Review of Hotel Le Crystal Montreal:

The Location:  Le Crystal Hotel is located in the city center of Montreal.  If you’re a business traveler, this is a great location to be as it is walking distance to many of the conference centers and large businesses in the city. Despite its central location, it’s located on Rue de la Montagne which is a quiet side street.  Also has quick access to the metro and bus lines.  If you love to walk like I do, it will take you 30 minutes to get to Old Montreal.  Dining Traveler Tip:  Have a drink nearby at Bier Markt.

The Scene: As you enter the hotel, you immediately know why it has the name “Le Crystal Hotel”.  There are several shimmering chandeliers with one main crystal structure which sits at the end of the lobby.  The staff is young, friendly, and stylish with its front desk staff sporting sharp black suits and bright red lipstick.

The Rooms:  We had a suite room with a separate sitting area, kitchenette, and bedroom.  The suite was pretty compact yet comfortable. The décor is modern with a neutral palette. I always enjoy a room with a kitchenette area in which you can bring drinks and snacks from the outside, it’s always more affordable than the minibar. The bathroom area was large and it had toiletries from Amerispa to include bath salts and loofah sponges. It’s all about the little things!  The one point of improvement is that the last day I asked for a late room cleaning from housekeeping and they never showed up. I told the front desk and also pressed the “make up room” button on when I left the room to no avail.  Aside from that, everything in the room was worked just fine.

The Food:  In true Montreal foodie fashion, the food at Le Crystal Hotel Montreal was great!  Our first morning at the hotel, we had room service breakfast.  It was a colorful platter of delicious breads, fruit, and yogurt.  The continental breakfast included with the room rate was delicious as well. I loved the modern rustic décor of the La Coupole, the property’s restaurant with its black walls and rustic white plates nailed to the walls.

We also had dinner at La Copule.  The vibe was relaxed yet elegant.  The restaurant was moderately busy with a combination of locals and hotel guests.  The restaurant focuses on local and seasonal products of the Quebec region. We enjoyed the cheese platter of local cheese as a starter. I then devoured the duck confit which was served with spaetzle and sweet potatoes.

The Amenities: Although the hotel has a boutique feel to it, it has plenty of amenities to choose from.  As a new digital nomad, I appreciate good wi-fi.  The wi-fi connection was great.  I was able to upload photos and make a few skype calls flawlessly.  We also took advantage of the gym on the top floor of the hotel with a great view of the city, which had a beautiful view of Mont Royal.  There is also a full size indoor pool, outdoor hot tub, and spa on the top floor of the hotel.

The Verdict: Despite the housekeeping snafu, I am happy we choose Le Crystal Hotel Montreal as our home away from home.  The hotel had all the luxuries we love with friendly and accommodating staff.  I love a luxury hotel that can balance a beautiful accommodation with an approachable staff.  If you’re looking for a place that strikes the perfect balance between business and leisure accommodation, the Hotel Le Crystal is for you.

* Disclaimer: Part of my stay was sponsored by Hotel Le Crystal Montreal but as always, opinions are my own. 

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The Scene: The rustic elegance of the restaurant is reflected in its exposed brick walls (I so want this for our house), the large open windows, and the rows of local delicacies such as jams and honey available for purchase.  We arrived for an early dinner at 6:30pm and the restaurant was pretty quiet with just a few guests. By our dessert, the place was completely filled and the scene was lively but not too noisy.

The Food:  We opted with the tasting menu and choose to be surprised by Chef Laurent Godbout.  We started our culinary adventure with an amuse bouche of savory macaroons.  These were made of black olive and richly filled with sour cream.  I’ve never had a savory macaroon before. I am here to say that the world needs more of those!

We then moved to oysters from Prince Edward Island.  These were beautifully presented with a unique mignonette made with yuzu and garnished with tiny edible flowers.  The oysters were fresh, not too briny, and slightly sweet.  Delicious.

We continued our tasting menu with a delicious pumpkin soup.  I love the recent trend of restaurants pouring the soup over the condiments tableside.  There’s something uniquely enticing about the pour.  The soup was thick and aromatic, decorated with colorful edible flowers.

We then moved on to the heavier dishes.  I was intrigued by the squash “pasta” carbonara. Perfectly spiraled zucchini with the rich carbonara sauce felt guilt free.  We then moved to a dish of seared duck with plums sitting on a thin layer of a plum and wine jelly. I am not a big fan of gelatinous sauces with meat. The duck was deliciously tender and the ripe plums paired well.  However, I would have preferred a different consistency with the sauce.

We had some beautiful wine pairings with our dinner.  Most of the wine list is French at Chez L’Epicier, with the Chef traveling to France often and sourcing from smaller producers.  Our favorite was the Collioure white wine which was paired with the oysters.  Another favorite was the Maple liqueur we had right before dessert. It had a sherry-like flavor with maple notes. Very unique taste.

