The common theme we kept mentioning was our stay in one of our hotels, the Hotel Manoir Victoria in Quebec City. This place greatly exceeded our expectations and encompasses how a hotel should be.
When I was planning our trip, I stumbled upon it and was a bit worried how it would fare compared to our previous stays in other cities. It was not your typical Hyatt nor Sheraton that would throw you an idea of what kind of accommodations to expect. It's rated high with photos to boot. But of course it was all about selling point.
I even had to ask Anna if she would gander the risk of staying in that hotel since Fairmont was relatively expensive. She hinted at me an "I trust you" stare so I paid for a night's stay with a wish that everything would turn out ok.
Our plane landed on a raining morning. A quick Uber ride from the airport to the hotel was a mere 20-minute travel. The facade was not as impressive. It dwells in an old building smacked right beside the cobblestone road. No fancy driveway nor huge, impressive heavy doors.
But the moment the doors opened, the smell of fresh pastries greeted us. There was a little access to the tiny bakery next door. And the place we soon found out was heaven with quiche slices that we just love. A huge stairway heading to the lobby greeted us made it challenging to lug our heavy suitcases.
I was surprised that the other guests (tourist) checking in were a tad rude but on the upside, hotel staffs were impressively nice and pleasant. The lobby was also simple and on-point that it somehow made me worry how our room would turnout.
Entering our room was a surprising experience. It started with a welcoming fresh scent coming from the inside that will make you forget everything old at the entrance below. The space size was just perfect and every detail was well thought-off. Anna kept complementing how great the bathroom was. We had no view of the street nor the city but that was no biggie as the complimentary Wi-Fi access offset for the lack of it. We wouldn't have to worry about parking as it is complimentary had we decided to roam the city with a rental upon arrival. Not having a car within the city was definitely a good call on savings since we were situated near shops, restaurants and tourist spots all within the walking perimeter. Suffice to say we were tempted to add another night only to find that the hotel is solidly booked. It made me think locking in a stay was pure luck on our side. I mean, how do you sold out on a weekday, one week post-Canadian holiday?
Coming back is instantly in the near horizon, no doubt.
