Niagara Falls Reviews - Winter Get-away 2012 - Embassy Suites & Keg Restaurant

Every February for the past 12 years we make the 1-3/4 hour drive to Niagara Falls, Ontario for our anniversary. We have stayed at many different hotels over the years, but for the last five we have always returned to the Embassy Suites Niagara Falls.

All Embassy Suites by Hilton are spacious 2-room suites and you receive two free drinks and light snacks at a managers reception every evening of your stay along with a cooked to order breakfast. As you can see from the above photo, I am standing in the second room which has a couch, another TV & phone, and a table that seats four. We love this as if one of us wakes up early we can just go watch TV in the other room, and it acts as a buffer for hallway noise, but we still hear the other guests doors slamming shut. Why can't hotels make doors that close quietly?

Oh and then there is the King of all King size beds!. Its actually two queen box springs put together, as I even checked out the custom made sheets and spreads to fit this enormous bed. Count the pillows! Yes eight of them.

As you can see from a 2009 photo, my husband is 6'1" and even stretched out sideways he can not reach each end of the bed.

The jacuzzi is a nice size, biggest one of all the hotels we have stayed at, and always clean!

View of the The Tower Hotel from our room in 2010, every year we keep ending up in a higher floor, much to my husbands dislike with his fear of heights. This year we were about even with the top floor of the tower. You might remember this tower as being the Seagrams Tower, or the Minolta tower, and in 2002 it became a hotel, previously operated as a Ramada.

The view from our room on the 31st floor

We have been watching the prices rise over the years, so now more than ever its important to shop for a good deal. The Saturday night at the Embassy cost us $195. and we got a package deal for Sunday for $165. which included $40 to use at the Keg Steakhouse or T.G.I.Friday's located in the hotel, $20 game play at Dave & Busters plus lazar tag, and a $45 manicure at Petti Salon & Spa across the street at the Fallsview Casino. We also received a $25 voucher for IHOP. We read on Tripadvisor that a breakfast for two can cost up to $48 so we didn't use the voucher as we already had a free breakfast included at the Hotel.

T.G.I.Friday's is located in the lobby level of the Embassy Suites, and The Keg Steakhouse Lounge is also on the lobby level with the main Restaurant on the 9th floor overlooking the falls. (the row of windows just above Friday's is the view from the Keg facing the falls)

The Keg Steakhouse & Bar Fallsview is huge and a very busy place, even for weekends in the winter months. I love their prime rib and onion straws, and also their warm bread, but the crowds and noise we don't care for. We enjoy it when its an off night, but even on Sunday night it was packed, and the hostess did not listen to me when I asked for a quiet area. We didn't request a falls view, as we have that all weekend from our room.

The breakfast buffet is also served in the Keg, with cooked to order omlette and egg stations. Again breakfast time is very crowded with long lines. We fill up a tray and take it to our room and have our own falls view in peace and quiet:-)

Oh and did I mention the $30 valet parking fees per night at the Hotel? We don't park here, we park across the street at the Casino as we get free parking there with our casino cards. We are seriously re-thinking our 5 years in a row staying at the Embassy. There is nothing wrong with the hotel, its clean, but just very busy, congested, the elevators are slow and you can not check in until 4pm. Last year it was 5 p.m until our room was ready.

We love the Hilton chain, its our #1 choice.

Niagara Falls hotels we have stayed at over the years:

Honeymoon Hotel (now Travelodge) - Clifton Hill

Michaels Inn - River Road

Best Western Fireside - River Road (converted to River Road Retirement Home)

Days Inn - Centre Street

Howard Johnsons- Victoria Street

Marriott Courtyard - Victoria Street

Marriott Fallsview - Fallsview Boulevard

Embassy Suites - Fallsview Boulevard

Hilton Hotel & Suites - Fallsview Boulevard

Clarion President Hotel (currently Ramada) - Stanley Avenue

DoubleTree Fallsview Resort & Spa by Hilton - Fallsview Boulevard

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DoubleTree Fallsview Resort & Spa

We have nothing but good things to say about the DoubleTree Fallsview Resort and Spa by Hilton Niagara Falls. For the past two years we have stayed there on the Friday night, of our three night stay in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
We love it so much, that next year we are considering staying here the whole time.

The minute you arrive, you pull your car under a fully covered area, shielded from the cold February weather, which makes it very nice to unpack. The reservation staff are very welcoming and knowledgeable, as are all the staff, and with DoubleTree you always receive two warm chocolate chip cookies upon check-in. Being a Hiltons Honor member, we also received two complementary bottle of water.

There was a great view of the American Falls and the Horseshoe falls from our room on the 18th floor. All the rooms in the DoubleTree Face the falls, but only the higher levels can actually see them.

 There is also a good view of Victoria Street and Clifton Hill and even the Seneca Casino on the U.S. side.

  The room is always exceptionally clean and the bed comfy and inviting!

Although not as big as the Jacuzzi's in Embassy Suites, they are still a nice size with a good view and also very, very clean!

The downfall for us going in February is that they have no shuttle service and it can be a cold walk to the Casino or Clifton Hill. They do have an excellent on-site restaurant, Buchanans Chophouse and also the Moose and Squirrel Coffee Pub which is a small lounge serving drinks, light fare and Starbucks coffee.

This photo of Buchanans Chophouse is courtesy of TripAdvisor

The food and service were both outstanding, and the ambiance was quiet and relaxing the way we like it. My husband had the Filet Mignon with garlic mashed potatoes. I wish I would have taken a photo, as there was a sprig of rosemary about 4 inches high abounding from the mashed potatoes. It looked like a tree:-)

I had the grilled tiger shrimp and scallop skewer with fries and the seafood was very fresh and a good size for both the shrimp and scallops. Both dinners came with a perfectly sauteed mixture of green beans, carrots and asparagus, which we both finished all our veggies.

 

This photo of Buchanans Chophouse is courtesy of TripAdvisor

We sat at the round table (left in above photo) which overlooked Stanley Avenue. The best part about the dinner was the service. So many times when I order seafood at certain restaurants, I will be told that they don't have tarter sauce. When I asked our accommodating server, she replied "If we don't have it, I will make it for you!" That gained her a big tip! After all, how hard is it to mix some mayo and relish together. 

She was happy to inform me that they did indeed have tarter sauce and it was very tasty. When I asked for some melted butter for my seafood, she was back with it in a flash. We didn't have to wait for anything! Wonderful!

Click here for Buchanans Dinner Menu
 
There is an indoor 30-lap pool, with splash pool for kids and and indoor whirlpool. Last year I remember them having a special hour for adults only in the pool, which we really like. There is also a Spa on site.

Parking is self-park for $12, which is much cheaper than the usual $20 - $30 most hotels charge, and the nice thing is your car is right there for you when you need it! 

We will surely stay at the DoubleTree Fallsview Resort and Spa on our next anniversary trip, and quite possibly for the full three days. We only wish we could get a two-room smoking suite.