Springhill Suites, Old Montreal

[Foxhill]

I have searched the boards to find any current reviews/comments regarding the Springhill Suites in Montreal. We will have a car but don't want to take it out for every excursion. We would prefer public transit or taxis. If you have stayed there recently (last six months?), would you provide your comments please :)

[crusingnut]

I have searched the boards to find any current reviews/comments regarding the Springhill Suites in Montreal. We will have a car but don't want to take it out for every excursion. We would prefer public transit or taxis. If you have stayed there recently (last six months?), would you provide your comments please :)

 

I would also be interested in comments re this hotel. We are considering it for a pre-cruise stay. You can read reviews on tripadvisor.com, they are pretty good.

[Foxhill]

Fodor Travel Guide also recommends this hotel, but the one con they mention is the very difficult entry to the hotel and its parking facility. Others have mentioned this also. I am trying to get an impression whether this is a deal breaker. I don't think so at this time since we don't intend to take the car out during our stay in Montreal. We need it to get to Quebec City and then back to the USA. Still looking for comments.

[Ephraim]

I'm a local, so I have never stayed there. I am also an innkeeper in Montreal, so I generally don't like to comment on other accommodations quality wise. And even if I did, you should take it with a grain of salt. That being said, here are the reviews on TripAdvisor... http://goo.gl/4iaQs

 

Frankly, I would never suggest that anyone take a car into Old Montreal. Frankly, I personally avoid it. Parking is horrible and expensive. Just checked, it is $4 an hour or $20 a day, $20 for valet, and $28 for oversized cars.

 

Parking meters in Montreal generally have a 2 hour max (4 hours in some zones and some periods of the evening) and a rate of up to $3 an hour, if you can find it.

 

There is no point to using a car in Montreal. It's a very walkable city and has excellent public transport. It's about as useful as having a car in Manhattan. More so in my neighbourhood (the Plateau) than even in Manhattan itself. The fact is, thousands of Montrealers don't own a car... and walk to do their shopping.

[Foxhill]

I have read the Trip Advisor reviews, but was also asking for personal recommendations on this board. I understand the car concerns. As you will note, we do not intend to take the car out each day, but rather rely on the metro, taxis, etc.

 

That being said, I am now having second thoughts about being in Old Montreal:o. I have been reading extensively on various web sites and books and sense that perhaps we should find a hotel in another part of Montreal.

 

Ephraim: What part of Montreal would you suggest for a hotel? :confused:

 

You mention you are an innkeeper, but have never said which one. Is that not allowed here?

[Ephraim]

I have read the Trip Advisor reviews, but was also asking for personal recommendations on this board. I understand the car concerns. As you will note, we do not intend to take the car out each day, but rather rely on the metro, taxis, etc.

 

That being said, I am now having second thoughts about being in Old Montreal:o. I have been reading extensively on various web sites and books and sense that perhaps we should find a hotel in another part of Montreal.

 

Ephraim: What part of Montreal would you suggest for a hotel? :confused:

 

You mention you are an innkeeper, but have never said which one. Is that not allowed here?

 

Being a local, I know the hotels based on location, but I just haven't stayed there.

 

I'll run down the neighbourhoods and let you decide....

 

Old Montreal - The oldest part of the city, very touristy. Few locals live there, it's too expensive for us to live there. Some excellent restaurants, but pricey. Excellent location for boutique hotels, but you pay a premium for them.

 

Downtown Montreal - The commercial centre of the city, very touristy. Business and Commercial district. More hotels and less locals, except in the peripheral neighbourhoods. The major English club district is around Crescent, Mackay, etc. Some of the best hotels in the area are on Mountain street. (Vogue, Hotel de la Montagne)

 

Latin Quarter - Bohemian neighbourhood east of Downtown, very lively at night, less so during the day. Nightclubs, restaurants, etc. Less pricey than Old Montreal or Downtown Montreal, but more expensive than the Village. More B&Bs and less hotels, but some of the hotels in the area are the Candlewood Suites, Holiday Inn Express and Days Inn. (Skip the small hotels on St-Denis.)

