STAY-CATION
Stay-cations offer all the rest and relaxation you need, without the fuss of flying to a fancy destination. And, by staying local, it gives you the opportunity to check-out some of your city's coveted hotels.
- MUST GO -
In Toronto, the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel, is exactly that. This ultra-luxury hotel is perfectly situated in the heart of Toronto's Entertainment District and offers 92 spacious rooms for it's guests. The rooms are well equipped, the bathrooms are stunning, and I had the best sleep in the bed pictured above - THE BEST! The hotel also provides livable suites, that have played home to Hollywood A-listers filming in Toronto. For example, Will Smith lived at the SoHo Met Hotel for three months while shooting Suicide Squad.
- MUST HAVE -
The advantages to passing up a flight for a stay-cation, is that you don't have to sacrifice all your go-to products and toiletries. However, when I found out that the SoHo Met Hotel has Molton Brown products available for it's guests, I conveniently left my products at home, and then packed some to go! My favourites are the lip saver, the hydrator, and the body wash!
- MUST DO -
Another benefit of staying close to home, is bypassing the jet-lag and the disruption to your daily routines. Fitness is definitely one of my priorities and can be challenging to maintain while travelling. Thankfully, the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel has made sure to provide guests with a robust state-of-the-art gym, as well as a phenomenal salt water pool and hot tub. With extended hours, it's easy to fit in a workout first thing in the morning or at night.
- MUST EAT -
Before I make mention of all the food I ate (typical), I have to give the SoHo Met Hotel props for creating unique hotel dinning experiences that make you feel as if you've actually left the hotel.
Our first stop was a late lunch at Wahlburgers, and was a worthy cheat meal. I ordered the O.F.D. burger which stands for Originally From Dorchester. This burger is stacked with 8 ounces of delicious AAA beef, melted swiss cheese, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, and homemade tomato jam. And because I couldn't decide between the side poutine and the mac'n'cheese, I ordered both!
In addition to having 'celebrity family' written all over it, Wahlburgers provides a welcoming and friendly environment that's perfect for family, friends, date nights and is the perfect location to order from the take-out counter - offering all the same delicious grub to go!
I can't leave out dinner, since the food was jammed packed with flavour at celebrity chef Susur Lee's restaurant, Luckee. While my partner and dinner guest, Stella, enjoyed the incredible menu offerings, I was focused on another menu! Luckee has one of the best cocktail menus, filled with creative boozy concoctions (I think I tried three our four). My favourite? The Luckee Sake Sangria - white wine, sake, cointreau and white cranberry juice! My new summer drink, thanks Luckee!
Photo c/o Luckee Restaurant
- MUST SEE -
Between celebrity chefs, celebrity-owned restaurants, and celebrity hotel guests, we decided to wrap the night with a beautiful film at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Staying in your city for a vacation is all about re-discovering local gems, that you might otherwise neglect. So we took the opportunity to watch a late showing, which made for the perfect end to a fabulous stay-cation at the SoHo Met Hotel!