Both Montréal and Québec City are rich with the new category of boutique hotels, which combine high-end service with plush room accommodations and decor that ranges from Asian minimalist to country luxury. A good room in one of these smaller hotels could provide one of the best memories of your trip.
Because the region is so intensely cold so many months of the year, the tourist business is cyclical. That means that prices drop -- sometimes steeply -- for much of the October-through-April period. This is both a plus and a minus: Rooms are cheaper, but some of the essential vibrancy and joie de vivre is in hibernation.
House-Swapping -- House-swapping is becoming a more popular and viable means of travel; you stay in a stranger's home and they stay in yours. You both get a more authentic and personal view of a destination, the opposite of the escapist retreat many hotels offer. Three options: HomeLink International (Homelink.org), the largest and oldest home-swapping organization, founded in 1952, with more than 11,000 listings worldwide ($75 yearly membership). HomeExchange.org ($50 for 6,000 listings) and InterVac.com ($69 for over 10,000 listings) are also reliable.
