Old Montreal (Rue Saint-Jacques)

Hotel Le St-James

★★★★★

Hotel Le St-James is the grand old dame of Old Montreal luxury, a small, intensely decorated hotel for travellers who want history, privacy and a sense of occasion. It occupies a former merchant bank opened in 1870 on Rue Saint-Jacques, the street once known as Canada's Wall Street, where the great banks and insurance companies built their temples of finance in the nineteenth century. The conversion has kept the building's grandeur: the lobby and public rooms are filled with antiques, oil paintings and period furniture, and the bronze elevator doors are antiques from the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York. Rooms and suites are furnished with antiques and high-quality reproductions, rich fabrics and classic decor, and no two are quite alike; the atmosphere is closer to a private mansion than a modern hotel. The hotel's restaurant, XO Le Restaurant, occupies the former banking hall, with soaring ceilings, columns and gilding that make it one of the most dramatic dining rooms in the city; it serves breakfast, weekend brunch and a tasting menu, and the adjoining bar is an elegant spot for a cocktail. A spa offers massage and treatments. The hotel has a long-standing reputation for discretion. Rates are at the top of the Montreal market. The location puts Notre-Dame Basilica, Place d'Armes, the Old Port and the restaurants of Old Montreal within a few minutes' walk.

Rooms and style: if you like contemporary minimalism, this is not your hotel. Le St-James is about richness: heavy drapes, gilded mirrors, period furniture and art on every wall. The rooms are comfortable and well equipped, with modern bathrooms and amenities behind the period decor. Suites are particularly impressive, and the larger ones work well for special celebrations.

Dining and service: XO Le Restaurant is a reason to visit even if you are not staying, for weekend brunch or an evening tasting menu in the extraordinary banking hall. Service throughout the hotel is formal and attentive, in the European tradition, and the concierge team can arrange tours, transport and reservations across the city.

Location and who it suits: the hotel is at 355 Rue Saint-Jacques, in the financial heart of Old Montreal, a short walk from Square-Victoria-OACI and Place-d'Armes metro stations. It suits couples, honeymooners and travellers celebrating a milestone, as well as anyone who appreciates historic architecture. Families with young children may find it formal, and those who prefer modern design should look at Old Montreal's boutique hotels instead.