Auberge du Vieux-Port

Auberge du Vieux-Port occupies a beautiful 19th-century waterfront warehouse -- a former leather factory -- with a weathered gray stone facade. The hotel fronts Rue de La Commune, overlooking the St. Lawrence River and the Old Port; its rear abuts St. Paul Street -- the oldest street in Montreal -- a cobblestoned beauty lined with restaurants, boutiques, galleries, and pubs. Auberge's stone-walled lobby has gleaming hardwood floors, dark-brown leather sofas and chairs, large windows, and a fireplace. The restaurant at Auberge, Taverne Gaspar, is considered to be one of the best in Old Montreal, and the seasonal rooftop terrace, Terrasse sur l’Auberge, attracts locals and guests with its cocktail list, light fare, and knock-out views of the river and Old Port. The hotel draws mainly tourists, especially couples.

The well-preserved Old Montreal neighborhood is one of the prettiest and most fascinating quarters of the city. By simply wandering through the centuries-old cobblestone streets fringed with restaurants, bars, microbreweries, and art galleries, visitors may stumble upon something interesting, beautiful, or delicious (or all three!). Summers give way to lively street festivals, restaurant terraces brimming with energy, and vendors and local artists setting up shop in Place Jacques-Cartier and along city streets. While there are plenty of restaurants to choose from, visitors should beware of tourist traps offering low-quality food at outrageous prices. The same tourist trap rule applies to these street vendors -- browse for a bit to make sure you're not getting duped. 

• Three-minute walk to Montreal Science Center
• Five-minute walk to Notre-Dame Basilica and Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum
• Five-minute walk to Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History
• 15-minute walk to Sainte-Catherine Street, home to the Eaton Center mall and other shopping venues
• 11-minute drive to Crescent Street, a popular drag with nightclubs, restaurants, and bars
• 14-minute drive to Montreal Museum of Fine Art
• 17-minute drive to Montreal Botanical Garden
• 20-minute drive to Mont Royal
• 21-minute drive to Biodome 
• 26-minute drive to Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport

Rooms feature original details, like exposed brick walls, pine-wood floors, and casement windows that open toward the street. Brass-frame beds, easy chairs, and solid wood armoires play up the Old World aesthetic, but there are modern comforts, too, like flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi. All rooms also feature bathrobes, slippers, and minibars. Large bathrooms have brick walls, pedestal sinks, ladder shelves, and marble shower stalls with rainfall showerheads, hand-held attachments, and body jets, plus Gilchrist & Soames toiletries. (Premier Rooms have jetted tubs.) About half of Auberge's 45 rooms are located on the Rue de La Commune side of the hotel, with views of the Saint-Lawrence River and the Old Port. Others face St. Paul Street, a historic street (the oldest in Montreal, in fact -- it dates to the late 1600s) packed with restaurants and pubs. These rooms get a good deal of street noise, though rooms on higher floors are less susceptible; river-facing rooms are generally protected from the traffic and nightlife din of St. Paul, but may experience noise from the rooftop terrace. Apartment-style rooms are located in a separate annex a short walk from the main building on St. Paul. These large lofts are ideal for families or extended-stay guests, with full kitchens, washer/dryers, and open-plan living rooms with fireplaces. Note that there are no elevators in the apartment building. 

Auberge offers few facilities, but what it has is excellent. Its seasonal rooftop terrace, offering panoramic river views, snacks, and cocktails, is extremely popular with Montreal residents and hotel visitors alike. Taverne Gaspar, the hotel's main-floor restaurant, is considered to be one of the best restaurants in Old Montreal. Here, a free breakfast is served daily; guests aren't limited to a continental buffet, but can instead can order directly off of the menu (the Eggs Benedict is practically universally lauded). Auberge lacks an on-site spa or fitness center, but in-room treatments can be arranged and guests get free access to a local gym. There is a 1,100-square-foot meeting room for up to 80 people, plus a desktop computer in the lobby available for guest use. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel.