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Toronto / Near Blue Jays / less partiers inside/outside

Toronto / Near Blue Jays / less partiers inside/outside

Old Jul 24th, 2012, 04:38 AM
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Toronto / Near Blue Jays / less partiers inside/outside

Going to be spending a Friday and Saturday night in Toronto to see a Blue Jays game. We'd like to be near Rogers Field (walking distance) but are concerned that some of the hotels like the Hilton Garden Inn have advisories on TripAdvisor.com that the area is filled with young party people, so is the hotel, etc on weekends. You know, the stories of vomit on the sidewalk each morning, loud music from the clubs that keeps you awake on the 10th floor until 3:00am, those things.

Any suggestions on a moderately priced hotel that meets our criteria.

Thanks very much!
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Old Jul 24th, 2012, 06:39 AM
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The Intercontinental on Front Street meets your needs... keep in mind that the "vomit crowd" are not staying in the hotels... they are locals at clubs in the "Entertainment District" a few blocks away... it may cost you a few more bucks than a cheaper place, but the location and quiet are worth it... have fun
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Old Jul 24th, 2012, 09:12 AM
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My DW and I stayed 1 night at the HI Hostel on Church St. before getting on the ViaRail Canadian. We walked from the hostel to the dome, CN Tower and the train station.
http://www.hihostels.com/dba/hostels...-011006.en.htm
We had no problem with any rowdies.
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Old Jul 24th, 2012, 12:45 PM
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Where exactly is the Hilton Garden Inn?

I like gary's suggestion of the Intercontinental (Downtown) on Front St.
I have not stayed @ Soho Metropolitan but have heard good things.
Another place I sometimes recommend is Novotel on The Esplanade. Small rooms but rates are not bad.

If you are prepared to walk under the QEW or cab it,( very short cab ride) then The Westin Harbour Castle is very nice. Ask for a direct lakefront room, high floor. You wld be away from all of the stuff you are trying to avoid.

OB1
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Old Jul 24th, 2012, 01:05 PM
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The Radisson Admiral Harbourfront Hotel is nicely located on the waterfront a short walk away. We stayed there once several years ago - the room was fine, perhaps a bit smallish (there may be larger room options), but the Harbourfront District can be fun summer weekends (although you didn't say when you are visiting) when there is usually some kind of Festival with Music, a Craft Market, harbour cruises, and several Patios and Restaurants overlooking the water, Islands and sailboats.
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Old Jul 25th, 2012, 09:52 AM
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Thanks for the replies.

We have tentative reservations for the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown - Peter Street - and some of the reviews on TripAdvisor do seem to say that on the weekends the hotel can be occupied by quite a few of the same folks who are partying in the streets and puking on the sidewalks!
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Old Jul 25th, 2012, 10:09 AM
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dw, that's funny...so why did you book there? Peter Street is right in the middle of the Entertainment District so that's why the pukers probably crash there.
As indicated upthread, there are lots of other places where you could stay & still be close to the Blue Jays game.

Just out of curiosity, why did you book Hiulton Garden Inn? Significantly lower rate, or what?

Toronto's downtown core is very compact so you can walk to the Blue Jays game from many hotels.

When are you coming to Toronto?

OB1
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Old Jul 25th, 2012, 12:04 PM
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We are coming this weekend - July 27 and 28. We chose the Garden Inn because the price was good and, overall, the ratings were terrific on Trip Advisor. However, it seems like weekends might paint a different story than weekdays at the hotel.
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Old Jul 25th, 2012, 01:04 PM
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So, do you want to have a Plan B? Maybe also reserve another hotel in case you change your mind about HGI? You can always cancel one of them.

