Four Points by Sheraton Vancouver Airport

Last year when I was looking for a cheap points redemption in Vancouver, one of the properties that stood out was the Four Points by Sheraton Vancouver Airport.  At the time, it was an SPG category 2 property requiring just 4,000 points on weekdays and 3,000 points on weekends when it regularly goes for ~$140 USD giving a fabulous redemption ratio of ~3-4 cents per SPG point.  It has now (as of 9/7/2014) gone up to a category 3 property requiring 7,000 points per night which is still reasonable but not as good of a steal.

Quebec @ Night

Grabbed some night shots of Quebec as I was leaving the city.  Here is the restaurant 1640 I had lunch at earlier on in the day.

Vieux Quebec

After wandering around Les Promenades and the boardwalk near the Chateau for a little bit, I decided to head down into Vieux Quebec (old town).  If you are driving by car, you can head down a curving, winding street just off of Rue Port Dauphin (just continuing from Rue du Fort).  There are a few parking spots on the short drive down so you can park there.  You can also walk down or the other way to get down easily would be to take funicular from the boardwalk next to the Chateau.

Here, from the curved, sloping street, you can get a nice view of the Chateau.  Looking down the stairs, you get a spectacular view of part of old town, beautifully lit with Christmas decorations all over.  This particular street is Rue du Petit Champlain which actually continues for quite a bit before reaching the main streets.

Les Promenades du Vieux Quebec

Continuing on my brief Quebec sojourn - As I head into the heart of old Quebec via Rue St Jean, the gates of the city walls loomed in front while a crowd of people gathered on the side watching people skate in the public rink.

The festive Christmas and shopping mood was especially palpable along the street as I headed towards the hotel.  Les Promenades refers to the entire shopping district near the hotel where numerous stores line the street.  Off to one side is the stately Quebec City Hall:

Embassy Suites Montreal

The second night of our stay in Montreal was at the Embassy Suites Montreal located in the heart of downtown Montreal, a short distance away from Old Montreal, the financial district and Chinatown.  It's ideal location was what persuaded me to part with 35k HHonors points at this pleasant Category 5 (now Category 7) hotel.  There were plenty of other hotels in the area including a Hilton, Westin and W but based on the photos and room rates for Christmas, the Embassy Suites seemed to offer the best value with a suite and complimentary hot breakfast buffet.

The first thing I noted about the hotel was that the atrium/lobby seemed rather crowded.  The reception and concierge are located near the entrance of the hotel near the street but you immediately get the sense that space is at a premium with the hotel restaurant bulging out all the way into the lobby, leaving a less than spacious feeling when checking in and out.  The sofa/lounge area is nicely decorated although it too seems to be competing for space inside that seemingly tight main floor.  Personally, I would have done away with the lounge area altogether to allow more room for the restaurant and the check in/check out booths.

Montreal by Day

The drive back from Quebec City to Montreal wasn't too bad, taking about 3 hours including a rest/gas stop along the way.  Snapped a picture of the Casino de Montréal on the drive back and a shot of the Montréal skyline while crossing a bridge to the Île de Montréal.

Fairmont Le Château Frontenac

The most striking building of the Quebec skyline, towering over Vieux-Québec, is the Château Frontenac, currently branded under the Fairmont banner.  Opened in 1893, the hotel design is in the style of French châteaus, targeting wealthy clients.

Fairfield Inn Montreal Airport

Enroute to Quebec City, Montreal seemed like a good place to stop and rest up before continuing the journey on eastwards.  There were a number of choices for hotels as I had some points in the Starwood, Hilton and Marriott programs saved up but the Fairfield Inn Montreal Airport ended up being the pick due to its having the lowest point redemption (10k points/night) for a quick overnight stay and including complimentary continental breakfast (with a hot item) the next morning (no need to be Marriott Gold).

Christmas (Noël) à Montréal

Been out in Montréal and Quebec City for the last few days for Christmas =)  It was freezing out there but got some nice, night shots =).  I'll keep this post nice and short!

Here's the Montreal City Hall (Hôtel de ville) and it nice, plump and colourful Christmas trees.