Over the years we’ve been to Niagara Falls many times and going with our children it’s a must to stay at a hotel so we can take our time between 2 days with attractions and activities. Here are the 3 hotels we’ve stayed at in Niagara Falls, and the pros and cons to keep in mind when deciding on where to stay.
This hotel is one that we’ve gone back to countless times. The service, the rooms and the location is perfect! Personally we love how close it is to the Hershey store (we go there every single time) and it’s close enough to all the Clifton Hill fun. You can choose between falls view rooms or city, but the rooms can get a bit pricey during busy holidays like Canada Day. The hotel also gets busy depending on the time of year. Which means crowded elevators, hallways and lobby can be a bit crazy too.
Not a popular one but a great option if you’re either on a budget or all the best hotels are fully booked. True story, that happened to us one time. We took our chances at staying at this hotel and I was surprised that it wasn’t bad at all. There are no great views at this hotel, it’s a fairly small place but the hotel lobby is nice and the rooms are decorated well. We stayed in a room with a king size bed and it was pretty tight for space but it filled its purpose as a place to just sleep. This hotel is located right across the street from the Niagara Speedway (go-karts) and very close to one of my favourite restaurants (Antica).
Our most recent stay was at this hotel and it was also our first time staying here too. I didn’t expect for this hotel to be located on the opposite end of all the fun. It’s also such a windy area. I It’s also a long walk to Clifton Hill. If you have a car then I guess you can sacrifice the fact that it’s not close to anything fun. We stayed in the BI-LEVEL SUITE, FALLSVIEW and the views from this room are absolutely breathtaking! Honestly the best views of the falls we’ve ever had and by not compromising the quality of the stay. Just for the 18-foot high windows, I’d want to stay here again.
This is a totally different perspective of the falls. First you descend 150 feet and go through 130 year old tunnels to get to the observation deck. When going through the tunnels you can stop at one of the openings called the Cataract portal. When here, you’re literally behind the falls!
The second look out point is called the Great Falls portal and its not far from the beginning of horseshoe falls. Once you get to the observation deck, you’ll see two levels. If you stay at the top you’re less likely to get soaking wet. It’s a half sheltered deck with an opening to look out at the falls. The lower level of the observation deck is literally at the bottom of the falls. So there’s lots of water splashing and if it’s a windy day then good luck with staying dry! For tickets and more information visit the Niagara Parks page. I didn’t want the kids to get soaked so I bought them full jumpsuit raincoats. They were so dry at the end of the attraction.
In order to get great footage of our experience we took the FUJIFILM Finepix XP140 and captured amazing footage of our experience! This is the latest model in the XP series, this rugged camera comes packed with features including full HD movie (1080p/60fps) or 4K (15fps) with scene recognition, noise cancellation and wind filter functions for optimum video recording. This camera is most importantly waterproof up to 25m, shockproof up to 1.8m, freeze proof to -10º C and dustproof!
No matter where you are in the world, you have to feed yourself. I love finding beautiful coffee shops that have really good treats and lattes. That has always been my thing. Every country, city and town my husband and I have traveled too, we’ve found a good coffee shop or cafe to depend on. Packages Mall is a new-ish mall that opened up near the defence area. There are lots of designer stores, European brands and local.
The Pantry inside Packages Mall – The Best Latte I had in Lahore
I went to Packages Mall to shop, 4 times. The first time I went, we had a mocha latte at Cinnabon. It wasn’t good. The second time, after shopping we stopped at Second Cup and had a latte and it was terrible. The third time was truly a charm.
This Date Cake was SO good! Paired with the latte it was so delicious.
My family and I got different drinks to see if their entire variety was just as good as the latte I had. My sister got some kind of hot chocolate drink and my brother had a fruit smoothie. The smoothie wasn’t as great as the hot drinks were. I’m not sure if they have this year round, the date cake is AMAZING! Pair it with their latte and you’ll be mmm-ing and ahhh-ing.
For the remainder of the trip we tried other cafes (3 to be exact), but The Pantry at Packages Mall continued to be my go to for a cafe. I plan to go back to Pakistan this year and will be trying more places, if I find something else as fabulous as this place, I’ll be sure to share it with you. The sofa seating area is beautiful and you can choose to sit in the back for a more intimate environment. The other cafes or snack joints at the mall didn’t have as much seating area as this place did.
