gal-july'14-canada qx8 gal june '09-ny...

R E A D B Y T H E W O R L D ’ S T O P T R A V E L L E R S I N 4 2 C O U N T R I E S , S I N C E 1 9 9 1 .

GALLIVANTER’SGUIDE

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IN THIS ISSUERitz-Carlton Montreal. . Four Seasons Hotel Toronto. Page 4. The Ritz-Carlton Toronto. Page 6.

Gallivanter’s Gossip. Page 8.

THE

JULY 2014.VOL.24.No.7 S E T T I N G T H E B E N C H M A R K F O R H I G H - E N D T R AV E L L E R S

omeone once said that Canadais like your attic. You forget thatit is up there, but when you

go, you find yourself saying “Oh man,look at all this great stuff!”

What do we appreciate about a desti-nation? Well, I like polite, hassle-free im-migration, preferably without visas. I likecivilised hotels, great cuisine, marvellouswine, culture in spades, unique shoppingand people who make me feel genuine-ly welcome. That is Canada in a nutshell;but until recently, its hotels were nothingspecial. Then Four Seasons Toronto open-ed and Ritz-Carlton Montreal and, almostovernight, the east coast of Canada be-came not merely an option, but a verita-ble hotel hot-spot.

Canada is not English, not American, notAsian and not entirely French, but it is asuperb expression of the best. There areover a hundred languages spoken through-out the city of Toronto alone and judgingfrom our warm encounters with Serbiansin shops, Ethiopians as drivers and justabout everyone else in hotels and restau-rants, Canada is a dream. I must say, apartfrom Canada’s lethally cold winters, I cansee their point. The best time to go isMay to October.

Ritz-Carlton Montreal.

Originally the dream of a group of StJames Street tycoons, this iconic hotel be-gan life as a grand concept at the turn ofthe 20th Century under the moniker of TheCarlton Hotel Company of Montreal Limit-ed. However, thanks to the collaborationof Swiss hotelier César Ritz, it turned into

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Toronto’s iconic CN Tower as seen from the Club Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton Toronto.

TheNeighbour in

the North.

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the first ever Ritz-Carlton, opening with agala ball on December 31, 1912. The GrandeDame of Sherbrooke Street amazed theworld with 240 high-ceilinged chandelier-ed rooms and en-suite bathrooms; an oasisof style and comfort, the likes of which hadnever been seen before.

Over the years, the Ritz became part ofCanadian history. Everyone who was any-one stayed here, and interestingly, in thissense, not a whole lot has changed sincethe hotel reopened on May 28, 2012. It re-mains Montreal’s elite social hub.

Today, the property is owned by the leg-endary Swiss hotel family, the Torrianis, soalthough it still bears the historic Ritz-Carl--ton name, it is not managed by the epony-mous group but is a family business.

Beyond the exquisite turn of the centuryfaçade, the interior has been entirely gut-ted; cushioned against Montreal’s winters

by a thick internal wall and triple glazing.The rooms have been reduced from the or-

iginal 240 to just 93, plus 33 suites and,adjacent, a sumptuous residence with 45striking private apartments, many with wrap-around terraces. $200 million later, The Ritzis a 21st Century marvel, not merely forMontreal, but worldwide, for this hotel notonly has the very latest guest-friendly tech-nology and comforts, it also has soul.

The hotel remains a work in progress,says General Manager, Andrew Torriani; oneof the four Torriani brothers who purchas-ed the property, along with their father,Marco Torriani, who you probably recallfrom his heady days overseeing GeorgRafael’s Hôtel du Rhône, which later mor-phed into Mandarin Oriental Geneva. I lookaround me and wonder what else they couldpossibly do. Apparently, they are about to

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2 Gallivanter’s Ratings. ✔✔✔✔✔✔ One in a million ✔✔✔✔✔ Extraordinary ✔✔✔✔ Highly recommended

At Ritz-Carton Montreal, a nicely configured Junior Suite, #819, which can connect with a Double-Double room.

At Ritz-Carlton Montreal, the bedroom of 1-bedroom Suite, #1109, which has an original marble fireplace in the sitting room beyond.

The historic porte cochère at Ritz-Carlton Montreal.

