Old Montreal looking old and tired



The Hotel Nelligan is too much for too little!

 Just got back from Montreal where I spent a lovely weekend touring the city's famed Old Town (Vieux Montreal) and enjoying great food - Montreal chefs remain Canada's best - and soaking up the festive atmosphere that always surrounds this lovely French city.

To make the weekend a little more special I checked into one of Montreal's Old Town boutique hotels - Quebec hoteliers are the best at turning old period buildings into chic hotel properties.

The historic Hotel Nelligan on Rue St. Paul, named after one of French Canada's best known authors, was my property of choice.

Impressions: Very nice hotel - very average service - typical "boutique" property that christens itself a 5-star hotel and delivers 3-star service - the staff always seems to have their hands out for tips here - but their service does not warrant it.

Other impressions of Montreal:

* Judging by the number of "Louer" (to let) signs splattered about the Old Town, Montreal looks like an economic disaster area;

* Too many Old Town restaurants offer "set menus" - meaning you get three courses (all of which are fabulous) when you only want one or two; I hate chefs dictating how fat I will get;

* The provincial sales tax and other local taxes tourists must pay here are outrages - my $230 a night room (I stayed 2 nights) resulted in a $630 final bill - $430 for the stay and $200 in additional taxes and a two night hotel parking charge - ouch!

* The Old Town is looking old and tired - streets are littered with garbage and there's too many "chain" restaurants moving into the area - I liked Old Montreal when it was a bastion for up-and-coming young chefs.

Despite all the pitfalls, though, I can't wait for my next visit to Montreal!

 

Dubai celebrates Montreal GP race

Dubai's Ferrarii theme park is the
biggest indoor park of its kind in the world.

Montreal may be holding a Formula One auto race this weekend on Le Circuit Gilles Villeneuve but auto racing fans will no doubt be thinking of what’s taking place in Dubai at the same time because that’s where the world’s first Ferrari theme park will be holding a Canadian Grand Prix celebration of its own.

In tribute to the Montreal Grand Prix, the people running the Dubai Ferrari theme park will celebrate the race with Canadian Mounties – not the real ones, but ones on stilts – and an appearance by Canadian pop singing sensation Justin Bieber

Dubai F1 fans will be able to catch all the racing action in Montreal live on screens located throughout the Ferrari Park – including the UAE’s biggest High-Definition screen at Cinema Maranello.

Canadians who show up in Dubai will get a discounted entrance fee to the massive tent-like structure that’s painted Ferrari red, of course. The Ferrari park is covered by a 200,000 square metre roof, which makes it the largest indoor theme park in the world – and Dubai wouldn't have it no other way.

The Ferrari theme park was built on Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates kingdom and offers 20 rides, one of which is called Formula Rossa, the fastest roller coaster in the world.

If Dubai couldn’t attract visitors by building the world’s largest skyscraper, the world’s biggest airport and the world’s biggest indoor ski hill, than the Ferrari theme park, which carries the most famous name in the auto world, surely will do it.

I can’t wait to get back to Dubai to see it!

Quebec puts accent on hospitality

Mt. Tremblant golf courses are some of the finest in Canada.

Spent yesterday on a golf course - for research purposes only - at an annual event hosted by Quebec Tourism.

Quebec, along with British Columbia, P.E.I. and Alberta are the four Canadian provinces that "get it" when it comes to promoting tourism. They always hold well organized events where their tourism partners - hotels, casinos, airlines, etc. - get a chance to showcase product lines to interested people like travel professionals and travel journalists.

That's why those three provinces get more ink than any others and reap the rewards for their efforts with impressive visitor numbers each year.

The big news out of Quebec is that the casino in Mt. Tremblant - one of the my favourite spots in all of Canada - is doing well and that plans are underway to build a mega resort right next door. The Quebec government agreed to give the Laurentian resort town its own casino in the hopes of luring more tourists and the plan appears to be working quite well.

Porter Airlines will soon be launching its annual summer direct flights to Tremblant to go along with its flights to Montreal and Quebec City.

Summers are special in Tremblant, which is world renowned for its ski hills and apres ski hijinks. But in recent years, Tremblant, with is outstanding inventory of mountain golf courses, has been challenging places like Ontario and P.E.I. as a top Canadian golf destination. Le Geant is my favourite course in Tremblant, which offers at least five other world-class layouts.

Accommodation offered in Tremblant runs from bargain basement to 5-star with lots in between. The Fairmont is my favourite spot to stay in Tremblant but one day when I have lots of money, I'll book a room at Hotel Quintessence, one of the most luxurious properties in Canada.

Montreal, Quebec City, the Eastern Townships, the Gaspe and the Laurnetians all offer their unique brand of tourism and the European flavour one experiences while visiting Quebec is something that most people treasure for a long time afterwards.

Quebec has a lot to offer and its puts an accent on hospitality.

For tourism options in Quebec, go to www.bonjourquebec.com