Our City!

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Prince Edward County

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THE WARING HOUSE

2020 has been something!! The pandemic has affected everyone in very different ways … for us it meant to scrap our existing travel plans for the rest of the year and explore Ontario as a part of our travel plans.
This year we completed our five-year wedding anniversary and we wanted to visit someplace new even for a short few days just to get away from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. We were looking for some place that we both had not been to and is a short drive from the city.

After doing some research we came across Prince Edward County and we fell in love with what it had to offer. PEC is known as the second wine country of Ontario and has amazing spots for hikes and a large sandy beach with crystal clear waters. It also has several boutique style motels/ inns which has a lot to offer. WINE + BEACH + HIKES = Perfect equation for an ideal getaway for us.

We had the opportunity to stay at The Waring House Inn for the duration of our weekend trip.
Besides offering various packages for both couples and families, The Waring House Inn has a cute country style charm which adds a lot of character to the property. Here is our review on our stay and places we think are an absolute must to visit in PEC.

LOCATION

The Waring House Inn is located in Picton, Ontario and is located a short ten to fifteen minute driving distance to all the major wineries in the area. The Sandbanks Provincial park is also located 15 minutes away which makes it the perfect place to stay for people wanting to either or both during their stay.

CHECK-IN

With 49 rooms housed in five buildings, The Waring House is one of the larger hotels in the County so chances are you’ll find accommodations here when all the boutique inns and B&Bs are full. The Waring House offers traditional rooms with a bed + bath and some suites which also have a small living space with a pull-out bed. They also have a few cottages on the property to rent which come with a private outdoor sauna. Unfortunately, these were all booked up and we decided to stay in one of their suites.

Our room was quite large and we had our own private balcony with a large green space. The room was furnished with a very comfortable pillow-top bed, Egyptian cotton sheets and down comforters. Additionally, the rooms include complimentary wifi, an iron/ironing board and blackout curtains. Due to COVID, housekeeping was not offered daily, but we were able to request additional amenities through the front desk at any time of the day. The best part about coming back to our room was just winding down in bed and watching TV with a glass of wine.

The Waring House Inn also was able to provide us with a Sandbanks Pass which included beach towels and a parking pass for the day.

HAPPY BELLY

The Waring House Inn has two restaurants on-site. However, due to COVID, the Amelia’s Garden was the only restaurant that was operational. In our opinion, the staff at the restaurant did an amazing job with their service given the circumstances and restrictions. They made sure social distancing rules were followed at all times.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner on our first night. The pickled fried chicken is something we had never had before and it was absolutely crispy and flavorful. They also have a wide selection of their local wines, beers and ciders on the menu. The breakfast at the café was slightly disappointing due to their limited menu. However, we did like their French toast and greek- yogurt.

THINGS TO DO: TOUR THE WINE COUNTRY

Some of the wineries that we absolutely recommend in the area are Norman Hardie Winery, Huff Estate, Karlo Estate, Casadea Winery, Closson Chase Winery, Waupoos Estates Winery and The County Cider Company.

We also spend a day at the Sandbanks beach. The water is crystal clear and the beach is sandy with by fat the softest sand I have seen in Ontario. The beach is also extremely clean, kid friendly and perfect for a nice picnic.

OUR VERDICT

The Waring House Inn was located ideally and offers the perfect country experience we were looking for. Wait no more!!! Pack your beach towels and wine glasses and go explore what PEC has to offer.

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SoHo T.O.

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SoHo T.O

The Soho Metropolitan Hotel has always been on our bucket list of hotels to stay at in downtown Toronto.  So when Toronto finally had a nice hot weekend, we decided to head on into the city to spend a night at the Soho Metropolitan for our weekend get away from all our adult responsibilities.

Despite the hotel being over ten years old, The Soho is a luxury boutique hotel which is extremely chic and modern. It is a four story, 92 room room luxury hotel which also has a condominium complex located right above it. Here is a quick review of our short stay at the Soho Metropolitan Toronto.

LOCATION

The Soho is located right around the corner of Wellington and Blue Jays Way. It is conveniently located close to all the attractions in the city. If you are a local and are here for a staycation to enjoy what Toronto has to offer, Soho is right in the middle of Toronto’s “entertainment district.” It is close to city’s best clubs, restaurants and lounges. It is located walking distance to Queen Street West where we explored some of the trending shops and snacking spots.

ROOMS

We stayed in one of their large executive suites which included a cozy living space. The room offered us some pretty amazing luxuries such as a comfy king size bed, oversized his and her closets, electronically-operated silk drapes covering wall-to-wall windows and above all heated bathroom floors with a seperate standing shower and large soaker tub.

One feature we found absolutely useful was the automated “Do not disturb” switch inside of our room. This replaced the conventional door sign which you find at most hotels and indicated to the staff not to enter the room when on.

