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Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
JULY 30 – 31st 2017
Our anniversary, sort of. We got married on the Mrs.’s birthday in October, so like any good man would, I recommended that we celebrate on the day that I proposed. Montreal – where the Mrs. had a gig. I decided that would be the perfect place to make some magic. I had it all set up with the hotel with flowers and champagne and as soon as we hit the room – LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! As one can imagine, my heart was racing, my palms were sweat laced and the usual 4.5 hour drive took us 6 and a half as there was a truck strewn over 3 lanes. That made the drive so much more comfortable! (sarcasm at its finest). Needless to say, I was a bit anxious and nervous. I mean, one commitment, one woman for the rest of my life, c’mon man. 13 years later, I don’t imagine being with anyone else ever. We didn’t make it to Montreal this year to celebrate, but we did get out of town for two days and one night. Oh, and by the way, I only have one sister and 3 sister in laws and a sort of step sister, but lunch on the first day – Two Sisters Vineyard (highly recommend) – in Niagara-on-the-Lake! I never understood what the dashes are all about. This little quaint town is exactly that. Everyone has been to a town like this somewhere. There is always a fresh baked pie in the window of the 20 bakeries that line the main drag which is about 200 meters long. Seriously, there has to be more ice cream/bakery/chocolate shoppes per capita than anywhere else in the world. I’m gonna look it up. The charm is through the roof. Old heritage houses that have all been converted to hotels, inns, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and of course hat stores. We booked very last minute and stayed at an old Victorian home called the Charles Inn – The Library Room. Cute, lovely, charming, romantic, musty and moldy. A great combination.
SET UP
One king size bed for one night. Bed was on a traditional box spring and on a traditional metal frame with wheels. Really? Wheels? What’s up with that? Nobody uses wheels. I think the frame has been there from the get go, circa 1820. Wheels move, wheels spin and wheels turn. No way to set up any bed. If you are using a metal frame for your bed, make sure it has glides, or feet. Mush more stable and won’t damage any floor.
MATTRESS
Kingsdown. The Grand 5000. Standard tight top mattress on the firmer side. Produced in January 2011 on the tag, not sure you can make it out. Close to 7 years and the end of its cycle. It has lost it’s mojo, and probably the reason why the Inn decided to use a 2″ feather bed topper. I’m not a huge fan of toppers, because they tend to engulf your body and generally hide the imperfections in the mattress. Toppers will eventually mold – there is that word again – to what is under it. If you have a firmer mattress that you are trying to soften up, it does the trick for a night or 2, but not for very long after. The firmness of this mattress crept up through the topper. Pleasant mattress but not one of my faves.
SLEEP
Had a lovely dinner and shut the town down around 10:30. Did I mention that it was a sleepy town? Nothing doing at night here at all. As a result, bedtime was about 11 and had an okay sleep until 8am. Ok, was not necessarily because of the mattress, more to do with the smell in the room. The air conditioner was loud, the dehumidifier was blasting all night. We would have moved rooms, but it was the last one they had.
LINENS AND MORE
White dobby stripe 320 sateen linens. Hello Dolly! The duvet was also comfy and was surprised to see the tag as 100% polyester. It did not give off that poly impression, it was rather sleepable. Also surprised though, that the linens and duvet cover did not match up. Regardless, the pillows were Cuddle Down, a nice little Canadian company who specialize in all types of bedding. Soft and supportive. Of particular note, the towels also from Cuddle Down, were amazing. You know the soft plush ones and also super absorbing, the way a towel should be. Not like the ones that bead the water, and no matter how many times you pat down, you are still wet.
OVERALL
Nice stay with a decent mattress. I would not recommend the Library room until they sort out the issues, but the Charles is a nice place. The mattress has its good points, and with the addition of the feather bed, it makes it bearable. Just remember that you can’t hide the true comfort of a mattress with toppers. The bare mattress alone should be the sole determining factor in purchasing a new mattress.
GREAT RELATED LINKS
The fort in Fort Niagara State Park on the US side along the Niagara river.