Fairmont Hotel: The Queen Elizabeth

Touchdown – Montreal, the city known for poutine, architecture, and their love for Leonard Cohen.

It was my first time visiting Montreal, second time visiting Canada overall - and I’m already in love. The people are just so damn polite and the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth’s staff was beyond welcoming.

Upon arrival, we received a surprise pick-up from the airport and while it may sound silly, it was exciting to see our names held up by a driver when exiting the terminal. I’m not a huge blogger so this doesn’t occur very often and after flying all-day, it was the fact that we didn’t have to worry about getting a cab or Uber that I truly appreciated. It was a short ride to the hotel and the first thing we did after checking-in was check out their bar, Nacarat, because we were starving! 

Nacarat is located on the lobby level of Fairmont Queen Elizabeth and serves the most delicious cocktails. I highly recommend the espresso martini and their duck dumplings. What we thought was going to be a quick bite turned into a couple of hours of just enjoying the bar and relaxing, over drinks and light bites. We basically ordered the entire menu from the oysters to the s’mores. Needless to say, we went to bed with a happy tummy that night. 

The next few days were spent exploring the newly ($140-million) renovated Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, from the Artisan market to experiencing a much needed massage at the Moment spa. By the way, there are underground malls and the entrance to it is right by the spa. The gym and indoor pool is also on the same level, and the pool is heated during the colder months. 

We also got an exclusive tour of the John Lennon suite where Lennon and Yuko held their bed-in protest in 1969. The suite has been remodeled to include all 4 individual rooms that they originally had rented, into one large suite, with all memories included. The suite is available to all guests, but be warned that it is not cheap. 

Breakfast and dinner at Rosélys were delightful, along with more drinks at Nacarat, and we got to celebrate in style at the official grand opening party. Everything we experienced left us in awe and to say that the Fairmont was one of the best stays I've had is an understatement. 

From the staff to the food, to the drinks and the influencers I had the pleasure of meeting, this press trip was one for the books and I cannot wait to do it again.