Soho Metropolitan is also the only hotel we found that provided a turn-down service. They not only made our beds, but also re-cleaned our whole room and provided us with some fresh towels and filled our ice bucket in case we decided to enjoy some late night drinks.

Other basic amenities such as safety deposit box, ironing board, robes and room slippers were also included to make our stay comfortable and worry free.

POOL & GYM

On the second floor of the hotel, they have a fitness centre equipped with all the necessary gym equipment one would require. Connected to the gym is an indoor pool with a hot tub and steam room. Along with this, there is also a terrace patio with outdoor seating space which is open during the warm summer months.

HAPPY BELLY

After snacking throughout the day, we decided we wanted to relax at the hotel and dine at their  in-house Luckee restaurant as we had heard some raving reviews about their dim sum. Darshan and I are not big on Asian Cuisine, but after dining here, we have changed our perspectives. We ordered some of the chef specialities as suggested by our server and we could not get enough. We especially loved the Chicken Cheung Fun which was a completely different take on sushi…. It is a must try on their menu. For the desert, we got their lava chocolate cake, waffle and guava creme brulee. We loved them all but our favourite was the creme brulee as it was a completely unique touch to our favorite dessert.  

The next morning, we decided to sleep in and grab a quick bite at the on site Sen5es Cafe before we headed back home to our daily routine life. We got their classic breakfast, eggs benedict along with a cappuccino and a hot chocolate. The breakfast was excellent and it was really nice to just slide downstairs and enjoy a lovely breakfast in their bright dining room.


OUR VERDICT

The SoHo Hotel Metropolitan is the perfect luxury boutique hotel for all kinds of travelers. It’s convenient location makes it easily accessible for both business and leisure. We truly enjoyed our stay here and would highly recommend this hotel for people who want to stay in a nice central location in Toronto to enjoy the city.

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Best view in Toronto

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Delta Toronto

Every now and then a couple needs a little something special to keep things interesting. We had one of those experiences while celebrating Darshan’s BIG 30th birthday. From our earlier dating days to now, his birthdays have always been a special occasion for our relationship. FUN FACT: He asked me (Mani) to be his girlfriend while celebrating his 19th birthday realizing that I wont say NO to him on his big day. Ever since, we have celebrated many birthdays in Toronto, especially at Delta Toronto as it was always affordable and central to the core downtown. This time he wanted to celebrate his big day recreating those fun memories instead of a grand party. So I surprised him with a mini-staycation with our fav hotel in Toronto.

Since our last stay, the Delta has moved to a new location. The property was built from ground up and is approximately 3 years new. The 40 story building has all glass exterior offering modern & elegant decor throughout. It’s no secret why delta chose its new location, as it offers unparallel & absolutely stunning views of the city from almost all of their rooms. In certain suites it feels like you can reach out and touch the CN tower–not really but check out the pictures and tell me that’s not the best view from any hotel room in Toronto.

LOCATION

The Delta Toronto is conveniently located right across from The CN Tower , Ripley’s Aquarium and Steam Whistle Brewery. It’s also a short walk to Harbourfront and the ACC if you are planning to catch a Maple Leafs or Toronto Raptors game during your stay. The Delta also connects directly to the PATH which made it perfect for our winter staycation and allowed us to be tourists in our own city! For those visiting Toronto for the first time, PATH is a network of underground pedestrian tunnels, elevated walkways, and at-grade walkways connecting the office towers of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is more than 30 kilometres long. In other words you can walk around Toronto without feeling the Canadian cold.

ROOMS

We stayed in the Corner Deluxe Mode Room on the 33rd floor. Upon entering our room, we were immediately drawn towards the bathroom for its magnificent views of the CN tower and the lake. The windows throughout the room, including the bathroom stretched from floor to ceiling which allowed us to experience uninterrupted city and lake views. The bathroom also came with a larger soaker tub in which we got to relax with a glass of wine while enjoying the extensive views. The toilet is placed perfectly in the bathroom as you can also get the city views….Darshan calls it “ The Loo with a View”.

The bed is super comfortable and at night it was the perfect place to cuddle up and watch the lights of The CN Tower. There was also a large flat screen TV and a office SMART desk which came equipped with various cords for your electronic devices which would then connect directly to the TV. How COOL!!!!.

We were only shocked about the lack of mini bar, but they did have a mini fridge for us in the room.

On a side note, we always appreciate when hotels take the necessary steps for the security of their guests. One of those measures was that you needed to have your room keycard in order to access your floor from the elevator. This helps eliminates unnecessary foot traffic in the hallways and protects the privacy of the guest. I realize this is becoming increasingly common but when a hotel does this it goes a long way in making us feel safe.

POOL & GYM

On the fourth floor of the hotel, they have a nice indoor heated salt pool with nice pool a hot tub and co-ed steam room. We loved the pool as it was not saturated with chlorine like most hotel pools that cause eye irritations.