 

The Village - Bohemian neighbourhood east of the Latin Quarter. Generally less expensive than downtown and more a residential neighbourhood. But this is definitely not the neighbourhood if you are very conservative... nothing that would bother us northerners, or our friends across the pond, but definitely not the neighbourhood if you are very conservative. Mostly B&Bs, some of the hotels in the area include the Lord Berri and the Hotel des Gouveneurs Place Dupuis. (The smaller hotels on St-Hubert should be avoided.... and don't even THINK about the Hotel Eureka!)

 

The Plateau - One of the best residential neighbourhoods in all of North America. That being said, there are very few hotels in the neighbourhood because it is residential. Some hotels on Sherbrooke near Parc (Hilton Garden, Holiday Inn Midtown and Quality Downtown are on the edge of the Plateau) are just on the edge of the Plateau. Generally, this is the area people come to go to dinner, unique shops, etc. Hotels in the area include Hotel de l'Institut (Gov't Hotel School) and Hotel Kutuma.

 

That being said, I run a B&B and it's a very different experience than a hotel, it's a much more personal service and in a residential neighbourhood. In Quebec, by law, a B&B is limited to 5 rooms, the owner (or their agent) must live on the premises and legally, breakfast must be included. Of course some B&Bs have better breakfasts, rooms, etc. And others.... don't. Also, you may find that since these are in homes that they don't always have private bathrooms and certainly don't have perfect noise isolation, etc.

 

Basically, you are either a hotel person or a B&B person. And really, the two don't really mix. If you like the anonymity of service, then you want a hotel. At a B&B, you have to tell the owner what time you are going to arrive to ensure someone is there for you. But then you have someone who has been to all the local restaurants in the area who can take what you tell them and turn it into a list of suggestions. Generally B&Bs are less expensive but don't have pools, 24 hour front desk, etc.

 

CC rules (and my own) mean that I won't mention the name of my B&B on here. There are others who have, in the past discussed it in threads. And a quick search on the Internet usually turns it up, especially considering that I use my real name on CC. I also caution that my opinions are my own and should be taken with the appropriate grain of salt, since they may not be neutral.

[Ephraim]

Forgot to mention... all the neighbourhoods have easy access to the metro, except for Old Montreal. The metro runs along the edge of Old Montreal, along Viger (the closest being Champ-de-Mars, Place-d'Armes and Champ-de-Mars . If you use Google Maps, you will see a giant M to indicate metro stations.

 

The Latin Quarter is St-Laurent and Berri-UQAM. The Village is Berri-UQAM, Beaudry and Papineau. The Plateau is Sherbrooke (my stop), Mont-Royal, Laurier.

 

Hope that helps.

[Astro Flyer]

We're flying into the Montreal airport & read the post about options for getting to hotels.

 

Does anyone know where this hotel is located in relationship to the train station for our trip to Quebec?

 

What would be the best option to travel between the hotel & the train station?

 

Thanks...Merci :)

[Ephraim]

We're flying into the Montreal airport & read the post about options for getting to hotels.

 

Does anyone know where this hotel is located in relationship to the train station for our trip to Quebec?

 

What would be the best option to travel between the hotel & the train station?

 

Thanks...Merci :)

 

This hotel is in Old Montreal. The train station is in downtown Montreal. See http://goo.gl/maps/obck

 

They are about 1.7km apart. A lot of walking if you want to take public transport.... or you have to take the 515 bus for half an hour. See for yourself on the Google Map.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks Ephraim for all your help

[Foxhill]

Thanks to Ephraim for your invaluable information. It's nice to have a "local" who can provide some real information. :D

[grandma*knows*best]

My husband and I stayed at this hotel for a week this past Christmas (Dec 2010).

 

It is in an excellent location, right in Old Montreal with a .03 mile walk to the closet subway station at Place d'Armes with many places of interest nearby. We enjoyed being in the heart of Old Montreal and were able to get around easily walking and taking the Metro. I recommend buying the $8.00 daily Metro pass if you are taking more than 2 trips a day. You can also use the unlimited daily pass to take the 747 Express Bus from the Airport to Montreal:

 

http://www.stm.info/english/info/a-747.htm

 

We had a larger suite with a king bed, sofabed and balcony (useless in the winter!) The room was fine, with a kitchen area with a microwave, small refrigerator and desk, a sitting area with the sofabed and tv and a bedroom with another tv. You cannot close off the area between the bedroom and the rest of the room.

