Montreal: A Great Girls’ Getaway
Montreal is a city everyone should visit. It’s diverse and has a lot for visitors to see and do. The food and bar scenes have many options for any type of palate. There are also many activities to take advantage of, from a spa day at Bota Bota Spa to walking through Old Montreal and taking a tour of the city. From one end of Montreal to the other, it truly is a vibrant and beautiful city.
I took a road trip with two of my friends, Erin and Lauren, to meet up with two more friends, Anita and Vanessa. We were staying at Le St.-Martin Hotel in Montreal’s downtown area. The hotel was comfortable with nice rooms and cozy beds. The restaurant has an outdoor area for a nice evening cinq á sept with the girls. Cinq á sept is a custom in Montreal; in English, it means five to seven and refers to happy hour.
Erin, Lauren, and I met up with Anita and Vanessa for dinner and drinks to begin our weekend away in Montreal. We laughed as we walked through the city from the restaurant to the bar feeling completely safe and having a wonderful time.
The next morning, we all met for breakfast in the hotel restaurant, L’Aromate. Once done with breakfast, we headed out and prepared for a day of fun and adventure. First up was catching the metro to visit the Montreal Botanical Garden, where we saw some impressive botanical sculptures and gardens.
It would have been easy to spend an entire day stopping to smell the roses, but we had lots still to do. We headed from the gardens to meet up with our tour guide, who led us on a bike tour of this European-inspired city. It was a lot like herding cats with us in tow; I felt bad for our guide, but she handled it well.
Our bike tour included a stop along the waterfront, with an explanation of the buildings and surrounding area. We moved on through the parks and along the locks to Atwater Market, where we had lunch of lovely French pastries and pâté. We rode through the great neighborhoods and soon returned to the bike shop, Ça Roule Montreal.
We said goodbye to our tour guide and, after all that hard work biking through the city, we were in need of a refreshing cocktail at Terrasse Nelligan, where we sat five stories above Old Montreal. After a couple of cocktails, we headed back to get ready for a rest and evening out on the town laughing and enjoying one another’s company.
The next morning, we checked out of the hotel and said our goodbyes, happy the five of us had been able to spend some time together. We will return again for sure.
