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Ontario Hotels



 
 
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  #11  
Old January 23rd, 2008, 08:46 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Lee[_5_]
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Posts: 21
Default Ontario Hotels

On Jan 22, 9:48*pm, (Ed Treijs) wrote:
In article ,

Lee wrote:
For your planning convenience, note that the first Monday in September
(this year, Sep. 1) is a holiday and therefore a busy travel day.


For your searching convenience, note that Niagara has three A's, like
Canada.


Thanks for the advice. Is it only the 1st Sep that's a holiday i.e.
everyone back to work/school on the 2nd? In which case I will arrive
31st, stay in Toronto 1st and 2nd and drive to Niagara Falls on 3rd.


That's sensible. *There's plenty to do in Toronto on the Labour Day weekend,
and holiday traffic will be bad.

Saturday mornings you may be interested in visiting St. Lawrence Market to see
the fresh fruits and vegetables available from local sources. *Peaches, plums,
grapes, carrots, beets, blueberries, etc. *However, on Sunday it's an antiques
market.

I recommend that you visit the Canadian National Exhibition. The Air Show is
on during Labour Day weekend and if you have an interest in this sort of thing,
it's basically included with your CNE admission.

Make sure you visit the CN tower in the afternoon, so you see the view by day
and then by night.

Where abouts do you live? Toronto itself or on the outskirts? We're
actually having our honeymoon there as a bit of a reconnaissance
because we hope to emigrate to Canada in a few years. We're actually
keen on Ottawa and are thinking somewhere between there and Toronto.
We'd like to see some of the smaller towns as well as the big cities
during our visit. I'd appreciate it if you could tell me a bit about
the place.


Peterborough and Kingston are the biggest cities between Toronto and Ottawa.
Peterborough has a lot of manufacturing and a university, while Kingston is
more of a government plus university town. *Smaller cities include Belleville
and Trenton. *There are plenty of smaller towns that were settled back in the
1800s which time has mostly forgot, but I'm not sure that you would want to
settle in the more isolated ones. Belleville and Trenton are somewhat
bilingual, Kingston less so, and Peterborough almost not at all as far as I
have noticed.

A lot of the countryside between Toronto and Ottawa is on the rocky, swampy
Canadian Shield. Some of it is rolling glacial topography of moraines and
drumlins. Plus there's the Lake Ontario shoreline which has a lot of small
towns and cities strung along it. *Almost all date from pioneer days, some back
to the United Empire Loyalists in the late 1700s.

Note that the strip between Toronto and Ottawa is 400 km long and 50-60 km
so that's a lot of territory. *Your reconnaissance will be pretty preliminary.


Thanks for your post, very informative. I appreciate my first visit
will be very preliminary but you have to start somewhere. We'd like to
see some of the major cities and get a feel for the country during our
first visit (traditions and culture, beauty, the people and that sort
of thing) and whilst driving between places we will stop off and have
a look at some of the smaller places and take in some of the
countryside. Just that corridor between Toronto and Ottawa, maybe
stretching to Montreal, is not much smaller than the UK (and a lot
less populated!).
  #12  
Old January 24th, 2008, 09:46 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Lee[_5_]
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Posts: 21
Default Ontario Hotels

I've started to finalise my route as follows, haven't decided on
places to stay yet because I need to decide on my budget:

Sun - Arrive 17:00
Sun/Mon - Toronto
Tue/Wed - Niagara Falls
Wed - Nr Toronto
Thu - Nr Algonquin
Fri/Sat/Sun - Ottawa
Mon/Tue - Montreal
Wed- Nr Kingston
Thu - Nr Belleville / Prince Edward
Fri - Toronto (Meal booked at 360 restaurant)
Sat - Depart 19:00

Any thoughts on this?
  #13  
Old January 24th, 2008, 03:25 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Dave Smith
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Posts: 655
Default Ontario Hotels

Lee wrote:

I've started to finalise my route as follows, haven't decided on
places to stay yet because I need to decide on my budget:

Sun - Arrive 17:00
Sun/Mon - Toronto
Tue/Wed - Niagara Falls
Wed - Nr Toronto
Thu - Nr Algonquin
Fri/Sat/Sun - Ottawa
Mon/Tue - Montreal
Wed- Nr Kingston
Thu - Nr Belleville / Prince Edward
Fri - Toronto (Meal booked at 360 restaurant)
Sat - Depart 19:00

Any thoughts on this?


