Avy-Loren C.
Google
Rooms. Not bad for a renovated 1932 one upon a time monastery. Nicely appointed with lovely furniture and artwork as well as linens. I would have preferred it to be a proper duvet at this price.
Service. Warm, kind, respectful, welcoming.
Location. Provides for great views of mount saint Sauveur, nice walks but you need to drive to town.
Overall a very nice place but at $279 plus taxes a night I would expect a little more to make me want to be a regular. Things like a beverage and snack bar/area for guests for some low cost sodas, bottled water, hot water and tea bags, juices, and perhaps some snacks like cookies or tea biscuits etc. Additionally there should be a couple bottles of water in each room. A nice thing at this level would be a chocolate on each pillow, a perfect touch for a place like this. Additionally, there isn’t much to do though one could argue that there is tons of art and antiques etc. To keep your eyes and mind busy, play the quasi library area to read. I round that many good B&Bs provide a section for board games such as backgammon, chess, checkers, Pictionary, and a host of other interesting games as well as magazines.
Another useful note is the TV system. The system shows numerous channels that don’t receive a station and it would be beneficial (if possible) to set the units to only display stations/channels that are part of the package to save lots of wasted browsing time.
I am surprised to not see any modern features like alarm clocks with smart phone plugin ability to use as a music speaker.
In addition to this, at the level this place is trying to communicate I was let down with the lack of washroom goodies like soaps, shampoos, conditioner, shower cap and the lot. Instead there were multiple partially used shampoos and conditioner bottles at the edges of the bath tub. Moreover, the sink soap pump (strawberry coconut) was from the dollar store. Though the plastic bottle was of a nice design, I felt this too to be out of brand and again, at this price these little things add to the experience.
The breakfast, though very nice, was also a bit of a sticking point. Firstly you had no choices, simply put a set menu. On our visit it was lemon cake (nice flavour but dry), an assortment of muffins, a chilled fruit puree, and a cross between a crepe and a pancake stuffed with some caramelized apple and surrounded by fresh fruit. Though this was speaking to the eyes it was heavy on the carbs both from a fruit sugar and from a starch. I have been off carbs and was forced to eat this. Though it was all tasty and of good quality, I am shocked there were no stated options. I personally prefer items such as eggs in various ways, some meats such as sausage or bacon, and some fresh rustic bread and perhaps some spreads. None of this was available nor were any hot or cold cereals. A small orange juice was at the table as well as coffee offered which were all good.
It’s interesting because there has been lots of thought and attention to designing this pace and even the place settings at the dining tables, but then there are other area that are seriously lacking.
Another sticking point was the requirement placed upon us to remove our shoes (which in itself is not a problem), and to wear the provided slippers. The issue here is that (as seen in the photos) these have not only been worn by other people before us, but some are also in a tattered condition. The proper solution is to provide guests with brand new individually wrapped slippers upon entry to the B&B.
I think that at this price (over $330 per night with tax), there are many other options to try and therefore do not compel me to want to return. I do understand that the Saint Sauveur market is limited in its completion, however for me the entire laurentian mountain area as well as eastern townships are at my disposal and therefore offering me many other options to consider.
