Sheraton Laval: Your Dream Laval (QC) Getaway Awaits!
Sheraton Laval: My Laval Love Affair… (and a few minor gripes)
Okay, so I just got back from a weekend at the Sheraton Laval, and you know what? I'm still riding that post-vacation high. Seriously, this place is like a well-oiled machine, mostly, and that's saying something in this, the "everything-is-a-little-bonkers" era. Let's dive in, shall we? Buckle up, because this review is gonna be… well, it's gonna be me.
Accessibility: Mostly Aces, But…
First off, the accessibility. They've clearly put some thought into this, which is GREAT! Wheelchair accessible throughout the main areas, elevators galore (essential for navigating the sprawling complex), and accessible rooms are available. Now, I'm not using a wheelchair myself, but I always keep an eye out for these details. It's a basic human right, people! That said, I did notice a slightly awkward ramp leading into the restaurant (I'll get to the food in a minute, hold your horses!). Tiny thing, but for someone with mobility issues, it might be a bit of a jolt. Other than that, thumbs up.
Cleanliness & Safety: Feeling Safe Enough
This is THE big one right now, right? The whole "germ panic" thing. The Sheraton Laval takes it seriously. They've got all the bells and whistles: Anti-viral cleaning products, Daily disinfection, Professional-grade sanitizing services, and my personal favorite: Room sanitization opt-out available. I mean, that's a nice touch. Makes you feel like you're in control, even though you're basically surrendering to a hotel. I appreciated the Hand sanitizer stations everywhere, and the staff genuinely seemed to be following the protocols. Staff trained in safety protocol? Yep, saw it with my own eyes. And the Safe dining setup they've got going on? Pretty slick. Lots of space, and I felt comfortable, which is a massive win.
Rooms: My Cozy Hideaway
My room? Oh, it was a haven. Comfort is key, and Sheraton Laval delivers. Air conditioning? Check. Blackout curtains? Double check. I'm a light sleeper, so that was a godsend. Bathrobes and slippers were a nice touch, and the complimentary tea (yes!) and coffee/tea maker in the room meant I could avoid the caffeine-fiend frenzy first thing in the morning. The bed was pure heaven. I might need to steal their mattress recipe. Free Wi-Fi? Absolutely, and it actually worked. It's amazing how often that's a problem these days. Oh, and the extra-long bed was a HUGE plus! I'm a tall gal, and I hate hanging my feet off.
Internet (Because Seriously!)
Okay, let's get real. Internet access is non-negotiable. And frankly, in this day and age, it’s expected to be both fast and easy. The Wi-Fi [free] in the rooms was great. No complaints. But the Internet access – LAN? Didn’t even bother. Who uses that dinosaur tech anymore? They also list Wi-Fi for special events and Internet services, more power to them.
Dining, Drinking, & Snacking: Food, Glorious Food… and a Few Hiccups
This is where things get interesting. Let's start with the good stuff. The breakfast buffet (Western AND Asian options – nice!) was decent, although I'm a bit of a breakfast snob. The Coffee shop was well-stocked with lattes and pastries, which is critical for me. And the Poolside bar? Perfect for a late afternoon cocktail. Happy hour, anyone?
Now, the less-than-perfect: The Asian cuisine in restaurant was… well, it felt a little generic. Edible, yes. Memorable? Not really. Also, a tiny niggle: the salad in restaurant was a bit limp. Come on, guys! It’s got to be better. Also, I feel a little misled by the Desserts in restaurant option. No real dedicated space for it.
Things to Do & Ways to Relax: Spa-tacular (Mostly)
This is where the Sheraton really shines. Spa? Yup. Massage? Absolutely. Sauna, Steamroom, and beautiful Swimming pool [outdoor]? Oh, yes, and they have a Pool with view. It's all very luxurious. I spent a blissful afternoon having a massage, which was the highlight of my trip. Seriously, my muscles are still thanking me. They also have a Fitness center, which I didn't get round to, but it looked well-equipped for those who are more motivated than I am!
