First-time Toronto visitors seeking hotel with suites

May 8, 2017 10:33 AM

Is this hotel in a good area of Toronto for first-time visitors?

In August we're driving from Cleveland to Toronto, which we've never visited before. Our group will be me, my wife, our soon-to-be-1-year-old, and my mother-in-law. On past trips we've preferred 2-bedroom suites to separate hotel rooms, so we’re considering paying a bit more to stay at the Residence Inn Downtown (map) so we spend less time driving to and from the hotel and can easily pop back to the hotel if our kid needs it. My question: is that hotel close to the sort of stuff that first-time Toronto visitors will want to see? If it's not in an ideal area for us then we might save some money by staying further out.

We haven’t figured out exactly what we want to see and do while we’re visiting, we just want to get our dates and hotel reservation handled and we can work on the itinerary as the trip gets closer. So we just want to know if that hotel is generally close to the attractions that most people want to see. Since this is our first visit we're generally happy doing the same stuff that all the other tourists do.

Also, recommendations for other hotels in the area with 2-bedroom suites are welcome.

posted by Tehhund to Travel & Transportation around Toronto, ON (7 answers total)

Best answer: Yeah, that'll be fine. It's close to the major museums and to downtown as much as any hotel in the area. It's super-downtown so don't expect to have a very easy time of parking or driving in the area, but if you're planning on going by foot or transit it's a solid location. I suggest parking the car in the hotel and not touching it unless you're going further afield like to the Ontario Science Center although that might be a bit much for a one year-old. Bring a solid stroller and be prepared to walk or try to find one of the rare new streetcars which have level access which makes it easy to get a stroller in and out. Getting a stroller into the subway or on an old streetcar is a chore involving stairs.
posted by GuyZero at 10:41 AM on May 8, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: That hotel is pretty much right downtown. It's very near the CN tour, SkyDome, etc. It's very close to the subway, which you will probably find better for getting around among tourist attractions than driving -- there are lots of attractions you won't be able to find parking much closer to than your hotel anyway. Be mindful of which subway stations have elevators for your stroller, though -- not all of the downtown ones do yet.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:43 AM on May 8, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The hotel is very central, yes. You are within what I would consider walking distance of the CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium, Chinatown, Kensington and the AGO, assuming you have a stroller for the child. The ROM is easily accessible via the Spadina streetcar.

I wouldn't count on using a car to get around downtown Toronto. Parking is expensive and not necessairly convenient. You would need a car to get to the zoo anyway. It is far.
posted by TORunner at 10:44 AM on May 8, 2017 [1 favorite]

Yes. You're a reasonable walk to lots of things that would be of interest. You could see and lo a lot of what Toronto has to offer without needing your car at all once you've parked at the hotel. Your 20-minute walking radius includes the Art Gallery of Ontario, The ferry terminal to Toronto Island, shopping on Queen St. West, Chinatown and Kensington Market, St. Lawrence Market, the Rogers Centre for baseball games, the CN Tower and the Aquarium. That's like a week! You're also pretty good for transit as the Spadina Streetcar is close by, and the subway is a bit further.

GuyZero's advice on strollers and streetcars is good. The spadina line has been converted to the new, low floor streetcars.
posted by thenormshow at 10:44 AM on May 8, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Looks like that's a good area for us. Thanks!
posted by Tehhund at 10:51 AM on May 8, 2017

Yes, the hotel's fine, and super-central. Source: I live and work in the immediate area.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:53 AM on May 8, 2017 [1 favorite]

List of TTC stations with elevators here.

For reference, Union station is a 15-minute walk from the hotel at a relaxed pace, St. Andrew Station about the same.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:10 AM on May 8, 2017