I love the interior here! Very European and the chalkboard menu is always a cozy touch.– Save this on Pinterest –
It’s been an intense year of ups and downs. Thoughts of gratitude, everything happens for a reason and life is too short running through my mind. Everyone grieves differently. Anyone who is smart enough to understand that or who has first hand been through the death of a loved one would know that everyone grieves differently. It saddens me when I hear people say things like, “oh look at how much she cried”, “look at what she’s doing” etc. This judgement is unnecessary and actually shows the lack of compassion and empathy one has in them. No one has said anything to me, but I’ve been to many funerals now, and this seems to be happening a lot not only at funerals but any kind of gathering.
Are there a lack of things for you to talk about? That you must compare, compete and put down others with your unnecessary judgement and opinions? Because anyone in their right mind would know that it is their own faults, negativity and guilt that comes through in such negative mentions. I felt compelled to write this because it’s been a week and I’ve been struggling with getting back into my routine, and you know what one of the things that really kept going through my mind was? If I continue on living, and pick up where I left off…
what will people say?
HOW TO KEEP ON GOING AFTER A DEATH OF A LOVED ONE
When our brother passed away I wanted to give up on everything. Can I just not go to work and completely go dark on social media? And now our father passed away and all those feelings have rushed back but even darker. I was on the brink of losing sight of what this life is all about. Of course, I’ll never forget them. I’m praying for them both every day. I do my part in keeping them in my thoughts, do good in their name and everything and anything else I could do to respect the lives that they once had. But why is it so important for society to know exactly what it is that I’m doing? Fortunately, being on full blast on social media breaks those barriers to a certain extent and some of you who watch my Instagram stories, or see what I post to know what’s going on. But I’d like to remind you, that this is a mere 10% of my life. There is so much going on in the background. Some days I open up and show you 30%, especially if I believe it’s something you can all benefit and learn from.
So here I am, at a fork in the road where I thought if I don’t lift myself up and get back into the routine that I love then I’m going into the darkness.
Life is too short.
But what about, Balance.
Balance is the solution. Living a balanced life of remembering those we have lost, with prayer and good deeds, doing what we love and spending time with our loved ones. Find your balance. If there is one thing I could say to pass on the advice of when you’re struggling with moving forward after losing a loved one, I would say… find your balance. Don’t worry about what others are saying. Pick up where you left off, do MORE good, remember others and those who are negative, enlighten them with your kindness by being positive around them. Because those are the people who need it the most.
Please remember my brother Muhammed Usman in your prayers and my father Mian Muhammad Rauf.
May they both rest in peace in Jannah Firdaws.
Happy Holidays and good luck everyone! I’m teaming up with the below bloggers/influencers to bring you 12 days of Giveaways! Over the year you may have seen us talk about these products, use them and rave about how amazing they are. We want to now give back to YOU! Here’s what you need to know about the two brands we’re giving away for Day 1 (value: $600). **SCROLL DOWN TO ENTER.**
Endy is a Canadian company that Canadians are falling in love with! Endy discovered that manufacturing entirely in Canada would allow them to design an amazingly comfortable mattress with Canadians in mind. For an example taking into account our weather changes. The 2 Endy pillows we’re giving away has 3-layers. Combining the supportive and breathable qualities of bamboo charcoal memory foam with the plush feel of down.
This Swedish watch brand Mockberg finds its inspiration in the traditions of Swedish craftsmanship. The watches are handcrafted with exclusive materials, high-quality movements and classic design. Designed to rest easily on your wrist. The strap is connected high on the case which is slightly shaped like a bowl, a combination that gives you a feeling that the watch floats freely on your wrist. Allows for a three-dimensional impression removing the friction of the strap against the wrist. It’s the details that matter.
I had a vision that I would update this series a lot more often than months later. But let me explain why it has been since June 18th since I last wrote about my blogging journey. It has been BUSY! I am being grateful for every nanosecond of it because it has been an amazing experience. It’s not the entrepreneurship I always had in mind for myself but that’s okay. This is a lot more fun! A lot has happened since June. I’ll sum it up for you:
– I did a lot of full days of content creation. Like that one day of foodie IG stories – one at an event and the other was a collab. I love photographing food! This was so much fun.
