Vacation advice needed for S Ontario visit, please

[Hilary]

Hi fellow DISers

We last visited Canada in 2003 and received such friendly help here on the Canadian DIS board (and made a very dear friend along the way ) so I'm hoping some of you may be able to give me some local advice about our planned trip next summer.

We have only 10 days and hope to visit Toronto, Niagara, Kawartha Lakes (or somewhere in a waterside cabin), Ottawa and the 1000 Islands region. A tall order LOL!

To cut down on travelling time and packing/unpacking suitcases, I'm thinking we could stay between Toronto and Niagara (maybe Oakville or nearby, with good public transport access into Toronto), then head to the Kawartha area for our couple of nights in a cabin, then finish in somewhere east of Kingston (maybe Brockville?) to have access to Ottawa and the 1000 Islands.

Is this madness, or do you think it could work? Will we miss out a lot by not staying in Toronto and Ottawa cities?

Any and all suggestions for destinations, places to stay, things to do and see will be very gratefully received! We are a family of two adults and two teen girls, so somewhere with a bit more space than a standard hotel room is preferable

 

[jtdl]

One thing that jumped right out at me is the part about staying in Oakville and using public transportation to get into Toronto. I have stayed in Scarborough once and jumped on the subway to go to the theatre district right in Torontos' heart. I don't remember exactly, but I think it took me about 1.5 hours on the subway. I know that downtown Toronto is sometimes a nightmare to drive and find parking, but after my long subway ride, I now drive.

It is absolutely beautiful up in the Kawartha's and I envy you getting a lakefront cottage! Have a great trip.

 

[MichelleTO]

Stay in Toronto! Try the Delta Chelsea, they have great deals for families and it is walking distance to everything downtown. Your commute from Oakville on public transit will be long and the subway doesn't go to Oakville, the Go train does.

 

[jinglesmountjoy]

I grew up in Toronto and now live in the Niagara Region so I hope to offer some useful advice. First of all, you may be planning a little bit much for 10 days (alright... way too much ).

Oakville is just a commuter city with hotel rates that aren't much better than Toronto and the only transit into Toronto is the GO train which is a decent ride and will get you right into downtown but if I'm not mistaken, the fare you'll pay to go into Toronto will make staying in Oakville more expensive than staying in downtown T.O..

You should stay a few days in Niagara Falls or St. Catharines (10 min drive to falls). There are so many accomodations to choose from in the falls, you will find something reasonable and large (perhaps a suite).

After Niagara, head to Toronto (yes the Delta Chelsea is a good bet). From there you are quite literally 2-3 minute walk to Dundas subway station in the heart of downtown.

That's where I would cut the trip off but if you must fit one more thing in, make a choice between Ottawa, the 1000 Islands and the Kawarthas but don't try to do more than one. Of those three, I would personally choose the 1000 Islands because Ottawa is Toronto without the fun (It's our nation's capital and although there are some fun things to do there, it is a far cry from a major destination.)

Here's the best advice I can give you. If you are willing to go as far as Brockville you might consider going a little further to Montreal (I've been three times and loved each trip). Montreal has a lot more culture and with it being in the province of Quebec, it also has a different feel than Toronto or Ottawa. It has a very European atmosphere and the people are far more relaxed and easy going and I'll bet you enjoy it more than Toronto.

Good luck with the trip and I hope this helped.

 

[Hilary]

Thank you all so much for your help

I know we're being ambitious to try to fit so much in on one visit, and I'll put the suggestions for a 're-styled' trip to the rest of the family, and check out the Delta's website.

To be honest, I think I'm probably keener to do the Kawarthas / 1000 Islands kind of vacation more than the cities but, because we're flying into Toronto, we feel we should take the opportunity to see some of the city and to visit Niagara. I know these two destinations in themselves could occupy us for the 10 nights, but we are a family that likes to travel around on our vacations - when we go to WDW we usually have at least two other bases elsewhere in Florida as well. On the other hand, I don't want to spend the whole time getting from one place to the next!

I can see we need to do some more thinking!

 

[twinz]

I live in Scarborough and it takes me MAX 30 minutes to get downtown. I live within walking distance to a subway station though. The subway is a GREAT way to get around. Look into getting a day pass, it may work out cheaper.

 

[mickey65]

I live near Ottawa (maybe we can meet up!) In my opinion, if you are going to do the Thousand Islands tour boat, I would go with the Gananoque Line instead of the Brockville one. The Gan goes to bolt Castle and you can get off and explore, I don't think the Brockville line goes down that far (although it might of changed). Ottawa is quite beautiful and nice to visit depending on what you want to do. What time of the summer are you going? If you are into crafty/artsy kind of stores, a really cool place to visit is Merrickville. It is not far from Ottawa or Brockville. If you give me an idea of the kinds of things you might like to do I can send you more info.

