Laura's Trip To Canada

I have just returned from the most amazing Fam Trip with Canadian Affair and Air Transat.

We started our journey in Gatwick were kindly upgraded to Air Transat’s Option Plus, which gave us check in at an exclusive counter,  pre-booked seats, an additional 23kg luggage (which is always a bonus for me) , a comfort kit on board, earbuds, drinks and snacks throughout the flights, as well as a hot meal which comes as standard and your own seat back entertainment.

We arrived into Toronto, took a quick taxi ride and checked into The Chelsea Hotel, a beautiful central hotel which offers an adult only swimming pool, kids pool with slides, kids club, gym, sauna and a choice of dining options. Perfect option for couples and families.

Our first day was action packed with a Guided City Tour, with stops at the Toronto Sign for photos, St Lawernce Market which was a beautiful food market selling lots of sweet treats, amazing coffee stalls as well as fruit, veg, fish, cheese, and the Distillery District with more than 40 boutiques and one-of-a-kind shops. This also holds a beautiful Christmas Market starting mid-November, a perfect Christmas Shopping destination.

We were then back to the hotel to get dressed up for the most amazing restaurant, with the best views of Toronto from the sky – The 360 Restaurant at the iconic CN Tower. We took the high-speed elevator 346 meters to the Main Observation Level, where we had stunning views of the whole of the city, the then a beautiful 3 course dinner.

Day 2 in Toronto was another busy Fun food Filled day! It started with a Harbour Tour. We were all kept entertained by the Captain and Guide. We had beautiful views of Toronto from the water, passed Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport, which gave us close up view of aircraft taking off and landing, views of Toronto Island, which would be perfect to spend some time in the summer, as it offers a funfair for the kids and beautiful picnic spots.

We then all headed to The Steam Whistle Brewery for lunch, where we sampled some local craft beers, which I can confirm were very nice!

Then back to the hotel to put on a few extra layers for our evening food tour. This tour took in Chinatown and Kensington Market. This is the heart of Toronto culinary scene and a completely different vibe than the centre. This area offers every cuisine you can think of. We started with Italian Pizza and wine, Mexican Tacos, Dim Sum and finished with a dessert from a Vegan Bakery.

Day 3 we packed up our cases for the next part of our trip. We were picked up from the hotel by the very comfortable Niagara Airbus and made our way our of the city for a Wine Country Tour. This tour took in 3 vineyards, where we were spoiled with some of the nicest wines I have ever tasted, sampled cheeseboards, and got to try Canada’s Famous Ice Wine, which was beautiful. Next stop was some free time exploring the quaint town of Niagara on the Lake. This was the most stunning place I have ever been to. Gorgeous shops, cafes, ice cream parlours and bakeries. I could have easily spent a few days here taking in the scenery. We boarded the bus one more time to our final destination, Niagara Falls. We stayed in the Sheraton Fallsview. I was absolutely blown away with the view from our hotel room, it was a complete “pinch me” moment. We had a full view of the Falls from our balcony, the evening ended with a Fireworks display over the lake, which takes place every evening in October.

Day 4 was our last day and most action packed. We had breakfast overlooking the falls and a tour of the Sheraton Fallsview. This is a perfect hotel for both families and couples. The hotel boasted a Starbucks in the lobby, casino, pool , spa, waterpark, amusements, Hard Rock Café and Rainforest Café all under one roof. We all took the short walk across the road to board our Voyage to the Falls Niagara Cruise. Prepare to get soaked! This cruise docks at the base of the Great Gorge, took us past the American Falls, Bridal Viel Falls and the mighty Horseshoe Falls. It is a must do trip!

We made our way for lunch at Table Rock, I would advise you to book in advance, our lunch view was unbelievable.

After lunch we made our way to Niagara’s newest attraction the Power Station and Tunnel. We all took the glass panelled elevator 180 feet down to the tunnel, which leads to an observation deck at the foot of the falls.

A helicopter tour was planned after this, but due to the wet and windy conditions this was cancelled, we were expecting this to be the case with our last activity – Zipline to the Falls, but we faced the elements and our fears and zip lined over the Falls. It will be a memory that will last forever. I have completely fallen in love with Canada and cannot wait to explore more of what the Country has to offer.