Well Toronto, it’s been a blast but we need to do one of my “Bucket List” wishes and visit one of the worlds’ wonders, Niagara Falls.
Our driver Rick (from Niagara Air Bus) was absolutely brilliant and kept conversation flowing all the way up to Niagara, despite the traffic being a great deal heavier than usual. He also kept checking that The Chick and I were comfortable in the back; neither too warm nor too cold. In short he was the perfect gentleman and got us to the Radisson Falls View Hotel safely and as efficiently as he possibly could.
Another lovely chap took our bags from the boot of Ricks’ car and wheeled them into the reception of Radisson Falls View hotel where we were very professionally checked in by a lovely young man. Our room was on the top floor of the hotel and when we walked in there was a massive full width window with its blind fully down. Excitedly we gathered in a line and I did the “big reveal”. As the blind lifted and the spectacle of the Falls was revealed I’m not ashamed to say that I had a little cry; I have being so looking forward to that moment and it exceeded all my expectations.
On the writing desk in our room there was a welcome note from Leigh along with some sweets and a very swanky notebook and pen; a lovely and very much appreciated gesture, thank youJ I headed into the bathroom and a little squeal of delight escaped my lips as I saw a Jacuzzi bath and Rituals toiletries #blissherewecome.
There was a fridge to put drinks and sweets in, drinks making facilities and even a microwave! The wardrobe was a massive beastie with plenty of clothes hangers and there were lovely deep drawers to arrange our sweaters and things in. We made ourselves and home and then headed out to see Niagara Falls in the flesh so to speak.
To save a lot of walking and time we got tickets for the funicular railway down to the visitors centre and viewing platform; the gradient of the descent was extraordinarily steep so it was easy to see why most people avoid the twisty-turny walk down. Even from above the falls you see the mist rising up (and get sprayed if the wind is sufficient) and the noise is incredible; later on we’re doing the night tour of the falls with the illuminations and I’m sure the noise will be deafening, and thrilling.
Having taken a ridiculous amount of photos and video we came back to our room for a quick freshen up before heading to Tony Roma’s for an early dinner. Our server Christine was so lovely and made sure we had everything we needed throughout the evening. All the food was delicious, but boy was there a lot of it! We didn’t manage dessert, not even the Red Velvet Cake could tempt us.
The last thing on the list for the day was our illumination night cruise along the Niagara River and into the heart of the Niagara (Horseshoe) Falls with Hornblower Cruises Niagara. We had pre-booked this trip so we skipped the ticket queue and headed over to the boarding area; Lady Luck was smiling on us as we were one of the first to board and consequently got a fantastic viewing spot. This cruise is described as “a light mist experience”, so you don’t get a full on soaking but you still need the waterproof ponchos they hand you.
You also get a brilliant view of the illuminated falls on America’s side; it’s great that the two countries work so closely together in this area because tourists effectively get two experiences for the price of one on both sides of the border. We got some amazing photos and the lighting of the falls was so pretty, this trip was well worth the money.
We headed back to our room and retired for the night after watching a bit of TV from our (very) comfortable beds, happy and content with our first day in Niagara.
