Our Staycation At The Novotel Toronto Centre

07/08/2014

As the temperature hit 40 degrees in Toronto I heard a knock on our door. “Hi Ma’am, we’re going to have to disconnect your air conditioner for the next 3 days while we finish the waterproofing of your house.” Rather than spending our Canada Day weekend roasting in our house, we decided to enjoy a “staycation” at the Novotel Toronto Centre. I have long been a fan of the “staycation”. I love taking the time to enjoy my family and my city, without the distractions of our every day lives. Heading off to a hotel where someone else handles all of the cooking and cleaning allows you to look at your city with a fresh set of eyes. I can sum up the main benefits of the Novotel Toronto Centre in 3 words, location, location, location. With the St Lawrence Market next door and family friendly restaurants like the Spaghetti Factory and The Keg just across the street, there is plenty to explore within a 2 minute radius. Expand your radius to a 15 minute walk or 5 minute cab ride and the city is your oyster. We explored the Harbour Front Centre to enjoy their Canada Day festival. Lunch (and world cup viewing) at The Amsterdam BrewHouse and a stop at Purina Pawsway to play with the kittens. We were also on the doorstep of one of our favourite Toronto Attractions, the Ripley Aquarium. If we had more time we could have checked out some other famous Toronto tourist attractions: The CN Tower, a Blue Jays Game or Steam Whistle Brewery. For families wanting to explore further out, Union Station with access to the TTC and Go Transit system is also only a short walk away.

One of my favourite parts of our first day was the 45 minute impromptu soccer game played with new friends. My little guy started soccer lessons this year, and hubby and I keep saying we should spend some time practicing with him. Somehow work, errands, and just life in general had prevented us from finding the time to do so. A staycation provides the perfect opportunity for quality family time like that. After our game, we decided to cool off in the Novotel pool. My little string bean often gets cold quite quickly at hotel pools, but not this one. The pool area was nice an toasty, and he stayed for over an hour!

We were having so much fun; we realized that we forgot to have dinner! The Novotel room service was fast, delicious and economical ($14 for this amazing club sandwich) Our room was spacious and the beds were super comfy. My only suggestion would be the addition of an in-room fridge. We have spent many vacations where the hotel Starbucks and swimming pool doesn’t open until 8am. This doesn’t work for a family like ours where our little man is up at 6:30am and the big man wants us out of the room so that he can sleep in 😉 The Novotel Toronto Centre was perfect – with a 6am breakfast and a pool that also opens at 6 – we were able to squeeze in a few hours of fun while letting daddy relax. The next morning, a minor glitch in our room was handled quickly and professionally. We were upgraded to this suite, and surprised by this lovely present! For those who prefer to have a bit of separation from their children, the suite is the perfect option with a comfy cot tucked neatly into the living space. Overall, we had a lovely weekend, and the Novotel Toronto Centre was the perfect choice!