Niagara Falls?

[laura001]

I live about 20 minutes outside of Niagara Falls and was so happy to see all the positive comments about the Canadian side of the Falls...all true by the way...I thought when I read your post I was going to have to lead the charge guess not. Canadian side is prettier and does have a lot to offer....Have a great time!

 

[jekajekalynn]

Very nice view. Was this a regular room or a suite? Did you make any request to get this view?

It was a fallsview room. (Though we payed for the mundo money suite lol) Anyways you will have a WONDERFUL view no matter what room you get AS LONG as it is a Fallsview room, and on a floor higher than 8.

Ohh, and to add on how much I loved the hotel we stayed at... again it is in a GREAT location, since you are in the heart of Clifton hill, and you just have to cross the street and walk on the sidewalk to get to the falls. Which is nice since you pay through the nose for parking at the falls..

 

[jekajekalynn]

Here are some more views out our hotel's window.



Heres one thats kind of off kilter, it's the American falls

Here is one of the Canadian falls

Heres both of them

 

[rockin_rep]

In our numerous trips to Niagara Falls, we usually stay at one of the two Sheraton hotels. My fave of the two is called Sheraton on the Falls. It has a better view of the falls of the two, AND it is in Clifton Hill. (LOVE the Great Canadian Midway!!! ) We always have great views in that one, and this past October we got to look out our window onto the garden below and see and here a BEAUTIFUL Chinese Music festival.

For our numerous *couple* trips, or with other couples, we also love Sheraton on the Falls. Its really a wonderful location and fairly romantic! Do not confuse it with the other sheraton (Fallsview) that is NOT as nice, in any way! IMO!

But when going with kids, we prefer having an indoor / outdoor pool with slides and all the kids' amenities that the Sheraton doesn't have. In addition, Sheraton on the Falls is a highrise with doors that open to the outside....no balconies but little iron gates that are very scarey from upper floors....we moms all decided it would be freaky to have the doors open with little kids.

Also, our weekend getaways have to be less expensive as we travel extensively, not to mention trips to see The Mouse!

Again, The Sheraton by the Falls is lovely place for a couples getaway and older kids, but not with little ones.

There's also a relatively new waterpark resort there, similar to Great Wolf Lodge....but the name escapes me. We plan to try that sometime with all the families/ kids. Wherever you stay, you will have a great time!

 

[goofyforlife]

I was 5 months pregnant when we took our trip so I couldn't go on it, but the Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours sounded like SO much fun! It is definitely adventurous, the boats goes about 60 mph (I think) right into the rapids. I included a link for you to check it out.

We had dinner at the very top of Skylon Tower in a revolving restaurant. It overlooked the falls and was really cool. It is a little pricey, so go for lunch to get the same view at a cheaper price!
Laura

Oh yes....do the Whirlpool jetboats!!!!! It's like one on those things you put on your "top 10 things to do before i die" list.....

My dh and I did it during our honeymoon..... Really scarey at first but afterwards I was glad we did it......

We had dinner at the Skylon too..... but If you want to save a little money there are actually two restaurants in the tower...one restaurant has the revolving floor; the other is stationary and has a very kinda upscale buffet.... We did the buffet restaurant and had seats next to the window...It was breathtaking to view the lights on the falls at night....

 

[talicskai]

The new restrictions for passports is actually being passed by the American Government. If you are flying between Canada and USA you need a valid passport by the end of 2006. If you are driving across the border a valid passport is required by the end of 2007.

Teresa

 

[threeboysmom]

There's also a relatively new waterpark resort there, similar to Great Wolf Lodge....but the name escapes me. We plan to try that sometime with all the families/ kids. Wherever you stay, you will have a great time!

Anyone know the name of this resort? If it's similar to the Great Wolf Lodge, then that's where we want to stay!! Or what was the other hotel someone recommended with water slide and kids' activities - was it Comfort Inn?

 

[Micheme]

Here is the link for the Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls

http://niagara.greatwolflodge.com//default.aspx?page=home

It is not right at the falls, maybe a 5 min drive, it is along the beautiful Niagara Parkway which follows the Niagara Gorge so there is a gorgeous walking/biking/skating trail which goes from Niagara Falls to Niagara-on-the-Lake (a must visit).

There is some Niagara Tourism sites you could check out that have some hotel information.

Things not to miss (from a former Niagara resident)
1) See both the Canadian and American side of the Falls (very different perspectives and the American's have goat island and I think you can walk down the side of one of the falls)
2) Do the Maid of the Mist and Jet Boat Tour. The maid of the mist will get you very close to the falls, it is sedate and calm. The Jet Boats are wild and you will get WET WET WET !!! If you are adventurous i would go for it.
3) The restaurants on clifton hill are SO expensive - like ridiculous. If you are looking for a standard chain restaurant venture out of clifton hill.
4) Niagara on the Lake is gorgeous and a must do. There are lots of restaurants (a little pricey but worth it), shopping and lots of historic homes and sites. They also have a theatre - the Shaw Festival - if you and your family are interested in live theatre.
5) If you are really adventurous you can take a helicopter ride over the falls, there is Niagara Helicopter right across from Great Wolf Lodge.
6) Take a Wine Tour/Tasting in the numerous wineries around Niagara Falls, (there a lots in Niagara on the Lake)

and last if you are already coming to Canada why not check out Toronto - so many things to see and do, shopping, museums, restaurants, so many recreation activities etc.