OB1
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Old Jul 25th, 2012, 01:12 PM
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Working on Plan B without much luck, I am afraid. I can cancel HGI up until 6:00pm on the day of our arrival...
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Old Jul 25th, 2012, 01:26 PM
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Well, you have 2 days so you will find something. Sometimes I find it is best to just call the hotel directly.
What other hotels are you interested in?
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Old Jul 25th, 2012, 01:35 PM
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I'm interested in most of them that aren't in the "Entertainment District", but I'm having a hard time trying to justify spending well over $100 a night *more* for them! The rate at HGI is $161.00cdn per night, half of most other places outside the district. Of course, I'm old enough to know that things are usually cheap for a reason ...
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Old Jul 25th, 2012, 03:28 PM
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Have you tried The Sheraton on Queen St West or Novotel on The Esplanade? Or, even the Hyatt on King St West?(used to be a Holiday Inn until recently)
You may also get a pretty good rate @ The Royal York( a Fairmont Hotel) on Front street but that is b/c it is a bit long in the tooth these days but some people still like it for its historical significance.
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Old Jul 25th, 2012, 03:33 PM
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Thanks OB1. I'll give them a look.
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Old Jul 25th, 2012, 03:54 PM
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I checked those hotels. As an example the Hyatt wants $354.00 per night vs $161.00 at the Hilton Garden Inn. I have to admit the price disparity is making me even more nervous at the HGI, but I can't justify paying *twice* as much to stay at a Hyatt!
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Old Jul 25th, 2012, 04:31 PM
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The Marriott Eaton Centre is $229.
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Old Jul 25th, 2012, 05:24 PM
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look at hotels.com and pick 3 or 4 stars... obviously money is more important than location so by using a bidding website you are buying an extra room last minute at a bargain rate...

any hotel you would get would be a short cab or subway ride from the stadium... plus barf free...
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Old Jul 30th, 2012, 01:28 PM
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As you know, I was a bit worried about staying at the Hilton Garden Inn - Downtown Toronto - because of some of the reviews that mentioned it was adjacent to a loud club frequented by hundreds of loud and drunken young people, particularly on weekends. But it seemed like a good value and in a good location, so we went with it.

What a terrific surprise! A beautiful (looks brand new) hotel in a great location. Just a couple blocks to Rogers Centre in one direction, two or three blocks to either King Street or Queen Street with all the restaurants, bars and shops. We even walked to central downtown (City Hall, Eaton Centre) in only 15 minutes, and we're in our late 50's. To us, the location was almost perfect as we were going to see the Blue Jays play at Rogers Centre, but as it turned out the hotel was in a really great location for just about anything downtown.

Our room was a beautiful king room. Clean and wonderful. The room was spotless, including no fingerprints or other markings on the surfaces of either the desk, end tables, dresser or small "kitchen" unit that held a microwave, fridge and coffee makers. Tasteful dark granite was used on top of most of the furniture, and also on the counter in the *beautiful* bathroom. There was no tub, but rather a 28" x 5' shower - beautifully tiled floor to ceiling with a sliding glass tower.

Check in was a breeze and check out was just a touch of a button on the room phone.

We paid $35.00 to park in a lot just across the street as the hotel lot was full, but the price was the same as the hotel and it was *literally* across the street - no hassle.

As for the area being noisy and the nightclub itself: The area was very populated with foot traffic and young people, but the hotel was very, very quiet. We were on a relatively high floor in room 1402, and our friends were on the 9th floor. We all were pleased to find the noise no factor at all. Very quiet both inside and out. Air conditioning worked like a dream and added just enough ambient nose to block out the few car horns or exceptionally loud voices (outside) that might otherwise have been heard in the room.

Free WI-FI in the rooms that worked fast and required no passwords or other aggravating login requirements.

No breakfast provided (not sure if they even have a restaurant) and we didn't check the pool or fitness area so cannot offer any comment.

We paid $165.00 per night (all taxes and fees included) using a senior AARP rate. I think the price would have been $189.00 or thereabouts without the discount. Great bargain and hundreds of dollars less than other hotels in the same area that I checked.

All in all, a wonderful stay in a very convenient location. Two thumbs up!
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Old Jul 30th, 2012, 03:37 PM
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Wow... that's great to hear... I'll be sure to add this place to my list based on your experienced recommendation...
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