Toronto: The Nuts and Bolts

Like any traveler today – we were looking for the best bang for our buck. And today’s internet is ripe with “deals.” While MGF Travels would LOVE to tell you all the choices…we can’t. There are just too many. But, in our destination pieces, we want to give you, “The Nuts and Bolts.” Here, we hope to share the first hand experience our bloggers in terms of where they were traveling and staying. They relate their personal decisions in the hopes of informing you in your own decisions.

As the old Chinese saying goes, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” In the case of Lenny and Lily White’s summer vacation…this 1885 mile trek from Sky Harbor International to Pearson International began with about a thousand different search variations and reviews on the internet. Here’s how our trip details went down:

Travelers: 2 adults
Timeframe: 5 days, 4 nights at the end of July 2007
Simple Planned Itinerary: The immediate downtown Toronto and a day trip to Niagra Falls

The Nuts and Bolts: Since we were so close to our departure date, we immediately went through the "Travel Website Trinity” (Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz) to start our research. We needed to set a baseline price pronto! We figured we were going to spend $700 max per person on getting there – and that was just for airfare and hotel. But, we found July was deal heavy. And considering that the average ticket for major air carriers was in excess of $400 per person -- a package was the way to go for us.

We lucked out. For the grand total of $1376.07 (including most taxes), Expedia gave us a smashing deal! Included in the price was roundtrip airfare on American Airlines, 4 nights at a residence style hotel in Toronto’s entertainment district, and rental for an economy car with Hertz for two people.

How did this package win out? When it came down to it, there wasn’t much difference between Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity. In terms of rate it was a dead heat; all three websites offered the combo of airfare-hotel-car rental. We weren’t too worried about the car, the rental being Hertz across the board. And an airline is an airline is an airline to us. So the deal breaker here was the hotel.

We wanted a hotel that was centrally located, offered free wireless connection (Lenny was still in the middle of summer session with his Master’s classes), and maintained our basic standards of hotels. Anything in the 3-4 star rating was considered. But Expedia won hands down because their package offered a practically BRAND NEW hotel that wasn’t even listed on the other two websites. Not only was the Residence Inn Toronto two months old and all suites, but it was walking distance to almost all the attractions we wanted and easy access to the expressway leading to Niagara. Parking lots were abundant in the blocks surrounding the hotel and full breakfast was included in the price.

There weren’t too many cons to this hotel, even sight unseen by us. There were savings everywhere! First of all, a complimentary full breakfast will save you bear minimum $10 per person, per day over the course of the trip. Second, alternative parking to the hotel valet will more than likely save you in the long run. We negotiated $95 CAD for 5 days with in and out privileges just around the corner; compare that to the hotel’s $30 CAD per day price.

And when it comes to traveling, you can usually never go wrong with a hotel that has just opened! In my experience, this is especially true with a known brand of hotel such as Marriott. Still in its infancy, the hotel is doing everything it can to start a client base. This usually means there are amenities and activities that would cost elsewhere. Not only were we given a hearty buffet breakfast each morning, but during the evening, the Hotel Manager had a social hour where the staff and guests would meet. And since it is a very modern hotel, it was equipped with wireless for free, so Lenny could maintain his schoolwork and I my minor addiction to e-mail.

As I stated earlier, most of your taxes and additional costs are included in the price of the package. But that doesn’t mean you’re free and clear, especially with the car rental. Being in a “foreign” country, I purchased the insurance on the car…JUST IN CASE. This was an additional $232 due at the time of rental. We passed on the “you can bring it back empty” fee and just filled it up ourselves. It slipped my mind to do so, but you may want to research the gas prices in the area you’re traveling in so you can get the best deal.

Again – just because you’re short on time – doesn’t mean you can’t find a deal or make smart decisions for your trip!

Next Time: Driving in Canada, ATMs, and other “happy hazards” of being an American abroad.