Hotel St. Paul Montreal

Ordinarily when visiting Montreal, we book through Amex and get an upgrade at the Ritz Carlton, which happened to be sold out this week. So, using our HHonors card, booked myself and our two teenage boys into the Bonaventure.

The layout of 359 room facility occupying the top two floors of the 17 story Place Bonavenute floor was intriguing. Make no mistake about it, this is a business/convention hotel and the top floor lobby was always active with waves foot traffic bustling through on the way to meetings and seminars But then, the hotel worked quite well for us as a school vacation destination. The boys truly enjoyed the heated roof top pool (which can be accessed from indoors) and we all appreciated the proximity to Montreal renowned underground passagesways leading to the metro, shops and restaurants.

The first room shown to us was small and reeked of cigarette smoke (non-smoking rooms are part of our HHonors profile) and had a view of the roof top garden, which in April is simply a roof top. We returned to the front desk and requested a "city view room" which they claimed was unavailable, but did move us to room at least 50% larger than the one first offered and provided ample space for all of us, including a roll away bed for that teenager who drew the short straw. The bath room was large and provided with ample supply of bath size towels. The room was clean and did have side window which opened sufficiently to provide fresh air. Our new quarters also was non-smoking and at least had a view of the pool. Much better.

All in all, a good experience. Not exactly inxepensive, nor the spot for a romantic Montreal getaway nor for being cosseted with superb service, but a very, very appropriate choice for a family break in Montreal. We will return.

Wow, what can I say? This hotel was simply fabulous. Not only was it a great deal at $485 air/hotel for 5 nights, but it was also located conveiently right next to the subway (which is a terrific way to get from place to place). I also found every employee who I dealt with to be extremely pleasent. Whether it was asking them for more towels, or a suggestion of a place to eat, they were superb! If I ever go back to Montreal, this will certainly be the place i stay again!

The Hilton name immediately brings to mind the words "posh" and "elegant" for most people. Not me. Not after my experience in Montreal and San Juan, Puerto Rico. I have no real complaints about the Hilton, besides the non-street-level reception and less than ideal location.

But it certainly didn't impress me. There are nicer hotels in Montreal with better locations for less cost. I recommend the Wyndham.

This year we are again going to Montreal for a show last year we stayed @ the Hilton Bonaventure We are staying @ the Marriott this year because the hotel sold out my brothers room even though he guaranteed it on his credit card. His flight was late coming in so @ 12:30 am when he went to check in he was told they sold his room because they though he was not coming, he had to pick up his luggage and walk down to the Delta @ 1 in the morning. Later when I asked about room guarantees they said it was policy to sell the room, I guess the guarantee @ Hilton is so they can sell the room twice. So if you are staying there and arriving late do not think that your room is guaranteed ... Other than that the hotel was OK

Just stayed at the Hilton Bonaventure hotel during a convention, from September 14 to September 17. My room was in the 2200 series of rooms, with a view of running water over rock falls and plants and a pine tree. The lower level 2100 series has a rubberized ramp for handicapped access. The room was fine, larger than the box-like rooms at the LeCentre Sheraton hotel and as big as the higher priced rooms at the Marriott Chateau Champlain (where other convention delegates I know stayed). The windows at the Hilton are sealed except for a side casement window which opens about eight inches to let outside air in.

The room had two telephones, a writing desk, chairs that looked fairly new and a 20 inch RCA TV in the armoire. Of the 38 TV channels, about half were in French. The bathroom amenities were Neutrogena products.

The controls for the shower were easy to use(the shower has a wide circular head and can be used as a hand shower).The room was quiet, except for one morning when the fire alarm went off in the hotel, and loudspeakers told the guests to evacuate the hotel. This false alarm seemed to be related to a power supply problem that triggered the alert.A big advantage of the Hilton is that it is almost directly across from the Gare Central train station, with its underground food courts. In addition, if you exit the station at Queen Elizabeth hotel, using the escalator, you wind up at Avenue Rene Levesque, saving a walk up a steep street. In the food courts, I recommend Fusilee takeout restaurant for chicken club sandwiches, Movenpick for fruit crepes (Tuesdays you get a scratch off card where you can earn a discount on your meal) and Premiere Moisson for pastries. This underground city extends for blocks under the city center.I booked the Hilton using Priceline, so I avoided paying the much higher rate (at least double) that the Marriott Chateau Champlain charges. The Hilton Bonaventure is a real nice hotel. It has no lobby to speak of, but being able to open the hotel window, even a narrow casement type window, to let fresh air in, was more important to me. For the Priceline price I paid, this hotel was a real bargain in an expensive to stay city like Montreal.

