Educational trip to Toronto

The Air Canada flight left Heathrow at 15:00 and we landed in Toronto at 18:00. The flight was faultless, cabin crew polite and the Economy seat comfortable. Food was good too. There was a choice of salmon or pasta. I picked the pasta dish and wasn’t disappointed. Only criticism was the choice of audio and film on board, which was quite limited. On the other end, it was maybe better that way, so I didn’t have to spend too much time to ponder what to watch!

Transfer from the airport to the city is generally quick (30 minutes) but there was a lot of traffic because of rush hour and it took us much longer.

We stayed at the recently opened Shangri-La. I was familiar with the Shangri-La, having been to a couple of their hotels in China, and Toronto did not disappoint me! The hotel lobby was very charming and looked like a wine bar with lovely sofas and there was live music, which happens every night and I got a good vibe from it. The décor was very Asian and refined.

I was expecting to share a twin room with one of my colleagues so when I was told that I actually I was going to have my own room I was quite glad, then I entered the room and WOW, I was actually given a one bedroom suites with separate living room and bedroom, with 2 bathrooms! The room had also a very handy Nespresso machine for my morning coffee and the view of the city with the CN Tower was splendid. Apparently everything in the room is controlled by an iPad, including the curtains, but I am a bit old school, so I didn’t use all these iPad features but I am sure some people will appreciate it!

On our first full day, we visited Ripley’s Aquarium. I am not a great fan of aquariums and my visit to the London one did not changed my mind when I went, but this one was a totally different thing. More space to walk around first of all and better features like the walking through passage where on top of it a shark was having a nap, I will never forget it!

We then visited the nearby CN Tower, and observed the view from the restaurant with the skyline of Toronto and the nearby lakes.

In the afternoon we visited the Toronto Premium outlets which are situated near the airport and if you like shopping is a definitely a place to visit with lots of bargains to have.

For dinner, we dined at Bosk, one of the Shangri-la restaurants (the other one is called Momofuku). Food was of great quality and the service spotless. Also breakfast at the hotel was quite good, I had a different one every day and the waiter on the second day did remember what I was drinking the day before. I was quite impressed!

The day after we visited the Niagara Falls, which lay on the border with the US. We visited it by boat called the Hornblower boat, while Maid of the Mist goes from the USA side. When going on the boat bring warm clothes because you get wet and get hold of the kids, they may fly away with all that wind!

We had then lunch at the Sheraton on the Falls which wasn’t probably at the same standard of luxury of other Sheraton I have seen. I was quite surprised to see so many hotels at Niagara Falls, I didn’t know people visited the place for more than one day but the Falls is not the only sightseeing to do in the area and so the Falls are a good starting point.

In the afternoon we had a helicopter ride over Niagara Falls. I had never been on a helicopter before and the scenery was really breath-taking! Nearby the falls there is the "Niagara on the Lake" which is a lovely old Canadian village with one off boutiques, little guest houses and restaurants, and the world’s smallest chapel. Later in the day we visited a vineyard in this area. Canadian does great wine and we tried a few red and white wines, including the famous Ice Wine, which reminded me of the Italian wine "Moscato" or the French "Muscat".

In the evening we wanted to see the hockey game being played at the Air Canada centre but we arrived too late and it was sold out anyway, so we went to the bar next to the stadium that does have a gigantic screen and we watched the game there. The atmosphere was very friendly and supporters of the two teams were mingling together. The game lasted a very long time and Toronto lost, apparently they are not a great team.

On our last day in Toronto we visited the Fairmont Royal York hotel, which is a five star hotel directly linked to the centre shopping malls and therefore perfect for a winter break. We had a lovely Sunday brunch there.

On the flight back we got upgraded to business class and the flight went on a whizz! I make the most of it and slept most of the way. No leg or back pain for once when I landed.

After the trip I had, I can say Toronto is a wonderful destination and a good starting point to discover the rest of the country. I wish to visit again in the future and send my clients there as well.