Sheraton Centre Hotel, Toronto > Reviews > Perfect Hotel in a Perfect Location

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Excellent
Quality of Rooms	Excellent
Standard of Service	Good
Quality of Facilities	Excellent

Advantages:	Location, Location, Location !  !
Disadvantages:	None

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

We have visited Toronto a couple of times and each time we have stayed at the Sheraton, it really is a fantastic hotel. Both times we have booked through Canadian affair, we have found them to be very effiecient and reasonably priced. They offer flights out of nearly all of the major airports and offer various different hotels in Toronto, one of them being the Sheraton Centre. www.canadian-affair.com

>>>>Overview<<<<

The hotel has a lot to offer: an indoor/outdoor heated pool (half of the pool is indoor and the other half is outdoor, in the winter I think they can make it all indoor by closing it off), a gym, Jacuzzi, Sauna, Spa, a secure car park, valet parking, room service, vending machines with food and drink and ice machines (these are situated on nearly all floors in the hotel), beautiful gardens with water features, 3 restaurants and a bar.

>>>> LOCATION <<<<

The Sheraton Centre is located on Queen Street right in the centre of Toronto, within walking distance of all the main attractions such as the CN Tower, the popular shops, the main mall (The Eaton Centre), bars and restaurants.
In Toronto this really is the best place to be as you are right in the middle of everything, and you can walk to the major attractions such as the CN Tower in about 10-15 minutes.
We also really liked staying here as each night we could easily find a really nice restaurant or bar and we never had to walk far from the hotel.

>>>>First Impressions<<<<

When we first arrived I wasn't too sure about the hotel as it really didn't look much from the outside, but as soon as I walked into the lobby my opinion changed. The hotel lobby really is massive and looks very plush with marble floors and lots of comfy sofas and chairs. We checked in at reception and although this took quite a while the staff seamed helpful and polite.

>>>>The Rooms<<<<

We entered our room and the first thing I noticed was the bed! It was massive!! And to my delight it was so comfy, so comfy in fact it's probably the comfiest bed I've ever slept in!!
The room was very clean, with modern décor (quite dark warm colours), a dressing table, a comfy leather seat, good sized wardrobes, TV with quite a few good Canadian channels, telephone, radio alarm, coffee and tea and 2 bedside tables.
The bathroom was also very nice and extremely clean. You also got quite a lot of free toiletries such as shampoo and conditioner which were filled up every day.
We also had a very high up room with a brilliant view over Toronto and a view of the CN Tower.
Overall we were very happy with our room.
You can upgrade your room also to a club room, these rooms are situated on the top floors of the hotel and with these rooms you get free access to the spa and you also get a complimentary continental breakfast which is served in the lounge on the very top floor. I'm really not sure if it would be worth doing this though, as the standard rooms are lovely and there are so many nice places to eat out for breakfast.

>>>>The Food<<<<

The Sheraton has 3 restaurants: a bistro which serves breakfast and lunch, Traders Bar which serves smaller meals such as light lunches and snacks and a Steakhouse. We actually never ate in any of these restaurants so I cannot comment, however I think if you visit Toronto or have visited Toronto you will know that there are just so many good places to eat outside that are very reasonably priced (I think the restaurants in the Sheraton could be a bit more expensive). Please note the food in Toronto is quite cheap, but you do have to tip around 20%. You have to also be aware that taxes aren't always added on until the end so that can throw you off a bit too. But overall it is really quite cheap to eat out

>>>>Drinks<<<<

We used to drink in Traders bar most nights. The bar is located down in the lobby and has full size glass windows right along the front, TVs and plenty seating (including very comfy sofas right at the windows). The bar tenders are very friendly and there is always a good atmosphere. They serve a wide range of draught beers, whiskeys, spirits and cocktails. The cocktails really were amazing!! We also felt that for a hotel bar it was very reasonably priced. However, there are also a lot of good bars situated near to the hotel out on Queen Street; these are also worth a try.

>>>>Staff<<<<

We found the staff very welcoming, helpful and friendly. I have read some bad reviews of this hotel and I think most of the time the staff put them off. I have to admit we did find them a bit slow sometimes, but this definitely didn't put us off this hotel. The reception staff were good at checking us in (even though they were a bit slow), the cleaners were friendly and very good at their job and the bar tenders in Traders were very efficient and friendly. The only thing that annoyed us was on our last day when we had to put our luggage in the secure luggage room, the men who worked there were trying to get a tip. I know Canada has a tipping culture but we felt this was taking a bit too far!!

>>>>Prices<<<<

I personally feel that this hotel is really good value for money. As I said before we booked through Canadian Affair and we visited in the high season and paid around £39 per person per night which we felt was well worth the money.

>>>>Things to Do in Toronto<<<<

Toronto really has so much to offer and no matter how long you go for it will never be long enough!!
The shopping is out of this world. Queen Street (where the Sheraton is located) has a lot of excellent shops, my favourites being Guess and Lush. You can also walk to the Eaton Centre in about 10 minuites which is a mall with 3 floors of shops, shops and more shops!!
Another thing I love about the Sheraton is how it is connected to an underground tunnel of shops and restaurants (I think that the tunnel goes for quite a few miles as I've heard they have to use this in the winter because it gets so cold, however I haven't ever went too far as I was always too scared I'd get lost!!).
There are too many bars and restaurants to choose from in Toronto, most of my favourites are located near to the Sheraton however if you travel further afield there are lots more! My favourite has to be Eggspectations which is located just a short stroll away from the Sheraton, and yes you've guessed it! Most of the food on their menu is made with eggs! Their French toast is brilliant.
As I've said before this hotel really is in the middle of everything and most of the major attractions are within walking distance. You can walk to the CN Tower in about 10-15 minutes. You can visit the CN Tower either during the day or at night. We have done both; at night it was a lot quieter and the views were spectacular as Toronto was lit up. During the day was a lot busier and we had to queue for quite a while, however it was worth it because you can see a lot more during the day than you can see at night. The glass floor is also a must, it's quite scary at first but once you're on it it's fine (it makes you a bit dizzy though!!).
There are many tour buses in Toronto, there is even a bus that turns into a boat and takes you across to Toronto Island! You can catch both of these buses right across from the Eaton Centre, so again not far from the Sheraton!
A trip to Niagara falls is also a must! We booked a Niagara tour with Canadian Affair and they pick you up right outside the Sheraton. Niagara itself is a bit like Blackpool to be honest, but it has some good souvenir shops and restaurants. The Maid of the Mist is another must, it takes you right out to the falls and this is something that is worth experiencing, you get soaked but it's well worth it. There is also a small town just minutes from Niagara Falls called Niagara on the Lake, this is also worth a visit as it's a beautiful little town with one street of really nice small shops. The tour with Canadian Affair includes all of what I've mentioned and I think it costs around £60 each.
There is so much more to do in Toronto than what I've listed, so if you're interested there's a really good site:www.city.toronto.on.ca this site will tell you all you need to know about this amazing city.

Overall I really enjoyed both my stays at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto; it has so much to offer and is perfect for reaching the main attractions. I will definitely be back and I would definitely recommend it.

Many thanks for reading and I hope my review has been of some help.