is it just me or is Montreal insanely expensive?
 

We're a family of four traveling to Montreal in July and went in with what I thought were modest goals. :) I wanted a lodge room with a bit of character that wasn't a chain hotel & was in an area we could walk in. So I find an inn near the Bonsecours Market that Frommers describes as "In the old part of town where it is increasingly difficult to find moderately priced lodging, this is one to remember." And I think, great, moderate but a room with two double beds is $245 (C) a night. The other places I"ve checked out go up from that.

Then I look into the Bartlett Lodge over in Algonquin Park for the next part of the trip (knowing that it'll be expensive but willing to spend the money there), and, wow, I was shocked to find that 2 adults & 2 small children were $570 a night for a 1-bedroom!

Who are all of the people who are rich enough to stay in all of these places? (that's a question I always have as I see huge homes being built around the U.S.) and what do average income people do?

Just griping. thanks for listening.

Well speaking as a very cheap person, I do my research until I find a place in my price range. There are plenty of places in Montreal for less than $245 C a night but they may not be in a trendy part of town. There are other accomodations near Algonquin Park for considerably less than $570 C a night but you pay for "charm and character".
I tend to look for functional, clean accomodation since I don't spend much time in my hotel room anyway. Basically "charm, character, uniqueness, a great location in a trendy area is going to cost you big bucks (BTW $245 C which is less than $200 U.S. is not bad for Old Montreal.)
We stay at cheap motels/hotels and B&Bs when we travel and in Canada I have never spent more than $100 C for a night.

I'm like the previous poster - I am 'frugal' and I usually do a lot of research before going somewhere to find something in my price range. I generally like a place with character, but if that's too expensive, I'll go for a chain hotel - I don't usually plan on being in my room much. Sometimes I can find a chain that will give me a good corporate discount. The other thing is that I don't always have to stay in the 'best' area - sometimes a few blocks away will be much cheaper.

But I agree with the original post - when I see what some people pay for accommodation, etc., either they have a whole lot more money than I do or they don't travel very often and can afford more. On the other hand, they may just owe a whole lot more than I do! However, that leads to a whole philosophical discussion ..........

As in any city, you can spend a bundle on a hotel in Montreal. However, with it's huge selection of accomodations, and the exchange rate being what it is, I've never considered Montreal to be particularly expensive. We have stayed at charming b&b's, chain hotels, and small European style hotels, and have never payed over $125 Cdn. The 'Old City' is more expensive than the rest of Montreal, but is not my first choice as an area to stay. For a family with children, check out the Marriot Courtyard on Sherbrooke (great location) which has a nice glassed in rooftop pool. Rooms here usually run about $125 cdn.

Hi Garvin,

Montreal is, like everywhere else, either insanely expensive or quite reasonable, depending on your frame of reference. Coming from London? No worries. Coming from Milwaukee? Ouch (though the exchange rate should help a bit).

Sounds like you're quoting rack rates. Please don't pay those, unless you have to (and rarely does one HAVE to). Get your list of preferred hotels and then log on to a discounter like hotels.com or orbitz.com. Or ask your travel agent if their wholesaler has any packages. Or bite the bullet and use your travel points (which means you'll end up at a chain but what the heck). Or log on to each hotel's website and see if they are advertising any specials - many offer web-only sales (meaning you have to book directly through their site).

As for who are all these rich people? Whoever they are, I assure you they aren't paying rack rate. :)

Have a wonderful trip. Give my regards to Algonquin Park.

We just returned from our Montreal trip and were very happy with our boutique hotel [L'Argoat - includes free parking]. I have used tripadvisor.com to review the advisor ratings (fellow travellers) and read the individual comments on the hotels which seem to fit my price range and style.

Are you bikers? I mean the 2-wheel kind -- we spent a Sunday afternoon at the Atwater Market -- Lachine canal and it was a wonderful area for families to bike ride, get ice cream and enjoy the farmer's market, look at the canal locks. We were amazed at how well behaved the children were. They were all accompanied by their parents -- wearing safety helmets. Many were dressed as if racing but there are many trails to explore and the pace is leisurely.

Garvin: Remember, the exchange rate will take some of the bite out of the cost, as will refund of the GST. But I agree that the cost is still dear. I cannot speak about Montreal, but I think I mentioned to you in an earlier posting that Hay Lake Lodge located only a few minutes from Algonquin's East gate is a viable alternative to the in-park lodges, and offer more privacy. We always stay at Hay Lake and always have a great time. They have meal and non-meal plans. Go to their website at haylakecanada.ca. If your kids are under age 12, they stay for half the adult rate. Just a thought.

Coming from San Francisco it was easy for me to find budget prices. I don't care to think of "all these people" as this can raise my blood pressure. Take care of your health and do more research :)

So I've calmed down a bit from this morning...and all of your replies really helped. We're forgoing the Barlett Lodge and will either try Hay Lodge (as recommended) or something else outside of the park itself. Stil searching in Montreal but will check out all of your suggestions. Thanks much.

We usually go to Montreal in the fall, so I think hotel rates are down a little from the summer tourist season.
My husband mentioned just the other day that there are not very many places to stay in Algonquin Park, so I would imagine at the height of tourist time, they will charge the most they can.
Old Montreal is always more pricey.
We stay right in the heart of downtown, in a small boutique hotel and eat great food every day all over the city. It can be done without any of it being "insanely expensive"...you just have to keep researching :)
Here is my favorite Montreal research site:

Montreal Tourisme~

http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/B2C...ookie%5Ftest=1