Suelyn Bloye - DelSuites

Downtown Toronto, Toronto Entertainment, Toronto Family Travel, Toronto History, toronto toursim

How to Get to Niagara Falls from Toronto

October 22, 2019

One of the most popular day trips from Toronto is Niagara Falls. It’s one of the most spectacular natural wonders in the world and it’s hard to truly fathom the spectacular rushing flow of water unless you have seen it with your own eyes.

Niagara Falls is located just outside Toronto, so it’s perfect for exploring on a day trip or a weekend getaway. There are several choices for accommodation in the area, from luxurious boutique resorts to simple, affordable and basic hotels. So, it’s easy to stay over and explore the area more.

Since going to Niagara Falls from Toronto is so popular, there are multiple options for getting there.

Can I Take the Train from Toronto to Niagara Falls?

Yes, Via Rail offers direct daily service between Toronto and Niagara Falls. There are two trains daily and an adult return ticket will cost around $55-$75 depending on how far you book in advance. Keep in mind that the evening return trip to Toronto is a train that originates in New York City, so it often runs late.

Go Transit also offers a combination train and bus route between Toronto and Niagara Falls. You’ll need to transfer to a bus in Burlington and then continue onto Niagara Falls.

In the summer months, from May to Labour Day in September, Go Transit runs a convenient direct train service from Union Station to the Niagara Falls train station. It operates on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, as well as holidays only. There is one return trip on Friday evenings and three return trips on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays.

It’s important to note that the train station is in old Niagara Falls, which is about a five minute drive from the Falls themselves. So, when you arrive at the Niagara Falls Train Station, you’ll need to go a little bit further to get to the Falls. It’s a short taxi ride (which should cost around $10-$15 CAD), or you can use the bus route 104.

Is There a Toronto to Niagara Falls Bus?

You can take the bus from both Megabus and Greyhound to Niagara Falls. They are both direct buses with no transfers and the prices for tickets range from $14-$30 CAD. The journey takes around 1.5-2.5 hours depending on the number of stops.

Both the Megabus and Greyhound leave every day, multiple times per day. To get a cheaper bus ride, book online in advance.

There are also shuttle buses between Toronto and Niagara Falls and coming back the other way from Niagara Falls to Toronto. They cost more than public transit, but you’re paying extra for the comfort and convenience. You might even get picked up at your hotel in Toronto and delivered to the door of your hotel in Niagara Falls. Here’s an example of a shuttle bus service.

Can I Drive to Niagara Falls?

If you rent a car in Toronto, you can drive to Niagara Falls during your visit. This gives you the advantage of being able to travel on your own schedule and make stops along the way. The trip will take about an hour and a half to two hours.

The most direct route is along the Queen Elizabeth Highway, alongside Lake Ontario. Keep in mind that this is a major commuter route, so there will be heavy traffic on this road during rush hour. The peak traffic will be going into the city in the mornings until 9am and out of the city between 3 and 7pm. Keep this in mind and try to travel outside of these times, if possible.

You may want to allow time to stop in Burlington along the way. It’s less than an hour from Toronto and it has a beautiful Royal Botanical Gardens that are worth a visit. You can also visit the town of Jordan along the way, home to the well known local winery Cave Springs.

Niagara Falls Tours from Toronto

Another option is to hop on a group day tour to Niagara Falls. There are several companies that offer these tours, including Gray Line, Niagara Tours, North Star Tours, Royal Tours of Niagara Falls Canada, Toronto Tours, Niagara Bus Tours and more.

These tours usually leave Toronto in the morning, take you to the falls for a few hours and then bring you back in the evening. They might include lunch or other activities as well – such as visits to the local wineries. If you aren’t sure which tour is best for you, take a look at the reviews on Tripadvisor.

Taking a day tour might be a great option if you have a limited time in Toronto and you want to sit back and relax while someone else takes you to the highlights of the region.

No matter how you get there, it’s absolutely worth visiting Niagara Falls on your visit to Toronto

Fitness and Health, Lifestyle talk, Vacation Travel

Tips for Staying in Shape While Traveling

October 18, 2019

It’s not always easy to stay in shape while traveling. The temptations of convenience food on the road and the disruption of your normal routine can make it a challenge to stay fit.