I would not not call it downtown Montreal, however it is certainly walking distance to anywhere you need to be. The staff is friendly, the rooms are nice & on a sunny day (which we did not have), I'm sure the rooftop pool is quite nice, it's the Hilton & that means comfy beds, top notch service & a clean hotel, what more do you want ??

We just returned from our trip to Montreal, for which we relied heavily on info from Tripadvisor, Frommer's travel guide, and Fodor's Citypack. Our first night we ate at Les REmparts, reviewed on this site, and it was possibly the best meal we've ever had - food was incredible, service impeccable and friendly, atmosphere the ultimate in romantic, and considering what we had the cost was eminently reasonable (exchange rate helped.)We stayed at the Hilton Bonaventure which we also highly recommend, though it's a bit pricey. The rooftop gardens, pool and waterfall are really something to see, and the staff is incredibly helpful. So you get what you pay for.Outside Montreal we stayed at Auberge du Lac Morency, in St. Hippolyte. It's a condo resort complex right on tiny, perfect little Lac Morency, one of scores of little glacial lakes in the Laurentians. It was absolutely delightful. There are few restaurants right nearby (St. Hippolyte is tiny) but with a fully equipped kitchen and a nearby Marche Bonichoix that carries all sorts of wonderful gourmet foods, we ate very well. There's also a very nice restaurant on the grounds if you prefer not to cook, and they offer a meal plan.Favorite sights: In St. Jerome, between Montreal and St. Hippolyte, there is a municipally-run park situated on the Riviere du Nord, a gorgeous whitewater river with a waterfall or 'chutes", dotted with huge boulders. The local were all out sunning and "pique-nique"-ing on the big rocks, enjoying the cool mist from the rushing river. The small admision fee to the park is definitely worth it.If you can stand the traffic, the drive from Montreal to Mont Tremblant (huge, overdeveloped ski resort in my opinion) is worth it. Particularly in and just outside Montreal, these otherwise very nice Quebecois drive like MANIACS! So if you're going to rent a car, be warned. I myself would never try to drive there.In Montreal, my favorite things to see were: Old Montreal (no, it's not just like Paris but it's great in its own Fum - I think that's the name- and pick up a snack at one of the little Chinese bakeries, which are cheap but have fabulous dim sum and baked goods); the Biodome (don't confuse it with the Biosphere); the Basilique du Notre Dame; the Botanical Gardens (Chinese and Japanese Gardens are unbelievable ), St. Patrick's Basilica, and just downtown itself. What a great city! We also had a wonderful lunch at Le Paris Bistro on St. Catherine's. Genuine traditional French bistro food and great service. And a gentleman from Montreal stopped at our table to chat and actually thanked us for coming to the city! Everyone was incredibly friendly. We hope to return soon!

Spent a long weekend (11/29/02) at the Hilton Bonaventure and loved it. It is connected to both the Metro and the underground so we were able to walk to the shopping at Place Ville Marie and the Eaton Centre without every going outside. The heated outside pool was great as the snow flakes drifted into the clouds of steam. My Hilton Honors card gave us access to the complementary breakfast & cocktails - both were enjoyable. I will stay here next time I visit Montreal.

Wow, this place is great. Between the spectacular 4 season outdoor pool and the gardens that weave thru the rooftop, this place is special. Stay here!!!!!

Very clean, with excellent, professional service. Hosts a lot of business meetings.

Would not recommend for a vacation or personal visit.

The location in the middle of downtown Montral is great however, right across the street from the metro Bonaventure.