Toronto with kids - help with lodging
May 25th, 2006, 05:59 AM
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Toronto with kids - help with lodging
We are spending 3 nights in Toronto this summer with our two 12 year old sons (one baseball fan and one computer whiz) and a 7 year old daughter. We are meeting friends who live in the Harbor Castle condo and want to go to a Blue Jays game, Ontario Place, CN, Islands,Casa Loma, Bata Shoe Museum, maybe the zoo. My husband and I would like to be able to walk or hop on streetcar to get to places and stay in a smaller hotel in an interesting neighborhood rather than the much touted Westin Harbor Castle…those rooms look too small for 5 of us together! Can you suggest places to stay? Thanks so much!
May 25th, 2006, 06:21 AM
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One of the most popular hotels for families is the Delta Chelsea (because it has a waterslide). It doesn't meet your requirement for "smaller hotel in an interesting neighbourhood", though. It's very conveniently located, but it's at the northern edge of the business district and it's beside the somewhat raffish Yonge Street strip.
You might want to consider the hotels on Bloor Street, especially those at Avenue Road or West. I'm not sure what your budget is, but the Holiday Inn Midtown (formerly a Quality Inn) is probably a good value. More expensive options include the Hyatt, the Four Seasons and the Inter-Continental. They're biggish hotels, but they're adjacent to the very interesting and attractive neighbourhoods called the Annex and Yorkville. The Annex is the "annex to the University of Toronto" - lots of students, cafes, old characterful homes, etc. Yorkville is a posher, livelier version of this. You would be within walking distance of the Royal Ontario Museum, Bata Shoe Museum (highly recommended) and even Casa Loma (a 20 minute walk). You would be located beside the two main subway lines, which would make it easy to get around.
Toronto isn't really a "small, charming hotel/B&B" kind of place, although there are a few. But you should be able to find a nice hotel in a more interesting neighbourhood than Harbourfront.
You might want to consider the hotels on Bloor Street, especially those at Avenue Road or West. I'm not sure what your budget is, but the Holiday Inn Midtown (formerly a Quality Inn) is probably a good value. More expensive options include the Hyatt, the Four Seasons and the Inter-Continental. They're biggish hotels, but they're adjacent to the very interesting and attractive neighbourhoods called the Annex and Yorkville. The Annex is the "annex to the University of Toronto" - lots of students, cafes, old characterful homes, etc. Yorkville is a posher, livelier version of this. You would be within walking distance of the Royal Ontario Museum, Bata Shoe Museum (highly recommended) and even Casa Loma (a 20 minute walk). You would be located beside the two main subway lines, which would make it easy to get around.
Toronto isn't really a "small, charming hotel/B&B" kind of place, although there are a few. But you should be able to find a nice hotel in a more interesting neighbourhood than Harbourfront.
May 25th, 2006, 06:39 AM
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If you want to be near your friends at the Harbour Castle condos, the nearby Radisson Hotel Admiral might be a good choice. The #509 streetcar runs past it and will take you to the Union station subway stop. The ball park Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome) is a short walk away from the hotel.
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-hotel-3293...otel_admiral-i
Transit info: www.ttc.ca
But the Annex area is also a great location. By the way, the Annex was so-named because the City of Toronto "annexed" two vacant farm lots between Bedford Road, the train tracks, Spadina Road and Bloor in 1887.
Toronto info: www.toronto.com
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-hotel-3293...otel_admiral-i
Transit info: www.ttc.ca
But the Annex area is also a great location. By the way, the Annex was so-named because the City of Toronto "annexed" two vacant farm lots between Bedford Road, the train tracks, Spadina Road and Bloor in 1887.
Toronto info: www.toronto.com
May 25th, 2006, 06:47 AM
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If I was 12, I'd want the Delta Chelsea or the Sheraton Centre, for the pools.
1 King West is a combination hotel and condo, and might have rooms with more space.
Holiday Inn on Lombard Street is smallish...
But there are so many definitions of things like "interesting neighborhood."
The Holiday inn on King is on a streetcar line, short walk to the Art Gallery of Ontario and the ball park. Reasonable walk on a nice day to Harbour Castle (longer than you might think looking at a map, but I do this walk a dozen times a year just to go see the lake.)
I'd skip the Jarvis Street hotels, since you have the three kids with you.
You can walk to all kinds of interesting places from the Sheraton, Delta Chelsea (Holton's convenient and has a nice pool, but is generally just plain dull and boring and I'd skip it with the kids.)
The small hotel idea is not really all that good in Toronto -- we've got them, but they tend to be pretty fancy (Le Germain) or old and small -- Hotel Victoria, Strathcona -- even if quite nice.
Cambridge Suites is not small, and not surrounded by little boutiques and quaintness, but it's popular with families and well located for lots of good purposes, and reasonably priced.
BAK
BAK
1 King West is a combination hotel and condo, and might have rooms with more space.
Holiday Inn on Lombard Street is smallish...
But there are so many definitions of things like "interesting neighborhood."
The Holiday inn on King is on a streetcar line, short walk to the Art Gallery of Ontario and the ball park. Reasonable walk on a nice day to Harbour Castle (longer than you might think looking at a map, but I do this walk a dozen times a year just to go see the lake.)
I'd skip the Jarvis Street hotels, since you have the three kids with you.
You can walk to all kinds of interesting places from the Sheraton, Delta Chelsea (Holton's convenient and has a nice pool, but is generally just plain dull and boring and I'd skip it with the kids.)
The small hotel idea is not really all that good in Toronto -- we've got them, but they tend to be pretty fancy (Le Germain) or old and small -- Hotel Victoria, Strathcona -- even if quite nice.
Cambridge Suites is not small, and not surrounded by little boutiques and quaintness, but it's popular with families and well located for lots of good purposes, and reasonably priced.
BAK
BAK
