Travel Guide: Prince of Wales Hotel, Niagara-On-The-Lake

This past weekend, we headed to Ontario, Canada as a little getaway to celebrate my mom's birthday (which is actually on 10/21). We crossed the border into Canada and about 25 minutes later, we were in Niagara-On-The-Lake! 

I had never been to this adorable town before, so I was very excited. After having visited, I could not recommend this location more! It feels like you stumbled into Stars Hollow (for all of my fellow Gilmore Girl fans). It's quaint, well-done, clean, and friendly. The attention to detail in the architecture and florals around the little town is incredible! 

Getting There

It was also reasonably easy to get to- just as easy as it is to get from Pittsburgh to DC. It was about a 4.5-hour drive. You can also fly into Toronto or Buffalo and then drive to Niagara-On-The-Lake. 

Where We Stayed

We originally looked into renting an Airbnb but were unable to find anything we really liked. My dad ended up finding the Prince of Wales Hotel and we all absolutely loved it. When we had booked it, we were just going off of the photos and reviews online, but this is a must-stay! 

It's a relatively small hotel. It has as all of the charm of a bed and breakfast but all of the amenities of a large hotel chain. Every single room is different and the decor is ornate/Victorian which really fits in with the entire town's vibe. It has a full-service afternoon tea room, a gorgeous dining room that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then a casual lounge/bar area. It also has a spa and an indoor pool/hot tub.

It felt like we were abraod rather than only a few hours from home. It had a very European vibe- a little bit French and a little bit English. 

Headband// Cashmere Sweater

Dining

We ate breakfast in the Prince of Wales dining room and it was so cozy and elegant. Not to mention the food and service were top notch. There is a breakfast package that you can add on to your hotel room rate that ends up saving you money, so I recommend doing that! 

We ended up eating lunch at Churchill's which is the Prince-of-Wales Hotel casual lounge. Think dark wood paneling, lots of shelves with books, and cozy fireplaces. The decor is handsome and upscale but also has a casual pub-style feel. It's a great spot for a cocktail or a nightcap. I didn't love my food and didn't think the menu had a lot to offer, so I would skip eating and instead just go for drinks. 

Besides the hotel restaurants, we ate at The Cannery for dinner one evening, which is a beautiful steakhouse. I had the lobster and filet entree and it was beyond delicious and cooked to perfection. This is a fancier restaurant so it was fun to get dressed up! We also ate at the Irish pub around the corner, Irish Harp. The exterior is filled with flowers and the interior looks and feels just like you are in Ireland. The food was phenomenal and portions were huge. 

What to Do

The temperatures were mild during the day and chilly at night. Fall colors just started to peek through. You can see some orange in the trees starting to pop! The Prince of Wales Hotel is on Queen Street which is the main street in the little town. Queen Street is lined with adorable shops and restaurants. They weren't cheesy shops, either. Many of the shops were based on English/Irish/Scottish heritage so it was fun to pop into stores and see certain cookies, candy bars, etc. from the UK. Everything was within walking distance. 

Besides shopping and eating, we spent all of our Saturday afternoon hopping from winery to winery. We ended up going to Konzelmann, Trius, Two Sisters, and Wayne Gretzky's distillery. We liked all of them but we agreed that Trius had our favorite wines. I loved the Trius brut (like champagne) and the Cabernet Sauvignon.

We also ended up heading to the beautiful parks on the way back to Pittsburgh that lead up to Niagara Falls. We skipped the falls but went to see the rapids part which I highly recommend. It was incredible to see how fast the water was flowing and how high the waves would shoot up! We skipped the falls part because it was so cheesy and touristy, plus, we had all done Niagara Falls before so we didn't feel the need to stop. 

As you can see there is no lack of things to do. You can hike, fish, go boating, and so much more. Niagara-On-The-Lake was so much fun, so beautiful, and so easily accessible from Pittsburgh. We all agreed we would be back as soon as possible!