Holiday to Toronto

no.1swimmum

so DH and I are looking at going to Toronto for our 30th anniversary next April, and I am hoping that some kind people on here can give me any advice as my only other trip to Toronto was on a school trip aged 13! which was some xx years ago.

Have looked at flights and found that we can fly club with airtransat for £940 each , but have not really heard of them so any views about this airline would be appreciated, have googled reviews and they are mixed mostly but say that club is a vast improvement on economy just to add that I am 6' and suffer with osteoarthritis and DH is 6'4" so extra leg room is helpful for both of us.

We would love to spend a couple of nights at Niagra falls, so any hotel recommendations would be helpful.

We are not planning on driving for the whole holiday but are thinking of picking up a hire car at the airport and driving straight to Niagra, and then back to Toronto after a couple of nights and returning car and using public transport the rest of the holiday but would appreciate any views on this.

Also thinking of hiring an apartment in Toronto as I do not sleep very well and get up and make a drink etc without disturbing DH too much, or may be a suite, again any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thank you so much for any input it will be much appreciate.

Shimrod

You don't mention budgets, but I stayed here at Niagara http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1330 If you get an upper floor (we booked a fallsview room on the 24th floor), the views of the falls are amazing. My brother went a couple of years ago and stayed at the Hilton which had similar views.

I've never flown Air Transat but they've been around for a long time. You can find reviews of the airline, seats and service here: http://www.airlinequality.com/airline-reviews/air-transat/

You could also look at Westjet, another low cost airline that offers a premium economy package (but you would want to be on 767 rather than a 737): https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/travel-info/fares/our-fares/plus/index

As an alternative, Air Canada have preferred seats in economy. These offer a few extra inches of legroom for a modest premium. Some of the seats are emergency exit seats, but they are also (normally) the first few rows of seats in economy. We flew to Newfoundland recently and paid £88 extra each for preferred seating both ways (£44 per leg). The legroom was about 4 inches more than standard economy. More details here: http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/traveller/seatselection/preferredseats.html

We didn't have a car at Niagara. We used public transport, and you definitely don't want to be driving around Toronto - you'll probably spend a lot of time in traffic jams. We only picked up the hire car once we left Toronto to drive up the coast.

skint_chick

There's no need to drive to Niagara - you can get the bus from Toronto easily and it takes about the same length of time as driving without the hassle and highway lane changing! There's a bus to Niagara bus station then a bus to the falls. I've flown with Air Transat before and it was ok, we're both tall and need the extra legroom but the food was nothing special - I have special dietary requirements so brought my own food onboard anyway but OH was starving when we got there. If you have the option of another airline for a similar price in premium economy or extra legroom I would do that!

no.1swimmum

Thanks for your replies, I will look at west jet flights also just noticed that British airways currently have a sale, so will check them.

I don't mind paying a bit extra at Niagra falls for a hotel as a special treat for DH as we've had a tough 18 months with his health so it wouldn't do any harm to spoil ourselves, will check out those suggested, thanks.

Thanks for the info about the bus, didn't think of that just thought it would be easier with our luggage etc to drive, have driven numerous times in USA, I did wonder about a train though so may look into that.

Thanks again

Duckyduck

Niagara on the lake is a lovely little town about a 30 min (if that) drive away, I think there's lots of little B&B places so if you're looking for something a bit nice and special would be worth looking into. Groupon always has tons of getaways for Niagara Falls which again could give you ideas of places to stay. The Canadian town of Niagara Falls is probably the tackiest place on the entire planet just to warn you! The falls are lovely but the town itself is very much a tourist drag.

You can get a train from Toronto to Niagara (VIA rail or GO Transit) or a bus (Megabus or Greyhound), and they're perfectly good options if you just wanted a day trip to see the falls, but to see the nicer towns and vineyards in the area I think a car would be best. It's a really straightforward drive from the airport to Niagara Falls.

Driving in Toronto really isn't bad at all, though public transport is excellent and extensive so you won't need a car there.

I've flown economy with Air Transit a few times and they were fine, though nothing special. I did once get upgraded to the extra legroom row, being a shortie I didn't really need it! But it felt spacious to me.

no.1swimmum

Duckyduck your comment about Niagra being tacky made me laugh because I told DH that, I could remember that from my trip 30 something years ago, I thought that the rainbow lights on the falls at night (don't know if they still do this) was awful and I hated it even as a 13 yr old.

Will look into the B & B's as that sounds lovely although I know that DH would love a room with a view of the falls.

malkie76

Marriott Falls View is the hotel closest to the Falls. We stayed there five years ago on honeymoon for a night. Brilliant views.

I second Niagara on the Lake and a few vineyards while in the area - hence I'd recommend driving yourself for flexibility.

Shimrod

Duckyduck wrote: »

The Canadian town of Niagara Falls is probably the tackiest place on the entire planet just to warn you! The falls are lovely but the town itself is very much a tourist drag.

Blackpool on steroids is how I would describe it, but I was leaving that bit as a surprise!

Duckyduck wrote: »

Driving in Toronto really isn't bad at all, though public transport is excellent and extensive so you won't need a car there.

Maybe it's because I'm from the provinces, but I wouldn't drive in Toronto unless I had to - any more than I enjoy driving round London. And of course the freeways are something else, especially at rush hour.