contact April 30th, 2008
No, I’m not really the King, but you’ll find a bunch of Elvis impersonators May 1 at the Gladstone Hotel’s Melody Bar. Don’t miss tomorrow’s fun event; there will be 5 Elvis Tribute Artists performing live, the youngest of them is only 12 years old!
I Am Elvis
Gladstone Hotel, Toronto
Thursday, May 1, 2008
7-9:30pm
Melody Bar
Free
contact March 29th, 2008
Make sure to head over to concierge where they’ve featured our favorite Canadian city of Toronto. Here’s what they say about Toronto in a nutshell:
“* It’s a chowhound’s paradise, with everything from Nigerian to Laotian, Moroccan to Azerbaijani food
* An architectural renaissance is transforming the skyline with additions by Daniel Libeskind and native son Frank Gehry
* Toronto has become one of the most ethnically diverse cities on the continent, with lively neighborhoods, festivals, and restaurants to match
* The Eaton Centre. It’s a big suburban-style mall with all the wrong kinds of shopping
* When to go to Toronto: May, June, September, October”
contact March 17th, 2008
When you stay at The Metropolitan Hotel you’ll find yourself just a few convenient minutes from the Financial District.
The hotel boasts a 24-hour business center and in-room amenities such as large work space on desks, fax/modem hookups, and cordless two-line phones.
There are favorite restaurants among the business crowd here: Hemispheres and Lai Wah Heen will be ideal for your power lunches.
The Metropolitan Hotel
108 Chestnut Street
Toronto, ON M5G 1R3, Canada
(416) 977-5000
contact February 18th, 2008
Set to open during the summer of 2009, the Thompson Hotel will feature a rooftop pool and bar with amazing views of Lake Ontario, Fort York and the CN Tower, all completely unobstructed; 102 rooms and 340 residential units; 42-inch plasma TVs, private 40-seat screening rooms; an outdoor skating rink with an rink-side lounge!
Thompson Hotel Toronto
550 Wellington Street W
Toronto ON M5V Canada
Telephone: 212.204.5010 (for info)
[via]
contact February 12th, 2008
For an out-of-this-world Cantonese inspired dim sum in Toronto, make a bee-line over to Lai Wah Heen Restaurant, which is housed inside the Metropolitan Hotel. Dim sum is served during lunch, seven days a week.
Dim sum chef Terence Chan is the mastermind behind the offerings at Lai Wah Heen. With his finger on the pulse of the most recent trends in Chinese cuisine, Chef Chan offers the most delectable shrimp, pork and vegetable dishes perfectly seasoned with exotic herbs and spices from the Pacific Rim.
NEVER leave this place, either, without trying the desserts! Here’s what’s available:
-Mini cream custard freshly baked in a puff pastry shell
-Sweetened cream roulade filled with hawthorn fruit paste
-Deep-fried dumpling of banana & sweet potato
-Deep-fried cream custard in a puffy cocoon
-Steamed mini soft cake flavored with honey-glazed walnut
-Tower of coffee & espresso pudding
-Deep-fried bun filled with mango & cream
-Baked puff pastry of sweet squash paste & almond
-Chilled duo tea pudding of lychee & jasmine flavor
To see the Dim Sum menu click here
Lai Wah Heen Restaurant
Metropolitan Hotel Toronto
108 Chestnut Street
Toronto, Ontario M5G 1R3 Canada
Telephone: 416.977.9899
contact January 25th, 2008
You might be happy to know that the new book about Toronto and nearby attraction, Fodor’s Toronto 2008: With Niagara Falls & the Niagara Wine Region
Pre-order your book now
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Here are more books about Toronto you might be interested in:
1. Lonely Planet Toronto
2. Top 10 Toronto
3. Secret Toronto: The Unique Guidebook to Toronto’s Hidden Sites
4. Toronto for Dummies
This is a down-to-earth trip planner comes with very handy Post-it flags for you to mark your favorite pages! Priced at a bargain basement price of $11 (plus some change), you’ll get your money’s worth and more with all of its 336 pages.
contact January 24th, 2008
Global Village Backpackers Youth Hostel was voted the best hostel in Toronto last year. But. How MANY hostels are there exactly in Toronto? One?! Just kidding. Anyway, I have a feeling this place is fun and a place where people aren’t focused on “rest and relaxation” if you know what I mean.
Formerly The Spadina Hotel, back in the glory days the place hosted celebs like Jack Nicholson and The Rolling Stones. Fast forward to today and the hostel has hosted the likes of future famous people. Maybe.
Because of its downtown location, once you arrive in Toronto, you’ll know you won’t have to lug a huge backpack to get to your accommodations. Also, this youth hostel is conveniently near Toronto’s main sights, which is a traveler’s dream come true. There are also some package tours and day trips (Niagara Falls, Brewery Tours, Hockey Fan Tours, Moose Trips, etc.) available so check them out at the front desk.
Global Village Backpackers is the largest youth hostel in Toronto, offering: 24-hr reception, swipe-card security, air conditioning, free wi-fi, huge common areas, outdoor patio and Toronto’s only Backpackers Bar.
Sounds fun, huh?
