A unique set of accommodations, featuring retrofitted boats and specially-designed cabins, is taking shape on the western tip of Montreal's Old Port.

The project is called Village by the Locks and it will be ready for vacationers by May.

The site is largely in the shadow of the vacant Silo No. 5 — built in the first half of the 20th century and abandoned in 1996, according to Heritage Montreal.

A spokesperson for Village by the Locks, Jean-François Menard, insists being near the abandoned industrial building isn't "creepy" — it just adds character to the site.

"There are eight-foot fences that will be installed and full-time security staff and cameras," Menard told CBC Montreal's Homerun.

"The site feels like a small park, it's not creepy at all."

Urban B&B meets maritime tradition

A spokesperson for the Old Port of Montreal, Jimmy Laforge, said the site will mix an urban bed and breakfast with Montreal's maritime tradition.

"In the next few weeks, there will be 30 micro-houses with beds and a mezzanine, kitchen, bathroom, a green roof, a small terrace and a gas fireplace," Laforge said.

People will be able to rent wooden boats that were built between the 1920s and 1970s. They have been updated and turned into unique hotel rooms.

They are building a dock for the boats, which will be floating on the Lachine Canal.

Prices range from $80 to $350 for one of the larger boats.

"We call it, alternative lodging," Menard said.

The project will be in place for three years and then up for review.

The federal land the site is on belongs to Parks Canada but the Village by the Locks works mainly with the Old Port of Montreal.