Niagara-on-the-lake 2019
We're a couple weeks into the new year now, but I still wanted to recap our holiday getaway to NOTL - it's an annual tradition, and this year was even more special because it was the first time my brother and I brought our partners with us!
I was excited for Azim and Amentha (my brother's fiancée, and the best sister-in-law a girl could ask for) to come along. We left a few days before Christmas, so that we could spent a couple of nights there and get back in time for Christmas Eve. My parents went separately in their own car, so it was fun having a road trip with just the "kids" :)
Just as we were pulling into NOTL, we pulled in to have lunch at The Old Winery. We usually have lunch on the main street, usually at The Shaw Cafe because of it's so cute, but I really enjoyed The Old Winery. The food was really high quality, and I think a better deal than what you'd typically find on the main street. I would definitely recommend!
After lunch we checked in to The Prince of Wales. We had debated finding a house in the region to rent, since our numbers had increased from 4 to 6, but we ended up staying at The Prince of Wales. It's tradition for us, and I always look forward to the cozy, Christmas-y decorations :)
After walking around the main street and doing some last minute gift shopping, we had drinks in the Churchill Lounge and dinner at the Noble Restaurant within the hotel. I had a delicious white chocolate martini - an atypical choice for me - because if not during the overindulgent holiday season, then when?
Dinner was delicious, and we had a lovely time reminiscing about past Christmases - my brother and I both hoping that our parents wouldn't reveal any memories from our childhood that were too embarrassing :) Azim and Amentha have both been in our lives for a long time, so there's not much they don't know at this point.
The next day, Amentha, my mom, and I started our day with afternoon tea in The Drawing Room. Yes, I did bring along fascinators just for this :) It's the perfect excuse to play dress up! We love afternoon tea in The Drawing Room because it's reliably good. The tea selection is by Sloane (my favourites are Heavenly Cream and Niagara Fields). The scones are served warm, the sandwiches are fresh, and the petit fours are generously sized - we can never finish everything! We packed up the rest, and Azim ate it all later as a midnight snack :)
While we had tea, the boys had brunch on the main street, and then we met up to go to the hot spring at The Pillar and Post. If you're staying at one of the Vintage Hotels in NOTL (Pillar and Post, Prince of Wales, and Queen's Landing), I highly recommend you take advantage of the hot spring and 100 Fountain Spa at The Pillar and Post. It's complimentary with your stay, which includes use of the hot spring, pool, and sauna!
After swimming off our afternoon tea/brunch, we dried off and drove into Niagara Falls to see all the beautiful Christmas lights. We went in one car, because my dad's old Buick has a middle seat in the front! It really felt like a family road trip, complete with my mom talking her head off, my dad making a wrong turn, me falling asleep, and the tall kids feeling too squished (Amentha, Azim, and Travis) :)
We had dinner that night at The Olde Angel Inn, which felt very festive, and in truth was the only restaurant that had room for 6 without a reservation! It turned out to be serendipitous because the pub food hit the spot (we'd all recommend the steak and Guinness poutine), and we were able to walk lazily back to hotel.
The next day was our last. We had breakfast at Queen's Landing after checking out of The Prince of Wales. The breakfast in the Tiara Restaurant is SO good, and has a gorgeous view of the water. The hotel itself is also lovely, and we had a family portrait session (thanks to Azim's self timer), in the library and by the Christmas tree :)
After that we said goodbye to NOTL, and headed back to Toronto! Looking forward to visiting again soon!