 

[jersey shark]

As a frequent US based business traveler to Canada, here's what I would suggest (I have a family of four - two girls too! -so I'm partial to suite hotels for the added space/free breakfast)

* Don't stay "halfway between Nga/Tor in a place like Oakville - that may sound like a good idea, but it's not
* In Nga Falls - stay 2 nites (best bet for families - Embassy Suites Fallsview) - don't miss Nga-on-the-Lake, the Maid of the Mist, and the stroll along the falls
* In Toronto - stay 2-3 nites (get a 2 bedroom suite at the Residence Inn in Markham, or stay at the all-suite Cambridge Suites downtown) - I would avoid the Delta Chelsea because their rooms are tiny...in Toronto you can go see whatever catches your fancy but must-sees are the CN Tower, Eaton Center mall, Yorkville, and maybe a play or museum if you're into it
* I would visit Kingston & the Thousand Islands for the "camping/nature" part of the trip (4-5 nites based on your comments)- I'd camp around the Thousand Islands - don't miss the Boat Tours, downtown Kingston, and Wolfe Island (a must is a dinner at the General Wolfe Hotel!)
* I'd wrap up with a quick visit to Ottawa - then you probably have to return to Toronto for the flight home

Hope this helps - Enjoy your visit - you'll love it!

 

[Hilary]

What time of the summer are you going? If you are into crafty/artsy kind of stores, a really cool place to visit is Merrickville. It is not far from Ottawa or Brockville. If you give me an idea of the kinds of things you might like to do I can send you more info.

We'll be visiting in late July / early August, and we are very much into artsy things, so that sounds a great suggestion! Thank you so much for your kind offer of more information. I'd like it very much if I could get back to you on that once we have the outline of our itinerary in the bag.

don't miss the Boat Tours, downtown Kingston, and Wolfe Island (a must is a dinner at the General Wolfe Hotel!)

Are you psychic? LOL! I didn't mention Wolfe Island in my original post, but that is somewhere I had definitely marked out to visit because our last name is Wolfe!

Your suggestions for hotels sound just what we're looking for (and with two girls yourself, I know you understand our needs! ), I'll check them out.

In fact, your itinerary suggestion is pretty much what we'd originally planned before I got diverted to Oakville and the Kawarthas . My trip planning is getting to be a bit like shoe shopping - you go to every store in town and then end up going back for the first pair you tried on

I am so grateful to you all for your input

 

[Mortlives]

My trip planning is getting to be a bit like shoe shopping - you go to every store in town and then end up going back for the first pair you tried on

Wow! Can I relate to that! Our planning for next March went Disney Cruise. No, Costa Rica. No, Belize. No, Cuba. We booked the Disney Cruise...

 

[DutchsMommy]

Jersey Shark's plan sounds really good to me. If you are still pining for something like Kawartha Lakes, you might consider Prince Edward County. It is on the way (kinda) approx 1/2 way btwn Toronto and Ottawa. It is very 'artsy' as you mentioned and there are tons of nice B+Bs. Just a thought, you might want to research it a bit online. Hope you have a great trip!

 

[Hilary]

LOL mortlives! Hope you love the cruise!

Just a thought, you might want to research it a bit online.

I'm always happy to do a more research! Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[jersey shark]

....wow, that's too funny about Wolfe Island! The Gen Wolfe Hotel is a very special place, gracious hosts, very fine food, (much of it grown/found on Wolfe Island) and as I recall their 4 course price-fixe menue makes it one of the best bargains I've ever encountered anywhere in the world! It's also to fun tocatch the ferry from downtown Kingston and head over there.

...I sent you along the 401 freeway on that itinerary - so you could quickly move around and not waste too much time in the car (the Kawarthas would involve much more drive time)

...more highlights along the way may include Prince Edward County (Picton area) has nice beaches along with B&Bs...I think Kingston's downtown park is very nice (Confederation Park I think - very nice to mull around there), for history you could go to "Pioneer Canada Village" which is somewhere on the way to Ottawa I can't quite recall exactly where (forgive me we're more city-folk than campers.

...you may also want to duck over to the US side of the Thousand Islands area while you're there - there's great camping/boating etc in the Alexandria Bay area of New York state (many Brits love US shopping malls as well - there's one a half hour from the border in Watertown, NY) - which you may enjoy the experience of another country on that trip (the USA of course!).

...Feel free to pm medirectly if you'd like! Happy Planning!

 

[jazzyjess]

I have to jump in here.

Niagara on the Lake is FABULOUS!!!! stay at a bed-and-breakfast (will have to book well in advance as these are very popular) and get tickets to the Shaw Festival (festival dedicated to theatre, Shakespeare), tour some wineries and see the falls / casinos. Spend 2 nights max in Toronto - many reasonable hotels downtown - do not waste time travelling. Harbour Castle Westin is nice that time of year and walking distance to a lot.
I would opt for Gananoque as well to do the 1000 islands - see about renting a cottage or stay in another bed-and-breakfast.

Have fun!!

 

[Hilary]

So many great ideas from you all, thank you so much for your input.

I'm sure we'll have a fantastic trip wherever we go, but it's so good to get the inside scoop!

 

[mickey65]

When you are more ready, Hilary let me know and I'd be more than happy to give you more detailed info.