smoke-free property

Garden

General

Breakfast

Common kitchen

Restaurant

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Barbecue grill(s)

Picnic area

Barbeque

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hostel

Auberge Wanta-Qo-Ti

Escuminac

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

Wanta Qo-Ti..

Even the time of day is out of synch here.  New Brunswick reaches its fingers across the Baie des Chaleurs into Quebec, and pokes this secluded coastal area of the Gaspésie as if to say “Hey! Catch up to me! You’re an hour behind!” Wanta Qo-Ti smiles, and with a gentle, silvery laugh, glides away, secure in her sense of  time and place — a place where weeds and wild clover flourish, where flowers and trees have the right to die and sink back into Mother Earth, and where the cycle of life assumes its own sweet pace. A place where I found myself near the end of a two week early fall road trip around the Gaspésie.

What a change from Percé where we watched a man on board his grass mowing machine zoom dangerously back and forth on a mountain slope of short green grass, keeping it in golf- link-shape so that it would match the manicured grounds of neighbours. Not here! Here we tugged our suitcases  through mounds of wild green leaves which dipped onto the rough stone path from the car to the house. No matter if one were slightly bruised. The leaves appeared happy  to see us.

“If the karma is with you, you’ll arrive” the owner had written. “No need to confirm with a credit card.” Huh?  In Percé our accommodations had not only required a credit card but had compelled us sign a form authorizing them to charge us $300 extra if we broke something. In Mont-Louis we were required to pay when we booked in February, 7 months ago! Yet in Wanta Qo-Ti , on Le Route de la Pointe a Fleurant, in Escuminac, we are encouraged to arrive, or not to arrive, no problem, either way OK, on the wings of poesy, breathing spiritual fairy dust....

It wasn’t easy to find. We dead-ended twice as we drove around the area for an hour searching for the right combination of roads. Poring over the internet map for directions might have worked had a big, red teardrop arrow not covered the entire area we were trying to navigate! 

Fortunately, at the second dead end, a yellow school bus pulled up, and a burly driver, a silver crucifix necklace draped casually over his muscled T-shirt, gave us perfect directions, and soon we wafted down the road to meet a building nearly hidden from vie by gardens and trees by the shore. 

After two weeks of living within typical  B&B walls of white paint and paisley wallpaper. decorated with generic watercolours turned out by imagination-challenged artists, we now found ourselves in a dark, mysterious place where dim parchment lamps illuminated vases of golden grasses, oil paintings hung on crimson walls enshrouded by darkness, beach stones and books lay about on wooden tables, and  Persian-rugged floor boards creaked as we entered the front door. 

No owner greeted us. Instead, a slip of a girl, Louiselle, guided us to our rooms. She told me that she had lived for ten years on the Iles de la Madeleine. “The nearest place you can get takeout — in Escuminac — closes in 40 minutes; otherwise you must drive back to Carleton-sur-mer to find a restaurant.” Oh dear! We lamented that we had not brought goodies from the wonderful Parisian boulangerie in Percé as we drove ten minutes to a gas station and filled a plastic bag with pre-packaged Wonder bread chicken sandwiches (good for another three weeks) and Celebration biscuits. Later in our rooms, we drowned this dinner with gin and tonics with lime, and turned in at an early hour. 

I have never before slept in such a deliciously comfy bed. I felt as if I were enveloped in a cloud. The room was cloaked in soft darkness and completely quiet — a rare sensory delight. I had my iPhone on the bedside table and when I pressed it in the night to check the time an oil painting on the wall directly behind it was illuminated in an odd way that made the painted horse’s legs appear like the legs of a wild spirit. 

During the night I dreamed that in the field near the house, four tall bony ghosts of fishermen sat in the darkness  and played cards, laughing uproariously, but paradoxically, making no sound.  The appearance of these apparitions of the past seemed in keeping with the mysterious nature of the house.