 

[talicskai]

Anyone know the name of this resort? If it's similar to the Great Wolf Lodge, then that's where we want to stay!! Or what was the other hotel someone recommended with water slide and kids' activities - was it Comfort Inn?

The Great Wolf Lodge does not open until May 2006 but looks amazing!

 

[rockin_rep]

Anyone know the name of this resort? If it's similar to the Great Wolf Lodge, then that's where we want to stay!! Or what was the other hotel someone recommended with water slide and kids' activities - was it Comfort Inn?

I finally found it, it's called the Americana Conference Resort http://www.infoniagara.com/hotels_and_motels/Niagara-Falls/americana/index.html

We haven't been but thought we'd try it or Great Wolf, if its open when we go the next time.

The Clifton Hill Comfort and Quality Inn are next to each other (both AAA 3*) We preferred the Comfort w/ the indoor and outdoor pools, 2 lifeguards etc. Again, there are a ton of places but this one met our needs when we went with several families for a reunion.

 

[barbeml]

This is a great thread!

DH and I are considering staying at the Marriott Falls View (Ontario) this spring. Has anyone done wine country touring up there?

 

[disneysteve]

For those who don't care about the view from the hotel window and may be looking for a more affordable option, we stayed at the Comfort Inn Clifton Hill. It is mid-way up the street on the left side if you are going uphill. It is a nice property, had a large indoor pool and a nice breakfast buffet. It also had an outdoor pool with a slide as I recall.

 

[rockin_rep]

For those who don't care about the view from the hotel window and may be looking for a more affordable option, we stayed at the Comfort Inn Clifton Hill. It is mid-way up the street on the left side if you are going uphill. It is a nice property, had a large indoor pool and a nice breakfast buffet. It also had an outdoor pool with a slide as I recall.

Same one i'm talking about.

Great with the kids, and great rates.

Also, the breakfast is free. While not gourmet, it was a nice touch.

 

[disneysteve]

Same one i'm talking about.

Oops. Missed your post. But another recommendation can't hurt. We loved the location. Right smack in the middle of everything.

 

[jekajekalynn]

Ohhh I forgot to add. The hotel we stayed at this past time (Sheraton on the Falls) is in the process of adding a HUGE HUGE HUGE indoor water park. Though I don't know when it will be finished. Here is the website thingy for it.

Indoor water park

 

[pat fan]

Has anyone ever camped at the KOA in Niagara? We actualy prefer camping but another DISer said they thought that area was no longer "family friendly", to put it one way How about the Hampton Inn? Anyone been there?We've had fairly good luck with that chain when we've needed a place to stay on the road. Also, does anyone know how to order a tourist packet from up there? I'm sure they must have them, I know you can get them for places in the states but didn't see any listings on either of the Niagara web sites I went to. Thanks.

 

[pigletof4]

Has anyone ever camped at the KOA in Niagara? We actualy prefer camping but another DISer said they thought that area was no longer "family friendly", to put it one way How about the Hampton Inn? Anyone been there?We've had fairly good luck with that chain when we've needed a place to stay on the road. Also, does anyone know how to order a tourist packet from up there? I'm sure they must have them, I know you can get them for places in the states but didn't see any listings on either of the Niagara web sites I went to. Thanks.

My dad has stayed on the Hampton Inn and it is very clean and they offer free parking.

 

[rockin_rep]

Ohhh I forgot to add. The hotel we stayed at this past time (Sheraton on the Falls) is in the process of adding a HUGE HUGE HUGE indoor water park. Though I don't know when it will be finished. Here is the website thingy for it.

Indoor water park

Wow, that looks great! Thanks for the heads up!

 

[keishashadow]

Agree with the others, the canadian side rocks!

There are tons of places to stay and we've stayed at many over the years (its a fairly quick getaway weekend for us).

While there are nicer places, with kids i recommend Comfort Inn Clifton Hill --- very touristy but the kids love it. Three families went with kids ranging from 6 -21. Clean, indoor / outdoor pools, lifeguard, arcades etc. And its *right there* a block from the falls and by all the touristy stuff so the older ones roamed around together, while we the parents and the youngins' roamed around, also.

Also, a great place to eat is *Table Rock* - with fabulous views of the falls and you cannot dine any closer! Its operated by the Canadian Parks Dept so its very nice, moderately priced and kid friendly.

Have fun!

Agree, we stayed @ the Comfort Inn @ Clifton Hill. Was worried that room would be noisy being next to the bustling Hill area. But our room was in the 1st wood's are complex. We had a ground floor, totally quiet. We could open our windows & hear the Falls. If we squinted, we could "sort-of" see them.LOL.

Nice entertainment area attached to hotel. We had a reasonably priced pkg that included a few meals, arcade tokens, simulator shows & wax museum.

The parks dept offers variying tour options...we went for the biggie; saw an butterfly attraction, Maid of Mist, Walk along River, Tunnel Under Falls Tour, etc...was nice & could spread out over 2 days. DH & son did the Aerocar over river, for extra fee - they loved it.

Only 2 things we didn't care for: Hard Rock restaurant (why do I keep trying them hoping they'll improve?) and Amercian check-point coming back (actually asked my DS if we were his parents?).

Have fun planning.

 

[rockin_rep]

edited: Duplicate post, sorry!