Niagara Falls
 

Not sure if this belongs here or somewhere else, but the wife and I are going to Niagara Falls on Oct 21 and am trying to figure out where to stay, what to do etc. I definitely want to go to the Canadian side (never been to Canada!). We'll be flying into BUF I guess and getting transportation of some kind to the hotel in Canada. I see each loyalty program has specific threads on each of the hotels there, but didn't see a master thread that ranked hotels of different loyalties. I have SPG, Hilton etc.

Also any suggestions on things to do? From reading the site, I like the sound of..

Aero Car
Niagara Falls 4d
Whirlpool Jet Boat
Behind the falls

etc.

The only negative I guess is it's going to be in the ~50's probably. Speaking of which, is it pretty busy there in Oct?

Thanks.

Add Niagara on the Lake to your list. It's worth renting a car for the day just for the drive along the Niagara Parkway. Lots of winery tours with restaurants. October can be really nice but like anywhere in the Great Lakes region who knows.;)

I'll second the idea of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Very quaint town and worth a visit.

Although it's extremely touristy, a ride on the Maid of the Mist is a must while in Niagara Falls. www.maidofthemist.com/en/

It's always fairly busy in Niagara Falls, but October shouldn't be too crowded since the kids are back in school. Canadian Thanksgiving is Mon, Oct 11th, so perhaps that holiday weekend might be a bit busier.

The Embassy Suites Niagara Falls is pretty nice. Most rooms overlook the falls, and may have a nice jacuzzi tub that looks directly out to the view. Hotel offers full buffet breakfast and nightly managers reception (with a couple of free drinks) complimentary with room.

Hotel is directly in front of falls, right beside Fallsview Casino, and about a 10 minute walk from the main attractions downtown. I have stayed there for a couple of conferences, and would recommend it. Prices shouldn't be too bad at that time of year.

I would second the car rental from the airport and a drive to Niagara-on-the-lake. A leisurely day with a stop at a winery or two with a nice lunch is a great way to spend a day.

Search the Hilton forum for info on the choices on the Canadian side. If you rent the car park in the Fallsview Casino garage and get a players card. That will give you free parking for your stay. The buffet at the Fallsview is also good for a buffet.

How many nights is your trip? If it's for the weekend and you do rent a car at BUF which I think would be your best bet have you considered driving to Toronto and staying a night there. Shameless plug for my hometown but I think you would enjoy it.:) Niagara Falls is OK for a night and a couple of days but I personally wouldn't stay there for longer.

Thanks all. I decided on the Hilton Fallsview and am gonna rent a car. We're flying out on a thursday night so not much except for grabbing a bite to eat and sleeping that night, but the next 2 days/nights we have a lot planned.

Right now the plan is we're going to go to all the Niagara things we can during the daytime, maid of the mist, aero car, journey behind the falls, niagaras fury, etc. And then squeeze in some 'touristy' things like the nightmare fear factory and the bird kingdom in the afternoon. Then at night time, one night we'll see Greg Frewin and the next Dana Carvey. And at night time after all the fun is over I might play the slots at the casino. Should be a good time!

If we really like the Falls, we might skip the touristy stuff, but it's just a plan right now. I may also have to move things around or skip a few things so we head out to Niagara on the Lake as you all suggested.

Toronto - I'd love to go! But will probably have to make another trip out of it.


Yeah I'm going to rent a car. So to park free, is there a minimum level of play for free parking for multiple days? We're going for 3 nights.

Definitely worth a visit to Niagara on the Lake!

Enjoy your trip, dress warm, and don't forget your passport lol

One thing we did the last time we stayed in Niagara Falls, is we bought a pass that got us into several of the attractions (Journey behind the Falls, Maid of the Mist, the Gorge boardwalk and I think a couple other things) as well as unlimited use of the people mover bus system. A lot of the attractions are spread over quite a distance along the river, so the people mover is definitely the way to go. Parking isn't cheap and you'd be moving from one lot to the next. The pass is sold at each attraction, and costs around $40/person.

Just be cautious that you are right on the edge of the end of the tourist season, the Maid of the Mist closes for the year on October 24th for example, some of the other outdoor/river things may have already shut down by October 21st, just check first.

In a addition to the other stuff already mentioned I'm fond of the butterfly conservatory.

The pass is definitely well worth the money if you're doing the 4 major attractions. It also includes the ride up and down the incline, and various discounts for other attractions, e.g. aero car.

I stayed at the Minolta Tower Hotel which looks right over the Canadian Falls and has gorgeous views of the American Falls too. I could see the rooms in the Embassy suites from mine and I think the views from the Embassy Suites are very good too.

Don't miss the nightly illumination of the Falls. Very pretty.

Two quick tips.....

Try for a room in the North Tower at the Hilton, as it's the newer tower (open about a year with nicer rooms and away from the construction noise still going on near the south tower), although it's a bit of a walk from the lobby to get to the north elevators.

Definately get a players card from the casino to save $$$ over the daily parking at the Hilton. Use the casino's parking garage instead, which charges $5-10 per exit, but is free with the casino card which you can get from the VIP desk just to the left of the casino's main entrance inside the casino. The card is free (not a credit card) and just put it into any slot to get credits for your play. When exiting the casino's garage, insert your players card into the reader at the gates and off you go. No need to have any special amount of credits on it to get it to work. From the garage, there's a walkway at level 5 (entering from the Fallsview Ave. parking garage entrance just past the main casino entrance, you'll already be on level five) which connects to both the casino and the Hilton across the street. We usually park on a higher level as the fifth level is usually packed, and take the elevators down to level five for the Hilton, or all the way down to the casino and its hotel.

Agree that N-O-T-L is worth a few hour's day trip, with the drive along the river and the shops and restaurants there. Starting to cool down a bit here, so be aware that the evenings may be light jacket or sweater weather.

Have fun!

bj-21.

Thanks all, I will definitely get the adventure pass and hope things are still open when we get there! I'll catch the illuminations at night too, thanks.

bj-21 - thanks for the info on the parking and the casino - that's what I was wondering!

If you are staying during weekdays you should google Niagara Falls Hotel packages. It worked out more economical than cashing your points by the time you account for all the dining add-ins.

Link to one special package from a Canadian discount travel site:

http://www.travelzoo.com/ca/hotels/o...um=email_top20

The best time to visit Niagara Falls is mid-winter, when it is all white and iced up. I like to get a suite at the Sheraton on the Falls (complete with heart-shaped Jacuzzi with floor to ceiling windows facing the falls (not sure if that Sherton is still open, it was needing renovation).