National Geographic

Insider's Guide to Toronto

Mostly concrete monoliths, the city's hotels are geared more to conventioneer convenience than to beauty. Roger Kershaw, co-owner of Toronto Downtown Bed and Breakfast and general manager of travel consulting agency Attaché, proposes that while the city may cater more obviously to the business traveler, there is a respite for the pleasure traveler. The Four Seasons, Park Hyatt, and Windsor Arms all have unsurpassable locations in and around Yorkville, an enclave of art galleries, boutiques, and eateries. And all three have amenities that lure both guests and nonguests.

"The Four Seasons is the city's benchmark hotel, with by far the most cachet," Kershaw asserts. "The two concierges are amazing and can get you anywhere, and the suites are beautifully appointed." Also noteworthy: the restaurant. What the newly refurbished Park Hyatt may lack in seniority, it makes up for in sleek design and its Roof Lounge, which proffers a dreamscape of the city. Tucked away on a side street, the boutique Windsor Arms seduces with a champagne and caviar lounge, regal tearoom, and mahogany-trimmed suites.

For those seeking crisp sheets and wallet-sparing prices, a handful of B&Bs in some of the city's prettiest residential neighbourhoods prove ideal choices. Kershaw favors Rosedale's Robin's Nest, a whitewashed romantic country house with bay windows, sumptuous suites, and lily-hemmed gardens. Another Kershaw favorite is Terrace House, in the Casa Loma neighborhood. Ex-Montrealers Suzanne Charbonneau and Pierre Desautels bring a Quebecois bonhomie to this European-style inn. Here you'll find pastel bedrooms, cats dozing on geranium-lined stoops, and inventive breakfasts (saffron frittatas, or spreads of dragonfruit fresh-picked from Chinatown, yogurt, honey, and cardamom).

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