With this freezing weather…need to think about summer! Planning a trip to Toronto/Niagara on the Lake/Niagara Falls. We are flying into Buffalo and renting a car. What hotel do you recommend for the Falls (Canadian side)? There are sooooo many? Would love a great view, nice pool and pub/bar on property. Would love to hear your favs!!
You’ll spend almost all of your time outside so it doesn’t matter all that much. You can’t see much from most of the hotels besides some mist rising. We’ve stayed at 3 or 4 of them within walking distance (major brands) , and all were OK. Pricing varies a lot and there are a lot of specials.
I looked on Groupon and saw some nice deals. We haven’t gone yet, but S17 is at a SUNY up there so we may go at pick up time this spring.
No particular hotel recommendations, but Niagara on the Lake is very pretty and less kitschy than Niagara Falls itself. And wineries if you like those.
If I wanted to go for the glam I would probably try Fallsview Casino on the American side. Booking early you might get a room with a view.
We stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn on the Canadian side of Niagra Falks and got a very r adorable group rate. They ev n gave hotel guests a 20% discount for dining in the hotel restaurant. There was a parking lot and no extra charge for parking (we rented a car). We went to Trios winery and and zagat-rated restaurant. A friend went on a winery tour so they didn’t have to drive.
I agree that Niagra on the Lake was nice to hang out at. H and my BIL liked the fort that was there, so we toured it. There were shops and restaurants there.
There’s a small museum near the Hilton Garden Inn that we enjoyed as well—a very short walk from the hotel.
Decades ago, for our June/July honeymoon, we splurged for a hotel room with a view of the falls. With the fog and mist, we NEVER glimpsed the falls from our hotel room!
The area close to the falls is just hideous, we stayed in some big nameless expensive horror but we were taken aback that they charged extra $$$ to park the car LOL. If I ever went again I would venture out a little (the road out to the fort, some B&B maybe? Rent a bike? Who knows LOL. The falls are amazing, no contest. But who knew the Canadians would even allow such tat? It was a real shock to me LOL. The falls are breathtaking though.
We stayed at a B&B in Niagara on the Lake and appreciated it’s charm and history. We were even ‘indentured as apprentices’ at the historic printing works near there.
We stayed in a Marriott which overlooked the falls on the Canadian side. We (H,S and I) ordered room service, ate dinner and drank wine while watching the sunset over the falls. Expensive but worth it!
You should stop while in buffalo at the Anchor Bar for lunch
Dive bar but great buffalo wings. Claims to be place that invented wings. The drive from the falls area to the Niagra on the lake area is very nice with winery’s on the way. Have fun
Agree with FallGirl: you can get a balcony room at the Marriott overlooking the falls. Two nights there is plenty, then move on to Niagara-on-the Lake or Toronto.
We really like the Sheraton right next to the international bridge. I just googled. It’s Sheraton on the Falls. We get a fallsview room and enjoy the location being easily walkable to everything we enjoy doing which includes walking to the US side, the boat ride, and Horseshoe Falls + activities. It’s also close to Clifton Hill with its oodles of eateries and attractions. Often we eat take out (Smoke’s Poutine, Tim Hortons) that we brought back to our room, turn the couch toward the falls, and enjoy fallsview dining for far less cost than restaurants charge.
Couldn’t tell you about the pool or bar as we haven’t used either. They have an indoor water park that appeals to some (it might cost extra - I’m not sure). They charge for parking, but that’s ok with us - very typical city. We park, then walk. We’ve tried other places, but definitely prefer the location of this one for what we like to do and see.
Twenty plus years ago we stayed at a super kitschy honeymoon hotel. I can’t remember the name, but it had a giant hot tub in every room, waterbeds, and each room had a sleazy theme. We stayed in the jungle room. I was seven months pregnant and looked like I had just celebrated a shotgun wedding. Dang, I should google for it.
We stayed at the Sheraton on the Falls once many years ago during their renovations, and DH had terrible allergic reaction to the dust in the halls. So much so, we cut our weekend down from 3 nights to one, and when DH spoke to the management about our leaving early, they comped our room, and even offered us a free 3 night stay when we’d like to come back. So we came back with the family in early summer, and had an amazing experience.
I agree with @Creekland that this is a perfect location for what we want to do. I am not a fan of the touristy, LasVegas wannabe crowds, but I loved walking in the parks on the US side.
I liked the Marriott also…very pretty at night. The Canadian side in my opinion is all around “nicer.”
Stay in Niagara on the Lake, a short drive from Niagara Falls. NF is nice to see the falls but overall is pretty tacky. NOTL is a beautiful town with much nicer hotels, B&Bs, inns and better restaurants.
I’m another vote for Niagara-on-the-Lake. I know the area pretty well. Everything is close, NotL is maybe a 20-minute drive from the falls, and it’s a respite from the unrelenting tackiness of most of Niagara Falls itself. Just really pleasant to walk around, shop, and the inns and B&Bs are lovely. Of course, the falls is worth a visit. You’ll spend a few hours there, maybe cross to the American side so you can do Cave of the Winds and Maid of the Mist. But after you have looked at the falls for 4-5 hours, there’s no reason to sleep right there. Maybe if you were a 19-year-old newlywed in 1940, there would be an aphrodisiac quality to all that hydraulic energy, but at our age . . . .
Apart from the falls themselves, you should think about (a) hiking for an hour or two in the Niagara Gorge below (north of) the falls, (b) the wonderful butterfly conservatory between Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake, and, absolutely © getting tickets to one or two of the Shaw Festival productions in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which are generally very high quality. You should also consider a detour to the Canadian Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario, where the productions are even better. You get better theater in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Stratford in the summer than you do in Toronto.
We stayed in Embassy Suites in Canada. Our room overlooked the falls, and even in the bathroom that was farther from the window, the wall opened up so that you could see through the bedroom to the falls if you wanted. This was in 2006, but it was very nice back then.
There is a lot to do in the touristy town on the Canadian side as well, in addition to all the great falls-related attractions. We also loved going to the aquarium, which had everything from belugas you could pet to bears you could feed, and rides.
Son was six then and had a great time.
We did that same trip this past April! Flew into Buffalo. Toured a Frank Lloyd Wright house (very cool), ate at Anchor Bar (very mediocre), and drove to Niagara Falls. We stayed at the Embassy Suites, in an upper level room, and had a great view of the falls (mesmerizing). Went out on the boat into the mist in almost freezing temperatures! Continued on to Toronto for a few days, before driving back to Buffalo for our flight. Spent 3 extra days in Buffalo (not recommended), because of flight cancellations.
Such great advice everyone…looks like Sheraton or Marriott will be best bet…will look at both of those. Very excited about Anchor Bar…we are flying into Buffalo and my kids are wing fanatics so that will be a great start to our trip! We may take in a show at the Shaw Festival while in Niagara on the Lake and the Farm to Table restaurant there sounds lovely. We are big hockey fans so Wayne Gretzky Winery may appeal to all! Keep your suggestions coming!
My husband is from upsate NY and would say that Duff’s in Buffalo is the place to go for wings! I loved the falls but disliked Niagara. Really enjoyed Niagara on the Lake and wish we’d stayed there. Enjoyed the town and the food. Toured a winery.