The Daily Balance

Sorry for the many posts today, but I have to get moving with these Toronto recaps before they become outdated! I still have so much to share! All in all, the Mister and I had a fantastic trip.

We were (are!) SO impressed with Toronto. We couldn’t get over it! I’ve even looked to see if University of Toronto had a Communications PhD program (no such luck ;( ).

Why we loved Toronto:

• More bikers than drivers!
• SO ahead of the curve with offering organic, healthy options at almost all restaurants
• Beautiful waterfront (I’ll share photos!)
• AMAZING food
• Laid back (not hectic and rushrushRUSH like NYC)
• So much culture to offer in regards to museums, galleries, etc.
• Fantastic public transportation — The Mister and I took the street cars and subway EVERYWHERE – only $9 a day for both of us!
• So clean – and very pro-recycling. Almost each street corner had a recycling bin, with slots for each item (complete with ‘trash’ section), as opposed to a traditional trash container.

Anyway, after going on and on AND ON about the amazing scone I enjoyed, I figured I’d show you the place that was behind it all.

The Drake Hotel: Home of the World’s Best Scones.

From the Web site:

 The Drake Hotel is a cultural experience and unique destination in Toronto. Housing beautiful cultural and architectural elements, where the healthful coexist with the decadent, the Drake embodies an urban resort.
We’ve created a cozy cultural lodge where music, art, lounging, outstanding hospitality and exceptional culinary experiences all intersect to provide travelers, culture seekers, neighbours and style makers with a ‘one of a kind’ experience.

The Drake is filled with charming contradictions and an intriguing intersection of new and old: luxe hotel rooms coexist with indie music performances; a glamorous Private Dining Room shares the spotlight with a classic neighbourhood café and bistro; an inviting copper topped sushi and rawbar spills into a timeless, ‘high design’ main Dining Room and a year round Rooftop Patio is the perfect vantage point to take in our beautiful neighbourhood right from its core.

In essence, the Drake is fun, sophisticated, culture-forward, eclectic, elegant, timeless, cheeky and open to ideas. We invite you to explore Drake while bringing along a healthy appetite for experimentation, risk + wonder.

The Drake Hotel was the perfect place to stay for us! I loved that it wasn’t right in the heart of downtown, but off Queen Street, which touts some of the best shopping I’ve ever seen! — Gorgeous boutiques! The street is also lined with trendy bars, adorable coffee shops and tantalizing restaurants. Had I not stayed at the Drake Hotel, the Mister and I may have just stuck around the heart of downtown and we would have missed out on so much GOODNESS!

The Drake Hotel was incredibly affordable. For $198 (before taxes) per night, the Mister and I stayed in a ‘Crash Pad.” It was the perfect size and I loved the decor!

Bed

Little friend

Bathroom

 Right outside the hallway of our room sat the most adorable artistic scene. The artist created the scene to invite viewers to look at spaces in a different way. (i.e. a forgotten section of the rooftop could become a utilized space!)

Those are made from cement!

Hoot Hoot!

If you ever visit Toronto – and you should! – definitely check out the Drake Hotel.

What types of places do you typically stay at when traveling? Luxury hotels with a spa? Campgrounds? Bare-minimum? Places that have good restaurants? Places in trendy areas? Please share!

6 Responses to “The Drake Hotel: Home of the best scones on earth”

1. K said:

   Hah – that owl cracked me up! That bathroom looks really modern, I like it!

   When I travel for work I have ZERO say in where we stay. Usually I try to push for Double Trees because I adore their beds (and cookies ). When I travel for pleasure we usually stay with family.

   Posted on September 9, 2009 at 5:15 pm | Reply
2. brandi said:

   that hotel looks so neat! and scones just make it even better.

   we haven’t traveled much where we had to stay in hotels yet! but I’m hoping for some good trips in the future

   glad the bake sale went so well!

   Posted on September 9, 2009 at 8:07 pm | Reply
3. Jenny said:

   that hotel looks so fun though I’m not gonna lie, that “little friend” would probably give me bad dreams – he’s spooky!

   Posted on September 9, 2009 at 8:38 pm | Reply
4. AnnQ said:

   Toronto is so great – I’m glad you’re having a good time! I haven’t been there for a while, but definitely thought it was such a fun city.

   Well, as far as where to stay, I’m pretty picky….hopefully this won’t make me sound like TOO much of a jack@ss , but I couldn’t imagine staying anywhere less than a three star hotel, and that’s my bare minimum (and even only three is pushing it…sometimes they can be icky).

   When I travel Internationally, I always tell people to go for four star places…the star rating isn’t quite the same in other countries, so a four star place is what you get for three in the states.

   But my FAVORITE is when I go places and get to stay with great friends and / or family….SO much better than even the nicest hotels!

   Posted on September 9, 2009 at 11:58 pm | Reply
5. Daily Delish - Lovely Parfait | The Daily Balance said:

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   Posted on September 10, 2009 at 10:54 am | Reply
6. Nashat said:

   The interiors of the rooms in the hotel are really amazing and I would love to stay in such a hotel in toronto some time.

   Posted on September 24, 2009 at 7:58 am | Reply