Many of you may have heard my recent comments on The Midnight Special about Montreal. I attended the annual International Folk Alliance conference in Montreal, February 22-27. As always, Folk Alliance was incredibly exciting and interesting. However, being in Montreal dramatically added to the experience.

Montreal, without question, is one of the world's great cities, and one I prefer to visit over most other North American cities. Even in the dead of winter, Montreal sparkles with joie de vivre. It is easy to reach from Chicago, less than a two-hour flight, and from most other major cities. American Airlines flies four times daily non-stop from Chicago, and Air Canada connects the two as well.

As with any major city, Montreal must have 25 fine hotels, but the Hotel Nelligan is above and beyond all. During my years as a travel writer for the Chicago Tribune I stayed at the finest hotels in London, Paris, New York and Tokyo. Thus, when I say that the Nelligan is the finest hotel in which I have stayed, it is with perspective and not hyperbole. In the Old Town section of Montreal, directly behind the famed Notre Dame cathedral (in some ways prettier than the original in Paris), the Nelligan occupies a half block of converted warehouses and factories. Tastefully modernized, the appealing décor combines the best of old and new. The hotel is immaculate and the bed the most comfortable I've found outside my own home. Our room had both a large stall shower and a Jacuzzi in the bathroom. The concierge recommended some very good restaurants and the staff was very friendly and efficient. The rooms also have high speed broadband Internet connections and my room even had a nice JVC executive desktop audio system. We paid for our room, which was about $150-$175 US per night (depending on the exchange rate), including a very nice breakfast.

Hotel Nelligan
106 rue Saint-Paul
1-877-788-2040
www.hotelnelligan.com / info@hotelnelligan.com

I chose restaurants recommended by Montreal Tourism and our concierge. You might enjoy the following:

Au Pied de Cochon 514-281-1114
Europea - 514-398-9229 (the soups and bisque here are superb)
Julien 514- 871-1581

If you enjoy Chinese dim sum, La Maison Kam Fung in Chinatown has impressively good dim sum for a city not noted for Chinese cuisine.

Typing in the names of any of these establishments in Google will bring you to various Montreal Websites with further information.

If you're planning a vacation, I cannot think of a better destination than Montreal