Rates (Canadian dollars): $27 Dorm Bed (6-10 beds per room); $29.99 Quad Bed (4 beds per room); $72.50 Private Room (1 double bed) - and a buck or toonie off if you reserve online. Note: $10 linen & key deposit required upon check-in and refunded when linen & key are returned at checkout
Global Village Backpackers Youth Hostel
460 King St. West (NW corner of King & Spadina)
Toronto, On, Canada
M5V 1L7
Tel: 1.888.844.7875 (North America only) or 416.703.8540
contact January 6th, 2008
As the largest city in Canada, you would definitely expect that there’d be a gay scene in Toronto. You’re right. The gay scene in Toronto is called The Village, or Church Street. It’s located along Church and Yonge between Alexander and Wellesley, and the Wellesley subway stop.
In the Village, a great kickoff would be to start at Woody’s, a massive complex of bars that is one of the most popular hangouts in the city for many years. (Many scenes from Queer as Folk were filmed here.) Next, check out Babylon Martini and Musique Boutique. Babylon has over 250 types of martinis! Pimblett’s Pub is a cozy joint, and is the oldest gay bar in Toronto. The Volcano Room is a new spot that has become insanely popular. Zipperz is a traditional piano bar, as is Trax 5. El Convento Rico pulls in the Latino crowd, while Ciao Edie is a funky retro bar. Pegasus Bar is an all time favorite, with video games, pool tables and the largest projection TV in Toronto. Remington’s is the place everyone goes to watch cute go-go boys disrobe. Lesbians hang out at Slack Alice, Pope Joan, and The House of Parlaiment Pub. The leather crowd favors The Black Eagle, The Toolbox, and The Barn and Stables.
You’ll also find that another area, called the Queer West Village, has grow in the West Toronto suburbs. It’s a conglomeration of communities where gays are completely and seamlessly integrated into a mixed district. A more tolerant mindset than most others anywhere, there is no discrimination based on sexual identity. You don’t go out there to party. If you’re looking party, go to the Village. You go to Queer West Village for mingling with gay rights and community related issues.
In the summer, you can get an all-over tan at Hanlans Point Beach on Toronto Island, or closer to town on Scarborough Beach.
When Gay Toronto needs to get its dance on, it heads to Fly. This is the big dance club you’ll recognize from Queer as Folk. On Saturdays, it thumps until well after sunrise. 5ive is more upscale and chic. Lust is where people head to on Fridays. On other nights it’s mostly mixed.
For restaurants, go to Zelda’s, an American/Mexican/Italian eatery. It’s massively popular during Sunday brunch, and its bar is one of the biggest gathering places for gay Toronto. Less tread establishments are: Tantra, the V3 Lounge, PJ Mellons, and Byzantium. For a quieter bar scene, head to Living Well, which has been a favorite with the gay community forever. The Looking Glass is another fave, with its four fireplaces and pan-cultural menu. The Village Rainbow is a Village standard establishment. Fire on the East Side’s Southern-inspired menu will not only pique your interest but it’ll also do the same to your tastebuds.
Toronto has several gay B&Bs. A few of these bed and breakfast places are located right smack in the middle of the Village: The Dundonald House, a charming guesthouse owned by legally-married gay couple Warren and Dave; Cawthra Square, a collection of three upscale B&Bs all side by side to each other, and the recipient of several gay travel awards; The Banting House, an Edwardian residence whose guests rave about it’s central location as well as its marvelous gardens. Bears and leather fans can bed down at The Bearfoot Inn. If you’re searching for a transvestite-friendly place, slide on over to the Wildside Hotel. Other unique, gay-owned properties in the immediate area are The Toronto Townehouse, B R Guest, the Toronto Downtown B&B (a luxury B&B), A Seaton Dream, the Lavender Rose, the House on McGill, and the Burwood Inn.
Pride Toronto is Canada’s largest gay event, and takes place in late June. Folsom Fair North is an extension of San Francisco’s famed leather celebration. It takes place in mid-July. [source]
contact December 29th, 2007
I can’ really recommend the actual hotel or condition of the Delta Chelsea Hotel. What I can mention here and want to share with you is the very awesome 130-foot heated indoor waterslide! Pretty neat.
Delta Chelsea Hotel
33 Gerrard Street West
Toronto (Downtown), Ontario
M5G 1Z4
Tel: 416-595-1975
contact December 9th, 2007
Speaking of the Gladstone Hotel, I want to expound a bit on their awesome bar, The Melody Bar.
It was voted among The Top 10 Bars List in the World ‘07 by Conde Nast. This is what they had to say about Melody Bar:
With walls paneled in rich wood, alabaster lamps hanging from the 10-foot ceilings, fat Romanesque pillars, and an original 1930s wooden bar, the Melody Bar isn’t so much nouveau retro as a rollicking saloon. Weekend karaoke nights have become the stuff of legend, with the host brandishing a giant APPLAUSE sign to stoke the crowd—an interesting hodgepodge of expertly coiffed hipsters, ad execs, pixie punk girls, and dust-caked construction workers.
Could it be their fabulous burgers? Maybe their rockin’ karaoke (Thursday through Saturday)? Or their famous Hump Day Bump Wednesday night party? Go there and tell me about it!
