My wife and I recently traveled to Montreal for our tenth anniversary. Knowing nothing about the city we decided to stay in the Old Port area and when we looked online we absolutely fell in love with Hotel Nelligan.
Pros -
The rooms are beautiful. At the least the one we stayed in (Petit Suite) was.
The staff we spoke to were all very friendly and courteous.
The hotel is right in the heart of the Old Port, a very walkable and charming part of town.
Cons -
Fake fireplace in the room with an electronic screen that shows a picture of a fire. Would not have paid this much if I knew that the fireplace listed in the room description was fake.
No valet out front on a narrow cobblestone street when I arrived. It wasn't clear where I was supposed to park or if I should wait for a valet so I circled around a few times until I found a spot on the street and left my car there overnight.
Continental breakfast was not worth the high price. Fruit looked old, coffee ran out before we got there, not enough quality or variety to justify the cost.
"Romantic View" was an alleyway.
Overall:
I'd still recommend the Nelligan for someone looking to stay downtown. I would just get the small room, don't bother paying for the fake fireplace or the romantic view of an alley. Skip the breakfast unless they comp it, and don't spend anything extra on a package deal that includes free breakfast.
The Old Port area is not that large, and is a particular type of toursity. Personally I think it's worth spending a day in the Old Port area just to see all of the art galleries and enjoy the architecture, but we found that the Plateau was much more our speed.