Montreal Hotel Help Needed!!

Hope someone familiar with Montreal can provide some help---I'm so confused!! Several couples are taking the Colors of Canada/NE cruise in late Sept. It sails from Quebec City. We plan to spend a couple of nights in Montreal per-cruise, then take a very early morning train to QC. on the morning we board.

Would it be better to stay in the Old Montreal area and try to get everybody to the train on time ---hopefully??? Or would it make more sense to stay right at the train station and take the Metro into the Old City to tour around?

I could really use some suggestions for hotels or inns in both areas.

Some possibilities are the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, Le Petit Hotel, Parc Suites Hotel. Any experience with these or any comments? Any other suggestions?

Thank you in advance for any help or insight you can provide.

B

I would definitely stay at one of the hotels connected by underground passageway to the train station - Queen Elizabeth, Hilton Bonaventure, or Marriott Chateau Champlain. Have stayed several times at the Chateau Champlain and quite like it.

Thanks, Twickenham. I had not heard of the Marriott that you mentioned. I'll check it out.

My family stayed two nights in Montreal last August before continuing on by ship (HAL's Maasdam embarking in Montreal) to our home port of Boston. We left by ship, but arrived by train, so I experienced the taxi trip from the station to our Old Town hotel.

I would argue for staying in the Old Town instead of near the train station. My experience was that the process of getting the luggage from the station to Old Town via taxi was the usual slight inconvenience (we arrived at rush hour on a weekday), but the pleasure of having our hotel right in the middle of an area that just beckoned me out to wander and explore was a constant plus.

I could walk out and find a coffee in the morning while my husband dealt with our sons. We spent most of our time wandering the wonderful old port park area and nearby museums. We did use the subway to reach one other part of town we wanted to see and it was easy enough, but I don't really enjoy subways--I like to stay where I can walk to the things I most want to see.

We followed Cruise Critic users' suggestion of the SpringHill Suites Old Montreal, and it suited us very well. The rooms are huge, and we were two adults and two kids. The kitchenette was nice to have.

If you are leaving very early in the morning, there shouldn't be too much traffic for your taxi to fight through. I would be most likely to stay at the train station if I had to go during rush hour to catch my train.

I think you can have a wonderful time making the choice either way, and you should decide which is more stress-relieving for your mode of travel: close to the train, or close to the sights. I hope it is a magnificent trip! :)

Barbie answered your question on the roll all, but second willoL's comments entirely.

Thanks everyone for your insights. Hope to meet today with the others that are going so we can make a decision.

It really depends on what you want to see in Montreal. Understand that it's not like the train station is in the sticks - it's directly downtown. Whenever I stay there, it's usually 'cause I want to shop :D, and being connected to the underground city is a major plus. However, if you want to spend most of your time in Old Montreal, staying there makes sense. Springhill Suites comes highly recommended on these boards. Hope you can get all to agree, and have a fab time wherever you stay!

My family stayed two nights in Montreal last August before continuing on by ship (HAL's Maasdam embarking in Montreal) to our home port of Boston. We left by ship, but arrived by train, so I experienced the taxi trip from the station to our Old Town hotel.

 

I would argue for staying in the Old Town instead of near the train station. My experience was that the process of getting the luggage from the station to Old Town via taxi was the usual slight inconvenience (we arrived at rush hour on a weekday), but the pleasure of having our hotel right in the middle of an area that just beckoned me out to wander and explore was a constant plus.

 

I could walk out and find a coffee in the morning while my husband dealt with our sons. We spent most of our time wandering the wonderful old port park area and nearby museums. We did use the subway to reach one other part of town we wanted to see and it was easy enough, but I don't really enjoy subways--I like to stay where I can walk to the things I most want to see.

 

We followed Cruise Critic users' suggestion of the SpringHill Suites Old Montreal, and it suited us very well. The rooms are huge, and we were two adults and two kids. The kitchenette was nice to have.

 

If you are leaving very early in the morning, there shouldn't be too much traffic for your taxi to fight through. I would be most likely to stay at the train station if I had to go during rush hour to catch my train.

 

I think you can have a wonderful time making the choice either way, and you should decide which is more stress-relieving for your mode of travel: close to the train, or close to the sights. I hope it is a magnificent trip! :)

I second the motion for Springhill Suites in Old Montreal. Very nice rooms, friendly staff and great location in the center of Old Montral (a bit hard to find though). After polling others on our Montreal based cruise, we found that the people who stayed in Old Montreal enjoyed their stay better and the locals seemed alot friendlier (it is a tourist area after all). Those in the business district had a hard time with taxis, especially getting to the pier.

DaveOKC

Settled on Old Montreal.:) Thanks everyone!!!

1. Old Town is in Quebec City, please call it Old Montreal or you will confuse the locals.
    
   
2. As far as staying in Montreal, where you stay will change how you see Montreal.:
    
   
   • Old Montreal is tourist central, it's expensive but beautiful and romantic (restaurants and tourist shops.) The locals go here for expensive restaurants.
     
   • Downtown Montreal is business central, it's moderately expensive priced but office oriented (daytime restaurants, less at night, stores.) The locals go here to work and shop, to the cinema and to the bars
     
   • Plateau/Gay Village are real local neighbourhoods, moderately priced but real neighbourhoods that the locals live in. The locals live here, walk to their local restaurants, walk to the metro, walk to the bars and clubs.
     

Note: I am an innkeeper in Montreal and therefore my opinions must be taken with a grain of salt.

Hope someone familiar with Montreal can provide some help---I'm so confused!! Several couples are taking the Colors of Canada/NE cruise in late Sept. It sails from Quebec City. We plan to spend a couple of nights in Montreal per-cruise, then take a very early morning train to QC. on the morning we board.

 

Would it be better to stay in the Old Montreal area and try to get everybody to the train on time ---hopefully??? Or would it make more sense to stay right at the train station and take the Metro into the Old City to tour around?

 

I could really use some suggestions for hotels or inns in both areas.

 

Some possibilities are the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, Le Petit Hotel, Parc Suites Hotel. Any experience with these or any comments? Any other suggestions?

 

Thank you in advance for any help or insight you can provide.

 

B

We did this cruise this past October. The convenience of staying at a hotel connected to the train station was a definite plus. We stayed at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth and I was somewhat disappointed witht he hotel for the cost (being that it was a Fairmont hotel). I knew it was an older hotel when I booked it. Having said that, I didn't expect our non-smoking room to smell of smoke. Housekeeping did bring an air purifier but that only does so much. We only stayed one night and for us, that was plenty of time to visit Montreal. Anyway, I digress.

We did a bus tour that we caught only a block away from the hotel. It was a 3 hour bus tour. It took us to Notre Dame Cathedral, Olympic Park, Mont Royale and the Oratory. These were the stops where we could get out. We drove by other places such as McGill University and the waterfront area. It wasn't a HOHO tour bus as these weren't running the day we were there.

Enjoy your cruise!