Just a few thoughts. Niagara Falls is about 1 1/2 drive from Toronto.
Rather than spending 3/4 of an hour to get to a downtown hotel, getting
settled, unpacking and then having to pack again, go directly to
Niagara Falls and get the travel out of the way. That gives you a travel
free day in Niagara and saves the hassles of checking into one more
hotel.
I am not sure of the advantages of visiting Kingston and Belleville,
but there is an interesting air force museum in Trenton.

There are some nice resorts in Algonquin, but they tend to be quite
expensive. You migh consider grabbing a hotel in Huntsville, which is
about 25 miles from the park. It is beautiful in Algonquin in September,
so long as it is not raining. If the weather turns foul you might want
to scrub that leg, though the drive up from Orillia on is quite
scenic. Just as a suggestion,. you might find it interesting to swing
over by Midland and see Ste. Marie Among the Huron.

Montreal is a nice city and one of the most economical cities to visit
because there are lots of good deals on hotels and you can get great
meals for very reasonable prices. All in all, it seems like a lot of
driving over a short period.of time. If you spend extra time in
Montreal or Toronto you can skip Kingston and Belleville. Perhaps you
could just get an early start and stop at those spots along the way. It
is a 5-6 hour drive from Montreal to Toronto.

  #14  
Old January 24th, 2008, 03:49 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
TheNewsGuy(Mike)
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Posts: 319
Default Ontario Hotels

Dave Smith wrote:
Lee wrote:

I've started to finalise my route as follows, haven't decided on
places to stay yet because I need to decide on my budget:

Sun - Arrive 17:00
Sun/Mon - Toronto
Tue/Wed - Niagara Falls
Wed - Nr Toronto
Thu - Nr Algonquin
Fri/Sat/Sun - Ottawa
Mon/Tue - Montreal
Wed- Nr Kingston
Thu - Nr Belleville / Prince Edward
Fri - Toronto (Meal booked at 360 restaurant)
Sat - Depart 19:00

Any thoughts on this?


Just a few thoughts. Niagara Falls is about 1 1/2 drive from Toronto.
Rather than spending 3/4 of an hour to get to a downtown hotel, getting
settled, unpacking and then having to pack again, go directly to
Niagara Falls and get the travel out of the way. That gives you a travel
free day in Niagara and saves the hassles of checking into one more
hotel.
I am not sure of the advantages of visiting Kingston and Belleville,
but there is an interesting air force museum in Trenton.

There are some nice resorts in Algonquin, but they tend to be quite
expensive. You migh consider grabbing a hotel in Huntsville, which is
about 25 miles from the park. It is beautiful in Algonquin in September,
so long as it is not raining. If the weather turns foul you might want
to scrub that leg, though the drive up from Orillia on is quite
scenic. Just as a suggestion,. you might find it interesting to swing
over by Midland and see Ste. Marie Among the Huron.

Montreal is a nice city and one of the most economical cities to visit
because there are lots of good deals on hotels and you can get great
meals for very reasonable prices. All in all, it seems like a lot of
driving over a short period.of time. If you spend extra time in
Montreal or Toronto you can skip Kingston and Belleville. Perhaps you
could just get an early start and stop at those spots along the way. It
is a 5-6 hour drive from Montreal to Toronto.


I was going to say much the same things Dave has said - good advice.
The only problem might be that Niagara Falls may be very booked up on
Sunday as it is the holiday weekend - better check that if you decide to
go there first.







--
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  #15  
Old January 24th, 2008, 04:01 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Dave Smith
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 655
Default Ontario Hotels

"TheNewsGuy(Mike)" wrote:


Sun - Arrive 17:00
Sun/Mon - Toronto
Tue/Wed - Niagara Falls
Wed - Nr Toronto
Thu - Nr Algonquin
Fri/Sat/Sun - Ottawa
Mon/Tue - Montreal
Wed- Nr Kingston
Thu - Nr Belleville / Prince Edward
Fri - Toronto (Meal booked at 360 restaurant)
Sat - Depart 19:00

Any thoughts on this?


Just a few thoughts. Niagara Falls is about 1 1/2 drive from Toronto.
Rather than spending 3/4 of an hour to get to a downtown hotel, getting
settled, unpacking and then having to pack again, go directly to
Niagara Falls and get the travel out of the way. That gives you a travel
free day in Niagara and saves the hassles of checking into one more
hotel.
I am not sure of the advantages of visiting Kingston and Belleville,
but there is an interesting air force museum in Trenton.