 

You don't need a car, but if you have one, I believe that they offer a special rate with parking. It is a bit of a tricky turn onto the street where the hotel is located, but all you have to do is pay attention to the signs.

 

My only complaint was the breakfast gets extremely crowded if you go in the hour of so before closing. People had to sit on the floor to eat.

 

I would definitely stay in the Springhill Suites again.

[crusingnut]

I think I have our hotel selections narrowed down. I like both Marriott Springhill Suites and Embassy Suites. They seem to be in the same general vicinity. We will be without a car, so will be walking for the most part. I've read reviews on tripadvisor and viewed the photos posted by travelers. Based on those photos, Embassy Suites appears to have a newer & fresher appearance. Any comments or tips would be appreciated.

[PennyAgain]

I like both of these hotels, but the Embassy Suites (across the street from the convention centre) is a handier location for me. I have walked from the Embassy Suites up to the railroad station a few times but as it is very uphill, I would not want to do the walk with a heap of luggage. The taxi rates for that trip are not expensive.

[Hawkweye]

We will be able to spend a Saturday night in June In Montreal. In other words, we debark the ship that morning and fly back to Ohio sometime on Sunday.

 

Having never been to Montreal, I have no idea how far a good hotel is from the port and from the airport.

 

Might someone be able to suggest a hotel, or an area as described by Ephraim, and give me an idea how far from each? We will not have a car.

 

Any other "things to do and see" suggestions are also welcome.

[Ephraim]

We will be able to spend a Saturday night in June In Montreal. In other words, we debark the ship that morning and fly back to Ohio sometime on Sunday.

 

Having never been to Montreal, I have no idea how far a good hotel is from the port and from the airport.

 

Might someone be able to suggest a hotel, or an area as described by Ephraim, and give me an idea how far from each? We will not have a car.

 

Any other "things to do and see" suggestions are also welcome.

 

The port is in Old Montreal. The airport is 20 km from there, a 30 minute drive. There is nothing to do in the area around the airport and it is 60 minutes minimum by public transport. Go to http://goo.gl/maps/f7DA for a map of the driving directions from the port to the airport.

 

For a hotel, go to http://goo.gl/maps/cNax and it will show you hotels in proximity to the port. In case you need it the closest junction to the Iberville passenger terminal is Rue de la Commune Ouest & Rue de Callière

 

One warning, if the Saturday night that you are going to be in Montreal is the 11th of June, staying near the airport might be your only salvation. That is Grand Prix weekend and any hotel allowing a Saturday night only reservation would be in the $500+ range. It's the most expensive day in the Montreal calendar.

[Earl Rosebery]

We will be able to spend a Saturday night in June In Montreal. In other words, we debark the ship that morning and fly back to Ohio sometime on Sunday.

 

Having never been to Montreal, I have no idea how far a good hotel is from the port and from the airport.

 

Might someone be able to suggest a hotel, or an area as described by Ephraim, and give me an idea how far from each? We will not have a car.

 

Any other "things to do and see" suggestions are also welcome.

 

To get an overview of the city, you should venture to the lookout on top of Mount Royal. I think you would want a taxi to the parking area and from there it is about a 10 minute walk. The whole top of Mount Royal is a park. For a walk in the old city, start at Notre Dame Basilica and end at the sailor's church at the east end of le vieux port. Probably a 20 minute walk.

[Ephraim]

To get an overview of the city, you should venture to the lookout on top of Mount Royal. I think you would want a taxi to the parking area and from there it is about a 10 minute walk. The whole top of Mount Royal is a park. For a walk in the old city, start at Notre Dame Basilica and end at the sailor's church at the east end of le vieux port. Probably a 20 minute walk.

 

They can also either:

 

1. Take the 11 Montagne bus from the Mont-Royal station and alight at stop 53745 and walk from there. No need for a taxi.
   
2. Walk up the Peel steps to the same lookout.
   

For the walking tour... http://goo.gl/maps/eI17