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install a Champagne Bar in the lobby loungeand want to create a proper clubby barelsewhere in the hotel; and then there isthe Spa, which they intend to be the bestin Montreal, or even in Canada, and yes, Ibelieve them, for the Torrianis do nothingby halves.

The team they have gathered here at theRitz is superb. Guillaume Benezech is theall-seeing Hotel Manager, whilst Marie-PierreGirardot, whom we have encountered atMandarin Oriental Geneva and Hong Kong,brings her incredible knowledge and flairto bear as Rooms Division Manager. On theFront Desk, Hilary Morden is the attentiveGuest Relations Manager who can magic atable at one of Montreal’s endlessly goodrestaurants and bistros, and honestly, nomatter who you speak to, there is a realsense of warmth and care in this hotel; so

much so that I could have stayed a weekor more.

Design is en serie; the circular motifs de-

rived from the exterior architecture; a wallof chic wallpaper and a soft palette of earth

tones with splashes of aubergine, marblebathrooms with Toto electronic loos andpowerful rain, power and steam shower

cabins, even at entry level.One up from entry level are the 500 sq

ft Signature Rooms, such as #1006, whichfeel incredibly spacious. Junior Suites, ofwhich there are three per floor, vary con-siderably. I was not too enamoured by thejali-style screen by the bed in #808, but itis garden-facing, with a superb bathroom.Much nicer, I think, are the differently-con-figured Juniors, such as #819, which offerlarger sofas and can connect with a Double-Double room. I also liked the Junior Suiteswith foyers, such as #622, with woodenflooring, area rugs and excellent layout.

The eight 1-bedroom suites, such as ours,#1109, are real residential havens; the sit-ting rooms with their own original marblefireplaces, and, as with all rooms and suites,

✔✔✔ An acceptable choice ✔✔ Good in parts ✔ Go if you must 3

Master bathroom of The Royal, or Grimaldi Suite, at Ritz-Carlton Montreal.

At Ritz-Carlton Montreal, the restaurant terrace is about to open for the summer; the duck pond beyond.

At Ritz-Carlton Montreal, Maison Boulud is an exceptionally good restaurant, with a roundel Bar beyond and a cosy fireplace to the left.


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the bathrooms have cosy underfloor heat-ing. Beds are super comfortable, with topnotch custom-made linens by JosephineHome of London.

There are two Executive Suites, such as#918; 1,000 sq ft corner suites set on the 9thand 10th floors, which resemble vast juniorsuite-style lofts, with separate dining areas

and marble fireplaces. I really like this cat-egory. Then, at the top end, there is TheRoyal Suite, known as The Grimaldi, #1118,designed in contemporary style by BUZ,but unlike many large suites, this is a whol-ly accessible, residential space, which canalso connect to two further bedrooms. Ex-pect a smattering of antique artworks andfurnishings from the original hotel, togeth-er with a good entertainment area with itsown separate sitting room, bar and a mas-ter bedroom with two bathrooms.

But what of the cuisine, you ask? Well,although Daniel Boulud appears to be chefof choice in North America these days, hehas really excelled at the Ritz’s Maison Bou-lud, which is a gloriously intimate restau-rant, which focuses on a glassed-in fire-place and roundel bar, then meanders viatwo cosy private dining rooms to a conser-vatory style breakfast area and thence to a

summer terrace, which overlooks the his-toric duckling pond. The wine list alone isincredible and the cuisine, by Executive ChefRiccardo Bertolino never failed to delight;his Italian roots bringing forth an excellentVitello Tonnato, along with a host of superfresh Mediterranean specialities.

The Spa should appear within the next18 months, but meanwhilethere is a good fitness facilityand a striking stainless steelindoor pool with a rooftopterrace; the saline water warm-ed by an eco-friendly heatexchanger.

Totally unique, this Mont-real Grande Dame really setsthe benchmark for Canada asa whole. Do go.

www.ritzmontreal.comGallivanter’s Rating: ✔✔✔✔✔

Four Seasons Hotel Toronto.