We had walked down on the beach after dinner to watch the sun set over the gently lapping waves. Now I am sitting in the living room gazing out at the water where sea birds are floating, diving, and enjoying their fishy breakfasts. I hear Bruce Wafer, the owner of this hideaway, out in the kitchen making our  breakfast. A small, wiry, white-haired man, whom At this point I have only  briefly met when he handed me a cup of hot coffee, Louiselle informed me yesterday that Bruce is also the Mayor of Escuminac. 

The house is filled with interesting books, rugs, furniture, art, and ... a history or stories which beg to be known. After a delicious breakfast of homemade coconut muffins, breads and pancakes, strawberries, orange juice, and old fashioned preserves, topped off with famous Escuminac maple syrup, Bruce spoke about the rich history of this building and land. It has been in his family for nearly a hundred years. A black and white baby photo in the living room shows him down on the beach below the house. The part of the house that we are in right now, built by him in the early 1990s when he returned from many years living in Montreal and Mexico, is attached to the original smelt processing building that dates from the 1930s.  

I am basking in the personal joy of having found a truly lovely surprise near the end of a wonderful vacation.

A superlative hideaway treasure

Bruce was a lovely person and a wonderful host. My boyfriend and I stayed there for New Years night 2018 and Bruce's B&B exceeded our expectations! We stayed for two nights. Breakfast was prepared by Bruce himself and he chatted with us as he made blueberry lemon zest pancakes and banana muffins with coconut topping!

Amazing!

We had a wonderful time in this colourful and comfortable B&B. 
Our room had a lovely view of the bay and the garden. 
The room is very spacious, comfortable and decorated in vibrant colours. The beds are a deal come true, we slept better here than anywhere else during our trip. The bathroom is bright and offers all the comforts one can which for. 
The breakfast is served in a big room on the ground floor and guests sit around 2 communal tables. Our host served homemade pancakes with whipped cream on day 1 and with strawberries the next day. They were delicious! All other products were outstanding as well. 
The B&B is located far away from the road and at night we didn’t hear a thing. 
Our host was very helpful in explaining where we could eat out and what we could do in the surrounding during our stay. 
I cannot recommend this place enough. 

What a wonderful place

This amazing bed and breakfast is located right on the water, and the building is surrounded by amazing gardens.  It is definitely off the beaten path, so it was truly quiet.  We had a huge room with two queen beds, a small sitting area and a desk.  The windows looked out over the water.  During the night, we could see two lighthouse beacons flashing.  Two other rooms were occupied while we were there, but we didn't hear any noise from the other guests.  There was outdoor access from the rooms on the second floor so you didn't have to go through the living room to deal with your luggage.  The decor was definitely eclectic, but there wasn't a doily or quilt anywhere.  The bed was very comfortable, and we slept well.  We usually don't do well with B&B breakfast experiences, but the food was delicious and really pretty.  The main course was french toast with whipped cream, strawberries and a flower.  Aww!  Bruce, his father, and the breakfast lady (sorry that I didn't ask her name) were all wonderful.  Bruce said he has been doing this for 22 years, and it shows.  Everything we needed was available. This is an exceptional B&B.   Misgusha Park is right down the road.  The park is a fascinating place.

Exceptional Experience!

The lodging itself is lovely, but the hosts seem somewhat disorganized. Our reservation was apparently never written down, and had we not arrived early in the day it is likely we would not have gotten a room. Also, the smokers area just outside our window left for a slightly stale odor in our chambers -- though we ultimately slept well enough with the windows open.

Breakfast was delicious.

Lovely but uneven

Booked a king suite,which was confirmed one week before by Jean Louis,at B+B. King suite had a king bed, a TV in room +2 'comfortable' sitting chairs, for my wife and I. Refused this type of room, upon arrival,+ placed in room with 2 beds,no TV + no chairs. No apology, no compensation!!! Customer service?????
When I called Bruce, the owner, after our stay to express our dissatisfaction, he hung up the telephone.

Auberge Wanta-Qo-Ti

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