fpmassa

My wife and I will holiday in Montreal. Never having been there, we need a hotel recommendation. Prefer upscale to down scale and well located to see galleries and other art venues.
Many thanks
Frank

hdm

We stayed in an absolutely lovely boutique (award-winning, etc.)hotel in Old Montreal called the Saint Sulpice. You won't be disappointed.

zootsi

Montreal's primary art gallery district is downtown on Sherbrooke West, near the Museum of Fine Arts. I believe the Omni is close by, and is a large 4* hotel. There are also several small art galleries in Old Montreal. Of course there are other galleries sprinkled around the city. I never considered Montreal to be a major art city, but French Canadian art does have it's own unique appeal. You may want to decide if you want to stay in Old Montreal which is very quaint, the downtown which is bustling and cosmopolitan, or on the plateau which has a more European/cafe scene ambiance.

Lois_L

Considering its size, I think Montreal has a high level of art activity. The city's main art museum, the Musee des beaux-arts, on Sherbrooke St., is very nice but not really world-class. Then there's the Musee d'art contemporain, where you can see the work of some interesting Quebec artists, and don't miss the superb Cdn Centre for Architecture, on Rene-Levesque boul. High-priced (not necessarily the best) art galleries are where the big-spending buyers are supposed to be, on Sherbrooke W., Crescent, etc. But you can find lots of interesting art shows by looking up the MontrealGazette.com. There are also galleries in Old Montreal, and in other "cool shopping" areas, boul. Laurier, around Westmount--the Gazette will let you know. Maybe its their sense of having an independent cultural identity which pushes Quebec artists to create so much--not just in visual arts, but also in music. You would probably like Le Germain, often mentioned on this board, a lovely small hotel in the heart of downtown, which you should remember is a vibrant area at night, as well as during working hours. In the same central area, also check out Loew's Hotel Vogue, and the Sofitel. Many people enjoy the boutique hotels in Old Montreal, but that area is a bit off the beaten path of many of the things you'd want to see.

Ariela28

We went to Montreal last year and stayed at B&B Les Bons Matins, it is gorgeous, 4 stars, art displayed throughout the B&B, it's quiet, close to art galleries in the Museum Quarter, www.bonsmatins.com, this is worth it.

AnnieP

Hi Frank, I just posted this for somebody else because it was such a fantastic deal.

We just got a fantastic deal from the Hotel Nelligan group for 3 nights http://www.hotelnelligan.com over Christmas. $475 US TOTAL(Including a 4 course Christmas Dinner) Wine & Cheese in the evenings, and full breakfast at Auberge du Vieux-Port. We have been before and its really lovely and Christmassy in the old part of Montreal, with the cobblestone streets and watching the horse drawn carriages with their bells clopping by.

Do a search for Hotel Nelligan and their other 2 hotels will come up also. We are actually staying in one of Auberge's apartment with fireplace, living room, full modern kitchen and loft bedroom.

Everybody seems to love the Nelligan but we had stayed in Auberge before and had such a nice time we wanted to go back. Also choosing the apartment feels like having a huge suite.

http://www.oldmontrealapartments.com/eng_site.htm The only thing some people may not like is you have to walk a block or two to the hotel for breakfast.

I dont exactly remember how we got around, mostly walked I think but we were near everything and found some really hip bars and restaurants. We were very impressed!

mitchdesj

Even if you stay at le Germain downtown ( which I recommend), if you take the time to spend a few hours in Old Montreal, I would recommend St. Paul street between St. Sulpice street (Nelligan hotel) and St. Laurent for
visiting wonderful galleries and design shops all in a row.

mnss

I stayed at the new Sofitel in downtown Montreal and was very impressed!

It's located right next to the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Peel subway station is just one block away which is very convenient. and Rue St Cathrine shopping is a couple of blocks away as well.

When you first go to Old Montreal try to enter it from the Jacques Cartier square on Notre Dame street for the grandest entrance! You would definitely feel like you're some where in France with all the sidewalk cafes and the beautiful architecture.

Montreal is the second greatest city in North America (a close second after New York) and I would go back in a heart beat!

ahamady

Montreal's Crescent street has a happening must see art gallery located at 2080 Rue Crescent called Galerie Crescent Contemporain that is Crescent Contemporary Art Gallery for we english. They have continuous changing fine art exhibitions, the times we went we met different artists who tend to drop by and talk to the gallerists. The gallery carries really top quality serious art from Montreal, Canadian and International Established and emerging artists. The gallery encourages art collectors and art lovers to come and hang out, they are like the cosy book store type of art gallery where you can go for the show and pick a comfy chair and look at the art or read the art literature. Wine or perrier is offered to patrons usually and it is family friendly. They vary their art styles, are adventurous but be prepared if they show it they know it is the finest and most serious art in that area. If you are in downtown Montreal on the block of the Montreal Museum of Fine art go there you won't be disappointed. They are open seven days and have long hours compared to most galleries. I think the number is 514-461-5486.