Pink Champagne and George Clooney

I had the most amazing lunch couple of weeks ago at Maison Boulud in the recented re-opened Ritz-Carlton Montreal. Our waiter, who bore an uncanny resemblance to actor George Cooney, encouraged us to order off the menu and share dishes. Everything was beautifully prepared and presented. We at the most leisurely pace imaginable, savouring each course and sipping pink champagne.

Maison Boulud is one of internationally-renowned Chef Daniel Boulud's 15 restaurants worldwide (Cafe Boulud just opened in the new Four Seasons Hotel Toronto). We sat at a table on a covered veranda overlooking the garden, but the restaurant offers such an interesting variety of intimate and varied dining areas; on a return visit you could feel you were at another restaurant entirely.

Re-opened after four years and $200 million in renovations the hotel itself is even more impressive, and has already achieved Five Diamond status - in the same amount of time (four months) as did her sister property, the Ritz-Carlton Toronto.  The guestroom inventory has shrunk (to 129 from 229) making for roomier rooms, and the iconic Oval Ballroom, lovingly restored by artisans who hand-painted the finishes to exacting detail, remains the jewel in her meeting space.

 

Funny thing happened....

...on my way to a doctor's appointment.

I had a little time to kill so I thought I'd wander through the lobby of the new Four Seasons Toronto.  I entered from Yorkville Avenue, where the driveway circles around a huge, red fountain.  It's a bit of a maze inside, with very high ceilings, and the space broken up into small, intimate areas.  There's an art piece depicting a dandelion gone to seed suspended over the front desk. (The dandelion motif is repeated in other artwork throughout the hotel, along with other 'natural' images).

I didn't get far before getting "made" by one of the hotel sales managers. He spotted me, and offered to show me the event space - cool!

We went up to the 3rd floor to see Aria, the 6,776 sq.ft. ballroom with amazing 21 ft. high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides. There are breakout rooms on that floor, and on the 6th floor, where the baby ballroom, Vinci (3,249 sq.ft.) is located.

I also got to see one of the gorgeous guestrooms, all taupe with mustard accents, an inviting curved sofa in the corner, and an even more inviting stand-alone stone bathtub - apparently a nod to the decor in the new Spa, which I'll see (and experience!) next week!!

Sucks to be Sick

There's no good time for a bad cold, but feeling lousy when you're away from home is especially awful. It does make you appreciate a nice hotel room, though. 

Let me count the ways the Delta Centre-Ville made my recent stay as comfortable as possible - while I was suffering from a stupid bug.

1. An easy-to-use thermastat allowed me to raise the temperature of the room to a cosy 25C. Quickly. Good for my chills.

2. A great bed: pillow-top mattress, crisp linens and puffy comforter. Bliss.

3. Excellent black-out drapes for day-time napping.

4. The room was also incredibly quiet, so I could really get the rest I needed.

5. An uncomplicated coffee maker, used to make pots and pots of hot tea. Jasmine Green Tea was my favourite.

6. A totally awesome desk/work space for when I did drag myself out of bed. I love that it wasn't cluttered with hotel propaganda; the room service menus and guest services guide were neatly propped up on a ledge. There was excellent task lighting, access to no less than seven electrical outlets, and all manner of computer cables, neatly retracted....

7. Oh - and getting onto the internet was easy! Yes, Delta does have the fastest connection.

8. When it was time to get cleaned up, I had a really, really long, hot shower. It was heaven. I liked the hand-held shower head and bar to hold onto, in case I was feeling dizzy.

9. High quality June Jacobs body lotion is always a nice treat.

10. Large bathroom with lots of counter space so I could spread out with all my drugs and paraphanalia.

11. Club Lounge advantages: I've never understood that "starve a cold, feed a fever" thing, and was so grateful that I'd booked myself a room on one of the Club Floors. Going to the Lounge, with its awesome, almost panoramic view of the city, got me out of my room to enjoy a substantial breakfast each morning - providing me with much-needed nourishment when I wasn't up to actually leaving the hotel. With my reduced appetite the complimentary hors d'oeuvres during the 'cinq a sept' hours were enough serve as dinner.

12. Delta Privilege advantages: I was too tired to go to the business centre to get a couple of documents printed so I emailed them to the Front Desk. There was no charge for them to print them for me. (I remember a few years ago receiving an extremely lengthy fax at the Delta Barrington - and the same thing - there was no charge). Also, late check-out was easily arranged so that I can stay in my lovely room right up until the time I had to go to the aiport and fly home.