– I launched a new website for GNC
– I was a part of the Laura Mercier x The Kit campaign. They brought me into the studio and did a video shoot of me getting ready with Laura Mercier products. I got featured on The Kit site and tried many Laura Mercier products. I was so humbled to receive this opportunity alongside some of my favourite make-up artists.
– I co-managed my first influencer event for GNC Canada. This was really interesting because I’ve always been on the opposite side, a guest at media events. We worked from every angle on this event. Picking our A-Team of influencers, venue, theme, schedule, entertainment, digital plan and so much more. It was a lot of work but also satisfying to know that we executed it really well.
During this time I felt a surge of energy. I felt like I wanted to do it all. Getting offers and invites is exciting and it would make me a bit anxious that I must do it all otherwise I wouldn’t meet my goals as I had planned.
One day I accepted 2 events in 1 day. Then I accepted 3 in 1 day…
And that’s when I crashed. It can be exhausting and can get to a point where you’re not enjoying yourself, which defeats the purpose of taking in the brand experience. After that day I promised myself that I would learn to say no. If my schedule was full, then there should be no exceptions. I’ve capped my days now to whatever I feel comfortable with. Plus, working full time and then spending my evenings hopping from one event to another, is beyond exhausting.
On Instagram direct messages, a commonly asked question I get is how
do you get invited to media events?
Honestly, guys, there’s no magic trick here. I am genuinely passionate about the stuff I share with you. For 5 years I’ve been blogging, creating content, tweeting, pinning and posting. Only last year did the events, paid collaborations and opportunities to work with brands start to come through. I took the time to figure out my voice online, allowed myself to treat everything I do, with my full creative potential and consistency.
It’s as simple as that. Continue to be YOU and share authentically. It’s not about growing numbers, it’s about growing your community. Instead of getting sponsored, it’s about getting paid for the hours of content creation. However you decide to grow, just remember it’s not a race and to stay true to who you are and don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. You’ll spend so much time trying to copy someone else that you’ll forget to be YOU. And something that doesn’t come naturally to you will show obviously to others. Being YOU is exactly what will make you successful.
In a world full of copies, be the original.
Work on your brand, decide on your messaging and figure out your “why”, set goals and then start tagging brands, introduce yourself to agencies and then be found. But trust me when I say this if you don’t do all of that first, it won’t matter how many followers or engagement you have. Brands want to know if you’ll align with what their values are. If there’s no alignment, it doesn’t matter who you are, no go. Plus, I believe it’s the time for micro influencers to shine. But I’ll save that for another post.
This year we went to the CNE with both of our children. It was a totally different experience compared to the last time we went. We spent our entire half of the day on the side where the kid midway rides were. There were places on this side I had no idea even existed at CNE. Which is also why I was inspired to share my top 8 things to do at the CNE with kids! Although today is the last day to attend the CNE, save this for next summer and plan out your day ahead of time!
Reptilia – This is an exhibit that has more than one daily show about reptiles. We watched the snake show and Baby D loved the interactive part of the show. Children get to pet the reptiles and after the show, there’s a Q&A period, while you pet the reptiles. On average for something like this, it’s $7/child. I know this because we had animals at Baby D’s birthday (twice). At the CNE it’s FREE. (Found at the Kids’ World Park area).
Kids Center – What I wish I knew about the last time we went with Baby D, was this center where you can change diapers. If you have more than one child, you have an entire room shared with other parents to change your child’s diaper. There’s a movie playing and lots of toys for kids to play with. Also in case you’ve run out of diapers, they have every size at this center, along with wipes and other baby items. After changing diapers we were here accidentally for about 20 minutes. They just didn’t want to leave!
Top 8 Things To Do at the CNE with Kids – A Guide to keeping them Entertained
Kids’ World Park – It’s just a regular park area, with your standard swings and such but what makes it fun for kids is that it’s in the center of all the fun stuff for them. There’s also a stage nearby where all the shows happen. You’ll find the reptilia mobile on one side, and the kid center, workshops and more on the other. Oh, and the midway rides are very close by. So you can make this your meeting station for older kids and a place for your kids to burn off energy before you sit down for lunch/dinner.