Services & Conveniences: The Little Things That Matter
They cover the basics really well. 24-hour front desk is essential. Daily housekeeping (thank you, thank you!). Cash withdrawal on site (helpful). Concierge was friendly and helpful. The convenience store was handy for picking up forgotten essentials. Car park [free of charge].
For the Kids: Family Friendliness
They really cater to families. Babysitting service is available. Kids facilities. Kids meals… This is clearly a family-friendly hotel.
Accessibility: More Details
Elevator. Yep, essential. Facilities for disabled guests. Check.
Getting Around and Other Essentials
- Airport transfer is available.
- Car park [on-site] is both convenient and safe.
- Meeting/banquet facilities are available too.
My Overall Verdict:
Look, despite a few minor quibbles, I genuinely enjoyed my stay at the Sheraton Laval. It's a comfortable, well-run hotel with a lot to offer. It's definitely a strong contender for a relaxing getaway, and I'd happily go back. It offers a great blend of relaxation, convenience, and decent food, and does a great job during the pandemic, and for that, they deserve a standing ovation. They've earned a solid recommendation from me. Go, and have a good time.
Escape to Paradise: Uncover the Secret of Baan Anattaya, Koh Yao Noi
Okay, buckle up, buttercups, because this isn't your grandma's meticulously planned travel itinerary. This is a chaotic descent into the heart of… well, a Sheraton in Laval, QC. Here goes nothin'.
Sheraton Laval: My Existential Odyssey (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Poolside Buffet)
Day 1: Arrival, Abandonment, and the Promise of Questionable Cocktails
- 1:00 PM: Arrive at Trudeau Airport. Delayed flight. Already in a bad mood. Montreal traffic, you beautiful beast of frustration, you win again. Finally, after what felt like an eternity in a cramped airplane seat, I see the glorious billboard of the Sheraton Laval! That promise of a well-deserved escape keeps me going.
- 2:30 PM: Check-in. The woman at the desk looks like she's seen things. Probably seen a lot of tired travelers. She barely cracks a smile, but hey, at least she's efficient. Room key acquired. Now, for the ultimate goal: the room.
- 3:00 PM: Room check! The room is okay. The view?… Not so much. A concrete jungle of parking lots and the faint promise of a distant highway. Okay, fine. I’m not here for the view; I'm here for the… wait for it… serenity!
- 3:30 PM: Explore the hotel. The Sheraton Laval feels a little bit dated, to be honest. But hey, the lobby smells like… a generic hotel smell? Fine. The pool is calling my name. This must have been a big event/party in the past. The ballroom looks incredibly empty. A little bit haunting, even.
- 4:00 PM: Attempt to find the pool. Success! Ah, the indoor pool! The air is thick with chlorine and the faint scent of… desperation? People are definitely trying to have a good time. Water aerobics for the win(??). The kids are screaming. The pool is cold. I’m already regretting my life choices.
- 6:00 PM: The bar downstairs. Order a 'signature' cocktail. It tastes suspiciously of watered-down fruit punch. The bartender is clearly over this, and frankly, so am I, but I'm staying.
- 7:00 PM: Room service… or an attempt thereof. The menu reads like a cry for help. "Tuna Melt - Served with a Side of Disappointment." I kid, I kid! But the food is just… okay. I'm starving, and the lack of a decent side of french fries is a crime against humanity. I eat in my underwear while watching bad Canadian TV. Embrace the suck, that's what I always say.
- 8:00 PM: Bed.
Day 2: Buffet and the Existential Weight of Cold Eggs
- 8:00 AM: Wake up. Regret.
- 8:30 AM: The buffet. This is it. The apex of the Sheraton Laval experience. My internal battle for breakfast is on!
- First impression: Chaos. The tables are crammed, the plates are chipped, and the food… well, let's just say it has character.
- The eggs: Hard-boiled. Cold. I feel a profound sense of sadness looking at them. They represent the fleeting nature of happiness, the inevitability of disappointment, and the fact that I probably should have ordered room service again.
- The bacon: Surprisingly decent. A small victory.
- The coffee: Weak. Like my resolve.
- The pastries: Probably stale. I eat two. Don't judge me.
