Mirror, mirror on the wall, is the Mere the hippest Winnipeg hotel of them all?
Well, Missus Peg certainly thinks so, as do all our uber cool friends who we constantly tell to stay here when they come to visit.
Take for instance Mister's old university roomate Leon. This guy lives in Seattle and is an artisanal coffee rep (yes, such a position exists and he brings us the best beans you've ever had). He and his partner Kelly came to visit us this past winter to take in Festival du Voyageur and we sent them the link to the Mere. His only reply was: "Yup. Looks awesome. We just booked for three nights. See you two in two weeks."
You see, the Mere is an easy sell. First off, just look at this place, it is groovy in the grooviest way possible. The multicolured exterior is eye-catching and so chic, while the lobby is a stunning example of modern design with its furniture (rumour has it the red couch is a one of kind piece of functional art) and spacious layout.
The lobby at the Mere (Sparrow Hotels)
They also have this amazing interactive screen that is like a giant iPad. You can press on it and get the weather, pull up a map of local things to see, and it even has a super cool function where you can use it to paint and design stuff (which Kelly showed his artistic side on later that evening).
Leon couldn't get over the rooms either. The Mere is situated right on the Red River, so most of the rooms look out over its banks, as theirs did. Kelly showed us around the place (Mister and I had not been in there before) and I couldn't get over how airy and spacious it was; the bathroom had a rain shower (which I keep begging Mister to get for our place) and every room has a Nespresso coffee machine.
The rooms are quite spiffy (Sparrow Hotels)
And what a perfect location right on Waterfront Dive, Winnipeg’s newest, trendiest part of downtown. You get the best of both worlds in that the Forks is just a short walk away, as is the Esplanade Riel pedestrian crossing to St. Boniface, plus all the best restaurants and theatre venues in the Exchange are only about two blocks away.
After they checked in an had some downtime, we all walked across the bridge to Festival du Voyageur for a spirited evening of live music. Once on the St. Boniface side we all looked back onto the city and remarked just how cool the Mere looked set in front of the city skyline. I tell you, Winnipeg is really getting with it these days when it comes to design.
When we were done partying at Festival we headed back toward the mere. After we made our way into the lobby (where Kelly regaled us with his artistic talents on the screen) we decided there was still time for a night cap, so we walked the ten steps behind the hotel into Cibo Waterfront Café, one of Winnipeg's best looking restaurants. Every window looks out onto the river in Cibo and it has all the charms you'd expect to find in an exposed brick and beam room.
The four of us took a table at the back and had a couple rounds of negronis, which is about the most ideal way to end an evening.
Leon and Kelly ended up having breakfast in Cibo the next morning, and they told us the Cibo Benny made with serrano ham was top-notch.
Vibrant is an understatement when it comes to the Mere (Sparrow Hotels)
The Mere is also green (both literally and figuratively) featuring a geothermal heating and cooling system, Brita water filters in the rooms (so you don't need to use water bottles), an electric car charging station, and all these other gadgets, processes and state-of-the-art things that make it incredibly energy efficient.
When their three days in the city were done, Leon and Kelly raved about their whole experience -- especially the hotel. I for one wouldn't be surprised if they have added another five-star review to the many that the mere has already amassed on Trip Advisor. (Seriously, check out the reviews, people love this place).
And all this coming from a couple guys from Seattle -- a city known for its hospitality scene. Mister and I could not have been happier with our suggestion.
So if you are into design and you love sleek, spacious, modern rooms, do as the cool kids do, and book yourself in at the Mere.
Only in The Peg chronicles the adventures of the Peg family–Missus, Mister and Lil’ Peg–as they discover everything there is to see and do in Winnipeg. Follow them on Twitter at @tourismwpg or visit them on Facebook. For even more info on Winnipeg, visit www.tourismwinnipeg.com. Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter to stay in the loop on the latest information, contests, and upcoming events!