Thank heavens for inspired service and

cuisine, for this Four Seasons flagship wasdesigned by the ‘edgy’ Toronto and NewYork-based group, Yabu Pushelberg, whoalso designed The Hazelton in Toronto; anice enough hotel, but incredibly dark, withso-so service, but the best summer hotelterrace in town.

Unlike The Hazelton, Four Seasons, un-der talented hotelier, Dimitri Zarikos, man-ages to override its grey-on-grey design,although I longed for some colour; thetowering metal screens in the public areasreminding me of empty wine racks. But forthe stunning flower arrangements by cleverToronto-based Teatro Verde (Toronto hasthe second largest flower budget after GeorgeV in Paris), who also created the hotel’sboutique, I would lose the will to live.

Frankly, I wonder why so many experi-enced hotel companies suffer the often ill-

informed dictates of certain interior design-ers. Invariably, entry-level rooms are care-fully thought through and schematics arepresented for approval, but when it comesto the suites, they often appear to havebeen thrown together, with mismatched

Original artworks in Ritz-Carlton Montreal’s Royal, Grimaldi Suite.

The best part of Toronto’s The Hazelton is its leafy summer terrace, which is perfect for lunch.

Entrance to the 55-storey Four Seasons Toronto.

The indoor pool at Ritz-Carlton Montreal leads out to a summer terrace.


furnishings that do not suit the space. Thiswas certainly true of the suites at Four Sea-sons Toronto; the sitting room of the RoyalSuite, #2120 resembling a furniture show-room, with hard, uncomfortable seating.Much nicer was the suite’s office, with a

comfortable sofa, book-lined walls and areal sense of the residential.

We looked at most room and suite cate-

gories here and thought that entry-levelrooms were by far the best designed, apartfrom the single vanities; buteven then, we longed for col-our. I really liked the curvedsofa in the corner of theroom, though, the high-endamenities, good art and in-mirror TV in the bathroom.The three Yorkville Suites,such as #1708, are nice andspacious and can connect with a Double-Double, and I also appreciated the half-bath with shower off the sitting rooms ofentry-level Suites, such as #1601, but I stillthink the entry-level rooms are best, whichis somewhat disconcerting, given that thegreater profits emanate from suite sales.

After 18 months of opening, the hotelremains a work in progress, but I do be-lieve that, under the guidance of DimitriZarikos, the hotel will be softened over thenext two years, with more artworks, more

colour, better lighting and even some soul,as right now, the hotel’s excellent staff

works incredibly hard to bringwarmth to this place.

The entrance to the hotel is alittle strange; the external foun-tained courtyard very pleasing,but once inside, you find your-self in what appears to be a smallairport lounge. Beyond this, youdiscover the boutique and fur-

ther on, the front desk, with its strikingdandelion mobile. By now, you are aware

of the towering metal ‘empty wine racks’,which tend to be visually confusing. It tookme two days to understand where the barand restaurant were, but oh, was I glad tofind them, for this is where the hotel real-ly scores, and judging by how popular they

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Café Boulud at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, brightened by pop art from Mr Brainwash.

All-Canadian artworks atFour Seasons Hotel Toronto.

Indoor pool at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto.

Flowers soften the look at Four Seasons Toronto.

At Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, the entry-level rooms, such as this, #1706, are much better designed than the suites.


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are, the locals agree.In d/bar (yes, it’s Daniel Boulud again)

the cuisine is exceptionally good, especial-ly the endlessly varied home-made charcu-terie, created each day by speciality chefsfrom 3rd generation master, Gilles Verot inParis. This bar-cum-café is large and mean-

dering and in the summer months spillsout onto a two-sided terrace, which is agood place for lunch, even though the viewsare less inspired than those from The Hazel-ton terrace.

Upstairs at the Four Seasons, you dis-cover Café Boulud, where Executive Chef,Thomas Bellec and his Chef de Cuisine,Tyler Shedden perform little culinary mar-vels, and Wine Director, Drew Walker, con-jures up some of the best and most origi-nal Canadian wines I have ever sampled. Iespecially loved the 2012 Mission Hill PinotGris from Okanagan B.C. which pairedbeautifully with the Crispy duck egg withjambon de Paris, asparagus and mustardegg emulsion.

