Where to stay in Toronto
 

We are looking for 2 rooms in good priced B/B or Inn within easy reach of Down town area. I suspect hotel single rooms in Down town a bit expensive

Beaconsfield B/B which is on Beaconsfield Avenue is recommended. Anyone know this B/B? It gets great reviews. One room is for 75 year old with "wonky knee" and I believe all rooms on first floor. Anyone know how suitable this B/B might be,(are stairs steep, are there showers in bathroom etc)and how easy/far it is to get to main Down town area? and if there are good restaurants nearby? I believe tram runs nearby which presumably will take us to main centre?

Any other recommended similar accommodation (or hotels/2 bedroom apartments Down town which may be resonably priced and comfortable) would be appreciated.

As an example when we move on we are hoping/planning to stay at Redwood Garden B/B in Niagara on the Lake, Inn at the Falls Inn in Bracebridge and Merrill Inn, Picton before heading for similar properties in Ottawa (a bit stuck here yet so any ideas appreciated) Quebec (Manoir Dauteuil) and Montreal(Auberge Les Passants du Sans Soucy) Any recommendations /review of these properties also would be helpful please.

Many thanks
DD

Toronto isn't much of a B&B city. You should consider expanding your research to include hotels. Try Priceline for really low prices, or if you want to choose specific hotels, consider a) the Quality Hotel Midtown (Bloor and Spadina, near the subway, several museums, etc); b) the Marriott Courtyard on Yonge; or c) the Days Inn on Carlton (just half a block east of Yonge).

Beaconsfield is in a very funky part of town - what is called West Queen West. A very hip hotel/bar (the Drake) just opened, and the neighbourhood is starting to gentrify (which some might consider a bad thing). There is an interesting mix of art galleries, shops, older businesses, restaurants - but it borders on a somewhat rundown neighbourhood. I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for. There is a streetcar (3 steep steps up, but quite a smooth ride) that runs along Queen St every 5-15 minutes. It can be quite crowded. It will take about 20-30 minutes to get to the centre of the downtown area.

If you have your heart set on a B&B, you might consider the Casa Loma Inn, at 21 Walmer Road. It's actually fairly far away from Casa Loma (one of our tacky tourist attractions); but it's only a block from the Bloor Subway, the Yonge/University Subway, and the Spadina streetcar. It's a couple of blocks west of the Quality Hotel I mentioned earlier, and, therefore close several of the museums. I haven't seen the inside of the inn, but it's in a beautiful, lively residential neighbourhood populated by University of Toronto students, professors, professionals and artsy types. It's probably not as edgy and interesting as Beaconsfield, but it still has interesting restaurants, shops, etc. It's also a block away from St Paul's Church, where a superb Baroque orchestra (Tafelmusik) and other chamber groups play regularly. And my great-great-great uncle used to own the house, about 80 or so years ago.

www.toronto.com/profile/146906/

Check out the reviews of various B&B's in Toronto at Trip Advisor.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g...Vacations.html

I also heard Toronto wasn't a "B&B city" ... well, I only do B&Bs, so I really had to do my research. I will be there Mid-May. I found a B&B that I think I will be extremely happy with. (In my opinion, the food offered in a B&B is VERY IMPORTANT! - This place looks amazing as far as food and comfort...and location! I am really looking forward to it :) )

http://bbtoronto.com/mulberrytree/index.htm

The Merrill Inn in Picton is a fine place.

And I would not send a tourist to Queen Street West and Dovercourt.

And Casa Loma is not tacky.

BAK

I fully agree about Queen and Dovercourt. I work at the psychiatric hospital a few blocks away from there and the neighbourhood can be quite daunting for a tourist.

I would certainly send some tourists to Queen/Dovercourt, if they wanted to stay in an artsy, interesting, transitional neighbourhood, were comfortable in big cities (with its street life) and knew how to take appropriate big city precautions. I wouldn't send my grandmother to Queen & Dovercourt, but I would send my friends there.

Some people might find Isabella Street (the location of the Mulberry Tree) a bit questionable. I travel through Cabbagetown every day (the lower part of it, so I'm not as familar with the upper part where the Mulberry is located), and I wouldn't walk through some parts of it at night by myself.

And I expect that they might be the kind of people who find Casa Loma tacky (it's a fake wedding cake of castle; a rather stupendous one; but tacky in my opinion; but I also enjoy tacky sometimes).

Gee, I should be careful about editing, especially the cut and paste function. The last paragraph in my last post should have appeared immediately after the sentence "I wouldn't send my grandmother to Queen & Dovercourt, but I would send my friends there."

Consider the B & B called the 'Red Door Inn',it's not right downtown but in a lovely neighbourhood located close to High Park and walking distance to the Bloor subway (at Keele).The $$ include breakfast, taxes and Parking.
www.reddoorbb.com

Message: I was seriously considering the Red Door Inn ... I can't remember why I passed. I think it might I have been too pricey for me, but I remember it did look nice.

Actually, for not being a "B&B city" - I found quite a lot of nice places!

I did hear that the Mulberyy was in an "ify" neighborhood ... so I decided to email them and ask point blank. They wrote the nicest email back.

"...Currently, we
Re: have guests for the Toronto International Film Festival, single women are
Re: walking from the film venues back to our
Re: B&B as late as 1am without concerns. Isabella Street has, in the past, had
Re: problems with prostitution at night, while the problems have been cleared
Re: up for many years, they do rear their heads occasionally. However, the
Re: area is safe. Paul and I have lived here for 11 years, during that time,
Re: there has been one mugging at Isabella and Yonge. How many cities can
Re: boast that kind of record for a street that is right downtown? We enjoy
Re: the company of Foreign Embassy representatives, film directors, artists,
Re: business people and tourists at our B&B, no one has ever complained about
Re: the area, on the contrary, they have been thrilled to be so centrally
Re: located. We leave it to you to make your own decision."

I am just including that in case someone does research for the Mulberry Tree B&B on here in the future. It is good information!

I was also VERY IMPRESSED that the Mulberry Tree B&B was included on the list of The Best Ontario B&Bs http://www.bbontario.com/ontario_bed...DNIAGARAREGION (Only a few from Toronto made it!! The Red Door B&B is also on the list.

I might as well copy the list for Toronto:

Toronto, Ontario, Terrace House Bed and Breakfast
Toronto, Ontario, The Mulberry Tree Bed and Breakfast
Toronto, Ontario, The Red Door Bed and Breakfast
Toronto, Ontario, Feathers Bed and Breakfast
Whitby (near Toronto), Ontario, Ezra Annes House Bed and Breakfast

dunas_dog, I'm sure you won't have any problems finding a nice place to stay. I think Toronto looks like a relatively safe place compared to other large cities. Have fun looking

We stayed at The Grand on Jarvis Street, I believe. The area wasn't the best, but you're out of it within a three-block walk.

The hotel was very nice. GREAT staff, breakfast, bar and food service in general. The rooftop whirlpool and indoor pool were fantastic. We would definitely stay here again.