Overall Impression The Île de Montréal Golf Course is located 20 minutes from downtown Montreal, Canada at the eastern tip of the island. Two 18 hole golf courses make up this public golf club with a membership base established in 2003. Both courses were part of the Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary and promote nature conservation and the use of local plants that are native to the area.

The Island Course and the Ireland Course were designed by Pat Ruddy, a renowned Irish golf course architect. We enjoy playing both courses depending on the weather and our need to be challenged. The Island Course (formerly known as the North Course) and the Ireland Course (South Course) offer two very different experiences. I prefer the first course as it is more traditional in nature with trees and water features in play whereas my husband and our teenage son prefer the Ireland Course for the strategy required in playing a challenging links course.

The Ireland Course is a par 70, 7180 yard links course with undulating fairways and large slick greens. Most of the course is raised and several greens are either above or below your stance. Water is in play on only one hole, and actually is not in play for the women’s tee box. This does not mean that the course is easy! On the contrary, pot bunkers and sand bunkers are located strategically and several fairways narrow down at the most annoying distances. The fescue is deep and has devoured several of our golf balls. Accuracy and strategy is the key to playing a satisfying round of golf on this course. The wind is definitely a factor and on hot sunny days there is very little shade. Although we enjoy walking this course, carts are often handy. We find this course quite a challenge to play and our scores are generally higher than usual. But oh! The satisfaction when I get a par on this course because they are not achieved easily!

The Island Course, a par 70, 6603 yards, is a more classic style forested course located on the other side of the highway. To reach it we pass under a short tunnel and emerge on the wooded side of the property. Lower in elevation than the Ireland Course, the wind is not quite as important a factor as on the other course however the second and third fairways are wide open. This course abuts the Nature Park of Pointe Aux Prairies and, as a consequence, wild life is abundant. The fairways are larger with more variety in the landscape. Trees, water and sand traps are often in play. In fact hole Number 5 is an exhausting 516 yards. And to top it off, we have to play to an island green! Strategy is the name of the game here also.

The Club House has the necessary amenities and is often used for wedding receptions and private parties. An outside and indoor pub is the perfect place to add up our score card and to have a basket of the best homemade potato chips I have ever tasted. I have to admit that they also make great sandwiches, but we found that the last time we played the beverage and food cart appeared only once on each nine. I always pack a water bottle or two. The Club House offers full meals on the terrace and the inside pub. There is an upper level deck and an observation tower that is four stories high. From this vantage point we can overlook Montreal to the west (with spectacular sunsets) and watch the golfers play the last three holes of the Ireland Course. Our son played in a tournament here last year and we enjoyed observing him from the upper deck. Next time we will bring binoculars!

Opened 2003

Putting-Chipping Greens Yes

Carts available for a fee. Course may be walked, pushcarts available for a fee

Driving Range Yes

Club Rental for a fee, Cobra

The Ireland Course 18 holes Par 70

Slope: Men: blue: 128, white: 118

Women: red: 118

The Island Course 18 holes Par 70

Slope: Men: blue: 118, white: 113

Women: red: 115

Date Of Most Recent Visit November 2010

Reviewers Article by Andrea de Gosztonyi-McRae and Doug McRae

Photos by Andrea de Gosztonyi-McRae

Would We Play Again Yes

Overall Impression The Atlantide Golf Club, a private and public golf course (private members have priority on the reservations schedule), is located just off the Island of Montreal on the island of Ile Perrot, about 30 minutes from downtown Montreal. Located on the shores of Lake Saint Louis, the setting is bucolic and several holes play near the waterfront. Even on hot summer days a refreshing breeze comes off the water. Two 18 hole golf courses are part of this golf club, the Atlantide Course and the Don Quichotte Course. We have played both courses several times and find each one quite challenging.

The club house offers the standard variety of meals and sandwiches, and the restaurant is on two levels, one for the general public and one for club members. The last time we were there, because a reception was being prepared in the main restaurant we were allowed access to the members lounge. A BBQ was the offering on the lovely outdoor terrace however it was very hot that day and we opted for the indoor lounge.

The Atlantide Course, designed by Graham Cooke in 1991, is the older of the courses. Mature trees line the course which my husband refers to as a classic course. We like the variety in the terrain. Although there is often water on the sides of the fairways the fairways and greens are generous in size. We enjoy walking the course as the tee boxes are near the end of the previous greens. Carts are available and we take advantage of them on hot days.

We played in 34 degrees Celsius weather and appreciated the shade and the breeze that our cart generated. Some consider this course to be amongst the top 100 beautiful public courses in Canada and amongst the 10 top public courses in Québec. We find this course to be challenging but not impossible to play for the average weekend golfers that we are.

The Don Quichotte Course, also designed by Graham Cooke, is the newer course. This course opened in 2005 and is a more demanding course than the older Atlantide. We always pack extra golf balls when we play this course because we generally make several offerings to the goddess of waters! Twelve of the eighteen holes have water in play. In fact the sixth hole is on a peninsula and if we miss the green we are guaranteed to land in the lake! The fairways are narrower than the ones on the Atlantide Course, the greens are faster and the wind can definitely be a factor. We enjoy playing this course when we want to be challenged!

