irecommend

Just to let you know The Tragically Hip is doing an open air concert in the Commons in Niagara on the Lake on Saturday June 30th.

The Charles Inn is lovely.

Isabella36

Hi,

I have until Friday to decide whether I want to stay at The Harbour House Hotel or Charles Inn. I think it's down to these two. I don't have much time to review all of the other properties so decided to make this easier for myself and decide between these two lovely properties. I contacted St. Anne's but they have no special promotions for July/August however their special rate during this time is $319/pp and includes $100 spa credit, breakfast, dinner, tea & treats, and use of facilities. They are no spots available at Dorset Manor according to the person I spoke to today.

I am going to review everything and decide what I really want in each package. The Charles Inn has another price quoted on their own website for the 'No Boys Allowed' package. It's actually cheaper than the price I quoted above however, the spa treatment is $100. That's fine b/c if I buy anything above, then I will pay for it.

http://www.niagarasfinest.com/proper...sinn/packages/

The reviews are positive for both places. I haven't sat down to compare prices on paper but will soon and let you know what I decide.

Isabella36

P.S. The Charles Inn messaged me with the following information:

For the date requested 6 rooms are available- July 1-3, 2012- 2 nights.

“No Boys Allowed- 2 Night’s Package”
Two Night’s accommodations with continental breakfast both mornings, one three-course a la carte dinner for two, $200 Spa voucher towards treatment at Shaw Spa, Two Icewine martinis, Spa Gift.

Midweek prices quoted as follows:
Superior room- $900.50 CAD plus taxes & service charges=$1,047.76 CAD
Deluxe room- $798.50 CAD plus taxes & service charges=$926.73 CAD

# 2—The Onigahara Room – (Deluxe Room)
Queen-size bed, glass-enclosed multi-head shower, heated bathroom floor, central A/C, view of Queen St., 2nd floor.

# 6—The Magnolia Room – (Deluxe Room)
Queen-size bed, glass-enclosed multi-head shower, heated bathroom floor, central A/C, view of golf course, 2nd floor, private screened verandah.

# 7—The Safari Loft – (Superior Room)
King-size bed, gas fireplace, sitting area with pull-out day-bed, large soaker-tub with separate small shower, A/C, 3rd floor.

# 8—The Daisy Room – (Deluxe Room)
Queen-size bed, glass-enclosed multi-head shower, heated bathroom floor, A/C, main floor, access to private balcony.

# 9—The Library Room – (Deluxe Room)
King-size bed, jet air tub with a rainforest shower in tub, heated bathroom floor, A/C, main floor.

#10—The Renoir Room – (Deluxe Room)
Queen-size bed, jet air tub with a rainforest shower in tub, heated bathroom floor, A/C, windows on three sides of room, 2nd floor.

All rooms include a wonderful plated continental breakfast. Rates are based on double occupancy and 13% HST tax is additional.

It doesn't look like the package at The Charles Inn is more expensive although it has the $200 spa credit.

For those of you who stayed at The Charles Inn, which room did you stay in?

Thanks.

Isabella36

I did a breakdown of the two places that I am considering so that I could see which one is cheaper but also help me make a decision.

The Harbour House Hotel:
$763.93 includes taxes & gratuities, 2 nights accommodations, breakfast each morning, one-3 course meal at The Charles Inn, $25 spa credit and tour/tasting @ Peller Estates.

$763.93/2 = $381.96/per person

$381.96/2 nights = $190.98/night

Included app. costs:
$25 dinner
$15 breakfast (x2)
$25 spa credit (but won't cover much)
$20-25 wine tour
Total: $90

$190.98 - $90 = $100.98/night


The Charles Inn:
$926.73 includes includes taxes & gratuities, 2 nights accommodations, breakfast each morning, one-3 course meal at The Charles Inn, $200 spa voucher at Shaw Spa, two icewine martinis, spa gift.

$926.73/2 = $463.36/per person

$463.36/2 nights = $231.68/night

1st night:
$231.68 (minus costs)

Included app. costs:
$100 spa credit
$25 dinner
$10 breakfast
$5 drink
Total: $140

$231.68 - $140 = $91.68/night

2nd night:
$231.68 (minus costs)

Included app. costs:
$100 spa credit
$10 breakfast
$5-10 gift
Total: $120

$231.68 - $120 = $111.68

I think that I am leaning more towards The Charles Inn b/c of the spa treatments however you can also add on to the spa credit with The Harbour House Hotel and spend as little or as much as you want. The wine tour is included and that would be nice too.