There are some nice resorts in Algonquin, but they tend to be quite
expensive. You migh consider grabbing a hotel in Huntsville, which is
about 25 miles from the park. It is beautiful in Algonquin in September,
so long as it is not raining. If the weather turns foul you might want
to scrub that leg, though the drive up from Orillia on is quite
scenic. Just as a suggestion,. you might find it interesting to swing
over by Midland and see Ste. Marie Among the Huron.

Montreal is a nice city and one of the most economical cities to visit
because there are lots of good deals on hotels and you can get great
meals for very reasonable prices. All in all, it seems like a lot of
driving over a short period.of time. If you spend extra time in
Montreal or Toronto you can skip Kingston and Belleville. Perhaps you
could just get an early start and stop at those spots along the way. It
is a 5-6 hour drive from Montreal to Toronto.


I was going to say much the same things Dave has said - good advice.
The only problem might be that Niagara Falls may be very booked up on
Sunday as it is the holiday weekend - better check that if you decide to
go there first.


That's true, and he he makes a reservation now it should not be a problem.
Tourism has been down in Niagara Falls lately because of the low American
dollar, and in September they start getting a lot of tour groups from Europe.
I might suggest the Best Western in Jordan. It is right on the lack, and only
about 20 minutes from the falls. My aunt and uncle stayed there last year when
they came up from Florida and we met them there for dinner. It's a nice place
and has a pretty good restaurant. It is also close to a number of nice
restaurants and wineries.

  #16  
Old January 24th, 2008, 04:03 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Jochen Kriegerowski[_2_]
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Posts: 122
Default Ontario Hotels

"TheNewsGuy(Mike)" schrieb

I was going to say much the same things Dave has said - good advice.
The only problem might be that Niagara Falls may be very booked up on
Sunday as it is the holiday weekend - better check that if you decide to
go there first.


I'd look for accomodation a bit farther away from Niagara Falls: The
town itself is quite ugly. Niagara-On-The-Lake (might be booked up
too, of course) is really pretty, St. Catherines, Thorold, Welland... should
have more than enough Hotels and Motels, and there are many smaller
places with lots of B&Bs to choose from, surrounded by Vinyards.

The falls are always just a short drive away.

Jochen from Germany

  #17  
Old January 24th, 2008, 05:00 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Lee[_5_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 21
Default Ontario Hotels

Thanks for all the excellent tips so far, it's starting to come
together. I will take on board your comments and have another look at
my route tonight when I get home. I'm trying to make it a circular
trip so I see a bit more of the open road. Initially I had Toronto-
Niagara-Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto but it was far

too linear. Adding in Algonquin and Belleville gives me a bit more
variety, not too sure about Kingston, think I might drop that in
favour of somewhere else. We plan to stop of during the journeys and
see a few other places en route anyway. Thanks again for the advice
and keep the places to stay and places to visit coming.

  #18  
Old January 24th, 2008, 05:20 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Dave Smith
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Posts: 655
Default Ontario Hotels

Lee wrote:

Thanks for all the excellent tips so far, it's starting to come
together. I will take on board your comments and have another look at
my route tonight when I get home. I'm trying to make it a circular
trip so I see a bit more of the open road. Initially I had Toronto-
Niagara-Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto but it was far

too linear. Adding in Algonquin and Belleville gives me a bit more
variety, not too sure about Kingston, think I might drop that in
favour of somewhere else. We plan to stop of during the journeys and
see a few other places en route anyway. Thanks again for the advice
and keep the places to stay and places to visit coming.


Since you were talking about emigrating to the Toronto area you might
want to reconsider the Montreal visit. Don't get me wrong. It is a nice
city, and as I mentioned before, a very affordable city for tourists.
Unless you speak French your career options are limited, so the time it
would take to go there will detract from the time spent in southern .
Going up through Muskoka and Algonquin will give you the opportunity to
see what it has to offer, but only as vacation material. Employment
opportunities up there are limited.






  #19  
Old January 24th, 2008, 11:46 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
John Kane
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Posts: 93
Default Ontario Hotels

On Jan 24, 11:00 am, Lee wrote:
Thanks for all the excellent tips so far, it's starting to come
together. I will take on board your comments and have another look at
my route tonight when I get home. I'm trying to make it a circular
trip so I see a bit more of the open road. Initially I had Toronto-Niagara-Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto but it was far

too linear. Adding in Algonquin and Belleville gives me a bit more
variety, not too sure about Kingston, think I might drop that in
favour of somewhere else. We plan to stop of during the journeys and
see a few other places en route anyway. Thanks again for the advice
and keep the places to stay and places to visit coming.