Date Established Atlantide in 1991 and Don Quichotte in 2005

Number Of Holes 36

Putting-Chipping Greens Yes

Atlantide Course 18 holes Par 72

Slope: Men: blue: 121, white: 115

Women: white: 126, red: 118

Carts available for a fee. Course may be walked, pushcarts available for a fee

Driving Range Yes

Club Rental for a fee, Callaway, Titliest and Cobra brands

Courses Designed By Graham Cooke

Don Quichotte Course 18 holes Par 71

Slope : Men : blue : 121, white : 118

Women : white : 130, red : 119

Date Of Review September 2010

Last Time Played September 2010

Reviewers Article by Andrea de Gosztonyi-McRae and Doug McRae

Photos by Andrea de Gosztonyi-McRae

Would We Play Again? Yes

Overall Impression Founded in 1860 as the Art Association of Montreal, the main building opened in 1912 and was designed by architects Edward and William S. Maxwell in the Beaux Arts style. Among the oldest art institutions in Canada, the museum is composed of three pavilions, with a fourth pavilion under construction. The original building is known as the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion. Annexed to the back of this building is the Liliane and David M. Stewart Pavillion and across the street is the Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion designed by Moshe Safdie and built in 1991. Permanent and temporary exhibitions are located in all three pavilions.

The museum is centrally located downtown, just a few blocks out of the underground city and near some very posh shopping. There are two main buildings: one modern and the other in the classical Beaux Arts Style. The two buildings are linked by an underground tunnel that also is an exhibition space for sculptures and ceramics. We enjoyed that the works of art are organized thematically, allowing us to pick and choose which period we wanted to visit first. I particularly enjoyed the Canadian Art collection showcasing 17 ^th century to modern day Canadian artists such as Jean-Paul Riopelle and Paul-Emile Borduas.

The Decorative Arts and Design collection located in an adjoining pavilion caught our attention. It was entertaining to see the evolution of furniture and various utilitarian objects assembled in chronological order. We found the map of the floor plan particularly useful. The staff were also polite and helpful and even the security guards were able to give us information on the collection. We quite enjoyed strolling through the collections although the next time we visit, we will first look up the website for the tour hours.

Average Duration Of Visit Two hours

Handicapped Access Yes

How To Get There There was no indoor parking. There was metered street parking in the area as well as several parking lots. The Museum easily accessible by public transit: 24 bus line or the Metro Guy-Concordia.

Location Downtown Montreal in the historic Golden Square Mile. We took the metro to Guy-Concordia and walked three blocks north to Sherbrooke Street.

Size Of Museum There were three pavilions with a fourth pavilion scheduled to open in 2011 and a collection of 35,000 art objects.

Type Of Museum The vocation of the MMFA is to promote the work of Canadian and international artists past and present. The MMFA has built up a collection of over 35,000 paintings, sculptures, works on paper, prints, drawings, photographs and decorative art objects from antiquity to today. These collections are divided into Ancient Cultures, European Art, Canadian Art, Inuit and Amerindian Art, Contemporary Art and Decorative Arts and Design.

Permanent Exhibitions Pre-Columbian art to contemporary North American artists are represented in the galleries of the museum. I particularly liked several exhibitions such as the Napoleon and the arts of the First Empire, a collection of Napoleonic memorabilia donated by the estate of the late Ben Weider. This collection contains a hat worn by Napoleon during the Russian campaign of 1812 as well as over 100 artifacts that belonged to Napoleon and his time. I also liked the Sacred Africa II, a collection of sculptures, masks and objects from Central and West Africa organized in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Redpath Museum and McGill University. These objects are a source of inspiration for the costumes and make-up used in Cirque du Soleil productions, and are part of the private collection of Guy Laliberté.

Canadian art from the past to the present is well represented in the museum. The Inuit sculptures and the paintings by the Group of Seven are my favourites. One section that gets a little lost is the Decorative Arts and Design section in the Liliane and David M. Stewart Pavilion, an interesting collection of furniture and objects dating from the first colonials to modern day. This is annexed to the back of the Beaux Arts building and is worth the extra time to find. I found a group of design students sketching on my last visit.

Restaurant The Café des Beaux Arts is a four-star restaurant run by Chef Richard Bastien. Less expensive restaurants and bistros can be found on the streets adjoining the museum, Crescent and Bishop Streets, within easy walking distance. During my visit when visitors entered the museum, they received a sticker providing access all day to the exhibitions. We walked down Crescent Street for a quick bite to eat in a little French-style Bistro and headed back to spend the rest of the afternoon in the museum.

Souvenir Shop I have a fondness for museum shops and the MMFA boutique did not disappoint me. Catalogues of past and present exhibitions were available, postcards, note cards and related books were a joy to leaf through. There were also scarves, jewellery and reproductions for wonderful souvenirs.

Tours Available Guided tours and audio guide tours were available.

