The Bar Towel

When you really examine the culture and daily way of life, Toronto's hardly half the city Montreal is, in my opinion. Damn, I can't wait to go again (my girlfriend is leaving tomorrow morning for a girl's trip! Damn!!!! But at least she's bringing me back some beer )

Any tips on where to stay? I will be in Montreal for a family function Nov.12,13,14 and can stay in the downtown core. Hotels look either pricey or divey...recommendations?

If there's not many of you going, try priceline.com and pick the name your price option. You can pick which area, and how many stars, if its too low, try again. I recently used that for a hotel in Toronto, got the Hilton on Richmond for $100, mind you after taxes and parking ($30!!) it came to about $150 but not too bad, our mistake was not starting low enough, we started at $100 and it came up right away. Only downside is you don't know which hotel until you accept, however, if you pick which area and 4-5 stars it shouldn't be a bad place.

We have a corporate account for a Hotel called Le Nouvel. Travelzoo.ca if that's a bit out of your way - I think the Delta is 40% off

Jon Walker wrote:Any tips on where to stay? I will be in Montreal for a family function Nov.12,13,14 and can stay in the downtown core. Hotels look either pricey or divey...recommendations?

Most of the ones I have stayed at have been cheap (Econolodge, Comfort Inn etc.) Comfort Inn was fine, but I'll probably Priceline it for our next trip. The Hotel Lord Berri was pretty decent but its been 5+ years since I was there so I wouldn't vouch for it without caveat.

I've stayed at Le Cantlie Suites and tthe Holiday Inn in Chinatown. Both came in at about $100/night I think. I just used Hotwire to book a night MTL this weekend. I got Hotel Gouverneur Place Dupuis for US$97 all in. I've never stayed there before, but it's only 2 blocks from Cheval Blanc

You can often use betterbidding.com in conjuction with Hotwire or Priceline to up your chances of getting a hotel you want. Star ratings, amenities, etc may help ID a particular hotel.

My brother just bought a condo in the plateau area. I'm stoked to be within walking distance / short cab rides of a number of good beer bars when I visit.

I'm going to Montreal for a quick trip... I need a place to drink tonight and tomorrow afternoon. I'm thinking Dieu Du Ciel tonight and Saint Bock tomorrow. Should I do something different than this?

kwjd wrote:I'm going to Montreal for a quick trip... I need a place to drink tonight and tomorrow afternoon. I'm thinking Dieu Du Ciel tonight and Saint Bock tomorrow. Should I do something different than this?

I would do Vice et Versa over Saint Bock.

Zuma wrote:

kwjd wrote:I'm going to Montreal for a quick trip... I need a place to drink tonight and tomorrow afternoon. I'm thinking Dieu Du Ciel tonight and Saint Bock tomorrow. Should I do something different than this?

I would do Vice et Versa over Saint Bock.

Thanks for the suggestion, may try that out. It gets good reviews on BA.

V&V is worth the trek up. You might want to consider Brouehaha which is uptown as well.

Saint Bock is well located as Amere a Boire (and Cheval Blanc I believe) are close by.

Personal views:
On multiple visits I generally had more fun at other places than Benelux, but others feel differently. Also Broutopia's beers seemed very 'raw' - some almost bad - yet free live music later in the evening is very nice.
St Bock - they are heavily biased to house brews (some are just OK) so the fun level depends on what they have on tap that day!

Cass wrote:V&V is worth the trek up. You might want to consider Brouehaha which is uptown as well.

YES. The other day I hit Vices et Versa (almost the best thing going some days!) and then right after went over to Brouhaha (smaller place but fun and good locals.) That was pretty much my WHOLE late afternoon/evening trek other than a quick homeward detour past DDC! Don't be afraid of the good transit system or else walking 5-6 blocks. (14 dollars for three days Metro travel on OPUS card.) Get around and explore, don't isolate to one section of town.

Cass wrote:Saint Bock is well located as Amere a Boire (and Cheval Blanc I believe) are close by.

Yes, from the intersection of St Denis and Ontario, Chev Blanc is just a few blocks east on Ontario, St Bock is just to the south (St Denis) and L'Amere a Boire just to the north (St Denis.) Also a raucous fun area of Montreal.

I can't say anything bad about Brasseurs du Montreal, either. At least as good as Benelux. That will be a good hike or a short cab ride from the subway. Save it for a longer trip or the warm weather!

I hit BdM, V&V and Cheval Blanc on Halloween. I have to say, BdM isn't right in the middle of downtown, but it's a good place to go for a beer and a meal. The food is quite nicely done there. My wife had the steak frites and I had grilled sausages with mashed potatoes. All very good and much better than standard pub fare. The only beer spot that does food better in MTL is Reservoir IMHO. Had some London Ruby, Belge, and Black Watch....

V&V is always fun. There's an ever-changing list of QC micros to try. It's only a few minutes walk from Beaubien station, unless you head in the wrong direction like I did and end up at Papineau. WTF! Hopfenstark, Broadway and Nauffrageur were consumed....

Cheval Blanc on Halloween......interesting. I ran into Johnny Depp, Santa, ...you name it.

Hey guys,

I made a spontaneous decision to stomp around Montreal for just a few days. If anybody wants to get a beer and the timing is convenient give a shout (BM), be nice to say hello if it works out.

Hitting ottawa the 13th and montreal the 14th. Should hit both ddc and vuces in montreal.