My husband and I flew into Montreal for the start of our romantic rendezvous, checking into the
Hotel Pierre du Calvet, a boutique property in the centre of the vieux port. Walk the streets of Montreal and it’s easy to pass by the hotel. But step inside and you find yourself transported back in time 280 years.The Calvet house was built in 1725 with castle-like stone walls and majestic wood beams in the ceilings. It became a home for Gaetan Trottier, the present co-owner and artist, 45 years ago but it wasn’t until 1993 that the doors of this historic abode opened to the public as a restaurant and hotel.
The words grand and stately do nothing to describe the Hotel Pierre du Calvet. Every last piece of furniture is heavily ornate. Chandeliers glint in the light of the gas fireplace and Persian carpets soften ancient hardwood floors. The stone walls lead to narrow passageways, mysterious doorways and unexpected sitting areas. Our favourite room quickly becomes the greenhouse, where a glass roof creates a warm ambience that nourishes a symphony of creeping plants, and the soft purr of caged budgies and nesting doves fills the air.
Stately furnishings and an undeniable aura of yesteryear move guests rapidly back in time at the Hotel, while a circuitous staircase straight out of a fairy tale leads to a parlour overlooking the terrace. Once the bedroom door is closed we are reinvented as king and queen of a faraway castle, ensconced in a four-poster canopy bed with luxurious linens. Almost everything feels steeped in history and the only hints that modernity has touched this room lie in the telephone, internet access and gas fireplace.
From Montreal, we fly west to Calgary to catch the Rocky Mountaineer Railroad luxury train back to Vancouver, a trip that offers amazing glimpses of the country and its wildlife coupled with divine meals and comfy seating. The train leaves the station in the early hours of the morning, so we spend the night at the Hotel Arts, a few blocks from the station.
You’d never expect a place like the Hotel Arts in a city like Cowtown. Step off the street into the grand lobby and you find yourself in a chic establishment where modern art makes a stunning backdrop, a decorative theme that pervades the entire hotel. From the lighting to walls, furniture, the Raw Bar restaurant and everything in-between, Hotel Arts is about contemporary
design.We can’t resist curling up in the lobby’s egg chairs when we arrive. Circular chairs perfect for hiding from the crowd and catching a few moments of solitude, these chairs are unique little pods that add character and charm to the hotel.
Upstairs our massive bed is decked out in gorgeous, umpteen-thread-count linens and accentuated by dark furniture and dim lighting. Everything about the room says ‘chic’ and ‘stylish,’ especially the Romanesque, marble-tiled bathroom. We nibble on tuna tataki and arctic char at the Raw Bar, sipping on Green Eyed Blonde martinis with the fashionable crowd of 30-somethings before retiring for the night.
Then it’s off to Vancouver in a luxury train car, part of Rocky Mountaineer Railtours’ Gold Leaf service. Here, magnificent scenery soon helps shake off any morning bleariness. Within a few hours the mountain ranges surround the train track, their silhouettes highlighted by the blue sky of a perfectly clear morning.
Gold Leaf means raspberry scones and quiches to take the edge off any hunger before the formal breakfast, and Champagne and orange juice to toast the voyage. It means white table cloths and exquisitely presented gourmet meals cooked in a swaying kitchen carriage.
Passengers are plied all day long with offerings of wine and beverages, chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven and snacks and canapés to add flavour to the scenery. There are warm blankets for those who need a quiet nap, fruit at-the-ready and that extra level of care and attention that comes with first class travel.
Outside the window, mountain ranges flash by and we pass glacier-fed rivers tumbling down sheer mountain faces, as well as bears, elk, moose, deer and bighorn sheep. The view on this 600-mile ourney is certainly an exquisite sight, a visual journey through Canada’s vast landscape. Within a matter of hours, snowcapped mountains give way to desert country, with bald, dry hills. Then the barren desert yields to the maples and Douglas fir forests of British Columbia’s temperate rainforests, where the leaves are turning that magical fall colour of yellow and gold.
When the trail rolls into Vancouver, we head to the Opus Hotel, a boutique contemporary property in the fashionable Yaletown district. The
Opus is a magnet for the trendy and affluent. Its Opus Bar fills to the hilt at night and pulses with music, while upstairs the 96 guest suites feature vibrant colours and lifestyle-inspired themes decorated according to various personalities. Choose ‘modern and minimalist’ or ‘artful and eclectic;’ the rooms are
stocked with books and music according to the personalities they represent.Large, floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the trendy stores and restaurants below, while gas fireplaces and spa bathrooms with heated floors make it tempting to curl up inside and stay put.
A nice touch at the Opus is that you can leave your car behind. The hotel offers a choice of mountain or city bikes free of charge, which means you never have to worry about parking. We spent a sunny afternoon cycling along the waterfront, picking up a picnic lunch at Granville Island and enjoying it on a quiet grassy spot overlooking the water. Back at the Opus, we dined at the French bistro Elixir before walking around downtown, where Vancouver’s nightlife was at our fingertips.
The clubs were throbbing with a steady beat and long lines of eager clubbers waited for entry. Around us the streets were full of people, a palpable energy filling the hot summer night. The coolness of the Opus drew us back, and after cocktails, O-bites and music, and surrounded by local sophisticates, it was hard to resist the lure of the bedroom’s white linens and soothing ambience.
Travel east, west or central Canada, it’s never hard to come home to Vancouver. On this trip, though, we returned inspired by art, nature and history, a grand complement to a cross-country honeymoon.
If You Go:
Rocky Mountaineer Vacations
The Opus Hotel(www.opushotel.com) offers a summer fling romance package where overnight guests receive champagne, strawberries and an intimacy kit in their rooms and a lie-in-late extended checkout. Room rates range from $269 to $329; for more information call 866 642-6787.
Room rates at Hotel Arts range from $139 to $399 per night. For information call 800 661- 9378 or visit www.hotelarts.ca
Rooms at Hotel Pierre du Calvet start at $265 per night and include a continental breakfast. For more information call 866 544-1725 or surf to www.pierreducalvet.ca
