Ontario Hotels

"TheNewsGuy(Mike)" <tnguymNoSpamm RemoveThis @yaho.com> schrieb

> I was going to say much the same things Dave has said - good advice.
> The only problem might be that Niagara Falls may be very booked up on
> Sunday as it is the holiday weekend - better check that if you decide to
> go there first.

I'd look for accomodation a bit farther away from Niagara Falls: The
town itself is quite ugly. Niagara-On-The-Lake (might be booked up
too, of course) is really pretty, St. Catherines, Thorold, Welland... should
have more than enough Hotels and Motels, and there are many smaller
places with lots of B&Bs to choose from, surrounded by Vinyards.

The falls are always just a short drive away.

Jochen from Germany
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On Jan 24, 11:00 am, Lee <leemeadowcr....RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks for all the excellent tips so far, it's starting to come
> together. I will take on board your comments and have another look at
> my route tonight when I get home. I'm trying to make it a circular
> trip so I see a bit more of the open road. Initially I had Toronto->Niagara->Toronto->Ottawa->Montreal->Ottawa->Toronto but it was far
>
> too linear. Adding in Algonquin and Belleville gives me a bit more
> variety, not too sure about Kingston, think I might drop that in
> favour of somewhere else. We plan to stop of during the journeys and
> see a few other places en route anyway. Thanks again for the advice
> and keep the places to stay and places to visit coming.

It depends on what you're looking for but if you're also scouting for
a possible place to live I'd recommend visiting Kingston rather than
Bellville. Nothing against Belleville but Kingston at ~ 115k
population is quite a bit bigger than Belleville and is likely to
offer better employment opportunities. It also is a nice lake side
city. (This is Lake Ontario ie a good-sized freshwater lake.)

Both cities offer quick access to the country and to Lake Ontario if
you're interested in sailing. From the health services point of view
Kingston has a medical school and tertiary care hospital which may or
may not be usefull to your wife.

When traveling from Ottawa to Toronto the normal route seems to be
Hwy 417 to Hwy 401. A different route that adds very little to time
but which is much more scenic is Hwy 7 to Perth, Ontario, ( good place
for lunch) then County Road 10 m through the Village of Westport
( another good place for lunch) to Kingston and take the 401 from
there.

As places to stay in Kingston, I'd recommend checking out some of the
"bed and breakfast' places. The Secret Garden, the Rosemont or the
Hochalaga are all more like small luxury hotels than what I'd call a
bed and breakfast. The three mentioned are in the centre of town,
allowing easy access (walking distance in many cases) to restaurants,
tourist places etc. The hotels are just hotels - boring albeit perhaps
a bit cheaper?

For a bit of a change Kingston is about a 20 minutes by free ferry
from Wolfe Island which offers a reportedly quite good hotel (The
General Wolfe) in the village (population perhaps 300?) about 100m
from the ferry or you might want to try a rural bed and breakfast at
the Bayfield Bay Bed and Breakfast Inn on the other sidte of the
island. http://www.bbcanada.com/8368.html . It might be a nice
opportunity to get into a quite rural atmosphere.

For Ottawa, I'd second the Lord Elgin recommendation but also suggest
that you might want to have a look at some of the hotels in Gatineau
(Hull), just across the river from Ottawa.

The Four Points on Laurier St is good. I am not sure but prices might
be a bit better and the location is just about as good though a
slightly longer walk( extra 10 minutes perhaps?) to the Parliament
Buildings and the better Ottawa restaurants but closer to riverside
parks and the Museum of Civilization. However the Four Points is also
close to some good local restaurants. I recommend Le Tartuffe just
around the corner from the Four Points.

John Kane, Kingston ON Canada
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Lee Meadowcroft:
>> I've started to finalise my route as follows, haven't decided on
>> places to stay yet because I need to decide on my budget:
>>
>> Sun - Arrive 17:00
>> Sun/Mon - Toronto
>> Tue/Wed - Niagara Falls
>> Wed - Nr Toronto
>> Thu - ...

Dave Smith:
> Just a few thoughts. Niagara Falls is about 1 1/2 drive from Toronto.
> Rather than spending 3/4 of an hour to get to a downtown hotel, getting
> settled, unpacking and then having to pack again, go directly to
> Niagara Falls and get the travel out of the way.

Agreed, if you're flying into Toronto and renting a car immediately on
arrival rather than later. At the airport you're already on the west side
of the city (it's just outside the western city limit, in Mississauga),
so you can get to the Niagara region without driving through Toronto.
Leaving the airport, take highway 427 south about 2 km to highway 401;
then 401 west about 6 km to highway 403, which also goes west.

After about 20 km, highway 403 merges onto the Queen Elizabeth Way
(QEW), which is signed British-style with destination cities instead
of the normal way with directions. At this point you are on the QEW to
Hamilton, which then curves around the end of Lake Ontario and becomes
the QEW to Niagara Falls. At some point highway 403 splits off again,
but now you ignore it and stay on the QEW. If Niagara Falls is your
destination, highway 420 is the usual exit.

