Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Sherbrooke (Plateau edge)

Hotel 10 Montreal

★★★★★

Hotel 10 is the best-located hotel for travellers who want to live on the Main, the famous Boulevard Saint-Laurent that divides Montreal's east and west and leads north through the Plateau and Mile End to Little Italy. It sits at 10 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, on the corner where Sherbrooke meets Saint-Laurent, at the meeting point of three of the city's most interesting districts: the Plateau's colourful streets and bistros to the north, the Quartier des Spectacles and Place des Arts to the south, and the McGill campus and downtown to the west. The property combines old and new: the Joseph-Arthur Godin building, completed in 1915 and one of the first residential buildings in Canada inspired by Art Nouveau, with its distinctive curving concrete balconies, and a contemporary wing added in 2004, designed by the noted Montreal architect Dan Hanganu on the site of the former Holy Trinity Church. Rooms and suites are modern and design-forward, with a clean, urban look, and the suites offer more space for longer stays or small families. The hotel has a cafe for coffee and pastries, a lobby bar and a gym, and the immediate neighbourhood is full of restaurants, bars, music venues and cafes. It is a few minutes on foot from Saint-Laurent and Sherbrooke metro stations, and bus 55 runs north along Saint-Laurent to Mile End and Little Italy. Rates are mid-range, good value for the location and style.

Rooms and style: the design is contemporary, with clean lines and bold touches, and rooms in the modern wing have large windows. Ask for a higher floor for views over the Plateau or downtown. Suites have separate areas and suit longer stays. Note that the location is lively, especially in summer and during festivals, so light sleepers should ask for a room away from the street.

The neighbourhood: walking north on Saint-Laurent takes you past cafes, restaurants, bars and live music venues into the Plateau, with Schwartz's smoked-meat deli and the street-art murals of the MURAL festival along the way, and on to Mile End's bagel bakeries. Walking south brings you in minutes to the Quartier des Spectacles festival squares and Chinatown. Parc La Fontaine and Mount Royal are both within a comfortable walk.

Who it suits: couples, young travellers and culture lovers who want to be in the middle of Montreal's nightlife and festival life, and food lovers planning to explore the Plateau, Mile End and Little Italy on foot. Those who prefer a quiet, historic setting should look at Old Montreal or the Golden Square Mile.