Midway Rides – I didn’t think there would be good rides for my 3-year-old toddler to ride but boy was I wrong! He went on his first roller coaster (dragon midway ride) and there’s always the classics, train, carousel, tea cups etc.
Farm Animals – There are about farmyard yard animals at the CNE for kids to enjoy watching. Cows, goats, and sheep to name a few! People also get to pretend they’re farmers by picking apples off a tree, collecting eggs from the chickens and more.
Toddler Center – The toddler center may change every year based on who is sponsoring the room. This year half the room was sponsored by Air Transit; with a make-believe airplane and stairs going up to it. You could sit at the front and be the pilot or be a passenger in the seats behind it. The seats are big enough for adults to sit on. There’s a slide to come down.
FUN ACTIVITIES AT THE CNE FOR KIDS
Pizza Nova Pizza Making Workshop – They have many classes throughout the day. You get to learn how to make pizza by the pizza nova professionals and then you get to eat it too! Awesome workshop to do with your kids.
Art Studio – At this studio kids get to paint, make things out of clay and more!Overall, I’d say that the admission for CNE gives you a lot more bang for your buck than most people know. I highly recommend to get their early, have a plan before you go and bring family with you if possible. You can have your toddler/babies play in that kid area for hours with a family member supervising while you go to the other side and play some CNE games or go on rides. Or stick around with them and plan out your day so you see all the shows and do all the workshops with your little ones. Excited for next summer!
Niagara Falls has been a getaway from my routine Toronto life for years. I’ve gone countless times as a child, with friends, as a newlywed and now as a mother of 2. Every time I’ve been, there’s one thing we always do that is something new. Whether it is as simple as eating somewhere different or as fun as trying out an attraction. The last time my husband and I went to Niagara Falls with our little ones was a year ago, on Canada Day weekend; Canada’s 150th birthday. We had the pleasure of going with GO Transitthis time, as opposed to driving and here are my top 3 reasons why you should take the GO Train to Niagara Falls before the season is over:
1. No Traffic. The GO Train will get you there without having to deal with car traffic, road closures or accidents. You’re also being greener by doing so, fewer emissions into our environment. It was super convenient to get to Niagara Falls in 2 hours! Could be less depending on where you get on from. We got on from Port Credit.
2. Children are happy. Sitting in a car seat for consecutive hours is not fun. Some children get cranky, they cry and you will probably have to stop a couple of times to entertain them. On the GO Train, we were able to park our stroller facing our seats on our way to Niagara Falls. We easily entertained them with songs, books, a tablet and even took a little walk.
3. Price. The Niagara Falls GO service runs from Union Station in Toronto to Niagara; $30 round trip. Also, if you’re bringing bikes, there are designated carts for bikes. We actually sat in a cart for bikes, all to ourselves on our trip back. The price covers your round-trip GO Train fare plus a connecting WEGO bus pass that you can use for the weekend. Having transit covered via your WEGO bus pass made a huge difference in getting from one attraction to the other within Niagara. The bus service was fast and we were always able to get a seat.
A Fun Family Trip to Niagara Falls with GO Transit
We took the GO Train on Friday night and got on the WEGO bus to the hotel. Some of you asked me on Instagram stories whether it was hard getting on the WEGO bus with a luggage, stroller, and 2 kids. To be honest, no. We had done this in Japan with both kids when we were using the trains, so I guess we’ve found what works. Luggage and bags are with my husband, I assist when I can and I have one kid on my hip while holding the other’s hand.When there’s a will, there’s a way!
WHERE TO EAT AT NIAGARA FALLS
This was the view from our table at the Elements on the Falls restaurant
If you’re looking for a quick bite, there are many places to eat! The options are endless. If you’re looking for authentic Italian pizza, check out Antica. There’s also a great firework viewing area right across the street from here. (see my IG story highlights). For lunch, on Saturday we went to Elements on The Falls.What an experience!
We had an amazing view from the window of the Falls, the service was impeccable and the food was delicious! They brought crayons and paper for the children, along with closed cups with straws. And yes, they have high chairs and a changing area in the washroom. Here’s what he had, read captions for food details:
This waffle veggie sandwich is a cold sandwich with eggplant, brie, zucchini, tomato, and lettuce.Chocolate Mousse
For dinner, we went to the Queen Victoria Place Restaurant. The views are incredible here as well, and the food is great! Around 8-9pm, the live music starts and you can hear it from this restaurant and also see the light show on the Falls.
