Overall I would sum up our 4-day stay as good, overall for our girls trip and will elaborate below:
Pros:
- Location, location, location- I’m confident we had the best location of any hotel or Airbnb available for the old port of Montreal area. Amazing restaurants and cafes close by, and everything is within walking distance.
- decor was gorgeous
- cleanliness
- kitchen was well stocked
- communication with hosts was great
- amenities were appreciated for anything we forgot shampoo/conditioner/hair dryer/ etc.
- felt safe
- beds and pillows were extremely comfortable
- lighting in the mirrors in the bathroom were excellent for makeup application
- it seems that the hosts own most or all of the units in the building so if there are any issues with neighbours you can contact the hosts
Cons:
- other than the master bedroom, there is no where to hang or put away any clothes or coats. No front entrance closet to hang anything and two of the three bedroom only contain a bed and side tables, no dresser, no closet, no hooks - so you will be sharing the one small coat rack in the master bedroom and living out of your suitcase
- this apartment is directly above a very popular restaurant/bar more suited to a younger crowd. I would recommend if you are interested in this apartment that you book one of the other units in the building by the same host in the summer. This apartment is directly above a very popular restaurant/bar. It is shockingly loud mostly due to the outdoor patio. I had seen comments and reviews about the noise and was not worried at all, as I enjoy nightlife and am a heavy sleeper.
This restaurant/bar stayed open every night we were there until 2- 3am and seemed to be the most popular place in all of old Montreal. They had an outdoor DJ and the music blasted both outdoor and indoor - through old windows with no sound protection and up through the floors - all night. It was impossible to sleep even for a heavy sleeper in the front bedroom. The two back bedrooms were not nearly as affected (and most of us had great sleeps in the two back bedrooms).
I actually had to call the restaurant on Sunday night after they closed to ask them to turn off the outdoor speakers so I could sleep, which they had accidentally left on hours after closing…
I assume that the restaurant maintains loud noise levels outdoors well beyond allowable times in Montreal because the building above is all airbnbs. It would certainly not be tolerated if full time residents lived there.
Additionally the smell of food cooking overnight (it’s a taco restaurant and I assume they slow cook beef and pork all night) wafts through the front bedroom all night and is actually gross and difficult to try to sleep through.
These two above points really put a damper on our otherwise perfect trip and apartment. We actually had to rotate so each of us had to sleep in the front bedroom at least once and therefore no sleep that night. Once cooler weather sets in I imagine the patio will close and therefore most of the noise would be significantly/mostly reduced.
Again, I think any of the other units in this building by the same hosts would be perfect,
This one again, was good for us but not great due to the above.
Other
- this apartment also has locked double doors that connect to an adjoining apartment. This was not an issue for us but should be noted.
- no full length mirrors, so again, for a girls trip this is important ;)
- the couch in the living room is extremely uncomfortable for a night in due to no back support - but it’s pretty!