Canada flights and hotels

bigfoot125

Need to plan a trip for family of 4,on a budget if there is such a thing for Canada.

flights i can get for 1200 via globespan,any hotels anyone can suggest and other tips are appreciated

cheers

tumbleweed261

Zoom were offering something like £170 return to Toronto all in per person, so that would reduce the cost of your flights by quite a chunk - https://www.flyzoom.com

Can't suggest hotels I'm afraid as I had a flat there, but museums very often have free days/afternoons, worth asking in a gift shop or something. The papers have really good events listings, you can buy them from boxes on the streets in Toronto for about $1 CDN I think, there's all sorts going on every day in Toronto (well there was when I lived there) - and the shopping's really good! If you want to ask anything else feel free to PM me

GlennTheBaker

I'm going to Toronto from 22-26 November and have booked the Marriott Eaton Centre hotel. The best rate on the Marriott website was CAD $229 per night + tax, which came to CAD $1044.34 in total including tax, approximately £458. https://www.find-rooms.com had the same deal for £283 in total, including taxes. I booked with Marriott and then submitted a claim under their 'Best Rate Guarantee'. They agreed the claim, matched the rate on find-rooms and then discounted it by 25%. The total for my reservation is now CAD $495.35, approximately £220. I will also be using 2 x £100 Marriott Premium Pounds coupons which cost around £30 each to buy so the total cost of my stay will be around £80.

balsingh

I've booked my flights through https://www.canadianaffair.com and they do hotels too, tours, trains and car hire. Best thing is if you give them a call, the staff are canadian and very knowledgable. The company is based in London.

wallacebob

Flew with Zoom from Glasgow to Halifax, NS last year. Very good. 5 1/2 hour flight. I paid extra for pre-booked seats so we got leg room for my wife and FIL, both over 6 foot. We tried normal seats when we boarded, they would have been fine.
Hotels are cheap compared to here, Choice hotels/Comfort Inns proved good value for us as we travelled around, but B&B in country towns are also very good. We were there in June before USA visitors come, so quiet, and still some bargains.
Car hire: watch out for insurance rip off, take out a year-long cover before you go if you plan to hire for a few weeks. If you use "full service " gas pump it is more expensive; they are meant to serve you, so charge extra.
Food is cheap, but in small places can be a bit dull. French areas are obviously the exception! Breakfast is better in gas stations like Irvines, it is great to get a few miles under your belt and then stop for a big brunch! Timmy Hortens are coffee and cake places, horrid coffee and very sweet cakes, IMHO. Alchohol is resticted in some parts, it is odd to see supermarkets with no booze. These Provinces have there own booze shops which are very pleasant, and even have refridgerated storage areas for cases of beer. Wine is a bit iffy, spirits excellent, beer excellent. Remember the hotels have ice machines, so a cold beer can be very pleasant when relaxing in bed.
If you like crafts or scrapbooking, go to the $ stores. Loads of junk for 50 cents or $.
Everyone is VERY polite, so return the compliment. Holding doors open is regarded as normal, you will always have a "thankyou" returned with a "you're welcome" Tipping is expected, but not compulsory.
If you're over 50/55 ask for a seniors discount. My FIL got 10-15% off hotels, meals without question.
Keep all receipts, claim back hotel tax and other bits you bring home. See Canadian tax website https://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/visitors/ . There are companies who will process forms for you, but they charge a commission, do it yourself! We got £120 back with ten minutes work. You are supposed to get receipts stamped and goods inspected by customs when you leave. We asked custom officer; send your boarding card with the forms, and explain either the office was shut, or you were late for your flight. Don't be greedy, fill the forms out right, and a cheque in £ will be yours.
Drivers in general are very polite and patient. I made the mistake of standing on a street corner to admire a view; all the traffic stopped to let me cross the road! At junctions the stop lines are pedestrian crossings. Left turn on Red light is OK some places. Roundabouts are not common, but watch out for "4 way stops" which is the closed thing; every one has to stop and give way to some one. I never worked out if you gave way to left or right or just whoever smiled the most.
Have a great time.