I accompanied T on a trip to Montreal a few weeks ago and it was one of the best trips we’ve been on together so far. Even though the Canadian city was frigid with temperatures below freezing, we decided to get a reprieve from New York City for a change. T had lived in the city over fifteen years ago, so it was a sort of home coming for him.
For those of you who’ve never been, Montreal is only an hour flight away from New York City and one of the most pristine cities I’ve been to in North America. It’s a metropolitan city that’s quiet, contemporary and clean, with a similar demographic to New York City. Well except it’s French speaking. Just like New York City, Montreal has pockets of neighborhoods that have different personalities and aesthetics. One of my favorite neighborhoods is Old Montreal, which has old architecture that is reminiscent of Paris. I spent some of my hours down there eating at chic cafes, popped into a few art galleries and even went to dinner/clubbing.
We stayed in the Golden Square Mile, aka downtown Montreal. Think Soho with a Madison Avenue twist. We were on Rue Saint Catherine. The street is the shopping mecca of Montreal, chock-full of both specialty shops and global chains like H&M and Forever21. We decided to stay here because it was close to all the shops and very walk-able to other parts of the city. After all, Uber is abundant in the city. Check out my Instagram Stories highlight.
Our hotel of choice for the first four days of our trip was the Lowes Hotel Vogue, a gorgeous boutique hotel nestled next to Holt Renfrew and Louis Vuitton. The hotel embodies Montreal, which is a timeless city with a new attitude. The concierge provided top-notch service and welcomed us with open arms. Right across the lobby of the hotel is a beautiful bistro called La Societé, which would become my place of refuge after a day of shopping or sightseeing during our trip. We actually kicked off our Friday night with martinis before gorging ourselves with foie gras at Au Pied de Cochon later that night. I also had brunch there on Sunday while T went for meetings.
Now on to the hotel room itself. As a fashion girl, I truly adore a hotel that puts care and effort into all elements of its decor. Our hotel room, which overlooked the Louis Vuitton boutique, how appropriate, was decorated with vintage Vogue covers on the walls. Upon entry into the room were pristine sheets and a serene ambiance. Despite being in a bustling neighborhood, our room felt cozy and quiet at all hours of the day and night, which was a plus because we needed a good night’s sleep.
Our room was spacious, with a working desk area for me to download photos and wrote blog posts after sightseeing. We also had a really nice area to sit for cocktails and lounging, which we often had prior to going out on the town. This hotel has everything I needed for a little getaway. I had a very spacious tub in the bathroom, complete with a TV so that I could unwind with a nice bubble bath and some wine while watching Canadian television shows. I even had my own little vanity nook with perfect lighting to spread all my beauty products and do my makeup without T feeling like my things were everywhere. The entire staff at the Lowes Hotel Vogue were magnificent and I can’t wait to stay there again the next time I’m in town. After a few days, we moved to a different hotel in another neighborhood to get a feel for the city. My review of Hotel Kutuma is coming up next.
