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"Since 1912, the Ritz-Carlton Montréal has set the standard for luxury—not just in Quebec but in all of Canada. Built by the same architects behind New York’s Grand Central Station, the grand dame on Sherbrooke Street has hosted luminaries including Queen Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, and Elizabeth Taylor (who married Richard Burton in the Royal Suite in 1964, after allegedly giving hotel staff just two hours to prepare!). More than a century later, the 129-room hotel—the first that Swiss hotelier César Ritz permitted to use his name—still has the same sparkle, thanks to the white-glove service and the deep sense of history that fills the opulent common spaces. The brand’s famed afternoon tea service was allegedly born here, and at the Palm Court the tradition has been brought into the modern day with tea varieties from Canadian brand Sloane and creative sweet bites like infused cucumber-jelly tarts. Continue the indulgence at the spa, home to a heated rooftop saltwater pool, steam room, and sauna, plus treatments incorporating homegrown ingredients like Canadian maple sugar. Finish the day at Maison Boulud, where you can dine in a cozy indoor room with a fireplace or in a year-round greenhouse overlooking the garden." - Siobhan Reid