Royal Tea
Three tiers of finger foods during the afternoon English tea service set the tone for an elegant visit at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Petit fours and smoked salmon with cucumber on marble rye are just two options for noshing as you sip one of many black or green teas, most imported from Europe.
But don’t expect stuffy; this is Canada. Yes, traditional London luxe defines this anchor property of a historic town, but it’s easy to relax as you drink a pint of Niagara’s own Best Blonde beer in the stately Churchill Lounge, or experience one of the many tea-inspired treatments at the newly remodeled Secret Garden Spa. Vitality is the spa’s own line of products, made from organic grapes.
Originally built as a hotel in 1864, the Prince of Wales has undergone millions of dollars of renovations and additions during the centuries. It’s now a blockwide icon along colonial Niagara-on-the-Lake’s main street, within walking distance of the Shaw Festival seasonal theater.
After the spa, take a dip in the hotel’s indoor lap pool that is surrounded by muted Victorian murals. Or hop on the wine trolley — running twice daily — for a two-and-a-half-hour tour and tasting at local ice wine vineyards. This is Canadian wine country, and many grapes stay on the vines until first frost. But if it’s too nippy to venture outdoors, stay in and cuddle – most mid-range rooms at this stately hotel have fireplaces, and premium rooms offer whirlpool tubs.
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