Niagara, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec & Montreal, Canada – what an adventure!

After arriving mid-afternoon into Toronto, we were picked up and driven to Niagara Falls, which took us approx. 2 hours to reach. We checked into our hotel for the night, Sheraton on the Falls – the views of The Falls from our balcony were breathtakingly beautiful. After enjoying dinner at Elements on The Falls (which has an incredible location right at the brink of Horseshoe Falls) we were invited to The Illumination Tower and given the opportunity to control The Falls multi-coloured lights, which after a few gin and tonics was great fun.

Today we enjoyed 3 of the Niagara Falls excursions; Journey Behind The Falls, Hornblower Niagara Cruise and for sure the ultimate experience was seeing Niagara by air in a helicopter, which is a must for any tourist visiting. If you are looking for late night action there are lots of bars, clubs and casinos which was surprising to see. Late afternoon we made our way back to Toronto stopping en route to an Ice Wine winery – my new favourite drink, it’s delicious! Upon arrival into Toronto we checked into our hotel for the night, Fairmont Royal York. Toronto is so much fun, it’s Canada’s largest city, most visited destination, where people come for big ticket events.

The next morning we spent sightseeing, visiting the CN Tower which is Canada’s most recognisable icon, offering spectacular panoramic views of the city. After lunch at Toronto's newest hotel The Ritz Carlton, we visited Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, children will love it here if travelling with the family. Late afternoon we made our way to the train station for our onward rail journey to the country’s capital, Ottawa, which took about 4 ½ hours to reach.

I was surprised at how quiet Ottawa was, our tour guide explained that the majority of people who live here, work in the government sector and as it was a Saturday morning when Parliament was closed, locals were more than likely having a lie in. Steeped in tradition and history, a very different scene to Toronto and I envisaged the backdrop similar to the scene of Hunchback of Notre Dame. Ottawa is full of museums, landmarks and national sites. Literally steps from the border of Quebec, there is a definite French influence here. In the winter, the canal freezes over and becomes the world’s largest outdoor rink, literally people ditch their cars and ice skate to work.

Mid-afternoon we were picked up by our Quebec tour guide and made our way to Wakefield Mill Hotel & Spa. This is exactly how I pictured the great outdoors of Canada to look like, a place of outstanding beauty. What a romantic setting the hotel has, surrounded by Gatineau Park, which has more than 36,000 hectares of forests, lakes and rivers. There’s much to keep you entertained during the summer and winter months with activities such as canoeing, hiking, horseback riding, biking, cross country skiing to name a few of the outdoor pursuits. Late afternoon we made our way to the Nordik Spa Nature, located at the entrance of Gatineau Park, the largest spa in North America. Quick change into our cossies I was about to experience some serious R&R – there are 2 steam rooms, 7 saunas, 10 baths, relaxation areas and an infinity pool which overlooks the park. We picked up a cocktail, jumped into the bubbling waters and watched the gorgeous sunset, an unforgettable experience and for spa lovers you must come and experience this place. Just 5 minutes up the road is a fabulous little restaurant and was my favourite dining experience throughout my trip, check it out ‘Biscotti & Cie’.

The next morning, we had a guided tour of Parc Omega, which is an incredible wildlife park where you can observe Canada’s wild nature in their natural habitat. We saw bison, bears, wolves, moose, deer, plus more. Around lunch time we made our way over to The Fairmont Montebello to enjoy their famous Sunday brunch. This hotel is the world’s largest log castle and represents what you would expect of a ‘true Canadian experience’. With beautiful surroundings and year around activities offering over 40 exciting adventures. Brunch was delicious! We had such fun in the afternoon at one of the countries famous Sugar Shacks, who would’ve thought it. A father and son team at Sucrerie de la Montagne, you are in for a real maple syrup treat – we had maple syrup coffee, maple syrup lollies, maple syrup bacon, we were in maple syrup heaven!

Our onward journey bought us to Vaudreuil, which is a suburb of Montreal and we stayed in the most gorgeous lake front hotel namely Chateau Vaudreuil. We sipped our gin and tonics on the pontoon whilst watching another gorgeous sunset.

The next day the weather was not so great, with rain for much of the day. We made our way onto Montreal and checked into the newly renovated Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel, for sure this was the best 5* hotel we experienced. After a quick change we went to check out the Observatoire Place Ville Marie, which offers stunning views of Montreal – was a real shame the weather was bad, but I can imagine the views are incredible on a clear day. After dinner we boarded the Montreal Observation Wheel, which again was a shame we weren’t able to see Montreal in all its glory. I feel in love with Montreal, I don’t know if it was just luck we stumbled across a fantastic bar with live music in the evening, but we had a great night. I’ve since learnt that Montreal is renowned for its nightlife and especially for its festivals (more than 100 through summer). As one newspaper writes ‘Montreal has Gallic charm, North America grit and parties like nowhere else’.

Day 7 we enjoyed a city tour of Montreal (with a small hangover). There is so much to enjoy in this beautiful French speaking city and foodies will love it here. Felt at times more European than North American, if you catch my drift. The city layout is like Toronto with much of the city found underground featuring tunnels that stretch over 20 miles and are lined with bars, shops and restaurants. Our Canada adventure had come to an end and we made our way to the airport for our evening flight home. What an incredible experience we had, and I can’t wait to go back with my family in the future.

Feeling inspired? Get in touch, I’d be delighted to tailor-make your Canada adventure.