road trip – Random Wanders

Hotel Omni Mont-Royal – A Review

This post is made possible in part by my Patreon supporters, and for Rasmussen Travels for setting the trip up. Thank you.

This post is a review of the Hotel Omni Mont-Royal. They are not paying me for this entry, and in no way have sponsored, endorsed, or have administered me to have written this post.

This is the hotel we chose to stay at in the Montréal portion of our French Canada anniversary trip.

First Impressions

Getting into the hotel was a bit rough, but I give that more to the city than the hotel. We had to turn left in the middle of a block while on a fairly busy street when there was a bit of construction on the sidewalk by the parking entrance. When we finally were able to get to the valet, they were extremely helpful. They loaded everything up on the luggage cart, and brought everything up to my room. However, we forgot somethings that we needed in the car, so they ran down and brought them to my room. It was great. Like in Québec, they knew that we were celebrating our honeymoon/anniversary, so they upgraded our room. Also, they gave us a bottle of champagne and a plate of chocolate covered strawberries. This alone puts Omni on top of my list from now on to look for hotels when I go to a new location.

Room details

We booked a Deluxe Room, and ended up with an Omni Suite. This room opens to a living room with a couch, two armchairs, a desk with a coffee maker, and a TV. This room has its own bathroom. Through a set of French doors, you enter the bedroom with a king sized bed, a TV, and its own bathroom. I got a lot of use out of the sofa in the living room as we kept returning to rest between segments of our day. The available Internet was not wired, but there was of course WiFi, and the TVs were cable. Even though we were on the 10th floor, the windows actually opened to let in fresh air (a safe amount; a person cannot fit through)! That was a nice touch. Shout out to housekeeping for keeping the room spectacular as we explored the city.

View from 10th floor of Montréal. See Mont Royal in the background

Hotel Amenities

The hotel included a bar, the aforementioned valet, a fitness centre, a pool, a spa, a restaurant, a business centre, and more. Out of these amenities, we only took advantage of the valet and the bar. At the bar, I tried out a new drink that even the bartender had not done before. I based it off of the Manhattan, only it is Canadian whisky and Sortilège (a whisky based maple liqueur). It was very tasty.

“Lobby” Credit to OMNI Hotels & Resorts image library

Hotel Location

It was a far walk to Old Montréal, but it was still walkable. Yet, I would not judge anyone who would rather take a cab or public transportation to get there. Mont Royal was only a few blocks away, so we were able to walk there and back in the course of a late morning, early afternoon, and still get to Old Montréal for the rest of the day. It is also in the heart of the financial district, therefore RESO, the underground city, is easily accessible.

Recommendations

This stay was nothing short of amazing. I already know that we have to come back to Montréal to see more. This will not be my last stay at this hotel.

This post is a part of a series. Read more of the series here.

“Le Voyage de canada français“
“Un Jour en Québec“
“Delta Hotels by Marriott Québec – A Review“
“Un Jour en Montréal“
“Hotel Omni Mont-Royal – A Review”

Delta Hotels by Marriott Québec – A Review

This post is made possible in part by my Patreon supporters, and for Rasmussen Travels for setting the trip up. Thank you.

This post is a review of the Delta Hotels by Marriott Québec. They are not paying me for this entry, and in no way have sponsored, endorsed, or have administered me to have written this post.

This is the hotel we chose to stay at in the Québec portion of our French Canada anniversary trip.

First Impressions

After a 23 hour drive (what should have been 18), we arrived exhausted and ready for bed. The valet greeted us, and took our car to park. We entered the front door, and took the escalators to the third floor to the front desk. Unfortunately, we hit a snag with our banks, delaying our check in. The young lady at the front desk gave us vouchers for a round of drinks at the bar. She did not need to do that. The fault with our banks was entirely on us (not even with our banks). Again, I thank her for her generosity.

Room details

Also, we found out that we got a free upgrade from a Guest Room (standard room with 1 King bed) to a Delux Room (a corner room, slightly bigger, with a view and 1 King bed). Room amenities included room service, a coffee maker, a sofa, a desk and working station, both wired and wireless Internet, and cable TV. The bed was so comfy! It provided the comfort I greatly needed after such a long drive, and also after a day of walking around the city. The shower was a walk-in shower, and it steamed up well. I always appreciate when a hotel room provides a resting surface that is not an office chair nor a bed. As in, something like a sofa. I loved that it was there, and greatly enjoyed it. When I was not sleeping, it was a great place to rest as we changed for evening events like dinner and drinks. Housekeeping also performed their jobs as expected. I support measures done by hotels to be more green, and try to follow instructions set by the hotel to ensure green practices. Why do I need my towels or bed sheets changed on the daily? Answer: I do not. Again, Delta Hotels, thank you for being green in this measure.

