Our story · a meeting
⁓Encounter with a territory
In the early 2000s, Paule travelled through several regions of Quebec in search of a place to one day establish her dream of a tourist lodging business that invites people to encounter Nature.
First, a personal encounter with an exceptional territory, the Mégantic region with its lakes and mountains quickly established itself as the ideal location that would become the foundation of Lodging aux Cinq Sens.
Paule put down roots in Piopolis in 2003, and the business took shape in 2009 after a few years of hard work with her then-partner, Ludovic, to set up five yurts in a 10-acre forest.
It was only later that Paule discovered she was located on the ancestral hunting and fishing territory of her Wendat ancestors, the Onyionhwentsïio’*. Aux Cinq Sens thus takes place on this territory rich in history and meaning!
* The Mégantic region is located on the ancestral territory of the W8banaki, the Ndakina. Also, a few kilometers as the crow flies lies the oldest known archaeological site in Quebec, dating back 12,000 years.
〜Encounter with a shared vision
In 2016, the call for a deeper meaning was felt, to offer guests immersive experiences rooted in ancestral Indigenous values. A quest then began to promote respect for Mother Earth, the relationship with the land, and knowledge connected to Nature.
The year 2017 marked this intention, and everything fell into place. Meeting Benoit, a biologist and facilitator, gave the company a new lease on life. It is a shared vision of a Nature that teaches, transforms, and reconnects with the essence of the First Peoples that unites the work of Paule and Benoit. Since then, they have worked together to communicate and bring to life the relationship with Nature.
⁓Encounter with coherence
Starting in 2018, Aux Cinq Sens expanded in line with its vision, doubling its size and adding three tiny house , a refuge, an eco-chalet, and a camping area with two hammock tents and tent sites in the heart of the forest. Its commitment to sustainability and eco-responsibility was further enhanced by the creation of rainwater harvesting systems, a passive solar greenhouse, a permaculture garden, a resilience pond, natural landscaping, forest management, and an energy diversification plan with over 25 solar panels distributed across the site.
Many activities were also created, including the Encounter with the Spirit of the Forest and the Starry Evening: The Sky Told, which have become flagship activities of the site. The dimension of nature retreats was then added, stays that align perfectly with the essence of the site.
With this expansion, an international clientele is increasingly visiting the place, drawn by a distinctive offering that respects nature and embodies the ancestral values of the First Peoples. For Paule and Benoit, these values are sources of solutions for the future of our world, both in terms of respect for nature and living together.
The tourism industry recognizes Paule and Benoit's achievements with a first grand prize awarded in sustainable and responsible tourism in 2021 by Tourisme Autochtone Québec, followed by the Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec in 2024 and the Fondation Estrienne en Environnement also in 2024. The company is cited as an example during the 2025 tourism conference with a dedicated video on regenerative tourism, a new future direction in Quebec.