Do you find that you abandon your healthy habits when you are traveling and take a step backward on your health? It doesn’t have to be this way, it’s possible to travel and stay in shape.

Consistency Is Key

One of the main reasons why it can be challenging to stay in shape while traveling is because it’s difficult to maintain a routine while you are on the road. You might be in the habit of going to the gym every day after work, but when you’re traveling that pattern is not there.

In order to stay fit while traveling, you have to make the effort to build a healthy routine into your travel days. Even if every day of your trip is different from the next, you can still try to add in a consistent habit you follow through with every day. Your workout becomes the one thing that is always in your day, no matter where you are.

For example, try to wake up at the same time every morning and head to the gym for a workout before you have breakfast. (At your DelSuites condominium you’ll have access to a fully equipped fitness centre, which makes this very easy!)

Explore Your Destination in Active Ways

Another way to build more exercise into your daily routine is to look for active ways to enjoy your destination. This could include taking a long walk through the city, checking out a local hiking trail or going for a run in a nearby park.

One of the great things about Toronto is that it offers an extensive trail system and many lovely, peaceful parks that are ideal for walking, running and cycling. You’ll get to see some of the most beautiful areas of the city, while also keeping yourself fit and healthy.

Look for Healthy Local Eats

One of the joys of traveling is tasting all the delicious local food, right? There’s no need to give up on this pleasure, but think about how you can seek out healthy local treats so you can try something new while treating your body right.

Toronto has a superb collection of restaurants serving up healthy, nutritious food that is actually yummy – including the organic restaurant Rawlicious, the superb smoothies at Belmonte Raw and the tasty meals at Camros Organic Eatery. Check out this guide to healthy restaurants in Toronto for more ideas.

Don’t Eat Every Meal in Restaurants

When you stay in a hotel room while traveling, you don’t have an option to prepare your own meals. This means you end up eating every meal in restaurants, which can really have a negative impact on your health.

This is because most restaurant meals are often served in large portions. Plus, in order to make the dish taste delicious they often use much more fat, sugar and salt than you would if you were cooking the dish yourself. It’s nice for a treat, but when you eat restaurant meals all the time the calories really add up.

Staying in a furnished apartment means that you will have your own kitchen, so you can prepare simple, healthy meals with fresh ingredients you pick up from the local supermarket.

Lifestyle talk, Vacation Travel

Ideas for the Ultimate Girls Trip

October 15, 2019

Planning a girls weekend with your best friends? There’s nothing quite like a girls weekend getaway to help you relax and recharge. Spending some quality time with your friends gives you a chance to talk through whatever you’ve been struggling with, support and encourage each other – and of course let loose and have a good time! A girls road trip is incredibly good for the soul.

So, where should you go on your girls getaway? There are plenty of options for great weekend getaways with your best friends. So, here are some cheap girls getaway weekend ideas.

Girls Trip Ideas

Eat Your Way Through Montreal

Montreal is one of the most vibrant food cities in Canada, offering up everything from savory smoked meat to freshly baked bagels to glorious poutine. Take your best friends on a food tour of the city to taste everything Montreal’s culinary scene has to offer. You could even consider taking a cooking class, so that you can bond over making your own yummy dishes. Here are 10 dishes you really must try on your travels in Montreal.

Party in New Orleans

Want to dance the night away in one of the liveliest cities in the USA? New Orleans has a fun, sultry vibe. On Bourbon Street you can groove to live music until dawn every night of the week. When you’re not painting the town red with your friends, you can take a tour of the French Quarter. It’s a great way to learn about the intriguing history of this character-packed city. There’s a reason why New Orleans is popular for girls weekend getaways.

Get Cultured in Mexico City

Did you know that Mexico City is one of the best cities in North America when it comes to museums and art galleries? If you and your girlfriends are art lovers, you’ll want to spend several days here to soak everything in. It’s a lot of fun for girls trips. Check out the Frida Kahlo Museum to see some powerful artwork by a very inspiring female artist. After you’ve worked up an appetite touring art galleries all day, you can enjoy the excellent dining scene Mexico City has to offer.

Be Dazzled by Dubai

If you think everything is bigger in Texas, you will be blown away by the scale of Dubai. Enormous shopping malls, the tallest sky-scrapers in the world and even a huge indoor ski resort are the main attractions in this glamorous desert metropolis. Or, you can get out of the city with a full desert experience, complete with camel rides, sandboarding and dune bashing. Whatever you do, it’s bound to be an unforgettable trip.

