Montreal

[LD19847]

Lux in Montreal. Anyone have an opinion about the place?

 

http://www.barlux.ca/

 

Not even worth the effort of walking to the other end of Rue St Catherine Est.

[Atlantagaguy]

I was at The Lux bar a couple of years ago. The club was very slow at the time, but not as slow as Taboo. There was a mix of dancers some seemed pretty rough, like street kids. There were a few diamonds in the rough. I prefer gay dancers and there were a few to choose from at that time. The private rooms are upstairs and more private than other clubs. I know there have been negative remarks about the club, but I also believe you have to ask yourself what you’re looking for. I like the smaller guys and not the big muscle guys, so after 9pm there is not a lot for me to choose from. Even though the club was never busy while I was there, the dancers I picked to go in the back were a lot of fun and very cute. For me that fulfilled what I was looking for!

[Txpaytoplay]

I found Lux to be a fun stopping off point. It can be hit or miss but it's a different scene and fun to experience. Lux is a smaller quaint place and the dancers are younger and smaller than at Stock as a whole but still you can find a diamond in the rough there every once in awhile. In my opinion, if one travels to Montreal, one should experience everything it has to offer for themselves. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Penn7]

Some of the hottest dancers at Campus keep their photos OFF the website. I know of at least 2.

I was in Montreal most recently in the fall of 2015. I went into Lux for 5-10 minutes & wasn't impressed at all. Stock has a lot of hot guys but it's so high-pressure. I really prefer Campus. Of course you still get approached for private dances there, but it's much lower-pressure, in my experience. If I'm not interested or just waiting to see who else is there that night (or afternoon, lol), I usually say something like "maintenant je regarde seulement" (right now I'm just looking) and that usually takes care of it.

[Penn7]

The route 747 bus will get you to/from the main airport (Trudeau/Dorval) for only $10 Canadian.

[+ azdr0710]

The route 747 bus will get you to/from the main airport (Trudeau/Dorval) for only $10 Canadian.

 

it's a great resource.....several stops downtown and then express to the airport....and vice versa....buy a pass at a machine in the airport before boarding

 

http://www.stm.info/en/info/networks/bus/shuttle/more-about-747-aeroport-p-e-trudeau-centre-ville-shuttle

[Penn7]

Yes, and depending on which days you are there, the weekly pass may be a good value. It's valid from a Monday to a Sunday, for $25.50 Canadian. The 747 airport bus is $10 each way, and I was able to use the card for the subway multiple times. http://www.stm.info/en/info/fares/transit-fares/weekly-pass

[JayNY]

Metro is really expensive round-trip ticket on subway line $7.50 CAD.

[Penn7]

All the more reason to consider a week-long (all-inclusive) STM pass, or a 1- or 3-day pass if that meets your needs better.

[Despardo]

Good information. The airport bus is a great idea. For me, a weekly transit pass, not so much. It is good Monday through Sunday, but I will be there Thursday through Tuesday. Every time I buy a package transit pass, it pretty much guarantees that I will hardly use it. Generally, I just hail a cab. They do have Uber in Canada, I presume. I'd rather pay more for a cab then get totally stressed out lost on the subway in a city I don't know. Yes, sure, it's "really easy," but only if you know where you are going. I have a genius for getting on a train going the wrong direction. Thanks for the information, guys.

[twinkboylover28]

The weekly pass at the YUL airport departures is $25.50 plus a new additional service fee around $6.50 which makes it around $32 CAD. They have now now added a new service fee when I purchased as of May 2016.

 

Still a good deal for round-trip 747 aeroport bus service to AND from downtown Montreal, and also 24/7 metro AND bus service anytime Mon-Sun.

 

Plus you get that sweet 30% USD discount with the current exchange rate.

[samandtham]

The last time I was in Montreal was fall of 2015, so things may have changed, but when I was there Uber is illegal, and local taxi operators were very vocal at showing their displeasure at its proliferation.

[+ azdr0710]

the Monday to Sunday weekly pass thing is weird...I pity the busy visiting commuter who arrives on a, say, Wednesday and needs to make use of public transportation for the next "week".....there must be a reason for a thoroughly-modern, much-admired, efficient country like Canada to be doing their weekly metro passes that way???

[Despardo]

the Monday to Sunday weekly pass thing is weird...I pity the busy visiting commuter who arrives on a, say, Wednesday and needs to make use of public transportation for the next "week".....there must be a reason for a thoroughly-modern, much-admired, efficient country like Canada to be doing their weekly metro passes that way???

Why it doesn't work at all for me. I will be there for 5 nights, but from mid week to mid week.

 

So, on the topic of general sightseeing, what are the must-not-be-missed sights? Notre Dame check, Old Town check, anything else? I bought the Fromer guide which looks really good. Not a lot of books or maps available on Montreal compared to other cities--Amazon had very little.

