Montreal (2015) - 3 Night Surprise Getaway
In early November I planned a surprise trip for Krissy to Montreal, Quebec. Although my wife loves to travel, she is terrified of flying. Krissy oftentimes wishes the anticipation of the flight could be eliminated by having someone else secretly plan the trip, pack her bags, and take her to the airport to board the plane. So... that someone else was me! All I needed was access to her schedule (thanks Google Calendar) and my WestJet MasterCard. The airport limo arrived at 5:30am for pick up...
While researching Montreal on TripAdvisor I located Le Petit Hotel - a small boutique hotel in Vieux-Montreal (Old Montreal). It was the best choice I could have made - small trendy location with architectural character and a hip young vibe. The friendliness of the staff was outstanding even though our French was substandard at best.
Day 1
We walked through Old Montreal to our first destination - Cookie Stephanie, a gluten free bakery on Saint Jacques Ouest. The grilled cheese became a lunch staple of the trip!
For dinner we were off to Mecuri on Rue Wellington and it was fantastic. There was an open flame oven and the food was outstanding. You should definitely try the baby back ribs - c'est magnifique.
After dinner we made our way to the Orchestra Symphonique de Montreal for Yerim Bronfman plays Tchaikovski. The performance was excellent - abstract classical - though it may not be for everyone.
Day 2
We started the morning off well - we slept in! Krissy happened to catch a cold just before we left for Montreal. At some points Krissy's voice was completely absent...not every husband would be disappointed about that.
We had dinner at Chuck Hughes' Le Bremner, one of his highly reviewed restaurants in Old Montreal. Krissy was blown away by the potato chip-lobster dish and it was seriously labeled similarly on the menu. Chuck Hughes' restaurants are incredibly hard to get reservations at and their website allows booking a reservation up to 30 days in advance. Reserve early.
After dinner we went to Upstairs Jazz for the Oliver Jones Trio. It was a privilege to see Oliver Jones - an 82 year old Jazz Artist that has been performing for over 70 years! Oliver Jones told us that he planned on retiring to allow new artists to take over where he has left off. If you ever hear that he is performing you better take advantage of the opportunity.
Day 3
We took an UBER car from Le Petit Hotel to Mont Royal for breakfast at Restaurant L'Avenue.
Breakfast was awesome and the portion sizes were difficult to swallow - even for me. The restaurant had pretty interesting decor; set up as a 50's style diner with loads of character. As weird as this will sound - the washrooms were a highlight of the breakfast - make sure you check them out.
Next was the Space for Life, which consisted of Biodome, Insectarium, Botanical Garden and Planetarium. We opted to take a tour of the Biodome only and we were not disappointed by our choice. The Biodome advertises over 4800 animals and a ton of plant species - although I doubt we actually saw that many while we walked through.
For dinner we went to Grumman 78 for street food tacos - but in a restaurant setting. I thought it was pretty awesome eating dinner on converted skids or palettes in what looked like it a old auto shop. The lack of gluten free options was disappointing.
After dinner we took in a Montreal Canadiens hockey game and they were playing the Phoenix Coyotes. The hockey game was ok to watch, but the intense energy in the Bell Centre from the fans was exciting. It was cool to watch one of The Original 6 hockey teams play and what an amazing history the team has.
Day 4
We got up early to enjoy a run along the Old Port of Montreal by the St. Lawrence River and then headed to our final breakfast at Le Cartet. The diner also had a retail component and they sold everything from chocolate to fresh food and grocery items. The breakfast was amazing and worth the 20 minute wait to get a table. My favourite part was my cappuccino - served in a cup the size of a bowl!
We had lunch at Cookie Stefanie for grilled cheese and hot beverages before we had to pack up and call for a cab to the airport.
Final thoughts...
Old Montreal was definitely worth the trip and we had an excellent time squeezing in as much as we could. We managed to take in a hockey game, an orchestra, a jazz trio, a South Korean warship, and the Notre-Dame Basilica among others.
The benefits of traveling in November was the slightly cheaper hotel rates and less busy streets and restaurants. A visit in the Spring or Summer will have a ton more options from the Montreal Jazz Festival and the Montreal Comedy Festival - Just for Laughs, but make your reservations early.
And remember - don't forget your sandals...
Old Montreal
Notre-Dame Basilica at night
Breakfast at Le Cartet
Notre-Dame Basilica
Along the St. Lawrence
Grumman 78 Appetizer