- The people-watching: The most entertaining part. A dad desperately trying to keep his kids from making a mess, a couple bickering about something trivial, someone in a bathrobe looking utterly defeated. We're all in this together, people. We're all just trying to survive another breakfast buffet.
- 10:00 AM: Gym. I try to work off the buffet. Realize I have no idea what I'm doing. Look around and realize everyone else is way too good at this. Quit to take a shower.
- 11:00 AM: Poolside lounging. Revisit the pool area. It's slightly less chaotic now, the screamers are gone. I lie on a sun lounger. I feel… nothing. Just the gentle hum of the air conditioning and the faint smell of chlorine. This is the life, right?
- 1:00 PM: Lunch… I opt for a sandwich in the hotel restaurant. It is not good. I ponder the meaning of life.
- 3:00 PM: Wander around the hotel. Find a forgotten meeting room. Imagine my life as a motivational speaker. Start making notes about the future.
- 5:00 PM: Back to the room. Watch more terrible TV.
Day 3: Departure and Lingering Regrets (and Maybe a Hidden Gem?)
- 9:00 AM: Breakfast, round 2. Facing the buffet. Same deal, the eggs still look sad, but I'm oddly prepared to face it. This time I try the pancakes. They're… edible. Score!
- 10:00 AM: One more swim in the pool. This time I go down the slide, and for a moment, I feel like a kid.
- 11:00 AM: Check out. The lady at the desk is still not smiling.
- 12:00 PM: I wonder if there’s any good restaurants around here. I don't want to drive for hours, but I'm also not expecting a culinary marvel. Google. Google search… "Best restaurants Laval QC". Maybe there's something actually good about this place I can't find.
- 12:30 PM: I decide to go to a restaurant I saw online. A local place with a good rating. Is this the secret to breaking free from the shackles of the hotel?
- 1:30 PM: The drive through the city is interesting. So many stores, and yet I'm still a bit sad.
- 2:00 PM: I find the restaurant. It's good! The staff are nice. I order the poutine. A culinary win!
- 3:00 PM: I realize, hey, maybe Laval isn't so bad! It's not the hotel I should be judging, it's my own state of mind!
- 4:00 PM: Back to the hotel. Time to depart.
- 5:00 PM: Depart from the Sheraton.
Final Thoughts:
The Sheraton Laval was an… experience. It wasn't paradise, it wasn't a disaster. It was just… a hotel. And sometimes, that's exactly what you need. A place to be alone with your thoughts, to eat bad food, and to question the very fabric of your existence. And hey, maybe, just maybe, there was a hidden gem or two in there too. Until next time, Laval.
Jeju Murray Pension: Your Dream Island Getaway Awaits!
So, Everyone's Baking Sourdough Now. Is it REALLY All That?
Alright, let's get this straight. Yes. And no. It's like, delicious yes. The tang? The crust? The way it makes your kitchen smell like a bakery? Heaven. Pure, carb-fueled heaven. But the *effort*? The *pressure*? The sheer number of HOURS I've spent staring lovingly (and then sometimes, angrily) at a bubbling, shapeless blob of flour and water? That, my friends, is a whole other story.
I started because, well, isolation. And everyone on Instagram was suddenly a sourdough guru. I saw pictures of these perfect boules, these artisanal masterpieces and thought, "I can do that!" (famous last words, right?) Turns out, you can't just WILL a perfect loaf into existence. There's a science, a routine, probably a secret society I'm not aware of. But yes, when it finally works? The satisfaction is immense. Like, I've single-handedly conquered Mount Everest immense. (Okay, maybe that's a tad dramatic… but you get the idea.)
Okay, Fine, You've Convinced Me. How HARD Is It REALLY to Start a Sourdough Starter? (And Am I Going to KILL my pet thing?)
Alright, the starter. The heart and soul of the whole operation, the thing you name and obsess over. It's… well, it's not *hard*, exactly. It's just... finicky. Like a demanding toddler. You feed it, you burp it, you talk to it (don't judge me!). You make sure it gets enough… space.
