kimmos

I wonder if anyone had stayed on the Buffalo side recently and can recommend a hotel with views of NF. My husband and I will not be doing the Maid of the Mist, etc, only love to see the fall. Someone did say that the view from hotels on that side is of factories but that post was at least 3 years old. If anyone had stayed on this side recently, would love to hear of their experience. Many thanks.

rm_mn

The Niagara falls point directly at the Canadian side so there really isn't a good place on the US side to vies them.

magnumholmes

May I ask why you won't be doing the Maid of the Mist?

We were there in 1999 and the Maid of the Mist was one of the highlights of our stay there. It was simply awesome. There is nothing like it anywhere we've been.

cd

Goat Island is on the US side and a wonderful place to walk and view the Falls but no hotel. I really don't think there are any hotels on the U.S. side that has a Falls view. There are so many on the Canadian side with fantastic views.

garyt22

The Seneca Niagara Hotel and Casino is the tallest hotel on the US side and offers somewhat of a view of the Falls from the water going over and upper Niagara, be sure to request a Falls side room... good luck!

roseclare

I stayed at the Seneca Niagra Hotel & Casino April 12 & 13. We went for the Casino not the Falls. (In the summer my parents walked to the Falls from the Hotel.) From our room we had a distant view of the Falls. The room was goregeous. Granite countertops and shower, HDTV, down comforter.

roseclare

I wanted to add a few other comments regarding the Niagra Hotel and Casino. We paid $125 a night which I felt was a bargain but I know other times the rates are as high as $285. Also, while I recommend the hotel for its beautiful, comfortable room I would not recommend it for a great view of the Falls because it was too distant.

nytraveler

First - there is no Buffalo side of the Falls. Buffalo is 20 miles away. There is a NY side and a Canadian side. All of the views of the front of the Falls are on the Canadian side - since that the direction the river - and falls are going.

To get a hotel with direct views of the Falls you need to stay in Canada.

And - if you drive over - be sure everyone in the party has the necessary proof to get back into the US (either passport or official birth certificate PLUS photo ID).

kcapuani

Just to echo everyone's comments, there are no decent views of the falls from the NY side. Part of the reason is that we have preserved the land behind the falls with a state park. I live 25 minutes from Niagara Falls, and it is a shame how run-down the area is, even around the brand new Seneca Casino Hotel. Is there a reason why you would prefer to stay on the US side? Crossing the bridge to Canada is really no problem provided you have a driver's license and birth certificate.

kimmos

Thank you all for your helpful replies...coming from Sydney, we would not dream of driving (on the "wrong" side) and because of limited time, we thought we would just stay 1-2 nights on the US side. After reading your replies it seems like it would be worthwhile flying into Toronto and then taking a bus to Fallsview and get a hotel there? Would 2 full days in Toronto be enough? Our main aim was to see NF. Magnumholmes, is November a good time for the maid of the mist? I'm not very good in a boat.

djkbooks

Check www.maidofthemist.com - but I don't think they run past late October. November would be very cold. And, if you're not good on boats, you wouldn't be good on this one, for sure. Ride is rough - and goes very close to the falls.

Two full days in Toronto would be fine. You plan to take a tour bus from Toronto to the Canadian side of the Falls, if you don't want to drive, is an excellent plan. One day would be fine, two would be better.

Due to the configuration of the falls, views are far superior from the Canadian side. (No comparison, actually.) Hotels and restaurants are better as well.

cd

If you're main aim is to see the Falls, stay at the Falls. You could fly into Toronto or Buffalo, rent a car and stay on the Canadian side of the Falls. Embassy Suites has good Fallsview rooms with free breakfest. Just be sure to ask for Fallsview. Marriott has Fallsview rooms and Sheraton at the Falls has fallsview rooms. I think Embassy is the best money wise. Maid of the Mist will not be running in November.

OJudy

Toronto is approximately 1 1/2 hours away from the Falls. Buffalo is approx. 1/2 hour. Whichever city you choose to fly into will be fine, but be sure to get a hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario. That is the name of the city where the falls is actually located (Canadian side). The city on the American side is Niagara Falls, New York. You can walk across the Rainbow Bridge from one to the other and see the Falls from both sides.

kimmos

Thank you everyone ever so much.....will now fly into Buffalo and taxi to one of the Fallsview hotels on the Canadian side. I am sure there will lbe ots more questions for all of you very soon!

nytraveler

November is too late in the year. Many things will be closed and you're likely to run into heavy snows by then. I know Maid of the Mist (and others often follow) run only from late April until early October - since weater at other times is toolikely to be sleet, snow and very cold. (NIagarqa Falls is in the middle of the snow belt - for instance - last year Syracuse has 140").

nytraveler

Don;t know where else you may be going - but November can be winter weather both in the northern snow belt - and in the mountains anywhere (including California - ie closed roads etc). Hope you have your winter clothing packed.

formernewyorker

Puleez-about Nov. being so wintry. I lived outside of Buffalo for 33 years and it wasn't that bad in Nov!!
Believe it or not,we do get to see that yellow ball called a sun in summer months!!
I suggest Red Coach Inn...on american side of Niagara Falls..It has an awesome restaurant also! Enjoy your stay!!

nytraveler

It's perfectly true that winter may ot come to that area by November - it depens on a year by year basis. But - it can be very cold and snow/sleet are by no means unknown. And - mnay places do not run year round - and that's too late for some.

Depending on where people come from the entire concept of a real winter may be unknown. (I have a new neighbor that has lived her whole life in FL - and she was amazed at the cold/sleet/snow in NYC - which is nothing compared to the Lake effect snow in the Niagara Falls area.) It might never occur to them that it could be that cold - or snowy - or that all sorts of things may be closed.

roseclare

On our trip to the Casino in April we had blizzardy conditions on the morning we left the hotel. A few miles from the hotel the weather was clear. Being from Cleveland we have visited the Falls many times, always on the Canadian side and always in the summer. I agree that the Maid of the Mist is a must for visitors to the Falls. Snow and or very cold weather in November is very likely IMO.

KathyK

While it may not be snowing in November in Niagara Falls, it is very unlikely that the weather will be nice. The temperatures won't be higher than the 40's or 50's and could be lower. Not the kind of weather that most people would want to be walking around in. The most popular tourist attractions will be closed. If you can visit in the summer or September you should have a better and more complete experience.