The hotel’s vast 17-treatment-room Spahas proved to be immensely successful andprofitable, as it is also open to outside cus-tomers and Four Seasons residents. The

indoor pool is especially popular, as is theextremely well equipped fitness facility;but like many North American spas, treat-ments tend to be relatively mechanical, es-pecially for those of us more used to theEuropean and Asian protocols. I was gladthey had a chemical-free option, though,

even if it was the ubiquitous North Amer-ican choice of Amala. Potentially, the Spacould be very good indeed, but I suspectthat change is not on the agenda given itssuccess.

Four Seasons is located in by far the

nicest area of Toronto; the old, picturesquetown of Yorkville just steps from the door.Narrow streets, unique boutiques, galleriesand restaurants pervade the district, and youcan walk there easily and safely.

Expect great management, staff, cuisine

and even immaculate laundry; it is just apity about the design of this hotel.

www.fourseasons.comGallivanter’s Rating: ✔✔✔✔

The Ritz-Carlton Toronto.

As I said previously, there are over 100languages spoken in Toronto and I suspectthat The Ritz-Carlton staff represents manyof them. The first is the Front Desk Agent,Preshit Kulkarni, who checks us in. Wekeep looking at each other. I think I recog-nise him. He thinks he recognises me. Weare both correct. We last met over 10 yearsago at The Oberoi Vanyavilas in India.

“Exactly”, he smiles, promising to keepquiet about it.

Under General Manager, Tim Terceira, itis an exceptional team at The Ritz; so goodin fact that the last couple of bad experi-

Entrance to The Ritz-Carlton Toronto, which is in the city’s financial district.

Bathroom of Royal Suite, #2120, at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto.

The private office of Royal Suite, #2120, at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, is the nicest part of the suite.

At Four Seasons Toronto, looking down to d/bar.


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ences at Ritz-Carltons are instantly wipedout and I start to consider putting thegroup back on my radar; not because thisis a great looking hotel - it isn’t - but be-cause it is populated by people who gen-uinely care. It reminds me of The Ritz-Carltons of old, when ladies and gentle-

men served ladies and gentlemen.The other thing that reminds me of the

old days is the quality of the cuisine. TOCA

is the new dining concept here, with rusticItalian fare set in a quirky, beautifully de-signed restaurant which oozes charm andhas a very impressive cheese cave and anamazing value-packed lunch menu, withbuffet starters.

Sous Chef, Jitin Gaba was genuinely

thoughtful at dinner in TOCA, helping usto avoid any lactose, whilst staff, especial-ly Emma, made every meal a delight. TheHen, marinated in lemon and herbs wasmoist and utterly delicious, as was theLamb rack and the Vitello Tonnato.

The Ritz Bar is only open in the eveningand, since its elegant revamp, it is invari-ably full; the Japanese style tapas beingespecially popular.

At lunchtime, I like DEQ, which is asmart indoor-outdoor cocktail bar and eat-erie serving simple salads and staples; thecushy outdoor area overlooking Simcoe Park

and the iconic CN Tower.In the Club Lounge, Supervisor, Scott

Breen looked after us superbly and thedaily food and wine presentations were sogood that we had lunch there one day.

OK, this is an older hotel, so the roomsand suites are not exactly cutting edge, buteven a Deluxe Club Double, such as #1807is very comfortable and spacious. Ratherbetter is a 1-bedroom Corner Suite, with itsclassic contemporary design; then at thetop end, The Wellington Suite is the placeto entertain.

I did not try the Clarins Spa, due to theproducts used, but it appeared to be some-what run-of-the-mill as spas go. Everythingelse, though, in this surprisingly good hotel

really impressed us. The only real negativeis its location in the financial district. Yes,there are views of Lake Ontario and the CNTower, but you cannot really walk to any-where of great interest and the surround-ing architecture is all somewhat oppressiveand dated. That said, unlike other high-rises in the area, The Ritz has relativelyuninterrupted views of the Lake, albeit setback.

Would we return? Yes, if only for thestaff and cuisine, which are excellent.

www.ritzcarlton.comGallivanter’s Rating: ✔✔✔✔

Deluxe Club Double, #1807, at The Ritz-Carlton Toronto.

