Staying in Toronto on the cheap?

January 14, 2005 5:15 PM

Need help on cheap travel to and accomodations in Toronto. [inside, more]

I want to go to Toronto between March 5 and 13 (spring break, if you must know), and I'm hoping to do so on the cheap. I live in DC, and I think I can fly Southwest to Buffalo for about $39 each way. (All prices in US$.) Coach Canada apparently has service between Buffalo and Toronto for about $40 round trip. Once in Toronto, I want to stay somewhere -- I'd prefer private accomodations, but communal living in a hostel is fine. I'd like accesibility to downtown, obviously. Price is the watchword -- I'd like to stay somewhere for $50 or less per night. If you can help me with hotels, or tell me if my travel idea sucks horribly, please post!

posted by armage to travel & transportation (15 comments total)

try the alexandra or its sister building (forget the name) on ryerson. they are former apartments. biggest bang for the buck in the town.

if you want to actually be in downtown, go for the quality inn on lombard.
posted by the aloha at 5:56 PM on January 14, 2005

Global Backpackers is right across the street from where I work, which is right near the Entertainment District and the downtown core. I can't vouch for its quality, though.
posted by mkn at 5:57 PM on January 14, 2005

you are being a little cheap if you want to stay in t.o. or even scarsborough.
posted by the aloha at 5:57 PM on January 14, 2005

I think your best bet might be a bed and breakfast, so long as you aren't planning to party all night while in TO. Unfortunatly I don't have any experience with the B&B's in the city, but if you'd like info on the neighbourhoods that any of them are in, feel free to email me.
B&B Homes in Toronto
posted by nprigoda at 6:15 PM on January 14, 2005

Stayed at Global Backpackers once, wasn't pleased. Consider Hostelling International's Toronto hostel; I haven't stayed there, but have been impressed by their hostels elsewhere.
posted by mcwetboy at 9:02 PM on January 14, 2005

staying in hamilton and commuting in would probably still be cheapest :P

i've found some good rates for hotels on expedia.ca though, but nothing ~$50.
posted by mrplab at 7:08 AM on January 15, 2005

The Green Acres motel on Lakeshore, in Mississauga. US$30 a night, and you're a one-transfer bus ride from downtown.
posted by deshead at 8:24 AM on January 15, 2005

Ugh...don't stay in Mississauga.

Here's a B&B right at Bloor and Yonge that's $50 CDN/night.

Also, do look into flying directly into Toronto. I find it's often cheaper than flying to Buffalo and it's a lot less hassle (yes, the bus ride is short, but a bus ride crossing the border is a pain in the but). And don't forget that when the trip takes longer you end up spending more because you'll end up having to buy food.

If I were you, I would take the cost of the trip as you've currently planned it and bid that or a little less on priceline for a trip directly to TO (or check out the price on hotwire). You have nothing to lose and could save yourself a lot of hassle.
posted by duck at 8:56 AM on January 15, 2005

Forget the hostels -- I've discovered that you can use Priceline to get hotel rooms in Toronto on the cheap. A few years ago, the place I was living in got unbearably hot during the summer, and to treat myself, I'd check into a hotel for a night or two. I never bid more than $35 for a room, and always got something decent, even luxurious, and always in the heart of downtown. I kid you not -- try it. You'll be pleasantly surprised, and you've got nothing to lose.
posted by greatgefilte at 8:56 AM on January 15, 2005

PS, you have to restrict your search to 'downtown Toronto,' if that's where you want to stay... And I'd start with a 2-star rating to begin with.

Of course, I disclaim all reponsibility in case this goes terribly wrong.
posted by greatgefilte at 9:05 AM on January 15, 2005

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I hadn't thought about Priceline -- perhaps I can get a good deal. It seems kind of strange, putting out a "bid" for an airline ticket. How does that work -- does Priceline get extra seats on planes that aren't likely to sell them, or what?

Either way, if I can get straight to Toronto without having to pay an exorbitant $250 fare, I'd be quite pleased.
posted by armage at 2:25 PM on January 15, 2005

I spent two years using priceline almost exclusively and was very happy with both the prices and the tickets I got. You have to be willing to fly at any time of day, and bear in mind that the bid you put in does *NOT* include the cost of taxes and fees which will be added on later.

You *CANNOT* put in a bid "just to see". If you bid is accepted your credit card will be charged. Your ticket is neither cancel-able nor change-able. Be sure before you bid.

As a sort of practice run, you can check out hotwire.com .. They are similar, you have to be willing to fly at any time, but you put in the days and it tells you the price. You have a certain number of hours to buy the ticket at that price. I used to check out the price there and then bid a little lower on priceline...if the priceline came through, great, otherwise I'd buy on hotwire.

Oh, and though they say you cannot get frequent flyer miles on a priceline ticket, I would generally show my frequent flyer card when I checked in at the airport and the clerk would add it and I would get the miles.

Oh...and if you're a student, you can also look for student plane fares at TravelCuts or STA Travel.
posted by duck at 5:33 PM on January 15, 2005

Pay heed to duck's caveats about Priceline's tickets -- they're notoriously intractable when it comes to making changes. I still recommend them for hotels, though.
posted by greatgefilte at 5:46 PM on January 15, 2005

To add to what "the aloha" suggested.

The Alexandra at 77 Ryerson is not as cheap as it comes, but very decent. Stove, microwave and dishes in the room, very central, $100-$120 CDN a night taxes in. I've stayed there alone and with large room trashing groups at least half a dozen times, never a problem.
posted by Leonard at 7:00 PM on January 15, 2005

Re Priceline's intractability...A few years back I had bought a ticket home for Christmas on priceline. I was flying out on Tuesday...The friday before my flight I found out I had cancer. I couldn't fly out on Tuesday because I needed to stay for MRI and CT scans to determine whether or not the cancer had spread and how to best treat it.

I called priceline and they would not change my ticket. Now I know the ticket says it's not changeable, but I kind of thought that these were pretty extreme circumstances (and yes, I offered the phone number of the oncologist and everything). Nothing doing...I could tell the woman on the phone felt really bad and had no clue how to deal with the giant ball of emotions on the other end of the phone, but in the end I had to throw the ticket in the garbage and buy another one.

But that's what I signed up for, so it's not like they lied and I guess I have no grounds for complaint. In fact, if I recall correctly, I bought the replacement ticket from Priceline, too.
posted by duck at 9:50 PM on January 15, 2005