Sahit Muja: Best Hotels in Canada
British Columbia loyalists and Francophiles shaped this year's collection
Rank 1
Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa, Cambridge
Earning three perfect scores, this American Federal Revival getaway in the countryside an hour from Toronto “provides every comfort you could wish for.” Perfect-scoring design highlights the estate’s past—it was built as a summer home for the granddaughter of John Jacob Astor in 1898. Garnering a perfect score, modern-country guest rooms are “beautifully done, with a luxurious bathroom” and a wood-burning fireplace. The “excellent dining” includes Ontario wines and seasonal picks from the property’s garden. Obtaining perfect marks, “staff are faultless. No really—faultless.” “We loved the welcome plate of cheese, walnuts, and honey.”
Rank 2
Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City
This “gem of a hotel” overlooks the St. Lawrence River in the Old Port. “Extremely well designed,” the three historic buildings are decorated in antiques and photographs that reference the buildings’ pasts. “Lovely and charming rooms,” some with heated bathroom floors, are done in colors reminiscent of the Quebec landscape, while the furniture is as sleek as the Bose sound system. Indulge in French Canadian dishes such as Cap St-Ignace guinea hen and the “best French toast” at Panache. The hotel recently launched Panache Mobile, a food truck serving a variation on the hotel restaurant’s menu. “Lie in bed and watch ships sail by on the St. Lawrence—what a memory.”
Rank 3
Hotel Nelligan, Montreal
“A state-of-the-art hotel in Montreal’s arts district,” it consists of three stone-and-brick nineteenth-century buildings. Guest rooms with exposed-brick walls are outfitted with cherrywood furnishings; writings by the French-Canadian poet Emile Nelligan appear in paintings throughout the property. Versus dishes up modern French cuisine like marinated duck breast, Quebec lamb done three ways, and rack of deer. The signature white sangria is a summertime draw on the Nelligan Terrace. “The concierge is one of the best you’ll ever come across.”
Rank 4
Hôtel Le Germain-Dominion, Quebec City
This Old Port property joins two adjacent historic buildings, blending iron and glass with wood and stone. “Well-appointed rooms” have dark woods, exposed-brick walls, and bathrooms with lots of brushed chrome and frosted glass. While there’s no on-site restaurant, continental breakfast is served. “Wonderful staff” circulate a monthly list of their favorites—restaurants, galleries, shopping, and so on. The pet-friendly hotel will even provide a mat, water, food bowls, and a pet bed for your pooch.
Rank 5
Sooke Harbour House, Vancouver Island
“A favorite Canadian home away from home,” this small inn and restaurant on the west coast of Victoria Island is beloved for its “intimacy, quiet, views, service, and fresh food.” The “excellent chef” prepares dishes that focus on local and seasonal seafood. Each room is uniquely designed and named—the Grandifolia has a wood sculpture of a tree created by a local sculptor—with art, paintings, and glasswork throughout. Some have wood-burning fireplaces or bathtubs for two. The location means “a wonderful proximity to wilderness, kayaking, beaches, and spectacular starlit nights.”
Rank 6
Hazelton Hotel, Toronto
In the heart of exclusive Yorkville, near shops like Prada, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton, this “modern and hip” hotel, where “staff greet you like a longtime guest,” has “an inviting brick exterior—it’s not a traditional, square, modern high-rise.” “Large and cozy” rooms have L-shaped custom leather headboards, walk-in closets, deep soaking tubs, and bathrooms with heated floors. “You feel like you’re in a home, not a cookie-cutter hotel room—I wished that room was my apartment!” The restaurant, One, serves Mediterranean dishes featuring Ontario produce. “I still crave the lobster!”
Rank 7
Auberge du Vieux-Port, Montreal
With a diverse past as a grocery store for sailors and even a leather factory, this 1882 inn in Old Montreal is “highly recommended.” It’s near the Place Jacques-Cartier and Notre-Dame Basilica, so “the positioning is fantastic.” “Super-chic rooms” have beamed ceilings, exposed-brick walls, whirlpool tubs, and windows facing the St. Lawrence River or the cobblestoned streets. Eighteen new accommodations were added in the summer of 2011. “Great concierge and staff” can recommend nearby restaurants if Narcisse Bistro, where the menu tilts toward French, doesn’t appeal.
Rank 7
Queen's Landing, Niagara-on-the-Lake
On the site of the Old Niagara Harbour and Dock Company headquarters, this Georgian retreat is replete with large columns, Venetian windows, and a sweeping lobby staircase. “Lovely accommodations” in blues and golds are nautically themed, reflecting the waterfront location. Many have fireplaces, and all have hypo-allergenic duvets. Tiara serves Canadian cuisine with “wonderful, wonderful views of the Niagara River.” The pool is filled with salt water, and you’ll find “friendly staff at every turn.”
Rank 9
Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver
The curved glass tower across from the Canada Place cruise ship terminal is the newest and “nicest of the Fairmont properties in Vancouver.” “Ultra-modern rooms” are done in beige and natural tones; some look onto the pool terrace and have private patios with outdoor fireplaces. Oru, a pan-Asian bistro, has a menu with dishes like fennel-cured beef, Malay steamed honey mussels, and tandoori lamb chops with cumin dal. The extensive selection of treatments at the “Zen atmosphere” Willow Stream Spa—which has three lounges and a yoga studio—is “to die for,” including men’s facials, seaweed body wraps, and maternity massages.
Rank 10
Opus Montreal
Occupying the intersection of the tony rue Sherbrooke Ouest and the lively boulevard St-Laurent, the 136-room Opus strikes the right balance of hip, refined, ...
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