The ADVENTURE PASS: NIAGARA PARKS ATTRACTIONS
Majority of the times we went to Niagara Falls, we spent more time just walking up and down the streets to different stores, the casino, arcades etc. Only the last time we went with our kids did we check out the Bird Kingdom and we loved it! So this time we made sure we experienced more attractions. Especially with children, they get to learn so much. I highly recommend you get an adventure pass. You get to pick from all the attractions you’d like to go too. There are so many to choose from. We went with the White Water Walk, Whirlpool Aero Car, and the Butterfly Conservatory.
WHITE WATER WALK
I was blown away to learn that almost 70% of you had not been to theWhite Water Walkand now are planning to go! It was my first time along with my husband’s and we were both in awe at how incredible it looked up close. Class 6 white-water rapids are hypnotizing when you’re walking that close to them. Our children were in awe at how fast the water was going and Baby D had a ton of questions to go with his admiration.
WHIRLPOOL AERO CAR
At first glance I was scared. Especially after I was told that we couldn’t bring our stroller on board the aero car.My plan was to buckle them in. But let me tell you, worried for nothing. First of all, they had a designated safe area for strollers, and the cart had an area for adults holding children, it was fenced in the middle of the cart, away from the edge. Totally safe and went at a very safe speed as well. Basically slow, which was great for pictures! The attendant who spoke about the whirlpool and rapids was really friendly and even took pictures for people on the cart.
THE BUTTERFLY CONSERVATORY
The Butterfly Conservatory – Niagara Parks
For almost a month now Baby D had been obsessed with butterflies and saying he wanted to catch one. So going to this attraction couldn’t have come at a better time. He was ecstatic to be there! He listened attentively to the introduction video at the beginning of the attraction. (Make sure you do, because they will be giving tips on how to be gentle with the butterflies and to watch out for them sitting on the floor.) There are over 2,000 butterflies, made up of 45 different species here! Before entering the conservatory, or after you exit, there is an area with table and chairs for children to sit down and colour or to have their snacks. Also, some informational exhibits about bugs. Our kids spent a lot of time here, just running around looking at each one.
And that’s a wrap! What an awesome weekend. My family and I love that GO Transit offers a $30 round trip service to Niagara, and I’ve already inspired family and many of you to go! To see everything I mentioned above in action, check out my Instagram highlights under Niagara for videos. Tag me, (@HumJK) on Instagram. I would love to share your trip to Niagara on my stories. Can’t wait to see you all having fun at Niagara Falls!
[SPONSORED: This trip was provided by Go Transit and Niagara Parks. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
I cannot even tell you how much I loved this place! Not only was it a cute place to eat but the desserts are SO good. A bloggers dream basically, marble tables, white brick, and a neon sign backdrop. You can sit and have your dessert there and people watch. Because it’s on Gungham. Where all the rich folks chill, you’ll love people watching, with all the designer shiznit they’ll be wearing it’s practically a non-stop fashion show. I would’ve loved to stay but with two todds we had to bounce and get it all to go. Love the old school paper bag they put your goods in. Make sure you go earlier during the day because evenings you’ll find very few items left. We basically took everything they had left. All their cookies, croissants and some kind of cake. Everything was delicious and finished that night. We managed to save two cookies for the next day to savor. And one of our Todd’s, baby D, found it and demolished it. Definitely going back in a couple of years to Korea and will stop by this place again. Otherwise maybe check out their other location in Cali.
This Cafe was actually one we just found out of the blue. I noticed it when we were coming out of the all-day breakfast place. You can read more about that breakfast place here. So Baby D kept asking for cake and we walk into this place and it’s best described to be like a cafe dollhouse. Super cute seating area. They have a dessert buffet style menu and then you can also purchase desserts on their own. The first time we went here we got a slice of tiramisu cake to go. They actually packed it in a pretty box with ice packs around it so it would stay fresh till eaten! A lot of places in Japan pride themselves on how fresh their food is and a lot of times won’t even allow for a “to go” option. We had to talk the places into it by telling them our hotel was next door or very close.
