Web Resources

Printable Version of Full Newsletter.

Page 1 | 2 | 3

SOHO METROPOLITAN HOTEL
My friend Natalie and I checked into The SoHo Metropolitan Hotel, which opened up in late 2003. It's in downtown Toronto, literally three blocks away from the CN Tower and the SkyDome (now the Rogers Center). It's in the heart of the theatre, entertainment and sports district, which explains why Wayne Gretzky's restaurant is directly across the street from the hotel. The SoHo Met is a luxury boutique hotel that has 92 guestrooms and a number of swanky residences. Upon arrival, guests are greeted by a Dale Chihuly sculpture of 80 pieces of hand-blown glass, dangling from the ceiling of the hotel's entrance. I first wrote about Chihuly a few months ago when I stayed at the MGM Grand Macau). Check-in was swift and the lobby was modern. The elevators didn't take long and the room was pretty much perfect. The welcoming bed had a recessed, soundproof headboard; crisp, clean white Italian Frette linens and a down duvet. Across the room near the floor-to-ceiling windows was a small divan, perfect for lounging. The bathroom was floor-to-ceiling marble and the floors were heated, a nice touch since much of the year is cold in Canada. The large bathroom also has a large soaker tub, a multi-head glass shower stall and Molton Brown amenities. The ample closet space and large dressing room (80 square feet) made the room feel more like an apartment than a hotel room. Downstairs off the lobby are the Senses Bakery, Senses Restaurant and Senses Bar. All in all, it reminded me of the Saville Hotel, where I recently stayed in Brisbane.

The rooms are pretty decked out in the technology department. There's an oversized flat screen TV that swings out so that you can watch it comfortably from either the divan or the bed, an iPod docking station and smart technology that allows you to adjust the lighting, motorized drapes and Do Not Disturb light. The rooms also have free wireless Internet but the signal wasn't very strong. Fortunately, they provided a cable, too. My only real complaint is that the valet was difficult to find. The valet guy is supposed to greet guests at the main entrance but he wasn't there when we arrived and there was no sign so we drove into the $30-a-night underground parking garage. Apparently, the valet guy was parking a car. You'd think there'd be more than one person working the valet service! SoHo Metropolitan Hotel, 318 Wellington Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5V 3T4, Tel: 416-599-8800.

THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN TORONTO


FROM A FELLOW TRAVEL WRITER
Don't just take my word about the hotel. Here's a review from my colleague Elina Fuhrman, who stayed at the SoHo Met for a month while her daughter was filming a movie:

"We fell in love with the modern chic style of this downtown Toronto hotel and residences. Just minutes from the CN Tower and a few blocks from hip shopping on Queen Street (think New York's SoHo or Paris' Marais), the SoHo Met is 'ground zero' to Toronto's Entertainment District. It's a very popular place for Hollywood stars, many of whom call it home when they are in town to film, promote or attend events and parties, especially during the Toronto International Film Festival. SoHo Met claims a 4,000 square-foot, three-story, to-die-for penthouse suite where Madonna and J-Lo have slept, but its two-bedroom loft residences where my daughter and I lived for a month, are also splashed with ultra-modern conveniences like an all-stainless steel kitchen and luxurious extras like down duvets and pillows. The residences share services with the hotel, including room service from the award-winning Senses restaurant, known for Executive Chef Claudio Aprile's haute reinterpretations of contemporary fusion cuisine. The Senses Bakery was such a treat each morning, with fresh-baked croissants, freshly roasted coffee, freshly squeezed juices and pastries galore. If you fall into a decadent dining routine here like we did, you'll appreciate the sleek indoor pool and well-equipped, sky-lit gym."

DHABA INDIAN FOOD
Natalie and I decided to walk around the neighborhood. Within just a few blocks of the hotel were restaurants offering up every kind of cuisine imaginable. It was Saturday night so everywhere was packed. We both felt like Indian food so we took a chance on a place called Dhaba (309 King St. W., Tel: 416-740-6622). It was upstairs and a bit out of sight so we walked upstairs to see what it was like inside. It turned out to be quite upscale and we had a good feeling about it since almost every table was full, everyone was well dressed and many of the diners were Indian ... a good sign at an Indian restaurant. The food was indeed very good and the butter chicken ($14.95) was insane. We also had rice ($3.95), garlic naan bread ($3.95) and pineapple raita ($3.95) to cool our palates after the not-so-fantastic Goan xacuti chicken. Service was a bit slow but I can't wait to go back and get my Indian fix.

CROSSING THE BORDER
I extended my stay by a day so we could drive to Erie and visit my dad. It's just a three-hour drive if there's no wait at the border but that's a big IF. I later learned that there's a website that gives accurate, up-to-date wait times at all U.S./Canada borders. We arrived at the Buffalo border around 5pm on a Sunday; it takes 90 minutes to get there from Toronto. It was rush hour entering the U.S. and no line returning to Canada. Hmmm ... looks like Canada gets no love. Our wait was exactly an hour. I noticed that the far left lane had no wait but was dedicated to NEXUS cardholders. This is such a good deal especially for frequent travelers to Canada as it costs just $50 US/Canadian for the processing fee and is valid for five years. It's not only good for driving but they have dedicated lines at the airport and ports. NOTE: If you're driving, every passenger in the car has to have a pass to use the dedicated lane. It's such a deal, I'm signing up now and I only go to Canada once or twice a year. For more information on NEXUS, call: 1-866-NEXUS 26 (1-866-639-8726). FYI: When driving across the border, it's best to carry a passport otherwise you need a driver's license and a birth certificate.

VIDEO
Here's a two-minute Johnny Jet video of my trip to Canada. We also have all the Johnny Jet videos ever made on YouTube.

NEXT WEEK
I'm not sure yet where we're headed next week but you can bet it will be somewhere fun and interesting.

1 | << PREVIOUS PAGE | 3

*PLEASE tell us what you think of this week's newsletter!





Copyright 2008 JohnnyJet, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.