I have been to Canada several times but always in the west as our son has lived in Banff and now Vancouver so when the opportunity to visit Ontario came up, I definitely jumped at the chance.
Flying with Air Canada direct from Brisbane always makes the trip so much easier and with an easy connection to Toronto we were on our way. But as with all travel, it may not all fall into place quite as you plan. We had aircraft maintenance on our flight from Vancouver to Toronto which initially delayed the flight and then we were put onto another flight due to cancellation. Our luggage had left Brisbane on our original flight but unfortunately, it didn’t make it onto the second one due to the late change. Air Canada was fabulous with an easy registration of our missing luggage and with the handover of an overnight package, we were on our way to Niagara Falls for our stay.
We stayed at the Sheraton Fallsview Hotel, and it was amazing to wake up to the American Falls just outside our window. With the early March timing of our trip the Falls were still quite frozen with the water just falling behind the ice wall against the cliff. I’ve seen some falls on my trips but never a frozen one, and with snow falling all around - wow it was amazing!
We zip-lined along the Canadian side of the falls and went through the Niagara Parks Power Station where you can go down the tunnel and pop out just under the Horseshoe Falls. So close and snow all around with the mist of the falls getting everyone damp enough we were glad to have our ponchos on.
We saw these falls from above by helicopter, zipping past, behind the falls from The Cataract Portal and from all the amazing vantage points along the walkway. Wow it really is an impressive way to see the sheer volume of water thundering over the edge. In March when we were there the U.S. side slows the water flow to 60% to try and help with the erosion that water flow of this volume causes over the years.
I was really impressed with what the Canadian side of Niagara Falls offers for everyone. They say it is like a small Las Vegas and it’s not far from that. Casinos, hotels, amusement zones for families and so much more. You could definitely stay there for a couple of days to be able to really enjoy the whole location. Don’t forget the outlet shopping as well - it was fabulous!
We didn’t go to the U.S. side due to time restraints, but the water really is best seen from the Canadian side and saves on the border entry to U.S. if you don’t need to go that way.
We ventured back to Toronto via Niagara-on-the-Lake, which was the most gorgeous little town nearby and you could stay here if you wanted and visit the falls for something a little different. We enjoyed lunch at the Prince of Wales Hotel which has been kept in its original beautiful architecture with rooms to stay in and the most amazing location for high tea as well. So many gorgeous roses everywhere.
The area has lots of different wineries to offer as well. The one we visited, Peller Estate has an ice room for you to try their Ice Wine in the real climate. Wow again!
One free night and we managed a Toronto Marlies (local league) ice hockey game which was super cheap and so much fun for people to see especially when you live in Australia. So much biffo…
Our stay at the Chelsea Hotel in the heart of Toronto was something I have always wanted to experience. Rooms were well appointed in a very large hotel currently going through renovations for all remaining rooms. Centrally located with lots of restaurants, cafes and attractions nearby.
During our time in Toronto we enjoyed visiting Casa Loma, a Segway tour in The Distillery District, Little Canada, City Hall, Eaton Centre, St Lawrence Market and a wonderful dinner at the CN Tower. Breakfast the next morning at the Fullerton Hotel which has amazing bars to enjoy as well. What a beautiful hotel and gorgeous rooms.
It was a quick trip which often they are when a work famil but wow this area of Ontario definitely showed me more than what I was expecting and has now commanded a longer stay for everyone if time permits to be able to see everything it has to offer.
Au revoir et voyagez en toute sécurité,
Cathy