<p>My DIL turns 30 this year and she’s the sweetest girl ever and the mother of my only grandchild so I want to treat her right. I suggested that for her birthday I give them a weekend getaway and she said she’d like to go to Niagara Falls so I’m turning to the experts here: Can anyone suggest a nice hotel. FIrst I guess I should ask if they should go to the Canadian side or the New York side. Then I’d like to make it a nice place for a romantic getaway. You never know, I could get a second grandchild out of this. :)</p>
<p>There are some great Bed and Breakfasts in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which is on the Canadian side, in the wine country and very cute. If they are crossing the border, they will need passports.</p>
<p>Passports won’t be a problem and besides, we live in MI. Whether they stay on the Canadian side or the New York side, they should drive through Canada to get there., I’ll look into that.</p>
<p>I’d like something a little fancy. With a heart shaped tub or something like that. Do they do any all inclusives so they don’t have to pay for meals?</p>
<p>Canadian side is much nicer, more scenic, and cleaner… Unfortunately, Niagara Falls, NY has not fared well…</p>
<p>There’s absolutely no question that the Canadian side is more luxurious than the American side. For the most luxurious places to stay, look at:</p>
<p>Queen’s Landing</p>
<p>Prince of Whales Hotel</p>
<p>Shaw Club Hotel and Spa</p>
<p>Thanks so much. Will look into all of them for availability.</p>
<p>Agree with the Canadian side. There are some nicer hotels that are reasonably priced with rooms with a view of the falls. The trip back from the east last fall with son 3 we stopped and had so much fun on the Canadian side since we drive through Canada to get back “home” to Michigan. Driving through the US to cross over was quite bleak with no one around and some pretty scary looking areas, while the Canadian side was hopping, with people in the streets, clean businesses open even though it was night time etc. etc.</p>
<p>I agree that staying in Niagara on the Lake is a better idea than Niagara Falls. It’s a short drive down to the falls and NOTL is a beautiful town with great hotels and restaurants, nice shopping and wineries. The falls on the Canadian side are more impressive. The town itself, although improved from years ago, is still on the edge of tacky with the casinos being very popular.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.vintage-hotels.com/”>http://www.vintage-hotels.com/</a></p>
<p>Depending when they go, there is also the renowned Shaw Festival at NOTL. If they enjoy theatre, it’s a bonus during a visit. It’s also very popular, though, so booking in advance for both hotels and tickets is required during the festival season. </p>
<p>I’m originally from Niagara Falls (NY), but my family had a business on the Canadian side of the Falls the whole time I was growing up. I agree with everyone - stay in Canada. If I were doing this I’d head to charming Niagara-on-the-Lake, stay at the Pillar & the Post, take advantage of the wonderful spa and check out one of the new farm to table restaurants in the area. There are some great wineries to visit, and if they’re there in the summer, the Shaw Festival is wonderful. It’s about a 20 minute drive to the actual Falls. Now if they are into casinos, then they could stay in the Falls proper, but personally, I’d stay in Niagara-on-the-Lake and visit the Falls for a couple of hours. </p>
<p>Okay, so the Prince of Wales looks like the one they’d like. Any ideas of where to book it? Something like Travelocity or Expedia? Or directly with the hotel. Can’t really do it today. Have to ask my son what weekend he’d be available first.</p>
<p>Why is it better to be twenty minutes away from the Falls?</p>
<p>Tell them to go on the Maid of the Mist. I loved going on that boat and seeing the falls from that level. You do get wet.</p>
<p>I loved the butterfly conservatory!</p>
<p>3bm, do you mean why wouldn’t you want to stay closer??? IMO, the public area very near the falls is quite cheesy. Lots of souvenir shops, Ripleys Believe It Or Not museum - stuff like that. Not too romantic !!! You can see the falls, stroll a bit, and then go back to the cozy romantic hotel 20 mins away.</p>
<p>One fun thing to do on the US side is to take the Cave of the Winds walkways behind the Bridal Veil falls. You get very wet, but is a great experience. It is accessed on Goat Island. Also, it can be quicker to get the Maid of the Mist on the American side. Trips from either country costs the same, but the US side includes a tower and a walkway that provide the best US views of the falls.</p>
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<p>Because NOTL is a beautiful town and Niagara Falls is a tourist trap. You can enjoy the falls for maybe a half hour and then you have the rest of the weekend to be in a nice spot.</p>
<p>I’d agree with what everyone said above - I was in Niagara 3 weeks ago (yes, it was cold! the falls were frozen!) - the Canadian side is absolutely the side to stay on. Niagara Falls itself is indeed very cheesy, and I bet it’s absolute hell on earth during the tourist season (it was even pretty bad in the winter). NOTL was adorable, with lots of nice looking cafes and shops, including a fudge place, a chocolate place, etc. We stayed in the Marriott Fallsview in Niagara Falls itself which was fine for a 2 day trip, but if we’d wanted to spend more time in the hotel just relaxing I would have wanted to stay in NOTL.</p>
<p>Niagara-on-the-Lake is a much more idyllic place than the city if Niagara Falls with a lot more charm and character. And the Prince of Whales hotel is a great choice! The hotels in Niagara Falls just aren’t as luxurious or intimate as some of the offerings at NOTL. They are mostly huge high rise casino hotels.</p>
<p>No mention of ice wine? The area around N-o-t-L is full of wineries. The specialty is late harvested grapes for a sweeter dessert style wine. Thus “ice wine”. </p>
<p>Another nice thing about the Canadian side is you can, if you want, go to Toronto, which all things considered is better than a side trip to Buffalo unless you’re really into wings.</p>
<p>When we went to Niagara Falls, we stayed at the charming Inn at Lock 7 which is located on the Welland Canal near the Falls. You can see the ships going by in the canal right outside your window. It’s in Thorold, Ontario.</p>
<p>Another vote here for Niagara-On-The-Lake, Maid of the Mist, and Cave of the Winds. Also, hiking in the Niagara Gorge on the Canadian side a few miles below (i.e., north of) the Falls.</p>
<p>If they are driving from Michigan, they can stop and see a play at the Canadian Shakespeare Festival in Stratford Ont. on the way. That’s wonderful, too.</p>