|
|
 |
|
Best Hotel Bets
Best Splurge Hotels
Hôtel Le St-James, 355 rue St-Jacques ouest (tel. 866/841-3111): Setting the standard against which any boutique hotel in town must measure itself, this former 19th-century bank in Vieux-Montréal lets no luxurious detail escape its attention. From its opulent main hall to the sybaritic subterranean spa to its immaculately trained staff, Hôtel Le St-James provides an experience that may well be the highlight of your visit.
W Montréal, 901 rue Square-Victoria (tel. 888/627-7081): If you qualify as hip, aware, and on the fast track, waste no time booking a suite at this local branch of the spreading chain. It won't hurt if your platinum card is paid up and you don't need much sleep. There are three bars and lounges, a hyperchic restaurant, and a clientele composed of knockouts of both sexes.
Best Moderately Priced Hotels
Auberge Bonaparte, 447 rue St-François-Xavier (tel. 514/844-1448): When the long-established restaurant on the ground floor, Bonaparte, was accorded a massive rehab and expansion, its owners built the comely inn upstairs. Rooms are simply furnished, but they're clean and roomy enough, and a rooftop terrace overlooks Vieux-Montréal's Basilique Notre-Dame.
Auberge Les Passants du Sans Soucy, 171 rue St-Paul ouest (tel. 514/842-2634): Just around the corner from Bonaparte, this charming little B&B helped pioneer Vieux-Montréal's recovery to its current status as the must-see quarter of the city. Fireplaces and jet tubs are standard in all nine bedrooms.
Best Hotel Bets
Best Boutique Hotel (Downtown): Hôtel Le Germain, 2050 rue Mansfield (tel. 877/333-2050 or 514/849-2050), brought a needed jolt of panache to the downtown business-hotel scene when it opened in 1999 and has added to its allure with its 2007 opening of the restaurant Laurie Raphaël Montréal.
Best Boutique Hotels (Vieux-Montréal): The Hôtel Le St-James, 355 rue St-Jacques ouest, Vieux-Montréal (tel. 866/841-3111 or 514/841-3111), raises the bar to an almost impossibly high level and has a superbly sybaritic spa and gorgeous grand hall. The Hôtel Nelligan, 106 rue St-Paul ouest, Vieux-Montréal (tel. 877/788-2040 or 514/788-2040), which expanded from 63 to 105 units in 2007, counters with a popular rooftop terrace.
Best Historic Hotel: Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, 900 bd. René-Lévesque ouest (tel. 866/540-4483 or 514/861-3511), marked its 50th anniversary in 2008 and was one of North America's first hotels with escalators, central air-conditioning, and direct-dial phones in each room. Its reception lobby still impresses. (The venerable Ritz-Carlton Montréal, at 1228 rue Sherbrooke ouest, is getting a 15-month renovation that has shut it down until October 2009.)
Best Hotel for Business Travelers (Expensive): Sofitel Montréal Golden Mile, 1155 rue Sherbrooke ouest (tel. 514/285-9000), the first Canadian branch of the pervasive French luxury hotel chain, has floor-to-ceiling windows, easy-to-use thrust-desks, a well-appointed exercise room open 24 hours, and a good restaurant with a pretty bar and outdoor terrace.
Best Hotel for Business Travelers (Discount): Hôtel Le Dauphin, 1025 rue de Bleury (tel. 888/784-3888 or 514/788-3888), adjacent to the convention center and a few blocks from Vieux-Montréal's northern end, offers big-hotel touches at a small-budget price.
Best Hotels for a Romantic Getaway: So many options. Hostellerie Pierre du Calvet, 405 rue Bonsecours (tel. 866/544-1725 or 514/282-1725), has ancient cut-stone walls, swags of velvet and brocade, and tilting floors that Benjamin Franklin once trod upon; the entire effect is reminiscent of lovers' hotels by the Seine. Meanwhile, Auberge du Vieux-Port, 97 rue de la Commune est (tel. 888/660-7678 or 514/876-0081), offers a different kind of retreat: hideaway bedrooms, many with unobstructed views of the waterfront.
Best Design Hotels: St. Paul Hotel, 355 rue McGill (tel. 866/380-2202 or 514/380-2222), softens its austere lines with pale-cream walls, while the Hotel Gault, at 449 rue Ste-Hélène (tel. 866/904-1616 or 514/904-1616), leaves its raw concrete walls uncovered and incorporates candy-colored furniture.
Best B&B: In a 1723 structure in Vieux-Montréal, Auberge Les Passants du Sans Soucy, 171 rue St-Paul ouest (tel. 514/842-2634), is more upscale and stylish than most of its peers, and it's near the Old City's top restaurants and clubs.
Best Hotel Breakfast: At Auberge Bonaparte, 447 rue St-François-Xavier (tel. 514/844-1448), breakfasts are large and, better yet, served in the elegant Bonaparte restaurant.
Best Service at a Hotel: It's tough to choose among the troops at the Hôtel Le St-James, 355 rue St-Jacques ouest, Vieux-Montréal (tel. 866/841-3111 or 514/841-3111), and the Hotel InterContinental Montréal, 360 rue St-Antoine ouest (tel. 514/987-9900). Both teams display an almost equal amount of grace and care when it comes to tending to their guests.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
|
|