[mike carey]

If you go to Montréal often (or even a couple of times) it may be worthwhile to buy an Opus card ($6). You can load single trips ($3.25), 10 trips ($26.50) or the one-day, three-day and weekly passes, and some other options. The 747 bus fare from the airport includes a one day pass that covers the whole 24 hours from when you use it to board the 747. If the weekly or three day pass suits you, you can buy one for the trip from the airport and keep using it, or if you'll only take a few trips the 10-trip option may be better value. If you go that route, buy another one day pass 24 hours before your flight and your transit trips for the day and your airport trip are covered (the single and 10-trip tickets do not cover the airport bus). If you have any of the 10-trip tickets left they will be on your card for your next trip. (If you have 10-trip tickets and a pass on your card it uses the pass first.) See http://www.stm.info/en/info/fares/transit-fares

 

I admit I'm a bit of a public transport nerd (I have Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne smart cards, and after my last trip to the US, DC and LA cards as well).

[twinkboylover28]

I think the $6 "fee" I referred to earlier was for the OPUS card. But don't they force you to purchase the OPUS card if you buy the weekly pass?

 

By the way, the 2 best hotels if you're concerned about strong shower pressure and like to bring your own shower head while traveling are: Loews Hotel Vogue in downtown Montreal (4star) and Hotel St. Denis (2 star) in the Latin Quarter. Both excellent and clean depending on your budget.

 

The new renovations and new hotels nowadays now have pressure-reducing cartridges built-in , so even if you bring your own showerhead it will only pump out 2.5 gpm max.

 

I also found out some hotels have motion detectors on their A/C units which automatically shut-off your room A/C . There are ways to disable it if you Google it. Some hotels turn off the A/C all together after 11pm and then restart at 9am.

 

I found out there are many sneaky games these hotels play to save money at their customers comfort.

[mike carey]

I think the $6 "fee" I referred to earlier was for the OPUS card. But don't they force you to purchase the OPUS card if you buy the weekly pass?

Yes, I suspect it was the fee you mentioned, I just didn't join the dots between your post and the fee mentioned on the website. I don't know if there is an option for a weekly pass without buying an Opus card, I'm relying on reading about it, not from travelling there. I guess the takaway, that others may not have picked up on, is that the card is rechargeable and is valid for four years (there's info somewhere on the site about replacing one that is about to expire).

[Txpaytoplay]

So, on the topic of general sightseeing, what are the must-not-be-missed sights? Notre Dame check, Old Town check, anything else? I bought the Fromer guide which looks really good. Not a lot of books or maps available on Montreal compared to other cities--Amazon had very little.

 

If you like shopping the underground Mall is a lot of fun or if you like to gamble a Casino is located on the Island. There is an arboretum and inscectarium there as well for something different. Also a trip up the mountain could be fun. These are all things to do if you just get tired of people watching in the village. lol

[Despardo]

If you like shopping the underground Mall is a lot of fun or if you like to gamble a Casino is located on the Island. There is an arboretum and inscectarium there as well for something different. Also a trip up the mountain could be fun. These are all things to do if you just get tired of people watching in the village. lol

Thanks. Don't shop much, don't gamble, plan mostly just to hang out. Thought about the hop on, hop off tour bus--just to get a feel for the city.

[Penn7]

I love the Botanical Gardens, which are up by the Olympic Stadium. The nearby Biodome was interesting - I don't go every time, but I like it. I also liked the Musee des Beaux Arts (Fine Arts Museum), hiking up Mont Royal and back. Also good is the fireworks competition, which is held once or twice a week for a few weeks in the summer - I think it's called Feux du Loto Quebec.

[Penn7]

Oh, and the internationally famous Just for Laughs comedy festival in July.

[+ newatthis]

In addition to the excellent suggestions above, there are many interesting neighborhoods to meander through. A few of my favorites: the Plateau, Mile End (home to Fairmount Bagels and the incredible Kem CoBa ice cream shop). Or head out to Atwater Market for breakfast and wander back into the port along the Lachine canal.

[JayNY]

don't forget the Jazz festival, next month in downtown Montreal. My favorite time to visit Montreal is the summer time, lots of festivals in downtown Montreal. Make sure you check out Parc Jean Drapeau. I love this parc, lots of things to do there on a hot day in Montreal.

[+ Hoover42]

The last time I was in Montreal was fall of 2015, so things may have changed, but when I was there Uber is illegal, and local taxi operators were very vocal at showing their displeasure at its proliferation.

 

I've taken Uber a few times when in Montreal, and they've all been very quick to let me know up front that I should try as much as possible to look like I'm getting in a car with someone I know. i.e. Look like you know the car and know the driver and just get in the front seat.

 

I can't help but wonder if I'm going to get in the car and discover once out on the freeway that our brake lines have been cut.

[MikeBauer]

I just wanted to chime in and say that I recently took a tour of all the strip clubs in Montreal, and found (to my surprise) that LUX had the most attractive dancers whom I enjoyed watching. Stock had some lookers too, but Taboo had almost no one that interested me. Many years ago, Taboo had an all-star roster, but on the night I went, the place was very quiet and had very few dancers that appealed to me. Of course, with different nights come different dancers.