Somewhere reasonably nice, close to Heathrow, so that we don't have to worry about getting to the airport in the morning.

Large, but nice friendly hotel close to the waterfront (and Pier 21), with direct access to the railway station concourse (the station is the small pale building with the portico which you can see in the large version of the picture).

We paid a bit more for a higher (8th) floor room with a view over the habour (and a small fortified island with a lighthouse). This was worth it just for the fabulous sunrise we saw on our first morning there.

It is slightly out of the very centre of the downtown area, but no more than a 10-15 minute walk from the historic properties, for example (and a nice walk it is too - along the waterfront).

We were really pleased with this hotel and the very friendly and efficient service they provided. It was an excellent first experience of Canadian hospitality.

19hrs 55mins
1,346 km

Judging from the reviews, this recently opened "designer" hotel in Vieux Montréal looks really nice. Again, we have gone for a slightly more expensive room, but it is Dave's birthday after all!

When we decided to change our itinerary to include Ottawa, we couldn't resist the opportunity to stay at this landmark hotel right by the Rideau Canal and Parliament Hill. It is expensive, but for one night we think we can cope!

The above rate is an on-line rate, which you can only get if you select 'internet specials' under 'Rate Type' on the booking form. It is also a 100% pre-paid, non-refundable rate.

We had some difficulty choosing a hotel in Toronto, as we could find nothing much which really appealed in our price range. In the end, we plumped for a "studio appartment" on the upper floors of this large downtown hotel (which are marketed separately as "La Grande Résidence"). It seemed too good to be true when we booked it, and it turned out to be an even better deal than we could have wished for.

This is a pukka 4/5-star hotel (with doormen, a proper concierge etc.), and most of the guide books refer to its popularity with film stars etc. But given the price we were paying, we wern't expecting that much from the room itself (it seems that anything with a microwave qualifies as a "suite" at least). But what we got really was a complete one bedroom appartment, with separate bedroom, full kitchen (with fridge and freezer, proper cooker with hobs, oven and grill, dishwasher, double sink, loads of storage, worktops etc.), and reasonable-sized living room with dining area. Being on the 28th floor meant we also got a great view (not over a particularly interesting part of the city, but we did get to see sunrise over Lake Ontario).

Honestly, you could live in this place - and it seemed that some people on this floor actually did (all the rooms had letterboxes in the doors, and some had nameplates). The only drawback was that being right against the lift shaft there was an odd rumbling/wooshing noise ocasionally, but we stopped noticing this after an hour or so, and it was never audible from the bedroom.

Although the appartment floors are not supposed to be "full service", we still got daily chambermaid visits to attend to the bedding, change towels etc., and even clean our dirty crockery in the dishwasher.

Unbelievably good value for money at CAD109/night!

3 days 1hr 50mins
4,466 km

So many interesting hotels to choose from in Vancouver. So, for the first three nights we opted for this "designer" hotel, which was offering very attractive Winter Special rates for its premium rooms (CAD122 through their website).

This is a very nice and stylish, good quality hotel, close to the shops and cafes towards the west end of the popular Robson Street. Friendly and helpful staff, and an excellent restaurant (O'Doul's) attached. If you stay on the "Gallery Floor" you can order a complimentary cafetiere of coffee or tea to be delivered to your room in the morning.

For our last few days in Canada, we decided to splash out (again!) on a top floor "suite" in this modern luxury highrise hotel.

Closer to Gastown and Yaletown, it meant that we got to see a slightly different part of the city from the Listel (see above). This is a good quality hotel, but a little soul-less. The rooms are imacculate, but the studio suites are not really suites at all - just ordinary double rooms with a cupboard which contains a sink, microwave and dishwasher. We had a nice view from our 32nd floor room, but I'm not sure that it was really worth paying the extra for this.

Note that you cannot specifically book "Grandview" suites (i.e. on the 30th and 31st floors) via the on-line booking service. You must either book by e-mail, or book on-line and then ring the hotel and ask to be upgraded (about CAD 40.00 on top of the normal rates).

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