Hotel Amenities

Amenities with the hotel included a restaurant with a bar, valet service, a fitness centre, a business centre for printing and faxing, and a heated pool that is open all year around. We did not partake of amenities, except the bar. The bar was fantastic. Being an Anglophone by birth, there are simply some phrases in French that I do know know yet. The bartender graciously taught my wife and I some useful phrases for ordering at a bar in French. My most useful phrase I learned was “sur glace,” literally “on ice” for “on the rocks.” I was introduced to a new brewery, Trou du diable. Their selection of Irish whiskeys was a bit scant. They only had Jameson and Bushmill’s. Not too surprised there. Most places to not venture more than those two staples, but I do suggest looking in on expanding the Irish whiskey selection.

Hotel Location

It was wonderfully located. It was only a few blocks from the Old City and walking distance from less touristy spots to explore and dine. Not once did we have to ask for our car before check out nor had to get a cab. Which is good, because parking anywhere near the Old City is a mess. As it is located close to the Québec Parliament buildings, it was quiet and restful.

Recommendations

I recommend this hotel. The service went above and beyond, the room was what I wanted, and the location in the city is perfect. While I do suggest a fuller bar, that of course is a non essential and will not affect any decision to come back.

This post is a part of a series. Read more of the series here.

“Le Voyage de canada français“
“Un Jour en Québec“
“Delta Hotels by Marriott Québec – A Review”
“Un Jour en Montréal“
“Hotel Omni Mont-Royal – A Review“

Un Jour en Québec

This post is made possible in part by my Patreon supporters, and for Rasmussen Travels for setting the trip up. Thank you.

Description and Brief History

Just as the New York trip last year was a part of the bucket list for my mom and sisters, Québec was a part of my own bucket list. As this trip served as my anniversary trip with my wife, I was very much looking forward to it.

Québec is the only walled city north of Mexico, and Old Québec is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It lies on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, across from Lévis. The Provintial Capital of Québec in the heart of Francophone Canada, only 1.5% speak English reportedly as of 2007. Which was a great opportunity for both my wife and I to practice our French with other people. Something we seriously miss out on in Central Illinois.

What We Did

We woke up, and immediately went to Old Québec. Our hotel (Delta Marriott Québec) was only a few blocks away, so it was a quick walk. Once we got into the old city, we found a cute little café called Nili Alimentation. It is one of those small places that does not have an Internet presence. We ordered our coffees and breakfasts. The food hit the spot, but the espresso was under-extracted. When I come back to Québec, this will not be high up on my places to re-visit.

After coffee, we started our exploration.

Our first main stop was the Anglican cathedral of the Holy Trinity. This has the honour of being the first Anglican cathedral built outside of the British Isles. It was exactly what I love about High Church Anglicans.

Right as you enter the nave, the beautiful stained glass icon of the Ascension imposes your view behind the alter. The architecture draws your eyes upwards towards the heavens, and there is the unutterable name of God written above. Commissioned by King George III (the same king the US rebelled against and gained our independence from), and thus has his coat of arms on the Royal Pew, there is an exhibit showing the gifts given to the cathedral from the king, and other members of the Royal Family, such as a Bible, a Book of Common Prayer, communion chalices, and more.

As Québec is French, there are bound to be more Catholics than Anglicans. Therefore, our next stop was the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady (Notre Dame) of Québec.

Immediately, your eyes catch the golden cherubs arching upwards towards the Resurrected Christ. Along the sides of the nave are smaller chapels dedicated to various saints. Also, there is the grave of St. François de Laval, the first bishop of Québec.

No trip to Québec is complete without the customary visit to the Château Frontenac. This hotel dominates the Québec skyline, and is its most iconic building.

Now owned and operated by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts chain, it has its history as a “grand railway hotel,” a 5-star hotel for rail passengers. It is named after Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac, a governor of New France and leader against the English and Iroquois armies during the Nine Years’ War. The boardwalk running in front of the hotel is a popular place to take pictures. Not only can you get photogenic shots of the hotel, but you can also get lovely shots of the river. After taking more than a few pictures, we went inside to the hotel bar and ordered a round of drinks. While I got to fulfil a dream of ordering a drink there, I still need to stay there as a guest.