It depends on what you're looking for but if you're also scouting for
a possible place to live I'd recommend visiting Kingston rather than
Bellville. Nothing against Belleville but Kingston at ~ 115k
population is quite a bit bigger than Belleville and is likely to
offer better employment opportunities. It also is a nice lake side
city. (This is Lake Ontario ie a good-sized freshwater lake.)

Both cities offer quick access to the country and to Lake Ontario if
you're interested in sailing. From the health services point of view
Kingston has a medical school and tertiary care hospital which may or
may not be usefull to your wife.

When traveling from Ottawa to Toronto the normal route seems to be
Hwy 417 to Hwy 401. A different route that adds very little to time
but which is much more scenic is Hwy 7 to Perth, Ontario, ( good place
for lunch) then County Road 10 m through the Village of Westport
( another good place for lunch) to Kingston and take the 401 from
there.

As places to stay in Kingston, I'd recommend checking out some of the
"bed and breakfast' places. The Secret Garden, the Rosemont or the
Hochalaga are all more like small luxury hotels than what I'd call a
bed and breakfast. The three mentioned are in the centre of town,
allowing easy access (walking distance in many cases) to restaurants,
tourist places etc. The hotels are just hotels - boring albeit perhaps
a bit cheaper?

For a bit of a change Kingston is about a 20 minutes by free ferry
from Wolfe Island which offers a reportedly quite good hotel (The
General Wolfe) in the village (population perhaps 300?) about 100m
from the ferry or you might want to try a rural bed and breakfast at
the Bayfield Bay Bed and Breakfast Inn on the other sidte of the
island. http://www.bbcanada.com/8368.html . It might be a nice
opportunity to get into a quite rural atmosphere.

For Ottawa, I'd second the Lord Elgin recommendation but also suggest
that you might want to have a look at some of the hotels in Gatineau
(Hull), just across the river from Ottawa.

The Four Points on Laurier St is good. I am not sure but prices might
be a bit better and the location is just about as good though a
slightly longer walk( extra 10 minutes perhaps?) to the Parliament
Buildings and the better Ottawa restaurants but closer to riverside
parks and the Museum of Civilization. However the Four Points is also
close to some good local restaurants. I recommend Le Tartuffe just
around the corner from the Four Points.

John Kane, Kingston ON Canada


  #20  
Old January 25th, 2008, 03:06 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Mark Brader
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Posts: 346
Default Ontario Hotels

Lee Meadowcroft:
I've started to finalise my route as follows, haven't decided on
places to stay yet because I need to decide on my budget:

Sun - Arrive 17:00
Sun/Mon - Toronto
Tue/Wed - Niagara Falls
Wed - Nr Toronto
Thu - ...


Dave Smith:
Just a few thoughts. Niagara Falls is about 1 1/2 drive from Toronto.
Rather than spending 3/4 of an hour to get to a downtown hotel, getting
settled, unpacking and then having to pack again, go directly to
Niagara Falls and get the travel out of the way.


Agreed, if you're flying into Toronto and renting a car immediately on
arrival rather than later. At the airport you're already on the west side
of the city (it's just outside the western city limit, in Mississauga),
so you can get to the Niagara region without driving through Toronto.
Leaving the airport, take highway 427 south about 2 km to highway 401;
then 401 west about 6 km to highway 403, which also goes west.

After about 20 km, highway 403 merges onto the Queen Elizabeth Way
(QEW), which is signed British-style with destination cities instead
of the normal way with directions. At this point you are on the QEW to
Hamilton, which then curves around the end of Lake Ontario and becomes
the QEW to Niagara Falls. At some point highway 403 splits off again,
but now you ignore it and stay on the QEW. If Niagara Falls is your
destination, highway 420 is the usual exit.

(An alternate route from the airport is to stay on 427 south to the QEW,
but in my experience there tends to be more traffic that way.)

These are all freeways with 100 km/h speed limits and traffic usually
a bit above that. There are also back roads with lower speed limits
that will provide scenic alternatives with lighter traffic, when they
aren't going through cities and towns. You might want to try one of
those routes on the way back, although they can be trickier to navigate.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto "People say I'm a skeptic --
but I find that hard to believe."

My text in this article is in the public domain.
 




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