A girl can get lambasted for saying this kind of thing in Montreal but when I walked into my room at the newly opened Hotel Le St-Martin on a beautiful evening in July, part of me wished it were winter.

Cool Weather Appeal

It was the fireplace that got me. I imagined it flickering softly as I curled up with a glass of red wine, cosy and warm. The massive soaker tub also made me long for sub-zero temperatures. It was easily big enough for two people and a flotilla of bubbles.

There was even a TV mounted to the wall directly across from the tub in case I wanted to soak while watching my favourite show. On the bed, a gold box of Godiva chocolates was nestled between two fluffy bathrobes. I reached out to stroke the soft cotton.

“Let’s hit the pool!” my boyfriend said, knocking me out of my reverie.

Urban Sophistication

Tall and slender, Le St-Martin has capitalized on its location in the heart of downtown, giving guests a decidedly urban hotel experience. All 123 rooms are decorated with a sophisticated palette of neutral colours, and the massive picture windows look out onto the downtown cityscape.

This is especially true of the Penthouse rooms on the sixteenth floor, which seem to float among the concrete “treetops” of the city. Even the outdoor salt-water plunge pool on a second floor terrace, which is open year-round, is set in a forest of buildings. 

Intimate Room Design

One unusual feature of the room is that the bathroom and the bedroom are separated by sliding wooden panels. It’s not really a good enough barrier for privacy but it is great if you want to take a bubble bath—simply slide the panels aside and you’ve got a clear view of the fireplace.

Morning Perks

In the morning we luxuriated over fantastic in-room coffee on the house: each room comes equipped with a Keurig coffee maker. One last wistful glance around and we wheeled our luggage away.

At the main entrance, a porter wearing a khaki outfit and safari hat opened the door for us. “Back into the concrete jungle,” I sighed.