I walked into our room at The Grand Hotel & Suites Toronto and I was immediately impressed by the spacious suite we had been provided with. Actually to call it a room would be to do the space a disservice, it was more like a loft apartment. Walking in the door I couldn’t help but notice the floor to ceiling windows on the far wall. And that ceiling, it was quite a ways up, as the bedroom portion of the space was up a set of stairs to a second floor. Overall the entire suite was bright, open, spacious and welcoming.
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| Looking back towards the entrance. |
But you know me, the first thing I do on setting foot into any hotel room is check out the bathroom. I opened the door opposite the full-sized kitchenette, glanced into the bathroom and saw a nice counter with cupboards, a toilet and a mirrored shower stall. It wasn’t a particularly nifty shower either. No bathtub? For me this was a serious let down.
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| Bathroom disappointment? |
However, I wasn’t disappointed for very long. Exploring further I soon realized there was a second bathroom off the bedroom up on the second story. And that second bathroom did indeed include a bathtub, along with all the other standard amenities Two bathrooms? Sweet. Looking out over the bedroom balcony, it did occur to me that I may have died and gone to hotel heaven.
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| Up the stairs to to the bedroom… Hey, what’s beyond this door? |
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| Second bathroom, complete with tub. |
Hubby came into the room a wee bit later, having stayed behind to park the car. He was instantly impressed. He also immediately noticed the electronic controls for the blinds. At the push of a button the blinds slowly rose and we took a look at the lovely city view out our window.
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| Private patio. |
And that’s when I noticed what was probably my favourite feature of the entire suite, our private balcony, complete with cozy wrought iron table and chairs for two. It was actually a small railed off portion of a lovely graveled roof. And I loved this, because I got to sit outside on a perfect spring day, enjoying the breeze, listening to the thrum of the city and enjoying the view, without any vertigo. One of my favourite moments from our weekend away was when hubby and I came back to our room after a later night out and could sit and enjoy a glass of wine in the quiet dark on the patio.
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| Late night view from our balcony. |
Other features of the suite that deserve mention….
We didn’t take advantage of it, but the room service menu was seriously impressive. The prices weren’t unreasonable. 24 hour service was available and included generous late night options.
There was a sitting area with a TV, two chairs and a couch. It was comfy. (Hey, this isn’t a given. I’ve been in plenty of hotel rooms where the couch was decidedly uncomfy.) The coffee table was a decent size. Big enough for hubby and I to enjoy a board game on.
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| Looking down over the bedroom balcony into the sitting area, |
There were two flatscreen TVs, each with it’s own DVD player. DVDs were supposedly available for rent in the lobby gift shop but we didn’t end up finding time to explore the store.
There was tile flooring in the kitchen area and the two bathrooms, with hardwood throughout the rest of the space. This is the third place I’ve stayed with hardwood floors, and I’ve decidedly added it to my “sucker for” list.
That kitchenette I mentioned in passing earlier, it was a complete set up. Sink, fridge, microwave, stove, dishwasher, toaster, coffee maker, kettle to boil water for tea, silverware, plates, mugs, cooking pots and even a corkscrew.
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| Kitchenette, complete with oven and dishwasher! |
There was a seemingly unending supply of towels in our room. Each bathroom had it’s own cupboards and within the cupboards were the usual extras; a hairdryer, a sewing kit, and copious amounts of fluffy white towels.
Our goal for this trip was romantic getaway to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and The Grand Hotel & Suites provided the perfect spot. I mean our suite was so lovely we almost didn’t want to leave the hotel, can’t get much more romantic then that. The room was quite large, but still felt cozy and intimate. Overall, the incredibly spacious layout combined with the complete kitchenette really made it feel more like a private apartment. A mystical apartment where the bed makes itself, and dirty towels and used wine glasses just magically disappear while you’re out on the town.
The hotel amenities outside of our room were also well worth visiting.
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| The hallway outside of our room. |
The swimming pool room was gorgeous, as were the adjoining changing areas. Generous piles of clean white towels were at hand everywhere throughout the pool area. And the changing rooms were some of the nicest I’ve seen. Though to be honest I found the hot very humid air in the enclosed space to be a bit much for me, so we didn’t stay in the pool room for long.
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| The pool room. |
The 8000 sq. ft. private rooftop patio garden was stunning. There was plenty of seating; inviting outdoor couches strewn with weatherproof pillows, a gazebo sitting area, and rows of loungers. As well as the slightly raised deck area, featuring two jacuzzis. The view from the rooftop was incredible. I wanted to come back in the evening to see the city lights, but it rained on and off all of that third evening. My only real regret is that I didn’t check out the rooftop terrace earlier in our stay. I truly feel that it’s worth staying at The Grand Hotel & Suites Toronto for this feature alone.
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| Cozy outdoor couches on the rooftop patio. |
Citrus, the onsite dining lounge where we enjoyed our complimentary breakfast buffet, was inviting. The buffet itself was decent, and the service was flawless. Nothing incredible food-wise, just your standard buffet breakfast fare; bacon, scrambled eggs, french toast, potatoes, some fresh fruit and the like. But I have had far worse served to me under the guise of hot hotel breakfast buffet. (And yes we did mange to make it down in time for the weekend breakfast, which ended at 11am.)
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| Complimentary hot breakfast. |
The hotel’s central location was a good launching point for exploring Toronto from. We parked the car upon arrival and didn’t take it back out until it was time to drive home. (If you’re curious some of the highlights from the non-hotel portion of our trip included walking through Chinatown and the Kensington Market area, and taking part in the The North American Craft Beer Experience at the nearby Church At Berkeley.)
Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at The Grand Hotel & Suite Toronto, and we would most definitely stay there again. The hotel’s location was good and the suite was spacious and well cared for. Not only was our room lovely, but as I already mentioned the rooftop terrace alone was well worth the price of admission.
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| Rooftop gazebo, so inviting! |
For further info on The Grand Hotel & Suites Toronto:
– visit their website.
– follow them on Facebook.
– connect with them on Twitter.
Disclosure: I received a free night’s stay at The Grand Hotel & Suites Toronto, as well as a discounted media rate for additional nights, in exchange for an unbiased review. As always my words and opinions are my own.
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