Old Montreal (Old Port waterfront)

Auberge du Vieux-Port

★★★★★

Auberge du Vieux-Port is the classic Old Montreal boutique hotel for travellers who want to wake up to views of the river and the Old Port. It occupies two heritage buildings on Rue de la Commune, the waterfront street facing the port: the Victor Hudon building of 1857, which housed flour, dry-goods and later furniture merchants, and the Hector Lamontagne warehouse of 1882, home for decades to a leather goods company. The Antonopoulos group turned the Lamontagne building into a 27-room inn in 1996, one of the first boutique hotels in Old Montreal, and expanded into the Hudon building after acquiring it in 2012, bringing the hotel to 45 rooms. It is now part of the Gray Collection, the same local family of hotels as Hotel William Gray and Hotel Place d'Armes. The rooms are the attraction: original stone walls, exposed wooden beams, large windows, hardwood floors and contemporary comforts, with views either of the river and the Old Port or of the rooftops of Old Montreal. The restaurant and bar spaces include Gaspar, a French brasserie, Pincette, a lobster bar, and The Living Room, a lounge, and in the warm months Terrasse sur l'Auberge, the rooftop terrace, offers one of the best views in Old Montreal over the port, the Grande Roue and the river, with cocktails and light meals. Rates are upper-middle to high, especially for river-view rooms in summer.

Rooms and style: the heritage character is the main reason to stay. Rooms vary in size and layout because of the old buildings, but all combine stone and wood with modern bathrooms and good beds. River-view rooms are the most sought after and worth the premium, especially in summer when the port is lively and during the fireworks season. Rooftop-view rooms are quieter and often better value.

Dining and terrace: the Terrasse sur l'Auberge is one of the most popular rooftop spots in the city in summer, so hotel guests should make the most of their access early in the evening before the crowds. Gaspar and Pincette offer easy dining on site, and dozens of Old Montreal restaurants are a few minutes' walk away. Room service is also available.

Location and who it suits: the hotel is at 97 Rue de la Commune Est, facing the Old Port, a few minutes from Place Jacques-Cartier, the Bonsecours Market, Notre-Dame Basilica and Champ-de-Mars metro station. It suits couples, first-time visitors who want to be in the heart of Old Montreal and anyone who loves historic buildings. Light sleepers should note that the waterfront can be lively on summer evenings.