Indoor pool at The Ritz-Carlton Toronto.

The cheese cave at The Ritz-Carlton Toronto.

Lobby of The Ritz-Carlton Toronto.

The delightful, meandering restaurant, TOCA, at The Ritz-Carlton Toronto.

Cuisine at TOCA, at The Ritz-Carlton Toronto.


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The Gallivanter’s Guide is a privately published monthly newsletter which sets the hotel benchmark for high-end travellers. The selection of hotels and resorts included in this Guide is madeon an entirely independent basis, and all opinions expressed are those of the Editor. Neither the Editor nor Publisher can be held responsible for any problems which may arise through thesubscriber or reader’s direct experience of any place, hotel or airline as recommended in this Guide. All information, including room rates, is published in good faith, and the Publishers can-not be held responsible for its accuracy. We recommend that you always double check all information with the hotels/authorities concerned.

UK SUBSCRIPTIONS £145 per annum for 12 issues. EUROPE £174 per annum. USA & REST OF THE WORLD £187 per annum.© Copyright 2014 The Gallivanter’s Guide. All rights reserved. Quotation, reproduction or transmission by any means, including electronic,

is prohibited without written permission from the Publisher.

Published monthly by ‘The Gallivanter’s Guide’, Hill Crest, Malmesbury Road, Minety, Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 9QX, UK.Fax: +44 (0)1666 860063. Email: [email protected] Website: www.gallivantersguide.com

EDITOR/PUBLISHER LYN MIDDLEHURST MANAGING DIRECTOR DAVID MASLIN.

S YOU KNOW, we very rarely get the chance to leave property, but on our Toronto-Montreal trip, we hadtime to check out the neighbourhoods. In Toronto, one of the hottest restaurants to dine in is The Chase,

where Executive Chef, Michael Steh adds rather good food to thesheer theatre of this multi-level eaterie, which, by the way, has avery suave outdoor bar terrace (see right). www.thechasetoronto.com. Also in Toronto, explore historic Yorkville from the FourSeasons and discover the priceless photographs and original frameshoused in Izzy Gallery, including a never-seen oversized black andwhite of Marilyn Monroe - www.izzygallery.com. Thanks to GuestRelations at Ritz-Carlton Montreal, we discovered a gem of a restau-rant, named L’Express; impossible to find as it has no name overthe door, so just head for 3927, rue Saint-Denis. This is bistro cui-sine of the highest order, with numerous classic dishes and a greatambience. www.restaurantlexpress.com. Also in Montreal, head tothe old town and dine at Jeremy Falissard’s Barroco, or its neigh-bouring restaurant, Bocata, depending upon which has a table, orwhich is the least noisy. www.barroco.ca. and www.bocata.ca.Good cuisine, striking rustic decor and a real sense of Vieux-Montréal. If, like me, you are a fan of Cirque du Soleil, don’t for-get that this French Canadian company originated in Montreal. Thisyear they celebrate their 30th anniversary with a new show calledKurios - Cabinet of Curiosities, which was premiered in a giant tent in Montreal this spring (see the programmeabove). Do go if you get the chance. www.cirquedusoleil.com

HINGS APPEAR TO BE MOVING FORWARD at Heckfield Place in Hampshire, under joint GMs Henry & Char Gray.They just hired Executive Chef Barnaby Jones together with his wife, Novie to head up the Spa. Barnaby

worked with Henry and Char back in 1997 when the pair managed Amandari in Bali.WAS THRILLED TO HEAR that GHM has won its legal arbitration over The Setai Miami after its forced takeoveron 31 March 2012 by hotel owner, Lehman Brothers, who had wrongfully accused GHM of mismanage-

ment. Quite right, too!ORMERLY KNOWN AS AMANRESORTS, The Aman Group has pulled out of The Treasury project in Perth. TheFinni Group have bought the property and will, we hear, run it independently. Rumour suggests that ex-

Aman veteran, Sue Reitz will be General Manager. Meanwhile, I hear that The Aman Group will relocate its HQto London but will retain sales offices in Singapore and New York. Ex-Kerzner, Lisa Bovio becomes ChiefMarketing Officer.

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