The Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello is a Canadian icon. Built from 10,000 cedar logs that were transported from British Columbia in 1930, the property is the largest log cabin structure in the world. Miraculously, the assembly of the star-shaped chateau was completed in mere months; its expeditious construction made headlines in North American newspapers during the 30s. Originally a private retreat for elite Canadians, the chateau became a hotel in 1970, and has since played host to presidents and world leaders (President George W. Bush stayed here).

What does this mean for families? Well, there's always the excitement of spending a few nights in a renowned historical monument -- but for young kids, the prospect of sleeping in a building that once hosted NATO meetings may be less than thrilling. Fortunately for guests with children, the chateau offers an impressive -- to put it mildly -- array of family-friendly activities. This is a very good thing, because the chateau is situated along the Ottawa River in the thick of the Canadian wilderness, surrounded by virtually nothing but nature (no shopping malls, no amusement parks, no water slides). But families will nevertheless be kept thoroughly entertained with dozens of different activities offered through the hotel, including movie nights for kids, horseback riding, bear watching, fishing, dog sledding, ice skating, swimming, yachting, sleigh rides and much, much more.

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