Rooms
While the look has been somewhat cannibalized by the rapid rise of West Elm and its ilk, the Hotel St. Paul was there first. Think rich dark floors and faux fur throws, with gauzy white curtains and pony skin chaises—and a bed dressed in European linens with a full-length bolster. The mixture of materials such as chrome and silk and stone highlight the hotel’s thematic elements of fire, ice, earth and sky. Clean and spare, the rooms radiate relaxation: the clutter of quotidian life has no place here. Instead, one sinks into a kind of ascetic aesthetic—whereby you realize, quickly, what’s important and unnecessary—and how simple, and rewarding, life can be when reduced to its most essential elements.

Public Spaces
The winner of numerous design awards for its incredibly considerate renovation of a beautiful Beaux-Arts structure, the St. Paul radiates the calm and strength associated with its former occupant, Canadian Express. Stepping through its massive portals into a serene sanctuary outfitted with long low seating covered casually with pony skins, one has the sense of entering William Randolph Hearst’s private den. Clean and minimal with dark floors and full-length curtains, an alabaster fireplace and candlelight, the reception area/lobby feels as comfortable as a private living room where one might easily while away a morning reading the newspaper—and then, once it’s afternoon, an entire book—while sipping cocktails served from the bar at the room’s far end.

What a gorgeous building—with proportions so generous as to make Stanford White sigh with bliss.

Breakfast
Quite frankly, we missed it—every single morning—but we can attest to the fact that Cube, the in-house restaurant was as chic as it was popular with a youthful and fashionable crowd. (Currently, Cube is undergoing a conceptual renovation, whereupon it will be known as Vauvert (named after a diabolic castle near Paris) which looks to be co-designed by Tim Burton and Charles Addams. Very Gothic opium den—in shades of purple and black. C’est parfait!)

Staff
Adorable, delicious, energetic and personable. The sort of people who won’t hesitate to make phone calls to trace the source of the soap’s fragrance. The kind of front desk manager who counsels us when to take the Metro and when to cab it. And the sort of bellman who’s so stunning that he simply must be photographed. As for housekeeping, they are as considerate, and thorough, as the rest of the staff.

Location
In Vieux Montreal, right near the river, in a neighborhood that has been re-discovered and yet a nabe that still retains a quiet demeanor. It’s off the tourist track—yet still close enough to everything you might wish to visit if you’re visiting Montreal for the first time—as we were when we first arrived at the St. Paul.

Overview
Our love affair with Montreal started at the St. Paul—and therefore, the St. Paul shall always have a place in our hearts. And in this case, you can go home again—back to the Hotel St. Paul with its very many real virtues.