Other A map was available at the entrance of each pavilion and at the cloak rooms and bathrooms. Admission to the permanent exhibitions was free, allowing us to spend as little as an hour or all day visiting the various exhibition spaces. Guided tours of the permanent collection and the cloakroom were also free of charge. The latest addition to the museum family will be on the next corner and adjacent to the Beaux Arts building: the Erskine and American United Church (built in 1894 and a historic monument). Plans are for it to house Canadian art and be called the Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion.

Recommendations Although the exhibition spaces are well laid out, it can get quite confusing to navigate around them. To explore the various pavilions, I find it useful to rely on a map of the floor plans. They are linked by an underground tunnel making it possible to remain within the complex.

Most Recent Visit April 2010

Reviewers Article by Andrea de Gosztonyi-McRae

Photos by Andrea de Gosztonyi-McRae

Would You Go Again Yes

Overall Impression Montreal is the second largest city in Canada (after Toronto) and the largest city in the Province of Quebec. Located on the Island of Montreal, the city center revolves around the three peaks of Mount Royal, a 200 hectare park that was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (also known for designing Central Park in New York). The city is easy to get around, be it on foot, by car or by bus, as the mountain acts as a compass. I am north, south, east or west of Mount Royal! Old Montreal, the historic part of the city, is located on the south end of the city near the Port of Montreal. Founded in 1642 by trench settlers, the narrow winding streets are frequently used for Old Europe in many Hollywood film productions. Visiting this part of town takes me a full day.

The restaurants and cafés are abundant. A quaint Chinatown borders the northern edge of Old Montreal and the financial district. A modern Downtown is located at the base of Mount-Royal Park. High-rises and commercial buildings are located here as well as a vibrant artistic center. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) and the McCord Museum are all within easy walking distance of each other. The Place des Arts Concert Hall is also located there as well as several above and underground shopping malls. On the north side of Mount Royal, and nestled half way up the mountain, is Saint Joseph’s Oratory, a scale replica of Saint Peter in Rome. Pilgrims flock to this site and the view from the top of the basilica is amazing.

On the east side of the mountain are located the 1976 Olympic installations, the Botanical Gardens, the Insectarium and the Biodome. These are a must see. The western top of the mountain is primarily residential and is well worth the drive. Stately homes were built there in the 19 century to escape the heat of the city. Camilien Houde Drive is the main road that cuts over the mountain and leads to the east and west look-outs. On a sunny day, Mount Royal Park is perfect for a leisurely walk around Beaver Lake or a more strenuous jog up and around the cross. In the winter, cross-country skiing, tobogganing and outdoor ice-skating are the main attractions.

I also like that Montreal is for some Canada’s cultural capital and the city of festivals. From Grand Prix racing to the Montreal International Jazz Festival, there are over 80 different festivals throughout the year. I like that it is easy to get around Montreal, also that it offers varied dining options, it is home to fine and contemporary art museums and hosts cultural and music events.

Currency Canadian Dollar

Electrical Current 110 volts

How To Get There Major airlines provide frequent service to Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. Rental cars, taxis ($38 to downtown) and regular city bus service (Airport Express Bus $7 to Lionel Groulx metro station) are available. It takes me 25-30 minutes, depending on traffic,to reach downtown.

Location Located on an island in the Saint Lawrence River, Montreal is the cultural and economic center of the Province of Quebec.

Restaurants Eating well is of primary importance for Montrealers. Restaurants abound in the city. Traditional French cuisine along with many ethnic restaurants can be found in every part of the city. In the summer, dining on the terrace is a must. From the simple and delicious Parisian style café to the luxurious dining experience of a lifetime, the quest for the perfect meal is important to Quebecquers.

Transportation Within the city, there is an extensive Metro (underground subway) system. In general, I find driving in Montreal to be safe and taxis and city busses convenient. Street parking is coin operated with meter and there are parking lots in the city core. BIXI bikes are available all through downtown Montreal. Pick-up and drop-off locations are indicated on the city maps. With the swipe of a credit card and you have your bike for an hour or a day. Montreal has over 500 kilometers of bicycle paths in the city.

Shopping Major shopping centers and malls are located throughout the city. The more popular areas are Rue Laurier, Saint Denis and Sainte Catherine streets as well as Les Cours Mont Royal, Ogylvies, Holt Renfrew and La Cathédrale downtown.

Tourism Highlights The many museums are a must: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Canadian Center for Architecture, the McCord Museum, the Chateau Ramezay, and the Science Center, to name a few. The Botanical Gardens, the Biodome and the Insectarium are also on our list of favourites. Park Jean Drapeau (the site of Expo 67) and the Lachine Canal are great outings on a sunny day with a BIXI bicycle. Montreal is a great city for walking and many walking tours exploring the various boroughs are available. I find a visit to the extensive underground city worthwhile. The RÉSO is a set of interconnected complexes above and underground downtown Montreal. It is one of the the largest underground complexes in the world connecting shopping malls, hotels, banks, museums, universities and commuter trains.

Useful Websiteshttp://www.tourisme-montreal.org/

Date Of Latest Visit April 2010

Reviewers Article by Andrea de Gosztonyi-McRae

Photos by Andrea de Gosztonyi-McRae

Would You Visit Again? Yes