Solo female travel expert, focusing on travelling around a 9-5 job, getting the most bang for your buck and soft-adventure experiences.
I never do hotel reviews; namely because I don’t think a hotel is what makes your trip. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule where your accommodation is really the crux of your trip – I’m thinking glass igloos in Finland and luxury safari lodges in the Serengeti!
Because of that, I don’t splash out on hotels and the two things that I really look for during the booking process are a) good location and b) cleanliness. I’m an easy to please sorta girl!
So, you might be wondering why I’ve decided to write about a chain restaurant? Well, the Marriott group have excelled themselves with the Renaissance Toronto Downtown Hotel. Primarily because the location is so unusual, but also the AH-MAZING food.
Photo Credit: Photo of room with stadium view is taken from the Renaissance Toronto Downtown website. This hotel is located partly INSIDE the Roger’s Centre (home to the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team) which is pretty unique in itself.
The window in my parent’s room looked into the stadium – so if you’re an avid baseball fan, you’d be able to catch all of the action from the comfort of your bedroom!
Myself and my sister had a somewhat less appealing view of a railway line from our window – so if you’re not into baseball and want fantastic window views, this may not be the hotel for you. Although, maybe don’t disregard it so quickly, it has a lot more to offer!
If you’ve ever been to Toronto, you’ll know that The Roger’s Centre is directly next to the CN Tower, so this hotel is a great for a lot of the tourist attractions including the CN Tower, Aquarium, Steamhouse Brewery etc.
Given that the the hotel is close to the waterfront and Toronto is a large city, depending on the time you have and your walking capabilities, you may need to get a taxi to some of the more Northern tourist attractions such as Casa Lomas.
The combination of modern decor, high levels of cleanliness, ample space and all the amenities you could need make for a very comfortable stay.
My absolute favourite thing about the rooms were the beds. Those things were so damn comfy – if I could have packed the pillows, duvet and mattress in my case, I definitely would have!
Now, this is where the review gets really good (and not because of the small Starbucks inside the hotel – however, that was convenient). The hotel has a Mediterranean restaurant called Arriba inside and the food is out of this world (mainly at breakfast).
Most people have heard me say that hotel breakfasts are, in many cases, overrated (and I still stand by that statement). however, Arriba really pulls all of the stops out in the morning. It’s not the cheapest breakfast in the world, but the money is well worth it when the food is so good that you go to bed excited to wake up and eat!
My favourite breakfast was the banana bread french toast stuffed with bacon cream cheese with sliced banana, bacon crumbles, fresh berries, toasted almonds and maple syrup (it would be rude not to have maple syrup whilst in Canada after all!)
We did also eat in Arriba one evening and the dinner menu was much smaller than the breakfast selection but the food was great regardless!
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Yes, it’s a chain hotel. Yes, hotel’s don’t make your entire experience while travelling. Still, would I recommend this hotel to a friend? Most definitely. If you’re interested in booking this hotel, be sure to check out prices here!
Have you ever been to Toronto, what is your favourite hotel?
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post (although it does contain affiliate links) and all thoughts are my own.
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