The first week? Forget it. You'll probably have a sad, floury sludge. (Mine was called "Gerald," and he smelled… uniquely.) Then comes the magic. The bubbles! The rise! The faint aroma of… something! (Let's call it 'potential.')
The hardest part? Remembering. Seriously. Feeding Gerald at the right time. Remembering when you last fed Gerald. Did he get enough in his bottle? Did he got enough "food" (which is just more flour and water)? There's a lot to keep up with. I almost killed Gerald once. I forgot to feed him for, like, three days. Came home from a particularly stressful work meeting and found him… still. Flat. A little grey. My heart *sunk*. I almost cried. (Don't tell anyone.) I thought I'd failed the little blob. But then, against all odds, he bounced back. (That's what brought me to the brink of a breakdown. If a pet cat dies, I'm gonna lose it!!)
And no, your starter won't actually *kill* you. Unless you eat it raw (yuck!), it's perfectly safe… though not particularly tasty. It might make you slightly insane, though. Consider it a warning.
What Can Go Wrong When Baking Sourdough? I'm TERRIFIED.
Oh, honey, where do I even begin? Honestly? EVERYTHING. Everything can go wrong.
The starter can be too weak. The dough can be over-proofed (a sad, flat pancake of despair). The oven can be too cold. The oven can be too hot (a burnt brick of disappointment). You can forget the salt (trust me, it's happened). You can use the wrong flour (leading to… an experience, shall we say). You can accidentally set the smoke alarm off (happened to me, multiple times).
My first loaf? A complete disaster. A brick. Dense, unyielding, inedible. I tried to cut it with a serrated knife and nearly dislocated my shoulder. Seriously. I considered using it as a weapon. I wanted to throw it through a window. Instead, I took a picture of it, posted it on Instagram with a weepy caption, and ate a slice of store-bought bread with extra butter.
Here’s the thing though. You'll mess up. It's inevitable. Its like, science. Embrace it. Laugh at it. Learn from it. And maybe, just maybe, hide the evidence from your loved ones.
I'm Not Even Kidding, Is This ACTUALLY a Hobby I Can Afford?
Alright, let's be realistic. Sourdough can definitely become a black hole for your bank account. (I blame the baking stuff. The *fancy* baking stuff!)
Flour, especially the good stuff, isn't cheap. I've spent a small fortune on different types of flour, the "best" flours. And then there's the equipment! Proofing baskets, lame's, Dutch ovens, bench scrapers, scales measuring to the tenth of a gram... it goes on and on. It is so easy to spend a fortune on tools, and it feels like you *need* them. (You probably don't.)
My biggest splurge? A Dutch oven. I thought I needed it. The first two loaves cooked in it were completely burned. The third one, I managed to salvage, but it tasted… okay. I could (and probably should) have started with a cheaper pot. So, yeah. It can be expensive. But you can also start super basic. The core ingredients (flour, water, salt) are relatively cheap. And lots of folks get by with a cheap plastic container for proofing and a baking sheet or a regular pot for baking, so start with what you have! Bottom line? Think of it as an investment. In your bread. And, let's be honest, in your sanity. (You'll need it.)
Any Tips for a Complete Beginner? (Other than "Don't Give Up!")
Okay, okay. Here’s my hard-won wisdom, the stuff I learned from countless failed loaves and a few tears shed in the kitchen:
- REALLY, REALLY Read the Recipe: And then read it again. Then third time is probably also a charm. The measurement numbers matter! Grams are your friend. Use a scale. (I didn't at first. Big mistake.)
- Be Patient: Sourdough is not fast food. It's slow, and it takes time. Don't rush it.
- Don't Be Afraid to Fail: Embrace the failures! They're learning experiences. Plus, they make for great stories. Like, seriously, my kitchen is now a sourdough museum of disasters and triumphs.
- Find a Good Community: Because, let me tell you, the internet is a blessing and a curse. Find a forum, a Facebook group, a friend who also bakes. Commiserate (and celebrate!) with them.
- Trust your gut At least, after you have a few loaves under your belt.
And oh! One more thing: Get ready to become obsessed! Because the moment you pull that first,Book Hotels Now