Tour the Best of Toronto

Toronto is a vibrant city packed with culture, food and stuff to do – making it a perfect destination for a girls weekend getaway. There’s always something new happening there – from the launch of a new restaurant to a thrilling festival and much more. If you can time your visit for Pedestrian Sundays at Kensington Market you can go for a stroll down the car-free streets and enjoy musicians, art stalls and street performers. (Here are a few more ideas for Things To Do In Downtown Toronto.)

Sip Wine in Sonoma

Located in the beautiful California wine country, the Sonoma Valley is a dream destination for wine enthusiasts. This region is home to more than 425 wineries, from stunning modern lounges to striking castles and luxurious villas. Sip on superb Chardonnay while watching the sun set over the rolling vineyards and craggy mountains. You can even take a winery tour to learn more about the production of your favorite bottle (and take one home with you!)

Keep It Weird in Austin

Austin, Texas is a city with a unique vibe and a personality of its own. When you travel there with your best gal pals, you can enjoy fantastic live music, quirky boutique hotels and an excellent food scene. Be sure to take a look at the concert listings at The Moody Theater, a totally cool local venue featuring great bands. Or, if you want to enjoy the great outdoors you can take a hike around the scenic trails of Lady Bird Lake.

Be Seduced By Savannah

The romantic Spanish moss, cobblestone streets and ornate mansions of Savannah give it a feeling unlike anywhere else in the USA. This would be a perfect destination for a group of friends to unwind and relax. You can stroll through the tree-lined streets and sit and chat in the shady parks. Or, shop in the lovely boutiques and sip cocktails in an atmospheric bar. Plus, there are many great day spas in Savannah where you and your friends can be pampered.

Do you have any other girls weekend ideas you love? Share your favorite girls trip with us in the comments!

Downtown Toronto, Food & Recipes

The Best Bakeries in Toronto

October 11, 2019

There’s nothing quite like the irresistible aroma of freshly baked bread.

There are several excellent bakeries in Toronto where dedicated bakers are kneading dough at the crack of dawn, pulling their soft, warm loaves out of the oven before most city-dwellers are even awake. At these fantastic bakeries, you will find fresh pastries, crusty baguettes, handmade cakes and so much more.

Here are just a few examples of the best bakeries that Toronto has to offer.

The Rolling Pin

The Rolling Pin is one of the most well known bakeries in Toronto, famous for their elaborately decorated over the top donuts. The owners of this bakery, Isabelle and Vanessa, are truly passionate about creating innovative desserts. They experiment with new flavours all the time and they always offer creative taste combinations – such as a Key Lime Pie donut or a marshmallow Fluff filled donut topped with Rice Krispies and drizzled with Nutella. The Rolling Pin also offers baking classes, so you can learn how to make your own unique cake creations.

Through Being Cool Vegan Baking Co.

If you don’t eat animal products, that doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on the bakery fun. Through Being Cool is a vegan bakery that serves up everything from cookies, doughnuts and scones – harming no creatures in the process. They believe that vegan food doesn’t always have to be healthy salads and other “rabbit food” – it can be sweet, indulgent baked treats as well! They also serve great coffee, made with high quality beans from Anchored Coffee.

Sweet Hart Kitchen

In a fantastic location just a few streets away from bustling Kensington Market, Sweet Hart Kitchen is a friendly, welcoming bakery serving up gluten-free, allergen-free and entirely vegan options. Everything they make is 100% vegan and uses real, whole ingredients. They avoid artificial flavours and colours and they make sure their ingredients are fair trade, organic and locally sourced whenever possible.

Roselle Desserts

From coffee caramel cakes to lemon tarts to Earl Grey infused cakes, you’ll find a delightful selection of treats at Roselle Desserts. The bakers, Bruce Lee and Stephanie Duong, honed their dessert-making skills in Hong Kong and Paris before they set up shop in Corktown. There is a strong Parisian influence here, with dainty and delicate French pastries decorated with toppings that are as delicious as they are beautiful.

Bakerbots

Located on a side street near Ossington Station, Bakerbots is a friendly and welcoming bakeshop that offers sweets such as cookies, macarons, cupcakes and fruit pies. One of their specialties is ice cream sandwiches, with surprising and delicious flavour combinations such as cocoa and French mint, Burnt marshmallow, Guinness stout and Maple bacon.