We concluded our dinner with homemade marshmallows and a tiny hibachi-type grill to toast them to our liking.  They were light, fluffy and not to sweet. Just how I like them! They also get an A+ for presentation.

The Verdict:  When I am invited to eat at a restaurant, I like to observe the guests around me. It’s important for me to know that they are being treated just the same and most importantly how they value their experience.  There is something to be said about being seated next to a large group of chatty businessmen who had intermezzos of silence when their courses arrived.  Nothing more endearing-and reassuring than a bunch of middle-aged guys making mmmmhhh sounds at a nice restaurant. If you’re in Montreal, make sure to experience the Chez L’Epicier tasting menu. It’s a delicious window to the flavors of the Province of Quebec.

We dined at Chez L’Epicier at the invitation of Chef Laurent Godbout. As always opinions are my own.

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Highlights of our Three days in Montreal:

Tour of Montreal:  One of my top Dining Traveler Tips is taking a tour of a city, especially if you’re a business traveler on a short schedule.  We did this our first day in the city. It was a sunny crisp fall day, perfect to wander and learn.  Our tour guide, Francoise was an elegant French-Canadian woman who knew every little detail of her hometown.  We did a car/walking tour combination.  We began with a drive to Mont Royal, which was absolutely stunning.  I highly recommend visiting the highest point of the city during your visit. We concluded our tour with a walk around Old Montreal.  It is interesting to see the contrast of the city from the tall shiny buildings to cozy brick buildings.  It gave us a good idea of which areas we wanted to focus on during our trip.

Cocktails Please!  One thing is for sure, the locals love a good cocktail bar.  We enjoyed beautiful craft cocktails at Sparrow, a cozy bar at the hip Mile-End neighborhood.  If you love live music, check out Dieze Onze, it has live jazz music every day.  We arrived on a quiet Monday night where it seemed as if we were the only ones at the bar. Within thirty minutes, the Cuban music began to play and the venue magically came to life as the crowd came in around 10pm.  The energy was amazing with the furious sound of the trombone, ladies dancing salsa in the background, and the crowd waving side to side on the beat. The most eventful Monday night I had in a long time.  As for hotel bars, I enjoyed having drinks and a gorgeous haute poutine at the Sofitel Montreal Bar.  I was surprised to see the lively crowd on a Wednesday night at the hotel. Three days in Montreal are definitely not enough to dive into the amazing music and cocktail scene…

The Markets: Although I missed the famous Jean-Talon Market, I did get to experience the Atwater market.  Although not as well-known as the Jean-Talon, it still packed all the beautiful flavors of the region.  Fall was in full swing during my visit.  The stalls were filled with local pumpkins, apples, and pears.  We bought a can of maple syrup at one of the stalls. When I opened it, it changed my whole perception of the product. The scent of pure maple syrup with a slightly burnt caramel note is simply fall in a can.

Rue Notre Dame:  After our Atwater visit, we decided to walk back to the city center via Notre Dame Street.  We were sad that we waited until our last day to do this because there were so many beautiful cafés, shops, and restaurants to explore.  We were bummed that we didn’t get to dine at neighborhood favorites such as Joe Beouf or Restaurant Grinder as many people recommend these establishments.

The Food:  Montreal is a foodie city. Full stop.  One of the things I noticed in all the places I visited was the quality of the food.  From the midnight bagels at Fairmount Bagels to the farm to table feast we had at La Coupole, there was an amazing attention to detail accompanied by friendly service.  I noticed in menus all over the mention of locally sourced products.  We had a great local charcuterie and cheese board at Bier Markt.  Don’t be fooled by its kitsch décor, the food and the selection of beers were pretty good.

Old Montreal:  This part of the city truly transports you to Europe.  The cobblestone streets, small shops, and architecture reminded me of Brussels a bit.  We took a tour of Notre Dame and were taken by the detail of the church.  I was a bit hesitant to pay the $5 entry fee as my personal belief is that church should be open to all, but I enjoyed that it was not overwhelmingly crowded when we were touring this beautiful space.  The detail of its paintings and sculptures is incredible.  In Old Montreal I also experienced the best dining experience of my trip at Chez L’Epicier (a more detailed blog post coming soon).  The tasting menu ranged from fresh Canadian oysters to a fantastic pumpkin soup.

Spa morning:  I enjoyed a spa morning at the Bota Bota Spa. This place is worth going just for the inventive architecture.  A former boat converted into a spa, Bota Bota has multiple chambers filled with steam rooms, hot baths, and a large pool area in its garden.  Don’t leave the spa without having lunch!  The tuna tartare is a must order.

The verdict:  Three days in Montreal are not enough to experience all that the city has to offer but long enough to fall in love with it.  There are plenty more restaurants to be discovered, more bars to drink at, and more parks to explore.  Hoping to return very soon!

Disclaimer: Some experiences of my three days in Montreal were sponsored by Montreal Tourism Board. As always, opinions are my own.

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