After safely arriving to Montreal, we took a cab to our hotel, the Sofitel. I totally forgot to take pictures but the room was a Superior Twin Room on the last floor with an OK view, not that there's something outstanding to look at in Montreal. Very comfortable beds as usual with Sofitel, spot clean bathroom, extraordinary concierge service to say the least and good restaurant. Breakfast was served at your table, which is rather rare in Northern America but why not after all. Service could prove to be a bit slow a peak hours but always very smiling and sincere (think the opposite of what you get in NY).
Some pictures of our tour in the city including the very nice botanical garden (Jardin Botanique).
I'm also truly passionate about men tailoring.and I therefore am always visiting all dedicated shops in the cities I'm traveling to. This time, I found a shop name L'Uomo Montreal that had an outstanding number of very impressive Italian brands that I was familiar with but extremely surprised to see here: Sartoria Partenopea, Belvest, Kiton, Caruso, Mabro and the likes. The saleswoman almost cried when I told her that I was impressed to see the brand of Angelo Blasi in the shop (Partenopea) because no one has proved to know the brand in the last 5 years at least. I think that it unfortunately is a dying shop, in great need of knowledgeable clients.
We had dinner at Europea, a Relais & Chateaux restaurant that didn't disappoint. Excellent service throughout with recognition of the 5C card (welcome drink, personalized hand written card from the chef, candies to take away at the end of the meak). The food was truly at the level of a 2-star Michelin. Prices were decent though not very low but that was to be expected.
We rented a car starting our second day in Montreal and kept it until our arrival in NYC. A very good Chrysler Sedan, comfortable and impressive at swallowing gas faster than a Range Rover.
Our next stop was Mont Tremblant where we stayed for 3 days at the Quintessence hotel. This hotel is a true gem with suites only, far far above the Westin and Fairmont Mont Tremblant that, IMHO, lack charm and personalized service. We had booked an entry-level room that was already 700 sq. ft. and proved to be perfect for the both of us. The restaurant served very good food but truly lacked choice and one could easily get bored after 3 nights there. For our stay though, it was definitely good enough. The only minor thing I'd have to say about the resort is the lack of bread choice in the morning (only toasts whereas they serve a delicious homemade bread at lunch and dinner) and no fresh orange juice, which is a crime.
We took a hydroplane to fly over the forests and lakes, absolutely stunning and in Autumn, it must be magical.
We also played golf at Le Diable, nice course and we had the chance to play with a former caddie of the pro tour so we couldn't dream of any better guide for the course.
