A babymoon. That last holiday of freedom before that bundle of joy arrives and shakes up your holidays for the forseeable future. A great excuse to have that last jolly as a couple.
I love a city break but I’m not sure how much I’ll love a city break with a pram. So we made the most of still being pram free with a jaunt over to Toronto to get our Canada fix. Living in Glasgow, there aren’t a ton of places you can fly direct to easily but there’s a twice weekly direct service with Air Transat which works out perfectly for a slightly longer ‘short break’.
A really comfortable six and a half hour flight later, we touched down in a wonderfully sunny Toronto, ready for our adventure.
Hello hotel
Being pregnant and it being the middle of summer meant I had one major criteria for our hotel – a swimming pool. There comes a point in pregnancy where just floating in water is the best thing ever. Bye bye sore hips/ back/ legs… We settled on the Sheraton Centre right in the heart of the city at Nathan Phillips Square. And the best part – it had a large pool spanning both inside and out. As a real treat we added on Sheraton Club – this gave us access to the Club Lounge on the 43rd floor where we could tuck into a complimentary breakfast (or two or three…), soft drinks and fruit during the day and evening hors d’oeuvres. It also meant our room was on the 42nd floor with awesome views! You could watch the sunset from the bed which at the end of a busy day meant I had a good excuse for not venturing out again.
Let’s talk about breakfast
Since being pregnant I’ve discovered that one breakfast isn’t enough, two sometimes cuts it, but other days it’s a three breakfasts kind of day! Welcome to pregnancy hunger heaven in the form of the Club Lounge breakfast. Think freshly scrambled eggs topped with peppers, mushrooms and onions, accompanied by sausages, a huge bread selection, fresh fruit, pastries, all washed down with fresh juice. Not that you have to eat it all… Breakfast came accompanied with stunning views, whichever side of the lounge you chose to sit on. Unsurprisingly the CN Tower side was pretty popular!
What to do in Toronto
Holidays for Joe and I usually consist of walking until we can walk no more. We pop out for a ‘bit of a walk’ to return 8 hours and 20 blisters later. I do love to explore every nook and cranny but there was no way I could do this while waddling around with what was now feeling like a basketball up my top! But turns out Toronto is a brilliant city to explore, even when you don’t want to walk too far. With great transport around the city, and a fairly compact centre there’s no need to shatter yourself in order to see everything. Plus there are great cafes and food courts pretty much on every street so there’s always a place to sit down.
Things we loved doing…
City Sightseeing Tour
I love an open-top sightseeing tour! They’re such a great way to get an overview of the city and the guides were really knowledgeable – giving out some handy tips on the must-sees and where to eat. I have one word of warning though – City Sightseeing has a variety of buses from old London-style to shiny newer ones. If you’re pregnant, try and avoid the old London-style ones – when you’re bumping and bouncing your way up Yonge Street it’s not the most comfortable feeling in the world! In the summer season, the buses are really frequent so you’ll never have to wait too long for another one. Tickets last for 48 hours so you can really explore a good chunk of the city and get your bearings in this time.
Toronto Harbour and Islands Cruise
You’ll probably have seen the iconic Toronto shot of the skyline with the CN Tower front and centre, well this is the way to get this photo for yourself. Included in the ticket for the City Sightseeing tour is a 45-minute boat tour. In the sunshine, this is absolute bliss and so relaxing but be sure to slather on the suncream. The tour departs from the waterfront and heads out into the harbour to get the amazing views of downtown and the CN Tower. You then head off around the islands before coming back across the water for those iconic views again. It such a great way to see the city!
Casa Loma
Exploring this grand ‘castle’ is a great way to spend a morning or afternoon, particularly if the weather doesn’t play ball. With tropical showers forecast we took the City Sightseeing bus to Casa Loma and spent a good three hours exploring. The place is huge and there’s a really fascinating story behind the castle and its builder Sir Henry Pellatt. My only tiny criticism is that there is no seating while going around except for on a mezzanine level where there were some sofas. I ended up perching on a windowsill for a while to rest my weary feet somewhere around the third floor.
Chilling at the waterfront
Toronto’s waterfront is gorgeous. It stretches on for miles around Lake Ontario but the main core of it, around the Harbourfront Centre, is always lively with lots of events going on. We were there for six days and there was always something on from live music andmoutdoor films to free ping-pong. It had such a great atmosphere. There’s lots of places to just sit down and relax by the water too. We settled on a good old Tim Hortons and a deckchair at HTO Park to watch the boats and kayaks on the water.
The Distillery District & St Lawrence Market
If you love good food, listen up… these two places are a must visit! The City Sightseeing bus stops at them both or they’re just a 15 minute walk apart. The Distillery District is really pretty and has lots of independent shops, cafes and restaurants. It’s such a fascinating place to wander around before indulging in something delicious. We popped inside the Brick Street Bakery and after spotting the ginormous blueberry cinnamon rolls, I wasn’t leaving until I had one in my possession! There were tables outside so we sat and devoured our pastries while enjoying some people-watching. Perfect!
A short 15-minute walk through a lovely park later, we were at the St Lawrence Market. Definitely arrive here hungry! There are over 120 vendors selling every food imaginable from the famous Toronto Peameal sandwich to fresh fruit and fresh meats. Even when you’re not hungry it’s a lovely place to wander around looking at everything. Top tip – there’s a nifty water-bottle fountain on the lower ground floor to top up your water bottle which we made good use of.
Taking time to relax
After a few hours of sightseeing each day, the sun-drenched pool was calling. The comfy loungers were the perfect spot to chill out with a good book before cooling off in the water. The best thing about combining the city break with a relaxing hotel was that we could spend downtime just relaxing together. I imagine by the time baby arrives, relax won’t be a word we’re too familiar with! While there were floats to laze around on, there was a lane too for a spot of proper swimming. It was pretty nice to do that in the morning!
, the Another fantastic thing about the hotel was the location. A couple of the afternoons I headed back to the hotel on my own to chill out for a bit at the pool and its location meant that a. I could find my way back easily (I’m not known for my sense of direction) and b. the other half could carry on exploring downtown.
The CN Tower
Well, we couldn’t leave Toronto without enjoying its most iconic landmark, the CN Tower. You can spot it from pretty much anywhere in the city and day or night, it really is impressive. Last time I was in the city I wimped out because the thought of going up a lift on the outside of the building terrified me. But this time, I was determined. So after waiting in a queue for two hours we rode the lift to the top. You can pre-book timed tickets and I would definitely recommend doing that. On the plus side the queue did move quickly and there’s loads to look at while you wait. After a quick ride up the tower, the views you’re greeted with are incredible. And if you’re feeling brave enough, you’ve got to stand/ sit/ lie on the glass floor! Try and catch a glimpse of the tower at night too as it’s usually lit up gorgeous colours.
Our five days in the city were brilliant for enjoying all the awesome tourist attractions and having time to chill out. We arrived home relaxed but feeling like we’d really explored Toronto. We can’t wait to return with a buggy in tow.