On the fourth floor, there is also a fitness centre. We also saw which looked like an open terrace/ patio on the fourth floor with outdoor seating space. This was closed due to weather when we were here.

HAPPY BELLY

We read amazing things about the in-house restaurant at Delta Toronto and decided to give it a try for Darshan’s birthday dinner. It was hands down one of the best meals we have had in Toronto. We ordered their grilled calamari and mac n cheese for appetizers, which were both extremely delicious.

Darshan and I, both love lamb as our choice of meat and always get a lamb item if one exists on the menu. So we went with the lamb shoulder and the lamb stuffed flatbread option for mains. We rarely get excited about our lamb choices as most times, the lamb is either too bland or overcooked.This time however, we were pleasantly surprised as both our lamb dishes were perfectly seasoned and flavorful.

For the desert, we got a sample platter with a small portion of all the choices on the menu. We loved them all but our favourite was the Crème brûlée.

OUR VERDICT

Simply put, Delta Toronto is perfect for anyone planning an overnight trip to the city. I honestly cannot recommend this hotel enough.

  • Night Out – Some of the most popular clubs & bars in the city and the Air Canada Centre are right at your doorsteps.
  • Staycation – Awesome views of the city, SOCO offers some of the best dishes your tastes buds will appreciate.
  • Vacation – Absolutely YES!

Throughout our exploration of Delta property we found some pretty spectacular spots this hotel offers but weren’t open due to the winter weather. Having said that, we can not wait to check out Delta during the summer to give you a more comprehensive review of their beautiful outdoor space & amenities.

OFFERS

Check out their specialized offer page to help find exclusive deals to extend your budget without compromising your experience.

  • Shop & Stay Package
  • Toronto Events Rate
  • Bed & Breakfast

Rest Relaxation - Feature

Rest & Relaxation

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Toronto is home to some of the best spas which can cater to both men and women and provide you with a variety of services. We decided to focus on a couples retreat as we both enjoy our spa getaways.

HealthWinds Spa

Located a short five minute drive from core downtown area, Healthwinds has a very peaceful and relaxing atmosphere with some of the most knowledgeable and experienced professionals. If you’ve had a stressful work-week or are in need of some well deserved pampering, we strongly recommend their Couples Retreat package, which includes “Side-by-side” massages with a warm Paraffin back treatments & pedicures.  The waiting area is gorgeous and offers a large varieties of soothing organic teas while you wait for your treatment.  What is it about sipping tea in a tranquil spa that just melts your worries away?

Our massages were one of the best we have had as our RMTs knew exactly which points to concentrate on and also gave us home-exercises to relieve tense areas.  They were very thorough & paid close attention to our overall comfort.  We got to enjoy the pedicure area all to ourselves with our antipasto platter which included freshly baked bread from a local bakery along with olives, roasted red pepper and individual salads.  It was an unforgettable experience and something tells me you’ll love it too.  As for us, we can’t wait to go back.

Likes : Clean. Extremely knowledgable and helpful staff. Large selection of teas and their antipasto platter is delicious.
Dislikes : No co-ed steam rooms, however you can enjoy a steam bath in the individual change rooms.

Ste Anne’s Spa

Approximately an hour and half away from downtown, this spa is the perfect spot to getaway from hustle bustle of the city. It is set in the countryside on a 400 acre land where you can get spa treatments, wellness classes our just be in the nature by exploring some of their walking trails and horse stables.

The customer service is superb, from the second you walk through the doors you are greeted with a warm welcome by the hostess that helps you check-in and provide you with a schedule of your day. Once you check in, you get a nice tour of the facilities and are free to indulge in their many amenities until your scheduled treatment. We got the couples day-spa package which included $120 credit per person for spa treatments along with delicious lunch and soothing afternoon tea. You can also choose to enjoy the eucalyptus steam room and outside pools before and after your treatments.  There’s also a quite room with full massage chairs to transport you to the next level of euphoria.  A nap here is definitely recommended.

We have not had the best experiences with in-house dining when visiting Spas, but Ste Anne spa definitely is an exception to that rule.  The lunch offers plenty of variety and comes with sizeable portion to satisfy your appetite.  They are also very accommodating to substitutions if you are vegan or have allergies. They also have an onsite bakery filled with delicious goodness.

To any one in need of pampering or want to have a date outside of the city, we could not recommend this place enough.  They also offer romantic overnight accommodations if you’re going to celebrate an occasion with that special someone.  If you’re like us and could only escape for a day, then their day-spa package will satisfy your every need and send you home feeling like melted butter.

Likes : All in one package deal. Hike + Trails + Wellness treatments + Spa + Food.
Dislikes : The outside heated pools and steam room are small and can accommodate 3-4 people at a time. If it is busy it can get a little hard to enjoy the outside pools.

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