We're considering going to Montreal durng Jazzfest, in early July. Can someone recommend a nice hotel, in the $200/night range? We're considering the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, I think the location is good. But I really prefer smaller boutique hotels. Definitely want to be in walking distance to the fest. Also, prefer king size beds.

any suggestions?

Also, we'd like to see the fireworks on Saturday night, so suggestions for a good viewing spot within walking distance would also be appreciated.

If you do a search back, you'll find a wealth of info on this very topic. In brief, there are lots of smaller hotels heading towards the Plateau area, like the Argoat and the Manior Sherbrooke up on Sherbrooke East. These are about a 15 minute walk to the Jazz fest. I can't remember if they had king sized beds. Other options would be the chain hotels on Sherbrooke, like the Courtyard, Sheraton, Delta and Holiday Inn. These are all about 3 blocks from the fest, and have king size beds.

thanks zootsi, I appreciate the response.

I actually did do a search, and didn't find as much info as I expected. I will try to plow farther back to find more.

I did find several recommendations for the Omni and the Hyatt, but not much for the smaller hotels, so I really do appreciate your input.

Also, I was curious if there was a downside to staying right in the middle of the fest. I'm not sure what its like, as they close several blocks off. Is there a downside to staying someplace right there? is it too noisy or too crowded? would I be ahppier if I headed for someplace a few blocks off, such as the places on Sherbrooke you mention?

Hi china,

I am probably one of the ones who recommended the Omni, and I stand by it, I throughly enjoyed my stay. For a smaller hotel, a friend of mine stayed at the Hotel Godin on St Laurent and this is a smaller hotel. She really enjoyed her stay there, she liked her location, however her only complaint that the walls were quite thin and there was some noise. Maybe you could look into that?

I don't see an issue with staying in the middle of the action...I enjoy a busy area when I'm on vacation. However, if crowds and some street noise are something you don't enjoy in the evenings maybe you should stay a couple of blocks away. It all depends on what you enjoy.

Hope you have a great trip!

Layla

the Omni's online rates seem to be a tad over my budget....I was amused to find the lower rate for a "Get your glam on girls getaway" package. I'm sure my husband and I can enjoy the lip gloss and masque

I don't really have any objections to street noise or crowds. I like to be in the middle of things. SO I'm inclined to do that, unless someone tells me it will be unbearable.

Layla, the Godin is now the Opus.

JQ

The epi-center of the action is the area on St. Catherine right in front of the Place des Artes. Yes it's very crowded, but not too noisy, and the crowd is pretty tame. I personally wouldn't want to stay too close by, but some people might. Another very no frills hotel up on Sherbrooke East is the Residence du Voyaguer. There are also dozens of nice b&b's up in the Plateau area.

Hi JQ....thanks for the update. Like it said it was a friend of mine that stayed there, so I guess I should've checked online first.
Thanks for letting me know

China, if you enjoy being in the middle of things I think you'll enjoy being in the middle of the action at the Jazz fest, the crowd is great and being close is very convenient. Enjoy!

Layla

The Montreal tourist office has a promotion on many hotels called Sweet Deals. In the summer these deals require a three night stay in summer. Not sure how long you are planning to stay?
http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/B2C/11/default.asp

We have stayed several times at the Courtyard Marriott on Sherbrooke mentioned by Zootsi which is close to Place des Arts and quite reasonable. There are suites with king sized beds and I believe the regular rooms also have a king size bed option. If you ask for a high floor there are good views of the city

If you like boutique hotels and want to stay in a really central location, we stayed at Auberge Bonaparte, right next to the Notre-Dame Basilica.

Great breakfast included in the rate and in your price range.

It has been a while since I had the pleasure of visiting Montreal but I have used the Novotel many times and it has never let me down. Right downtown and a decent hotel. Or at least it used to be.

My wife and I stayed at the Marriott Chateau Champlain a few years ago. It's a Marriott, so you won't have any unpleasant surprises. Nice property, friendly and helpful staff. Good breakfast buffet. Also, direct access to the Metro without having to go outside (admittedly not a huge issue in July, but we went in winter).