We bought a quick lunch from a small grocery store called Epicerie Richard (no website), and walked towards the Citadel. It is the oldest military building in Canada, and it is still operational. Admission to the Citadelle and museum is $16 for an adult, and if you arrive before 10 AM (in the summertime) you can witness the changing of the guard. As the fort is still an operational military base, all admissions to the fort are guided.

After going to the Citadelle, we visited two bookstores: Librairie Pantoute, and Librairie St-Jean-Baptiste, where we bought French versions of The Hobbit (Le Hobbit, note: not L’Hobbit) and The Lord of the Rings (Le Seigneur des anneaux). Then we went back to our hotel room to freshen up before dinner.

For dinner we chose Pub Galway, a wonderful little Irish Pub. She wanted poutine, but I wanted sausage. How we ended up getting 0 Irish food in an Irish pub is besides me, but, whatever. It happened. And it was tasty. Highly recommend.

The next day, we woke up, went to Orthodox Liturgy (in a basement of a Catholic church), and then left to Montréal.

Conclusions

I absolutely fell in love with Québec. I will absolutely come back to spend more time. Not only explore more of the Old City, but also a lot of the new. I am not a fan of snow, but I will have to come see the charm of the Old City during winter that I keep hearing about.

Things I did not get to see or visit this time around, but will in the future:

The Port, including using the Breakneck Steps (L’Escalier Casse-Cou)
Eating at Le Cochon Dingue
Using the ferry to visit Lévis

This post is a part of a series. Read more of the series here.

Le Voyage de canada français
“Un Jour en Québec”
Delta Hotels by Marriott Québec – A Review
Un Jour en Montréal
Hotel Omni Mont-Royal – A Review

Le Voyage de canada français

This post is made possible in part by my Patreon supporters, and for Rasmussen Travels for setting the trip up. Thank you.

Since we were graciously given time at a resort for our honeymoon in Cabo san Lucas, we could not go on the honeymoon of our original choice: Québec. Last year for our anniversary, we also could not go, so we went to Chicago. This year, thankfully, we were finally able to go. It was a 5 day Québécois vacation; half in Québec, half in Montréal.

Day 1

Thursday, May 24

I picked up the car from Enterprise, dropped off our rabbit, and we took off to drive through the night (something I usually try to avoid). The drive took 18 hours to get to Québec.

Day 2

Friday, May 25

Driving day. This sucked. It was supposed to take 18 hours, and ended up taking closer to 23. From car sickness, to construction, to car crashes stopping traffic, to even the GPS crashing and losing signal, it seemed like the Canadian highways themselves were determined to keep us from ever reaching Québec. However, I was even more determined to finally get there.

Eventually, we did get there.

After a 23 hour drive, and me being awake for almost 25 hours straight, we finally were able to check in at the hotel. That was not so easy either. Of course, we had bank troubles, as the credit card we originally planned on using apparently was not allowed to be used internationally (despite the fact of me checking if it could before the trip). We checked in, I changed into a polo and blazer, and my wife and I toasted to arriving at the hotel bar before going to bed.

We stayed at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Quebec. A review of that hotel is available.

Day 3

Saturday, May 26

We woke up, and immediately headed towards Old Québec. We also immediately fell in love. We spent the entire afternoon walking around the Old City: visiting the cathedrals, the Château Frontenac, and exploring the small shops and boutiques. Plus, it was great to be able to speak in French, something we do not get a lot of opportunity to back home in Central Illinois. Turns out that it was unusually warm that weekend, and it was nice and sunny this day. That made for easy walking. For dinner, we walked away from the touristy area, and found an inviting Irish Pub. Then we turned in for the night. Full details of our day can be found here.

Day 4

Sunday, May 27

This was another travel day. This being our last day in Québec, we departed for Montréal. About half way there, we stopped at Trois-Rivières. We were recommended to go by my voice teacher who grew up there. Unfortunately for me, I was getting frustrated with the GPS, and simply pulled over to the nearest bakery (“boulangerie“) for lunch, and then got back on the highway to get to Montréal. Sadly, this bakery was not in the best neighbourhood, and the stop made me frustrated further and not want to visit anymore of the city. It turns out that I simply needed to get two blocks more west to get to the main road and get downtown. The negative fruits of frustration.

Two hours later, we made it to Montréal. The people driving there are worse than drivers in even New York. Back to being frustrated. We pulled into the hotel, turned in our car, and checked in. We stayed at the Hotel Omni Mont-Royal. It was wonderful. Here is that review. For dinner, we went to a Canadian bar, and then watched Deadpool 2. Watching Deadpool in Canada (a Canadian character played by a Canadian actor) was a completely different experience, especially with all the Canadian jokes. After a tiring day, we turned in.

