Girls Weekend Getaway – The Grand Hotel Toronto Review

Girls weekend away… sounds like a dream come true doesn’t it. Well that is exactly what I treated myself to for my 33rd birthday. With 3 young kids it can be hard to get away but a 2 night stay at The Grand Hotel in Toronto is exactly what I needed to feel refreshed and recharged. One of my best friends from university mentioned that she really needed a break after a stressful year, and instead of dreaming about getting away for some kid free downtime we acted and starting planning a girls weekend getaway in Toronto. We picked a weekend (my birthday!) put our husbands on notice and started talking about where we wanted to stay and what we wanted to do. Between the 3 of us who were going on the girls weekend away we have 8 kids, so just being able to eat a hot meal with no interruptions would be a treat in itself.

Girls Weekend Getaway Toronto

When I found The Grand Hotel & Suites Toronto online it had everything we were looking for and more. We packed our bags and headed off for a kid-free adventure! The Grand Hotel is located downtown Toronto just minutes from Yonge-Dundas Square and the Eatons Centre. The location means that you are walking distance from many attractions and close to the street car and subway lines.

The Grand Hotel Toronto Review

We stayed in a 2 bedroom suite which offered tons of space for the 3 of us. You could easily sleep 6 in this room with the king and queen bed and sofa bed. The suite had 2 bathrooms which meant getting ready to go out for dinner was a breeze as there were no traffic jams waiting for showers.

We made sure to take advantage of the kitchenette and brought some snacks and ahem… wine to enjoy. If didn’t want to eat out the kitchenette came complete with small oven, 2 stove top burners, microwave and dish washer. The kitchenette is also supplied with a variety of dishes, glasses and cutlery. For our girls weekend away in Toronto we didn’t do any cooking at the hotel, but did appreciate the wine glasses that were provided.

You can see a full tour of the 2 bedroom suite in my video review:

The first night when we arrived we were greeted by the friendly hotel staff and quickly got settled into our room. We then proceeded to talk away the night until 2am! I can’t even remember the last time I was up at 2am that wasn’t for a nursing session for the babe. It was glorious just being able to talk, vent, laugh and just be ourselves without any interruptions.

Now if you are going to The Grand Hotel & Suites in Toronto for a girls weekend away there are 2 things that I insist you pack: 1) Your bathing suit and 2) plastic cups. Why do I need plastic cups you may ask… well for the roof top hot tub of course. The Grand Hotel will supply you with a lovely bathrobe and slippers which are perfect for keeping dry and warm traveling to and from the roof top hot tub.

The Grand Hotel Toronto Roof Top hot Tub

Open year round the roof top hot tub at The Grand Hotel Toronto is one spot you will not want to miss. With beautiful views of the city day and night you can relax and enjoy some downtime. Remember those cups I told you to pack? Well those are for bringing your drinks with you to the hot tub area, there is no glass allowed in the pool area. Even though the weather was cool, the hot tubs were the perfect way to warm up. In the warmer months there is a gazebo and lounge chairs which would a wonderful place to soak in some sun.

The Grand Hotel Toronto Restaurant

Now let’s talk about food at The Grand Hotel. I already mentioned that they offer rooms with kitchenettes if you want to do some cooking. But if you are like us and the last thing you want to do is to be cooking up a meal, well they have got you covered there too. Your room includes a full hot breakfast buffet which included lots of fresh fruit, yogurt, bacon, sausage and French toast.

For lunch or dinner the Citrus restraunt offers a tantilizing array of dishes, with options to accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions. My Black Pepper Ricotta Gnocchi was delicioius, but I have to say the desserts were out of this world. Just take a look at the Rhubarb Streusel Tart.

So what did we do while away on our girls weekend other than eat, drink wine and enjoy the hot tub? The Grand Hotel is just a few minutes from the Dundas subway stop if you wanted to use the subway to get around the city. For us we enjoyed leisurely walks to the distillery district and explored St Lawrence Market.  For the evening we headed to the VIP Cineplex theater just a short walk away to take in a movie and then went to nathan Philips Square to watch the skating and a free concert that was going on that night.

To say it was a relaxing weekend would be an understatement, and we are already talking about when we can do it again. Start planning your own girls getaway weekend, and enjoy all the amenities that The Grand Hotel & Suites Toronto has to offer!

Disclosure:  This post was brought to you by The Grand Hotel.  All opinions are strictly my own.