Ellen

Sorry for the delayed report, but here goes! Checked into the Nelligan on Thursday 28th for 3 nts. Used their Romance package & added on 1 nt. Hotel is cozy, clean, & very well run. Would absolutely stay there again. Staff couldn't be nicer or more accomodating. We had a deluxe room with an electric fireplace, king size bed & huge bathroom with a double jacuzzi. The room was perfect, with the exception of the jacuzzi jets which are not so great. We were on the 4th fl. & faced the street. As this is off season, the Old Port was quiet & all we could here from the room was the clop clop of the horse & buggies. I could imagine that during the busy summer months, it could get a bit noisy. Our 1st nt we had dinner at Les Remparts, included in the package. A short walk from the hotel. You do not order off the menu for the package, they give you a special menu, but there are many nice choices. My husband wanted the foie gras (not on the menu) so we paid extra for that. I had seafood terrine. Then he had caribu &I had the bass. Terrific. For dessert there was no choice, they brought us each an excellent creme brulee. We also bought a bottle of wine. Our free meal ended up costing $84 CAD. Still a great deal. Continuing ......

Ellen

Next morning we had the included continental breakfast downstairs. Standard fare of fruit, cheese, cold cereal, yogurt, pastries, bagels, coffee, tea, juice. Not bad, but a bit tiresome after 3rd morning. You can purchase other breakfast items, but we didn't want to take the time. Breakfast area is very nice and cheerful. We spent a few hours at the Biodome Ecosystem. What a wonderful place! Thoroughly enjoyed it. They have a coat check, which we used, but were glad we brought the sweatshirts with us since the Laurentine & Polar areas were freezing. We had bought combo tickets for the insectarium, but were too tired to trek through 6" of snow to get there. They gave us cash back on the spot for the unused portion of our entry ticket! Very nice. You can call for a cab to pick you up down by the coat check. Just be prepared for a 15 to 20 minute wait. The food there was awful, we just picked at a piece of bad pizza, but wished we hadn't. Then we headed over to the Old Port Market. Some of the stores were okay, but most of it was useless. Dinner that night was the long awaited, 3 month in advance reserved meal at Toque! Continued.......

Ellen

Toque! was FABULOUS. We pulled up & my husband was not impressed. The place looks like a hole in the wall with 10 tables from the front. Not what we envisioned! Once inside, the magic begins. The restaurant has 4 sections & is bigger than it appears. Waiters are casually dressed, but very professional. We were seated at an oversized table for 2. The tables are fairly well spaced out so you are not cramped in the slightest. A big plus in my book. Decor was serene, but interesting. We opted for the chef's 5 course tasting menu for $75 CAD and the wine pairing (3 glasses) for $33 CAD. We couldn't have made a better choice. The foie gras, mushroom ravioli, venison, chocolate cake, etc. Every bite was special. Really. I think we hogged down an entire loaf of the apricot nut bread. The best part was that they didn't torture us by dragging the meal out for 3+ hours, sometimes a problem with tasting menus. Final bill, $300 CAD (about $200 US) and worth every single penny. Continued....

Ellen

Saturday we took a cab up to the Museum of Fine Art, only to discover that it is CLOSED until December 14th! Had no idea and still no idea why. So, we crossed the street & dropped a bundle in Holt Renfrew on more clothing we don't need. We walked around the area for a while, but it was freezing. Headed over to check out the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel. The Queen was my 1st choice before I found the Nelligan. I made the right pick. The Queen is huge, impersonal, & downright cold. We checked out the Beaver Club, but decided it was too stuffy for us. Went underground to check out the 'city'. Waste of time. It is one giant mall with substandard stores. Food court has some interesting items, but that was it. Went to a movie instead. The one at the city has English language movies. Saw the Indian film Hollywood Bollywood by the same director who did Monsoon Wedding. Excellent. Cost was $14 CAD for two. Better than NYC! Headed back to the hotel for our massage included in the package. They give you 1 hr or 2 1/2 hr massages. We paid extra ($49 US I think) & just bought a 2nd 1 hr massage. We asked to have them in the room & it was no problem. Caroline was great. We tipped her $20 US and she was delighted. Dinner that night was at the Nelligan Hotel restaurant Versus. Continued.....

Ellen

We had an 8 PM reservation at Versus. The restaurant was fairly empty for a Sat nt, but the weather was really crappy too. So, we were a bit surprised when our appetizers took about 15 minutes and then we waited almost an hour for our 2nd course (a shared order of pasta). There was a wedding going on downstairs & we suffered for it. Crab roll & foie gras appetizers were very good. Ravioli was excellent, but not enough to share & the waiter should have told us that. We were also not even offered a drink during the hour we waited for the pasta. I was only drinking club soda, but they never refilled it. Husband had wine & they did top it off. Main course came out fairly quickly after that, but my mind just went blank on what we ate. I think it was good though! Dessert was average. Bill with tip came to about $200 CAD. (5 glasses of wine for hubby--he was bored). Next day was our last. We requested late check out & got it. 1 pm. Continued.....

Ellen

Even though we could stay until 1, we packed up, got through the check out, and had breakfast. While checking out we casually mentioned to the concierge about the long wait we had in the restaurant the night before. Without saying a word she knocked 25% right off the top of the restaurant bill that we had charged to the room. Then they brought us each a latte on the house with breakfast. Very unexpected & a very smart business move for them. We then took a cab to Mont Royal. Took 3 pictures in 3 seconds flat and jumped back in the cab. It was about 15 below zero up there and windy as heck. Very nice blur of a view whizzing back down in the cab. We got dropped off on Rue St. Denis to wander and shop. The stores there were right up our alley. Boutiques, specialty stores, galleries. Reminded me of our Soho. We at lunch on Duluth at the Duluth Cafe. Terrific mussels, fries, and beer. Shopped until the last minute. Headed back to the hotel to get a cab to the airport. Of course we called first and found our flight delayed, so we had time to walk down the block for some great hot chocolate. We invited the concierge, Lisa, who was just getting off her shift to join us. She did, and we had great fun & conversation. End of trip. End of report. We loved Montreal and will be back in the spring when we can do more activities and less eating. But, I guess it will ALWAYS be about the food anyway. Questions? I will be back to answer. Thank you everyone who helped me plan my trip! Appreciated as always.

Kate

Ellen,<BR>this was a pleasure to read! Of course, I love Montreal and enjoy reading about it, also love to know that someone besides my husband and myself eat our way through the city! Although, you seem to have better will power than we do<BR>But in the shopping area, we think alike, if the museum is closed, shop! And that is exactly what we did in November!<BR>I do love Toque and appreciate the entire experience from the wonderful colors in the rooms to the ever so cool waiters<BR>Next trip, go to Cafe Ferreire (no doubt I misspelled it again) and have a small lunch at Bistro Detente on rue Peel, dinner at Le Petit Extra must go on your list too!<BR>I am also looking forward to a trip in milder weather. Nothing like the winters first snowfall to make one wish for warm sunshine! Kate

Daniel Williams

Ellen--<BR><BR>Glad you enjoyed your time in Montreal. I've lived here about 5 1/2 years and am STILL absolutely crazy about the city. Come back anytime. DAN

Elaine

Ellen,<BR>Thanks for writing such a comprehensive, detailed trip report. We will be staying at the Nelligan late May. Having stayed at Auburge de Vieux-Port several times, we look forward to our stay at the owners' newest venture. Nice (and also smart) for concierge to remove 25% off your dinner at Versus. The Antonopoulos family hires very accommodating staff.<BR>Was waiting to read your Nelligan review!

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