I know that I have been sharing a lot here but I would appreciate some help in making a decision with regards to which hotel to choose.

Thanks again.

garyt22

$25 for dinner at the Charles is a bit low... more like $50

Wine tours are available at all of the wineries for $5 to $10 and that charge basically covers your samples... Peller does not make wine at their site, but the tour allows you into their beautiful barrel cellar... Hillebrand and Inniskillin have more involved tours if you want to see behind the scenes...

In regards to the Hotel, both properties are owned by the same hotel group so service should be similar... both are small Inns, Charles is a converted mansion at one end of the village on the Golf course... Harbour is a bit more contemporary located near the Marina and water and is a short walk to the main village (3 short blocks through the neighbourhood)

They use the same Spa and offer shuttle service

Charles seems like a better deal if you can pamper yourself up to the limit... and if you do Harbour, $25 in Spa covers very little so you will have to reach for more $$$$

Also as an added adventure, consider the Whirlpool Jet Boats which dock near the Harbour... it will be the highlight of your birthday visit!!! www.whirlpooljet.com

Isabella36

Is $50/person or for two? I was estimating $25/person although I would bring that number up to $30/person. I guess I don't eat that much and for drinks, I would probably order a glass of wine. My friend and I would probably not share a bottle of wine as we both don't drink that much. I guess the meals are more expensive than typical restaurants?

I have to say that I like the contemporary look of Harbour and the rooms seem to be a nice size. Plus, it's a king size bed. Charles Inn is nice as well but I read some reviews that make me hesitant. I read that some of the rooms are on the smaller size (depending which room you get) and you can hear the people on different floors and in the kitchen. However, these were only mentioned by a few reviewers. Also, the pkg. includes queen size bed - not king.

I am debating whether it would be cheaper to book the hotel room separately via booking.com or one of those sits, with breakfast included, and book the spa separately?

I haven't heard back from my friend and I'm a little worried. I would feel more comfortable knowing she's okay with this but I guess until I decide what I want to do, I try and not get too stressed about it although I am hoping that she is still interested in going. I have until tomorrow to decide for the premium room at the Harbour although I prefer the spa pkg. at the Charles Inn.

Thanks for your input.

Isabella36

Hello,

I received a message from the hotel suggesting some other packages that I may be interested in as they have more of a spa feature. Two of them are more expensive than the original package I was considering. I would like to get some feedback with regards to whether the prices are reasonable considering what's included.

I appreciate hearing back from you. Thanks.


Just Us Gals Getaway Package in a Premium Room = $1277.17
*Two nights of accommodation with early check in based on availability
*Full European Breakfast for two each morning
*Two three course a-la-carte dinners for two at Zees Grill and Charles Inn Dining Room
*Shaw Spa Goodie Bag
*Two $100 Shaw Spa vouchers for use toward the treatments of your choice at The Shaw Spa
** Passes to Peller Estates Winery “Chicks & Chocolate” food and wine pairing seminar

A Taste of the Good Life Package in a Premium Room = $1176.50
*Two nights of accommodation
*Full European Breakfast for two each morning
*Bottle of VQA wine in room upon arrival
*$100 Shaw Spa Credit
*3 Course a la carte dinner for two with wine pairings at the Charles Inn
*Two Harbour House bathrobes

Spa & Wellness Package in a Premium Room = $930.89
*Two nights of accommodation
*Full European Breakfast for two each morning
*One three course a-la-carte dinner for two at either the Charles Inn or Zees Grill
*One $200.00 Shaw Spa Credit to be used toward the treatments of your choice

All rates given include tax & service charges.

garyt22

I would consider the Spa and wellness... they will let you use a bathrobe while at the Spa... good luck

Isabella36

I ended up going with the Spa & Wellness pkg. However, my friend informed me that she is not a spa person and doesn't want to spend the money on spa treatments. I was a bit disappointed as I wanted to do this as well and still considered sticking with this pkg. but I don't want to have $200 worth of treatments for myself. I thought about it but check in is at 3pm on the day of arrival and we are only there for 2 nights so I would need to do one treatment on the first day and one on the second, which would be fine but I would also like to see some of NOTL and my friend would like to do a wine tour. I know that it's my birthday but when you are traveling with someone else, I'm realizing that I can't expect the other person to do something that I would like to do. So, I'm considering changing to the Niagara's Best Dinner pkg. which includes two breakfasts, one dinner at the Charles Inn, $25 Shaw Spa credit for one (not much to play around with here so I will have to pay at least $100 to make use of this credit, although I'm still paying for it in the end), and a tour and tasting for two at Peller Estates Winery. The cost is $763.39. Since my friend is not interested in the spa portion of this trip, would I deduct the $25 from her portion of the trip or just divide the $763.39 between the two of us and let it be. I'm not sure what to do.
Thanks.

garyt22

just use the credit yourself and tell her the $12.50 is her b-day gift to you...



also... why don't you just book a room and do your own dinners, tour, and spa... then you are each paying your own way...

