Last week I was on Global’s The Morning Show talking about back to school shopping. Since it was an early start, I wanted to spend the night before in the city rather than have to wake up at 4 a.m. to get moving, so I booked the closest hotel to the studio, the Novotel Toronto Centre, conveniently located on The Esplanade (the St. Lawrence neighbourhood).
We decided to make it one last little family getaway before school starts again, so my husband and daughters all came with me. The hotel has recently undergone some renovations (including the room where we stayed), and the main lobby is gorgeous.
It’s a great hotel for a family visit as it has a fitness centre, indoor pool and hot tub. Unfortunately for me, a hot tub lover, I seem to keep landing at hotels where the hot tub is temporarily closed for maintenance, as this one was the night we were there! The girls had lots of fun in the pool though!
The location is a huge selling factor for this hotel. It’s super close to Union Station, a five minute walk to St. Lawrence Market, Sony Centre, and not far from the Rogers Centre and Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena (it will take me a while to get used to that name change). As well, while there is an excellent restaurant in the hotel (Cafe Nicole; I ate there the last time I stayed the night before a segment) there are also great restaurants right across the street like The Old Spaghetti Factory, The Keg and Bier Markt, and we tried Oliver and Bonacini for dinner which is just a block away.
Other great features include free WiFi, a handy paid parking garage next to the hotel, and amazingly comfortable beds. After our visit we decided we really should get a new mattress! Eva also insisted that we feature the provided toiletries in this review. She was blown away by how many little items she found in the bathroom for our convenience (she tried out as many as she could)!
I will absolutely be booking this hotel the next time I need to stay in the city for a segment, or if we want to stay over after a concert, game or play (and especially if we are coming in through Union Station); it’s just so convenient.
To book or for more information, visit the Novotel Toronto Centre site, and please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: We were provided with free accommodations for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.