One night and one day in Montreal (with kids), please help.
 

This will be our first visit to Montreal. We will be coming from three days in Mont Tremblant for a Saturday night stay, December 18th. Kids are 12g and 9b (very well mannered), we're around 40.

I haven't yet researched Montreal to know what to do for only one day, a Sunday no less, but this will be in December and we are from Florida. My kids think it's very cold when it's 50 Fahrenheit, so this should be interesting. :) Any must see/dos, or suggestions?

And here is my main question: Where would you recommend we stay? Browsing old posts, I see Sofitel, Loews Vogue, Le Germain mentioned as excellent hotels. TripAdvisor users rates Hotel Gault, Le Square Phillips, and Hotel Nelligan highly. Any of these seem to fit a first time one day visit from a family of four Floridians? If there are better places to consider, please feel free to give me your opinions.

Thank you kindly for any assistance!

Hi Sarasota,

After three days in Tremblant your kids might find Montreal positively balmy.

For kids young and old, visit the Insectarium

http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/ins...mp;intParent=2

and the Biodome

http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/bio...p;menu=horaire

They both look like they will be open on Sunday, December 18th.

All the hotels you mention have excellent reputations. If you have any budget restraints Le Square Phillips may be the cheapest.

Good luck.

Thank you, JQReports. I will look into those suggestions this evening. Sounds intriguing already.

Glad to hear all the hotels are fine. I was surprised to see that Le Square Phillips had a low star rating on (Expedia or Orbitz?), but the reviews are great. Also glad to hear Montreal may feel warmer than the slopes.

Hello Sarasota,

I would personally go for Le Square Phillips.

It is conveniently located Downtown Montreal, it is clean, well decorated, quiet & moreover, priced affordably considering the location.

There is a parking just beside the Hotel.

I would recommend a Suite (kitchen, 2 bedrooms & a living room); it goes for about $200 CAD.

I stayed there for the first time last week & really enjoyed my stay.

We visited last month for the first time and with our 12-year-old daughter. Another possible indoor thing to do is the Pointe-à-Callière archeological museum in Vieux Montreal. It provided a nice introduction to the history of the area that we all found interesting. There is a fairly extensive series of archeological remnants in the basement level of the museum.

http://www.pacmusee.qc.ca/indexan.html

Our daughter says her highlight was exploring the trails in the parc du Mont-Royal, but that, of course, will depend on the weather (it was a bit brisk when we were there).

We stayed at Auberge Bonaparte and really liked it.

Another vote for the insectarium, especially if you bring a magnifying glass.

Look for display cases with air holes in them.. These are the ones where the bugs are alive.

(This is better than ti sunds. Honest.)

And pick an Old Montreal Hotel; downtown Montreal has big hotels like the kids have seen before, but in Old Montreal, it is pioneer stuff, different, and more fun.

There may be snowmodible rides, and dog sled rides, in Old Montreal by then, too.

BAK

I'll add my support for the Biodome and Insectarium. Kids also enjoy the metro (subway) ride out there!

I've heard that we might have warmer than usual temps for nov/dec; so the horse carriages might still be out in Old Montreal, they have blankets for the cold days.

If you can stay at the Nelligan, that would make your old montreal experience complete; the xmas lights are ablaze on st. paul street, I was there yesterday.

There are more casual cafes on st. paul street; the nelligan's restaurant is quite chic... although the breakfast buffet is simple...

Where are you staying in Tremblant ?

Div37, I'm using Le Square Phillips as my back-up plan, thanks. Looks good, reviews are very good.

ms_go, I've got emailed Auberge Bonaparte and hope they have a room at the right price. Had tried Auberge Les Passants du Sans Soucy first, but they can't accommodate 4.

BAK, I remember you! You helped us with our summer road trip to Niagara Falls and your suggestions were excellent. Based on your suggestion, I scrapped my Loews Vogue idea (at US $98.10) and am searching in Old Montreal for a place to stay. Although I see that Loews Vogue shows up on some sites as Downtown and some as Old Montreal, so I may have goofed. Doesn't matter now, that rate is gone. We'll consider the Insectarium. Anyone know if it is much different than the Insect Zoo section of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in DC, I wonder? We've been there twice in the past two years. Can't quite tell from the website.

mitchdesj, we'll be staying at the Fairmont Tremblant. We'll be coming from Stowe, VT, so I hope between Vermont and Quebec, there is snow. Our children have never experienced snow and have been asking us for years to go see it. We're finally going to give it a shot. I'm hoping for snow, but no blizzards, cold, but not teeth-chattering-frostbitten-fingers-and-ears cold, and clear roads. Pretty hopeful, aren't I? :)

To round off this trip, we'll spend one night in Christmassy NYC before we return to Sarasota. Wish us weather luck!

Oh, I hate how these posts can no longer be edited. The above should read:
"ms_go, I've emailed....", not "I've got emailed..."

sarasota, I certainly wish you good snow weather on your trip, odds are on your side...

We are fleeing to florida on january 2; make sure it's warm please....

I'll do a warm weather dance for you and you do a snowy but not frigid dance for me. :) January 2nd is pretty nice here, I'd say generally highs in the mid 60s. In January we often wear our coats at night, but many Northerners run around in shorts.

We booked our Montreal hotel, I'm happy to report. Auberge Bonaparte it is.

Now over to the US boards to figure out where to stay in NYC for an evening, then planning ski equipment rentals in Tremblant, restaurants in Stowe/Mont Tremblant/Montreal/NYC, and searching for the most inexpensive yet warm winter & ski clothing and boots we can find. Back to work for me, this trip is in a month!

Your trip is in 2 weeks, are you ready; there is snow in the laurentians as of now.

Sarasota: Please let us know what your family thinks of the Auberge Bonaparte. I am new to this forum, but was trolling for recommendations for a family oriented hotel in the old city. We took our kids (age 11 and 14) to Tremblant last year (Feb midwinter break) and had a great time. We are making plans to go back again this February. Our only knock on Tremblant is the pricing -- especially for some pretty mediocre food. If you want more of our impressions of Tremblant, just let us know. The only tip you ignore at your peril: Dress warmly!

Hi Mitchdesj and Zanabill.

Yes, Mitchdesj, I think we're just about ready. It's expensive, buying cold weather clothing for four people. We had no boots, winter scarves, gloves, mittens, warm hats, long underwear, ski pants, long socks, or warm coats. My husband and I have long-sleeved shirts and sweaters, but my kids didn't have many. Campmor and REI now love me even more. My family is getting excited at the idea of the trip in a few days.

Zanabill, I'll try to remember to come back and tell you about Auberge Bonaparte. From the reviews I've found, I'm hoping for a good stay. For food in Tremblant, I have jotted down supper at La Savoie, breakfast at Cafe Johannsen, lunch at Resto-Bar Le Shack, supper at Creperie Catherine, and then nothing chosen yet for the next breakfast and lunch (depending on when we leave for Montreal). If there are better places , please feel free to pipe in. Also with your impressions. Thanks for the dress warmly tip. I hope we've gotten what we need and suppose we'll have to purchase anything forgotten in Stowe or Mt Tremblant. I even bought some hand warmers and toe warmers.

Enjoy your trip !!

Ride the subway. Get out to see the sights and flavor. Get back on Get warm and go to the next stop and repeat.