Montreal (Canada) > Reviews > A beautiful anniversary

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
Family Friendly

Advantages:	scenic, great historical sites, friendly people
Disadvantages:	only that we ran out of money too fast

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

My boyfriend and I recently celebrated our one year anniversary in Montreal. We took a train, which took about 5 hours, that was probably the worst part. Taking a plane would have been much more comfortable.

Our hotel was on a little side street off of Rue St. Catherine, which is their downtown area. It was fun to walk up and down, checking out their shops, which are similar to those in Ontario, where I am from, but also had the quaint charm of a French touch. The people were all very friendly, and spoke English quite well. The Harvey's that we went to even had smoking, which was good for me since I smoke. (Ontario passed a law that you cannot smoke in any public building.)

There were quite a few beggars, but they were friendly also, and wished you well a regardless if you gave them anything. They mostly kept to themselves. It was sad to see, but being from Toronto it was not unusual for me to see.

Our hotel was gorgeous, Hotel du Fort, and a good price for the room we had. $200 a night including a beautiful continental breakfast buffet, and out room was a jr. suite. It had a separate bedroom, a kitchenette, and the living room was huge. We also had a boardroom/dining table with very plush chairs. The view was also something to see. It faced downtown on one angle, which was amazing at night, and also a more countryside type of view, where beautiful houses and buildings sat right in the mountainous hills.

We also got to check out Old Montreal, where the first settlers made their homes. It was quite a tourist area, with venders performing musical acts, drawing portraits, and interacting with the audiences. The streets were old brick, and only one way. The buildings were beautiful, dating back to the 1700's and 1800's. They had tons of shops, and restaurants, and the food was reasonably priced. We ate at Du Vieux Port, where for $20, I had fresh cream of mushroom soup, salad, a baked potato, vegetables, and the biggest steak I have ever seen. It was delicious. We didn't go into many stores, but they were mostly souvenier stores where you could buy t shirts, shot glasses, collectables, and tons of Native Indian items. The stores were a bit expensive though.

Right across was the river, where they had a book fair, a large food court and more street performers. At night we took a horse drawn carriage ride, which was so romantic, and the drivers are willing to negotiate a deal if it's late out. The subway was also fun to use. Very convient locations to anything you want to see, and easy to use. I would love to go back, and recommnd this amazing city to everyone.