MONTREAL

Out of all Montreal hotels, Le St-James: my ultimate favorite!

You enter the sole treatment room at Hotel Le St-James' spa through a curved steel door that locks electronically. Once past the industrial-grade barrier, however, you are surrounded by the Old World (save for the under-lit onyx floor, Denon ste­reo, and Vichy shower). Candles burn from ledges in the stone walls, illuminating brick ceilings and archways overhead. If you listen closely, you can hear the calèches clip clopping down the narrow cobblestone streets outside.

Situated below ground level in Old Montreal, Le St-James' spa occupies the former vault of Merchants Bank, a 19th-century landmark that was reborn as this 60-room boutique hotel in 2002. Upstairs, Le St-James' guest rooms present a similar juxtaposi­tion of old and new: While surrounded by European artworks and antiques, you can change channels on a flat-screen TV using a touch screen display on the intercom telephones (two per room), a system that also controls lighting and climate, operates the volume of the Bang & Olufsen CD player, and connects directly to airline representatives.

The hotel's service is equally seamless. Leave your room for afternoon tea in XO Le Restaurant (also known as the Grand Salon), and when you return, your clothes will be folded and your ice bucket full. Room-service meals prepared by the restaurant's chefs are available 24 hours a day and can be whatever you desire, from lamb to quail to steak frites:

The perfect gift for Cleo

Still, the personalized experience at Le St-James in Montreal reaches its peak in the hotel's lower reaches. When the steel entrance to the spa slides open, you pass through a hallway to a room stocked with fluffy tow­els and Fiji water. A door at one end leads to a sauna large enough to hold 15 people, another to a steam room built for three, and yet, at least for the next hour, you have this subterranean haven all to yourself.

Hotel Le St-James, 514.841.3111, 866.841.3111, www.hotellestjames.com

LOCATION
Near the banks of the Saint Lawrence River in Old Montreal, within walking distance of downtown.

ACCOMMODATIONS The hotel's designer,
Jacques Bouchard, amassed an impressive European art and antiques collec­tion, pieces from which decorate each of the 23
guest rooms and 37 suites.
The 3,500-square-foot Terrace Apartment features two bedrooms, a private entrance and elevator, and a 1 ,SOO-square-foot wrap­around terrace.

FACILITIES
Le Spa, a library, a fitness center, and two boardrooms that can be reserved for meetings.

DINING
Take afternoon tea with foie gras au torchon and caviar and blinis at XO Le Restaurant, which also serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails.

CONCIERGE RECOMMENDS
A private day cruise on the Saint Lawrence Seaway aboard Le St-James, the hotel's 80-foot Mangusta.
The boat can accommodate as many as 12 guests

RATES
From $400 to $5,000.