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| - A terrific location and an abundance of gracious hospitality will make you overlook the few negatives here, such as sometimes outdated furniture and fixtures, and the lack of a mini-fridge in all the rooms. This hotel opens on front street, with a sloping driveway or stairs. The hotel is not street level, so if unlike me, you travel with heavy bags, hail the bellman as soon as you arrive. There was a long line when we checked in early, and the front desk management smartly added more staff promptly so people could be checked in more quickly. Lucy, the front desk manager, welcomed us warmly, and was kind enough to upgrade us when they had a vacancy. A note about the staff here--everyone we met, from the bellmen, to housekeeping, were friendly and helpful. One Chinese(?) bellman, I forgot to get his name, even directed us to the cash register for the car park, when we needed change for the bus, and then ran after us to offer us his. There's a sense of genuine thoughtfulness from the front desk, housekeeping and bellmen here that's endearing. The lobby was clean, with the one restaurant by the South Tower where we were, and another restaurant/bar along the stretch connecting the North and South Towers. Near the North Tower was the coffee/breakfast outlet.
Our room was immaculate. Our original room would have been a partial view; this one, a corner room in a private nook, had a full and magnificent view of lake Ontario, and even side window for a more panoramic vision. Everything was clean, though the two upholstered chairs seemed to be a bit dinghy or faded from use and several areas of the laminated table tops seemed a bit worn. On our floor, by the elevators, the rug was buckling and one day we saw engineers measuring the rug, most likely to replace it. We didn't gripe. We had a view to envy, the beds were comfortable, and we were ready to explore.
The pool here is a good size, large enough to do laps in, and flooded with sunlight from the glass ceiling encasing it. I loved the swimsuit spinner, that squeezes your sodden swimsuit dry. There were even lockers with combination locks you program, a considerate touch for those bringing personal belongings from the room. A tip though, if you want the use the Jacuzzi in the pool area and to swim laps, come early in the morning, the only time I noticed when kids didn't swarm the pool and hot tub. There was a gym overlooking the pool, and even paddleball courts outside. Note the Westin will even loan you sneakers, if you forget yours, a nice touch for those not squeamish about wearing shoes others have. The entire workout area was clean. The surprise here was the lovely terrace with lounge chairs, where I discovered a natural rooftop garden and even an apiary. I was told the vegetables were incorporated into their restaurants' fare. It was a serene place to have breakfast.
As I mentioned, the location here is prime. There's a pedestrian walkway leading you to the Westin Conference Center, across the street. Cross Front street, go downstairs, and there are streetcars available to take you to Union Station if you don't want to take the 10 minute walk. The Westin's back door opens up directly to the ferry terminal that takes you to the Islands(flooded at the time we visited). Along Front street, again, buses take you East and West. You can even walk to Old Town and the St. Lawrence Market, if trekking 20 minutes isn't a problem. If you don't want to dine in the hotel restaurants, you would have to cab it, take the bus or walk about 10 minutes or more to eateries. Five minutes away is Fresh Market, if you want groceries or even a takeout meal. There were even two hotdog carts in front of the hotel, one halal. We tried the halal veggie dogs-the smell coming from the cart was better than the taste. The entire waterfront is yours for the walking each park along the waterfront center different. We came to see the giant Ducky, and we were ecstatic about how many events were available at the waterfront. Toronto's waterfront isn't as pristine as Vancouver's, but compared to NY's harbor, it's clean! Just note that at late night, the Toronto homeless seem to shelter in the parks. One lady I saw brushing her teeth at one of the ponds in the morning. They don't seem to bother anyone, but use caution in the parks late night. The harbor front walk is pretty day or night.
All in all, we had a lovely time at this Westin and would return again, and we especially thank Lucy for making it more memorable.
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