Toronto hotel
 

I'm visiting Toronto in a few weeks & need quick advice. Have found a Bed &Breakfast in area called "The Beaches" but can't seem to find area on map. Website brags that it is surrounded by cafes, shops, etc. Is it a good place to stay for couple that enjoys good food/wine/arts ? Don't want to be isolated from main happenings.

I live in the Beaches. It's very pleasant and certainly has lots of cafes and shops to browse in. There's a boardwalk along the lakeshore and it's a wonderful place for people-watching. Access to downtown is very easy and fairly quick. The only thing I'd be careful of, though, is the address. Because it's a desirable area, a lot of places advertise themselves as being in that neighbourhood (this is often a problem in real estate ads, for example) and turn out to be in one of the less pleasant surrounding neighbourhoods. Where is the place located?

jodi- The Beaches are located at the easternmost end of Queen St.E. This is quite a distance from the core of Toronto and is a distinct neighborhood that is especially vibrant during the summer months. You can get a better feel by researching at www.wineva-oak.com ... depending on your length of stay I would recommend the following: <BR> <BR>Short stay... look into staying near Yorkville (Park Hyatt, Four Seasons or any number of good hotels in the area). This puts you near the museums, fine shopping, and good casual dining. From there you are a short cab ride from the theatre, opera as well as the typical tourist hot spots. Consider dinner at North 44 Degrees, Toronto's top rated Zagat choice. Walking should also be a big part of the plan. <BR> <BR>Longer Stay - Combine the above with an overnight or longer stay in Niagara-on-the-Lake. NOTL is 1 hour and a bit from Toronto and offers over 40 wineries many with top notch restaurants as well as the Shaw Festival theatre schedule. Consider Vineland estates, On The Twenty, Peninsula Ridge, Peller, and Hildebrand as top choices. <BR> <BR>As for the Beaches, save it for a Summer Visit. Have fun!

If I may offer a mildly dissenting view - the Beaches is lovely in the early fall, too. It's not all that far from the "core of Toronto", but the nightly rate may be far from what's charged within the downtown core. Niagara-on-the-Lake is pleasant but touristy; I don't know that I'd want to do anything longer than a day trip there, especially since it's so close to Toronto. I was there just a couple of days ago, for the evening (saw a play at the Shaw Festival) and wasn't up much past my bedtime despite the drive home. I would agree, though, that if you want to be around action and excitement you might find the Beaches a bit too quiet.

We also thought "The Beaches" sounded interesting and booked a hotel for a few nights with plan of then staying in downtown Toronto for a few more days. Two years ago when we were there they were doing some major excavation on the main street - it was noisy from dawn to dusk, impossible to drive and ugly. (We live in Boston and have enduring the "Big Dig" for a decade, so we are used to construction!) We, as a poster mentioned in possible, got conned into our reservation not actually being in "The Beaches", but several blocks towards the wrong side of town. I like to go out for early AM walk and for coffee alone - the area seemed safe enough, but I felt in constant danger of falling into a construction hole. I hope the road work is done - if not, try someplace else.

Hi - yes, the road work was incredibly noisy and disruptive, and yes, it's all finished!

Hi,I'm always glad to see tourists try to do something different than seeing the usual C.N. tower stuff. Especially, being at a Bed and Breakfast you'll meet other natives,hopefully very friendly ones and they can give you hints on what to see and what restaurants to go to in the area. It's a very residential area and very homey and walking on the boardwalk is really pleasant. Hope the weather is agreeable to walk along the Lake. Enjoy your stay. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>& <BR>