(An alternate route from the airport is to stay on 427 south to the QEW,
but in my experience there tends to be more traffic that way.)

These are all freeways with 100 km/h speed limits and traffic usually
a bit above that. There are also back roads with lower speed limits
that will provide scenic alternatives with lighter traffic, when they
aren't going through cities and towns. You might want to try one of
those routes on the way back, although they can be trickier to navigate.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto "People say I'm a skeptic --
msb.DeleteThis@vex.net but I find that hard to believe."

My text in this article is in the public domain.
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Mark Brader wrote:

> Lee Meadowcroft:
> >> I've started to finalise my route as follows, haven't decided on
> >> places to stay yet because I need to decide on my budget:
> >>
> >> Sun - Arrive 17:00
> >> Sun/Mon - Toronto
> >> Tue/Wed - Niagara Falls
> >> Wed - Nr Toronto
> >> Thu - ...
>
> Dave Smith:
> > Just a few thoughts. Niagara Falls is about 1 1/2 drive from Toronto.
> > Rather than spending 3/4 of an hour to get to a downtown hotel, getting
> > settled, unpacking and then having to pack again, go directly to
> > Niagara Falls and get the travel out of the way.
>
> Agreed, if you're flying into Toronto and renting a car immediately on
> arrival rather than later. At the airport you're already on the west side
> of the city (it's just outside the western city limit, in Mississauga),
> so you can get to the Niagara region without driving through Toronto.
> Leaving the airport, take highway 427 south about 2 km to highway 401;
> then 401 west about 6 km to highway 403, which also goes west.
>
> After about 20 km, highway 403 merges onto the Queen Elizabeth Way
> (QEW), which is signed British-style with destination cities instead
> of the normal way with directions. At this point you are on the QEW to
> Hamilton, which then curves around the end of Lake Ontario and becomes
> the QEW to Niagara Falls. At some point highway 403 splits off again,
> but now you ignore it and stay on the QEW. If Niagara Falls is your
> destination, highway 420 is the usual exit.
>
> (An alternate route from the airport is to stay on 427 south to the QEW,
> but in my experience there tends to be more traffic that way.)

Personally, I would stick to the alternate. The OP is arriving at 5 pm on a
Sunday night and traffic will be light. It is one less highway exit to look
for in a new place and, for soem reason, some people seem to have trouble
finding 403. I don't, but I know a few people who do.

It is worth noting that 403 joins onto the QEW at Oakville and then starts up
again in Burlington so you have to be sure to follow the QEW when it curves to
the left.
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On Jan 25, 3:41 pm, nespammez... RemoveThis @antispam.net (Bill) wrote:
> On Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:46:46 -0800 (PST), Lee
>
> <leemeadowcr... RemoveThis @gmail.com> wrote:
> >I've started to finalise my route as follows, haven't decided on
> >places to stay yet because I need to decide on my budget:
>
> >Fri/Sat/Sun - Ottawa
> >Any thoughts on this?
>
> Three days in Ottawa is about 2 more than I would want to spend there,
> but that's just personal preference.

Any particular reasons for that?? Guessing there's something you don't
like about Ottawa.
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On 25 Jan, 16:31, "Jochen Kriegerowski" <joinva... RemoveThis @smtp.ru> wrote:
> "Dave Smith" <adavid.sm... RemoveThis @sympatico.ca> schrieb
>
> > I have been to Ottawa several times and always enjoyed it. It is a nice
> > city
> > and ther is a lot to see and do there..
>
> I agree. I've been there once and think it's a nice city. But that's the
> problem: It's a city, so I wouldn't want to spend more than a day there.
> I might go back someday to see the Museum of Civilization again, but
> strictly speaking that's not in Ottawa
>
> I simply don't like cities. The bigger the worse.
>
> Jochen from Germany

Considering I live in Manchester (city has a population of 450,000,
region has a population of 2,500,000) I am not too daunted by the fact
that Ottawa is a city (population of 800,000) or of visiting Toronto
(population of 2,500,000). Although I do appreciate your comments
about visiting cities. We like the countryside and maybe will aim for
more days out of the cities than I have mentioned in my previous
posts. After all, it is not the cities that are attracting us to
Ontario.

So far the main comments I am going to take on board are that I should
start my tour in Niagara rather than Toronto (probably somewhere like
Niagara-on-the-lake rather than Niagara Falls) and that I should spend
less time staying in the cities and more time in the country (albeit
fairly close to the cities, say within 50 miles).