Open 11am - 2am Daily. No Cover.
To Note: Holiday Hours
Dec 24 Cafe open until 4pm - Brunch Menu | Melody Bar closed
Dec 25 Cafe + Melody Bar Closed
Dec 26 Cafe open at 8am - Brunch Menu | Melody Bar open at 5pm
Dec 31 Serving bubbly till 3am
Jan 1 Cafe open at 8am - Brunch Menu | Melody Bar normal hours
Melody Bar
Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen Street West
Toronto ON M6J 1J6
416 531 4635
contact December 8th, 2007
The Gladstone is more than just a boutique hotel; It’s a unique hotel that, in essence, is an ongoing experiment in melding cultural entrepreneurship and urban development. They even have a Green Policy. Yay them!
The Gladstone Hotel in Toronto is an urban hotel providing both travelers and Torontonians with a truly authentic experience of the local creative culture. Our historic landmark hotel features artist designed hotel rooms and suites, affordable short-term artist studios, exhibition spaces, and versatile event and conference venues. The hotel also offers great food and drink in the Ballroom Cafe and Melody Bar. Visitors can experience Toronto from within the comforts of the hotel’s thirty-seven artist designed guest rooms, eat, drink, attend art related, social, or corporate events held within the historic landmark architecture, and then step out into the heart of the city’s vibrant art and design neighbourhood.
This isn’t just a place to stay overnight. The Gladstone is more than a hotel. It is a place where local artists exhibit their work and perform and more importantly a place where artists and regular neighbourhood patrons come just to hang out. From cabaret performances to film screenings, art exhibitions to wedding parties the Gladstone hosts events for a vast range of artists, community groups, businesses and individuals.
Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON Canada M6J 1J6
Canada
416.531.4635
contact December 5th, 2007
For the traveler in search of something completely different when visiting Toronto. This detailed guide leads travelers far from the beaten path to uncover Toronto’s best-kept secrets. From obscure museums and overlooked neighborhood treasures to tucked-away green spaces and exotic ethnic cuisine, these little-known destinations yield big rewards for the more adventurous traveler. The soul of this cosmopolitan city is highlighted by hotspots where visitors can learn Latin dancing at night, disco after hours, and rent a private dungeon at an S&M bed-and breakfast.
Secret Toronto: The Unique Guidebook to Toronto’s Hidden Sites
contact November 26th, 2007
Located on a quiet street just minutes from Toronto’s major tourist attractions (CN tower, Eaton Centre, Royal Ontraio Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto Convention Centre, Chinatown, Little Italy), A Seaton Dream Bed and Breakfast is tranquility right smack in the middle of a bustling city. The decor of this b&b has been carefully planned to ensure that you feel welcomed and relaxed and above all, comfortable. All the newly renovated suites have private ensuite bathrooms. Whether you are enjoying the Garden Patio, spending some much needed chill time in the Sauna, drifting off to sleep on the luxurious mattresses, or savouring a yummilicous hot breakfast, this place will make you feel at home every minute of your stay. If you are looking for a reasonably priced B&B that is luxurious yet casual, then this is the place. Whether your trip is for business or pleasure all of our rooms are equipped with high speed internet connections …so bring your laptop! We also have a safe in each bedroom for storage of passport and valuables.
Toronto Bed and Breakfast
243 Seaton Street • Toronto • Ontario • Canada M5A 2T5
Tel:(416) 929-3363 • Fax:(416) 929-8786 • Toll Free:1-866-878-8898
Website: Seaton Dream
contact November 19th, 2007
The holidays are rolling around the corner. And fast. Don’t get into the last minute scramble of gift buying, because you know what happens then? You get something for someone and it is so totally inappropriate for them because you simply got fed up with the grumpy crowd, and you bought any ole thing so you could escape. Sound familiar?
Sorry to remind you of sad remembrances of things past but how about getting your loved one a trip to Toronto? Give them a travel book and they’ll then wonder why you’ve given that to them for Christmas. Then the lightbulb moment will turn on (hopefully) and you then have to plan your wonderful trip to the largest city in Canada. Here are some suggestions:
1. Lonely Planet Toronto
2. Fodor’s Toronto
3. Top 10 Toronto
contact November 16th, 2007
I do need to remember sometimes that this blog is called, “Bed and Breakfast Toronto.” So I’ll be featuring b&b’s in Toronto as well as things to do in this great city.
Albert Pimbletts Downtown Toronto Bed and Breakfast has taken on its own life in a royal way. Located in Toronto’s Victorian neighborhood, Cabbagetown, each room takes guests back to Victorian times. Every room has been carefully restored with the guests’ comfort in mind, and is meant to live the life of kings and queens. Your comfort will not be compromised! You must also not overlook the REAL English breakfasts! I’m drooling right now. Bangers and mash!!!!!
Albert Pimbletts Downtown
“TORONTO BED AND BREAKFAST”
242 Gerrard Street East, Toronto, Ontario. M5A 2G2 Canada
Reservations: 416 921 6898
Guest Room Phone: 416 921 6898
E-mail: pimbletts@sympatico.ca