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!
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.]