Planning a trip to Toronto?

These are just a few of the many delicious bakeries you can check out when you visit Toronto. For a warm and welcoming place to stay during your trip, take a look at our furnished apartments.

Events, Family Vacations in Toronto, Holiday Events, Vacation Travel

Tips for Better Thanksgiving Travel

October 8, 2019

Canadian Thanksgiving, celebrated on the second Monday in October, will take place on Monday October 14th this year (2019).

The week of Thanksgiving can be one of the craziest travel periods of the year, with millions of people flying to visit family and friends for the holiday. This can make things pretty stressful.

However, traveling during Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Here are some tips for your next Thanksgiving getaways.

Smart Thanksgiving Travel Tips

Plan ahead and arrive early, think about the rush hour times for each city you have to drive through. Unexpected delays might happen, so it’s a good idea to build in extra time just in case.
When driving, consider taking the scenic route. Even though the distance may be longer, you won’t end up sitting bumper to bumper so it might be faster.
Download the Waze app. It allows you to see real-time updates on accidents, traffic, police traps and more.
If you’re road tripping with kids, make sure you bring along plenty of books, toys and other distractions to keep them happy and entertained while on the journey.
If you have to travel by plane, save money by flying back on Black Friday. Everyone is too busy shopping and the rates for flights are often much cheaper.
If the airline gives you the option for text messages with flight updates, take it! Sometimes it’s really useful and can alert you to last minute updates.
Also, you can use your smartphone to check-in early and have your boarding pass delivered electronically. This will allow you to bypass the line at the check-in kiosk.
If you can be flexible with your dates, you can usually find last minute deals on Skyscanner.
If you’re tempted to stay in a hotel rather than sleep in the spare room or sofa, hotels are usually underbooked during Thanksgiving and you may be able to find last minute deals.
When bringing food, sweet, treats and other goodies with you on the plane, make sure you check with the airline first. For example, gravies, relishes and jams are often considered “liquid” and are not allowed on the plane.
When it comes to what clothing to pack, the key word is layers. Temperatures can fluctuate throughout the day in the autumn, so make sure you can adjust when things cool down.

Where to Go for Thanksgiving

What if you’re planning to hit the road and enjoy a getaway over the Thanksgiving holiday? There are many different Thanksgiving destinations available throughout Canada and the USA – here are a few great options you might consider.

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee: This family-friendly destination has lots of great festive events around American Thanksgiving. For example, you can enjoy Winterfest, a beautiful celebration of lights.
Toronto, Ontario: Head to the bright lights and big city of Toronto for Thanksgiving. There’s so much to see and do in the city!
Las Vegas, Nevada: Why not go on a Thanksgiving getaway to Sin City and have a bit of fun in the casinos? If you hit the jackpot, you’ll have a lot to be thankful for!
Montreal, Quebec: This beautiful city is so much fun to explore over Thanksgiving. The autumn leaves look spectacular and the weather is just right. Do some shopping, check out the art galleries and more. (Note: Thanksgiving is known as action de grâce in Quebec and it is celebrated slightly less than in other parts of Canada.)
The Adirondacks, New York: This stunning forested area in New York state looks even more beautiful in the autumn as the leaves begin to change colour. Check out the many award-winning spas, golf courses and restaurants in the region.
Chicago, Illinois: Why not pair your Thanksgiving turkey with a deep dish pizza while you explore this exciting and culturally rich American city? Check out the famous stand-up comedy scene and go on an architecture tour (skyscrapers were invented here).
Vancouver Island, British Columbia: Stroll the beaches of Tofino, go on a whale watching tour or take a walking tour of historic downtown Victoria’s turn-of-the-century buildings.
Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee: Explore the great outdoors at one of the most popular National Parks in the USA. With over 150 official hiking trails, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to breathe in the fresh and crisp fall air.

(Keep in mind that if you will be traveling over the border on Thanksgiving long weekend, you should allow for extra time. The border will be busy and you may need to wait in line for quite some time.)

Be Thankful

Last but not least, the most important tip for Thanksgiving travel is to be thankful. Even though your journey may be delayed and crowded, express gratitude for the opportunity to travel with your loved ones and enjoy your holiday.

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