About us
A project two decades in the making
Max and Marjorie met in their early twenties. Although they only moved into the Castel in 2024, this project has been taking shape for more than twenty years. It reflects their most fundamental shared belief: that happiness is only real when shared.
As young adults, Max and Marjorie were roommates, sharing daily life and learning adulthood alongside a close-knit group of friends. What began as a practical way to save on expenses quickly became something more — a way of living that simply made more sense to them than any alternative.
Around that time, the film Into the Wild was released — a biographical drama telling the story of a young man who rejected society to seek solitude in the Alaskan wilderness. Yet, while the man was pursuing complete exile and independence from others, the story of his journey is mostly defined by the people he met along the way — the connections, conversations, and bonds that were formed. Alone at the end of his life, which was abruptly shortened by a poisonous plant, he wrote the words: “Happiness is only real when shared.”
That sentence marked and stayed with Max and Marjorie; not as a romantic idea, but as a fundamental and guiding truth.
However, not long after their respective passions would lead them to embark on separate— and mostly solitary — paths. As a competitive sailor, Max pursued international regattas and the Olympic dream, while Marjorie, working in the aid sector, was travelling around the globe to fight poverty and inequality. Their callings took them far from home, yet their experiences strengthened the same conviction: meaningful moments are created through connection, and real connections are built through shared experiences and living with others.
Eventually, both were drawn back to the place they call home, Quebec City - which, through the lens of their travels, was now shining in a different light. And indeed both agreed that there was no better place to live on earth.
It was then that the idea began to take clearer shape: to build a home, in Quebec, that embodies their life principle. A place where people can experience meaningful moments, through human connection, on a daily basis. A place rooted in genuine human care and warmth, and where life feels richer because it is lived together.
When they found the Castel, they knew. Not only did it have the space to gather, without feeling clustered, and the history to give it soul, but the vastness and breathtaking natural beauty of the grounds was awe inspiring. And so in this place, their home could provide the best of both worlds; a retreat where people can enjoy real connections with others, but also choose, when needed, to retire for a peaceful solitary moment.
And hence the vision became reality. Since July 2024, the Castel has welcomed guests into an atmosphere of peace, warmth, and quiet belonging — a place many feel drawn to return to (as expressed in most guest reviews).
But the Castel is also shaped by the individuality and complementarity of its hosts.
Max is the engineer, the builder, the problem-solver, the quiet force behind what works. Marjorie is the host, the curator, the attentive presence behind every detail.
Together, they see the Castel as much more than a business. It is their family home — yes — but it is also the tangible expression of a shared vision. A different way of living. One they chose long ago.