Isabella36

just use the credit yourself and tell her the $12.50 is her b-day gift to you...
...sounds good especially after spending so much time trying to organize it and then finding out that she doesn't want to do spa treatments. I didn't think it would be this complicated or difficult to book something. I hope the actual trip goes smoother and is enjoyable.

I thought that it would be cheaper to do a pkg. but it looks like it might be a bit cheaper to book it separately. I checked out booking.com (having to use different dates) and the cost for 2 nights was $269 with breakfast included (not including taxes and other charges), which would be about $294.55/per person.

Isabella36

Correction - the $269 ($294.55 with taxes) is for 1 night. Otherwise, it would have been an AWESOME deal for 2 nights and cheaper to book it separately. The pkg. rate is $763.39/2 persons = $381.69/2 nights = $190.85/night.

Sorry for going on about this. I'm starting to feel a bit frustrated. I think it would have been easier to go solo or with my sister!lol. Don't get me wrong. I'm looking forward to going away with my friend but I thought it would be much easier to plan something for two people.

jamierin

Hi Isabella! I am back on your thread so you can ask me what you want here!

garyt22

Book 2 nights... room only with B-fast

wine tours are $10 each (with samples)

There are a dozens of great restaurants... all prices... and a late lunch could be better than a pricey dinner..

wander the village, side trip to the Falls, get some bikes, have a picnic, shop in the boutiques, grab some theatre tix... you really sound like you and your friend don't fit into a package...

Isabella36

gary22 - I looked at expedia and booking.com and for one night, a room would be $310 that's with taxes/charges. This includes breakfast but it would cost more to book the room separately. However, I understand what you are saying b/c I can see that my friend is not on the same page with me. My friend sent me a message today telling me to be mindful of her budget as she didn't want to overspend, and doesn't want to go over $370. She left it up to me to decide on planning it and deciding on the pkg. I spent most of the day today looking at different prices but they were generally the same - $269 + taxes/charges = $310. I went to hotels.com, booking.com, and expedia.ca. If I go with the Niagara's Best Dinner pkg, it's $381.96 for 2 nights ($190.98/night), which includes breakfast, 1 dinner and wine tour. I know that the wine tour and dinner can be booked separately but as I mentioned above, booking the room separately, seems to cost more. Gary, did you find rooms at a cheaper rate? I can always call the hotel and ask what the price/night is and explain my situation. I'm trying not to get frustrated but I am. I have been keeping mindful of my friend's budget; it's not like I would expect someone to spend a lot of money to go away with me but I have been doing my best to research the best deal that I can possibly get. I almost wish that I asked my two sisters to go instead b/c this wouldn't have been as much of an issue. However, I already asked my friend so I need to figure something out. I will let her know what the rates are per night via expedia, booking.com and hotels.com so that she understands the cost without the pkg. features. Initially, she agreed to the Niagara's Best Dinner pkg. so I will remind her of this and she what she says.

I thought about going to the theatre but considering her budget, and the room rates, I don't know if we would be able to now.

Thank you again for your help.

Hi jamierin, thanks for your message. I wanted to ask you if I you did a pkg. deal when you went to Harbour House Hotel or did you book separately. If so, who did you book through and do you remember how much you paid?

Thanks.

Isabella36

I just want to mention that my friend initially agreed to the Niagara's Best Dinner Pkg. for $381.96 and seemed excited to do it even though it was a bit over her budget.

Isabella36

Oops! I apologize for repeating myself in my last post. It's late and didn't realize that I had already mentioned it. I'm getting upset by all of this and I shouldn't but I'm frustrated. I just want my 40th to be smooth b/c my 30th wasn't and it's a big deal for me even though for many people, birthdays are just another day.
I'm going to try and not think about it right now and just let it be until tomorrow.

jamierin

Hi Isabella,

I booked directly with the hotel each time that we stayed. I can't remember the cost but it was 4 of us and we had 2 connecting rooms each time. I recall it being something like $800 for the 2 rooms for 2 nights.

We did not do a package, although I think that breakfast is always included and it is substantial and delicious. The last time that we stayed there was about 4 years ago, so the prices have probably crept up since then.