Saint-Roch (Lower Town)

Hotel PUR Quebec, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel

★★★★★

Hotel PUR is the pick for travellers who want modern comfort, city views and the local food scene rather than cobbles. A Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel, it rises above Saint-Roch at 395 Rue de la Couronne, a short walk from Rue Saint-Joseph’s restaurants, bakeries and microbreweries, and about 15 minutes on foot (uphill) from the walls. A multi-million-dollar renovation completed in 2017 gave the 242 rooms a clean, contemporary look, and their floor-to-ceiling windows are the signature: higher rooms look across to the Upper Town skyline and the Laurentians, a view you do not get from inside the old town. Facilities are generous for the price: an indoor heated pool and sauna, a 24-hour fitness centre, the Table restaurant serving breakfast and dinner daily, and a lobby wine bar with self-serve and sommelier-chosen wines. On-site parking is available for a daily fee with electric-vehicle charging, check-in is at 4 p.m., and dogs are accepted for a fee. Being part of Marriott means points earning and redemption, which can make it excellent value. The trade-offs are honest: you are outside the walls in a busy urban neighbourhood, and the walk back up the cliff is steep. Fit: foodies who want Saint-Roch on the doorstep, couples who like design and views, Marriott members, and families who want a pool.

Why stay here: Saint-Roch is where the city’s contemporary dining and nightlife happen, and staying in the middle of it lets you eat and drink like a local without worrying about the climb or taxis at night. The tower’s views over the old town are a bonus, particularly at dusk and in winter when the city lights glow on the snow.

Room craft: request a high floor facing the Upper Town for the skyline view. Use the pool and sauna after a cold day of sightseeing. For the old town, walk up via Saint-Jean-Baptiste or take a short bus or taxi ride, and enjoy walking back down. Reserve the well-known Saint-Roch restaurants ahead on weekends.

Practicals: 395 Rue de la Couronne, Saint-Roch; 242 rooms; indoor pool, sauna and gym; Table restaurant and wine bar; paid parking with EV charging; dogs accepted for a fee. Fit: foodies, couples, Marriott loyalists and pool-loving families. The neighbourhood is well connected by city buses, which run up to the Upper Town and along the main corridors, so you do not need a car once you arrive. Business travellers appreciate the meeting spaces and fitness centre, and leisure guests get pool-and-gym facilities that few old-town hotels can match at a similar rate.