Day 5

Monday, May 28

This day was the first day we slept in this entire trip. It was great, and very much was needed. We spent the morning hiking Mont Royal, the mountain on the island where the city gets its name. We were able to get lunch and pictures of the skyline from the top. We then descended and walked over to Old Montréal to visit Notre Dame Bascilica. Sadly, they closed just 30 minutes before we arrived. So we turned around and went to dinner at a French style tavern and people watched while eating. We ended the day by visiting the hotel bar before going to bed.

Day 6

Tuesday, May 29

Thus ends our trip. We woke up, checked out, and hopped back in the car for the 15 hour drive home.

This post is a part of a series. Read more of the series here.

Experience at the Archway

This post is made possible in part by Rasmussen Travels for setting the trip up. Thank you.

Driving home from the previous Utah road trip proved to be quite an adventure. First plug, my wife and I stayed at the same hotel as the trip out west. The recommendation still stands. When we woke up, we awoke to a winter weather warning, so we quickly hit the road again after breakfast as to try and get ahead of the storm.

We failed at that.

The drive from North Platte all the way to the Mississippi River (roughly 580 miles) was terrible. Ice and wind prevented me from driving faster than 60 MPH the entire way. The speed limit on I-80 in most of rural Nebraska is 80 MPH, and when we were pushed to drive slower than 40, I knew it was time to get off the highway.

We got off the highway just east of Kearney, NE, and stopped at the Archway. Boy, are we glad we did. With all the times I have driven west and back and passing under the Archway that goes over the highway, I have always wanted to stop and give it a look, and the poor weather provided us that time. I am extremely grateful for their hospitality.

The Archway is a museum that tells the story of the westward expansion of the American people, and also the growth of technology that connected the East to the West. It is a self-guided audio tour showcasing 1830’s through 1950’s.

When you first walk in, you are greeted with an escalator that led up through a mural of the western landscape. The escalator was flanked on both sides by faux rocks and ground, and mannequins of people also “climbing” towards the top of the stairs.

Note on the mannequins found throughout the museum: the faces are recreated off of photographs from the era they portray, so they are actual people. They were built by the Disney animatronics builders, and throughout the stay, I half expected them to move like the Disney animatronics. This was confirmed by one of the volunteers after I had gone through the archway.

Past the mural was a recreation of Fort Kearny, an important stop on the voyage west, and the conjunction of the Oregon, Mormon, and California Trails. Here, the emigrants rested and restocked before taking off towards the western wilderness.>

Next room consists of three stories, one story for each of the three trails as they converge, heading towards their respective destinations.

Left: Prospective prospectors (49ers) on the California trail
Right: Mormons on the Mormon trail
Oregon trail emigrants were on a mural.

After that, you pass into a room portraying the building of the trans-continental railroad, the Pony Express, and the telegraph. Also, you hear of the telegraph that told the West of the Civil War.

Up the stairs, and you are greeted with the passing of technology to automobiles, and an introduction to the Lincoln Highway. Here, you see tourist camp grounds, drive-ins, and a diner.

After this exhibit, you take the escalator back down to the lobby, where you can buy from the gift shop or pick up information on even more Nebraska tourist information.

This is a gem hidden in plain sight. I am quite happy that the weather forced us in. It has given me inspiration for future trips that I wish to report. Give yourself the much needed rest from driving, take an hour or more (we were there for almost 2 hours), and enjoy this treasure.

Chillin’ at the Holiday Inn

This post is made possible in part by Rasmussen Travels for setting the trip up. Thank you.

My wife and I had to take a last minute trip back to Salt Lake City, and since that is a 22+ hour drive from our home, we had to stay in a hotel overnight half way between. We chose to stay at a Holiday Inn Express in Ogallala, Nebraska.

It was a new hotel, and built in a modern ascetic. Outside, it looked like a regular Holiday Inn Express, but the lobby definitely did not. The desk, and most the lobby, had minimalist lines and designs.

View of the lobby from the front door. Above: to the left, and the front desk. Below: to the right, and the public seating area

The room was sleek and modern. I especially enjoyed that there was a lounge in the room.

Standard 1 king size bedroom. Lounge in the background. View from the room door.

The staff was friendly, the breakfast was much needed, the rest provided was amazing. This stay was exactly the quality I expect from a Holiday Inn, and the convenience I expect from a Holiday Inn Express.

I look forward to staying again next week heading back home, and I recommend it to any I-80 traveller.