4. TOKYO DISNEYSEA LITTLE GREEN MEN DUMPLINGS
How cute are these alien dumplings from Toy Story! I found these guys on Instagram, saved it and when I got to Tokyo DisneySea I showed someone there the picture and they directed me to the store that was selling them. The outer layer is squishy like dumpling should be. And then the inside is filled with like a custard. One is chocolate, strawberry, and custard. The strawberry one was the worse. But that’s just my preference. Enjoy!
5. DOMINIQUE ANSEL BAKERY – TOKYO
I’ll let the below video do most of the explaining for this bakery:
6. REMICONE – SEOUL
They have cotton candy! Enough said. This place is so cute and I love the clean aesthetic. Also, the price is right!
I wish I had kept a real-time diary of the first day I actually started to feel like a “blogger”. What does that even mean? Like, I guess getting a bunch of stuff in the mail, having a handful of video and photo equipment, when I actually got paid for my work/hobby… these are just some of the things that made me feel like: “okay, this is my title.”
Let me first say, “Hi, welcome to my Toronto Blogger Chronicles diary.” Just a messy free form of me writing out my thoughts, as raw as it can be. So if I have any grammatical errors here, and if it grinds your gears, let me know in the comments below and I’ll make sure to edit it, just for you Mr/Mrs Fancy Pants.
So my first blogger event that I went to was actually in 2017. This was a big year for me. It was my second maternity leave and it was a lot easier than the first one. I knew what was up and I was able to focus A LOT on my blogging -career. Yeah, I think I’ll call it my career now. It feels a little weird to say that though because I think of it more as a hobby. Let’s put a pin on what to call it. It’ll come to me.
The first handful of events, I would go to and converse with a few people and then leave as soon as possible because my all-time shyness would kick in. Believe it or not, I’m not a social person, with strangers. But if I’m in my comfort zone with my friends, I’d like to think I’m super social. But I’ll let my friends tell you that.
Toronto Blogger Chronicles [Day 1] – First
Blogger Brunch
The game changer for my shyness was when I went to a bloggers brunch. It was at a place I was really looking forward to going, but I knew no one there. Oh, and I was also pregnant. Very pregnant. I stepped into this place and to my surprise, there were two extremely friendly bloggers who signaled for me to come over to them. I got super nervous because I knew who they were. The “popular bloggers”. They introduced themselves confidently and immersed me into their “popular circle” by introducing me to their friends and then we even sat together and made jokes and conversation as if we knew each other for years. So you can imagine, I was sitting there, hearts in my eyes, thinking, wow. God bless you guys. I also made a mental note, that if I were to ever get to that point in my blogging career journey, then I would never change how kind, real and friendly I was. Talk to everyone, not get cliquey. Which now takes me to some of the other experiences I had in 2017.
The blogger world can sometimes feel like you’re back in high school. I’m not kidding! There are some bloggers who really think highly of themselves when they have a certain amount of followers or sponsorships or if they’re managed by someone. But let’s get real, we all started somewhere and there should be a lot of humble pie being passed around. At all times. It’s not hard to see who those people are. You can tell even by how they engage with others online-
1. They watch all of your stories, all the time and don’t ever like or comment on your posts
2. At events, they give you the silent treatment as if they don’t know you at all.
3. They only start to talk to you when you’re on the same campaign together
4. They only message you to ask you how you got a collaboration or what PR you’re working with
…and if you see them at an event and you say hi or even try to introduce yourself they may give you a quick hi and an odd look but quickly enthrall themselves into their clique. But that doesn’t bother me. It actually is a great indication of whether this person is really who they say they are online. Ugh, but the bittersweet part for me is even if they decide to change and be nice, I’ll be there with open arms.
I started to think, maybe these bloggers are afraid to open up. Maybe they’re super shy, just as I was. I always give everyone the benefit of doubt. It’s just so much easier and happier to do that than to think negatively of someone. Anywho, I’ve got some cleaning to do, and I’m starting with the kitchen. So until next time. Toodles! 🙂
Definitely going back in a couple of years to Korea and will stop by this place again. Otherwise maybe check out their other location in Cali. 