My tour is really starting to take shape and I really appreciate all
your comments. Your posts are helping me to understand what I want
from the first visit and realise what it is that attracted me to
Ontario in the first place. Again many thanks. Lee.
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> I had been to British Columbia and Alberta many times since 1976
> before I first came to Ontario a few years ago, and it "feels" very
> European in comparison. I don't know what it is: The vegetation?
> The shapes in the landscape that somehow remind me of Scandi-
> navia? I have no idea why, but somehow it was "just like at home".
> I'm sure you'll like it!
>
> Jochen from Germany

Funny you should say that. We have always talked about the idea of
migrating to Canada. Obviously Canada is a big place so we set out to
find a region that we thought would best suit us. We looked at things
like population, temperature, rain/snowfall, areas to live and work,
areas for vacation, countryside (lakes, forests etc). Our preferred
location after all that was Ontario. Looking further in to Ontario we
wanted to be near to a city for conveniences and employment (we enjoy
being close to Manchester with it's near 24 hour living) but far
enough away from the city to be close to the great outdoors. The
Toronto to Ottawa corridor looked ideal and hence our decision to
visit there during our honeymoon this year. I expect we will make a
few more visits over the coming couple of years, each with a different
focus. From what we have seen on paper, we think we would very much
enjoy Ontario and I'm sure we will fall in love with the place on our
first visit.
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Lee wrote:

> On Jan 25, 3:41 pm, nespammez....TakeThisOut@antispam.net (Bill) wrote:
> > On Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:46:46 -0800 (PST), Lee
> >
> > <leemeadowcr....TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >I've started to finalise my route as follows, haven't decided on
> > >places to stay yet because I need to decide on my budget:
> >
> > >Fri/Sat/Sun - Ottawa
> > >Any thoughts on this?
> >
> > Three days in Ottawa is about 2 more than I would want to spend there,
> > but that's just personal preference.
>
> Any particular reasons for that?? Guessing there's something you don't
> like about Ottawa.

I have been to Ottawa several times and always enjoyed it. It is a nice city
and ther is a lot to see and do there..
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On Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:46:46 -0800 (PST), Lee
<leemeadowcroft.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:

>I've started to finalise my route as follows, haven't decided on
>places to stay yet because I need to decide on my budget:
>

>Fri/Sat/Sun - Ottawa

>Any thoughts on this?

Three days in Ottawa is about 2 more than I would want to spend there,
but that's just personal preference.
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"Dave Smith" <adavid.smith RemoveThis @sympatico.ca> schrieb

> I have been to Ottawa several times and always enjoyed it. It is a nice
> city
> and ther is a lot to see and do there..

I agree. I've been there once and think it's a nice city. But that's the
problem: It's a city, so I wouldn't want to spend more than a day there.
I might go back someday to see the Museum of Civilization again, but
strictly speaking that's not in Ottawa

I simply don't like cities. The bigger the worse.

Jochen from Germany
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"Lee" <leemeadowcroft.RemoveThis@gmail.com> schrieb

> Considering I live in Manchester (city has a population of 450,000,
> region has a population of 2,500,000) I am not too daunted by the fact
> that Ottawa is a city (population of 800,000) or of visiting Toronto
> (population of 2,500,000).

I live in Potsdam just southwest of Berlin (Population 3,000,000),
and I've been to London a few times, but still... when I travel I want
to have nature. Lots of it! I guess I'd skip Manchester and rather
go hiking in the Peak District instead <g>

We have more than enough densely populated regions in Europe so
I really don't need that when travelling around Canada.

> Your posts are helping me to understand what I want
> from the first visit and realise what it is that attracted me to
> Ontario in the first place.

I had been to British Columbia and Alberta many times since 1976
before I first came to Ontario a few years ago, and it "feels" very
European in comparison. I don't know what it is: The vegetation?
The shapes in the landscape that somehow remind me of Scandi-
navia? I have no idea why, but somehow it was "just like at home".
I'm sure you'll like it!

Jochen from Germany
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"Lee" <leemeadowcroft.DeleteThis@gmail.com> schrieb

> I expect we will make a few more visits over the coming
> couple of years, each with a different focus.

That's definitely a good idea. And don't put on those rose
coloured "holiday spectacles"
....on your future visits that is, not on your honeymoon trip
of course!

Jochen from Germany
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On Jan 25, 4:47 pm, Dave Smith <adavid.sm....RemoveThis@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> Jochen Kriegerowski wrote:
> > > I have been to Ottawa several times and always enjoyed it. It is a nice
> > > city
> > > and ther is a lot to see and do there..
>
> > I agree. I've been there once and think it's a nice city. But that's the
> > problem: It's a city, so I wouldn't want to spend more than a day there.
> > I might go back someday to see the Museum of Civilization again, but
> > strictly speaking that's not in Ottawa
>
> Nor are the art gallery or the aircract museum, but they are very close to
> the city proper.

They've moved? Both were in Ottawa the last time I looked.

I think Jochen was as pointing out that the Museum of Civilisation is
in Gatineau (Hull) QC. It's directly across the Ottawa River from the
Parliament Buildings

> > I simply don't like cities. The bigger the worse.
>
> > Jochen from Germany
>
> I can appreciate that. I tend to avoid cities too. I have been to Germany
> three times. I drove through Hamburg to get from the airport to Luubeck, the
> largest German city I actually visited. The rest of the time was spent in
> small towns. I make an exception for Paris, a big city that is very nice to
> visit, and Copenhagen is an interesting place.
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