While looking for a hotel in Montreal to spend part of a romantic anniversary vacation, I ran across the website for Le Nouvel Hotel. They have plain rooms that most of the Trip Advisor reviews talk about but, they also have 5 suites they call "Admiral Lofts." The Lofts have kitchenettes, large Jacuzzi tubs, luxury bedding, and an in-room clothes washer/dryer. The pictures on the website looked impressive so, we booked 4 nights.

The hotel is in a great location. Close to restaurants, bars, nightlife, and the metro station. Several restaurants not to miss: Ristorante Ferrari (Italian - amazing fresh pasta and desserts), Upstairs (jazz club with great food), and Vieux Mozart (Austro-Hungarian in the old town area)!!!!

Okay, back to the hotel review...

The front desk staff was very helpful and relatively easy to communicate with. Don't be intimidated if they start to speak to you in French, they are happy to change to English if you ask (or just look confused).

The rooms...well…I have mixed feelings. We learned that the 5 Admiral Lofts were recently built in an area connected to the hotel that used to be a comedy club. This in itself was not a problem but, I was surprised to find all the "Lofts" on the 1st floor. I was hoping for a nice city view. Instead, the windows face a walkway (and fence behind the walkway) where people walk back and forth to get to the pool. I can't really fault the hotel for this as it was my assumption that a Loft wouldn't be on the ground floor of a high-rise building. The website didn't say one way or another, and I didn't ask about it in advance...so, I consider this to be my fault for not asking before reserving. However, I wanted to mention it to any others who would find the “lack of view” important.

Back to the topic of "new" rooms...we were constantly noticing what a terrible job the contractors did. Baseboard not attached to the wall and bowing out in several places, fan/light above the shower hanging by the electrical wire (we had them fix this while we were there), towel racks and other plumbing fixtures very loose...I could go on but, I'll spare you. It mildly bothered us so see such shabby work but, we didn't allow it to ruin our trip!

The nice things about the room were the tall ceilings, very large 2 person Jacuzzi tub, comfortable bed, kitchenette, and laundry machines. We love the local markets and like to cook a few meals in our room when traveling so, the kitchenette was important to us. By the way, if you are a "foodie” -- don't miss the Atwater market!!! Also, the in-room coffee pot doubles as an expresso maker and they give you good quality coffee in the lofts.

We cannot comment on the restaurant as we never ate there. Breakfast was included in our room price but we never took advantage of that -- we just aren't breakfast people. We did however, have a glass of wine at the bar and enjoyed talking to the bartender, Victor, who made some great restaurant recommendations.

All-in-all, we had a fantastic time...we just loved Montreal! This particular hotel was okay. I think I'd probably stay at the Marriott Residence Inn (in the same neighborhood) next time. I'll miss the nice big Jacuzzi tub but, maybe we'll gain a better view and save some money.