I luckily found this hotel thru other travelers' comments in Trip Advisor. It was lovely and perfect for us. Kindest staff. Hot, home made croissants fresh out of the oven in the morning. Breakfast at a large table in the center of the kitchen with other incredibly interesting guests. Perfectly set in a quiet allee in Vieux Montreal. Wonderful restaurants steps away. It was perfect for my husband and myself. It melted my heart.

I have stayed in this hotel before and loved it, the rooms are charming and very large. Its more like an Inn than a hotel. I found the hostel to be quiet. It is a very old building with old wood floors and they do creak. This last stay was spoiled by the bed bugs in our room. I have well over 100 bites. We checked out after 2 nights, they didn't charge us and were very apologetic. That would have been the end of it for me except that I see someone else has a posting from a month before us warning of bed bugs (sorry I didn't check with Trip Advisor before!) So now I'm mad. They do not seem to be dealing with this problem. I can't begin to tell you how dreadful bed bug bites are. This hotel is off my list.

Although the location is great, I did not know that this was more of a hostel where you make your own breakfast. It could be a great thing if you are sick of constantly buying food and would like to make something the way you like it. I am very sensitive to bugs and unfortunatlely they had bed bugs and my body was covered with about 70 bites and have been itching like crazy unable to enjoy the rest of my trip. Needless to say they were very sorry and let us cancel the rest of the nights and gave us a discount but I will never be back there again. Number one thing for me in any hotel are clean comfy sheets and bathroom. Their bathroom is dated and their bedding is old. An easy upgrade if the wanted though.

This hotel is housed in a beautiful old building that once housed the presses for one of Montreal's first newspapers. Right near the old port, there are tons of dining and entertainment options within a short walk, as well as beautiful views. For transport, there is a bus stop and even a bixi (bicycle rental) station just up the street. Regrettably, there is no parking, and the hotel is right off a narrow street so it is somewhat difficult to even stop and unload heavy suitcases etc. Don't expect a doorman! Other than that though, the service was very friendly and as helpful as you can expect from a family run hotel.

The downside is that there are literally two staff members, the owners. They man the reception desk, clean the rooms, and attend to basically everything including DIY repairs. Don't expect it to be like a professional hotel - it is much more like a bed and breakfast place, where you go for the charm and to feel like you're living with friends, not for commercially laundered and pressed bright white bedsheets. The rooms were big, but sparsely furnished, and not all that clean. For example, there was a thick pile carpet which would be lovely in a house... not so much in a hotel when who knows how many people have trodden all over it, especially since you know it hasn't been professionally cleaned in a very long while. The breakfast too was "raid the kitchen", not like a regular hotel breakfast. That sums it up pretty well - it's like living in someone's house as their guest, which has both good and bad points but ultimately you have to know that before you go, in order to enjoy the experience.

The biggest disappointment was this could truly be an awesome little hotel. The building and location are wonderful and if it was done up nicely by a professional staff, it could be one of those $200-a-night boutique hotels easily. Right now it's a little bit hit and miss depending on personal tastes and what you can and can't put up with.