Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, New York is one of the few “must see” places in the U.S. that I have yet to visit. I have no idea why I haven’t been yet, as it looks absolutely spectacular. So, since I’m a planner, I’ve decided to at least plot out which hotels I’ll stay in when I eventually do visit – which will hopefully be in the next year!

Niagara Falls is one of those places I wouldn’t mind visiting by myself, with friends or even on a romantic getaway. So, my hotel list takes this into account.

One of the hotels I came across that could definitely fit the bill for all three categories (well, at least definitely the first two) is the Sheraton. If I were to go by myself and needed a more budget friendly room, I’d probably check out the Sheraton on the Falls. It’s right across the street from the falls, though I’m still deciding if I’d want to to pay for a room with a view of the falls, which runs about $160 per night (though you can snag a partial falls view room for about $130 per night, which is not bad at all).

Or…I could just book a room that has a city view for about $110 per night. I think I’d be cool with visiting the falls during the day and saving some money for a nice dinner or whatnot. This place even has rooms that have showers with floor to ceiling windows that look out onto the falls! There’s also a heated pool, a fitness center, and it’s connected to Casino Niagara. Ok, I really want to go see Niagara Falls now.

Sheraton on the Falls in Niagara

As for a Niagara Falls hotel which falls more easily into my (fairly picky) romantic category, the Lions Head Bed & Breakfast looks like a sure winner. I don’t have anything against large chain hotels, but they’re just so…large. The Lions Head has only four beautiful rooms housed in a gorgeous Craftsman style bed and breakfast, and it’s located only minutes from Niagara Falls. Two of the rooms overlook the Niagara Gorge. The breakfasts are elaborately prepared, and my mouth seriously watered looking at the pictures. Wine tours and tastings can be arranged at any of the 45 wineries in the area…now we’re talking!

And then, the Renaissance Fallsview Hotel seems like it would work out nicely. Many of the rooms have views of the Falls, and the hotel offers all sorts of packages ranging from family packages to romantic packages to entertainment packages. The basic rooms with a view of the Falls run about $100 per night, though the description reads a view of the “Niagara River.” The pictures seem to show the rooms having a view of the actual Falls though – the more expensice rooms definitely do. Some of the rooms are whirltub suites which sounds kind of fun!

One thing I didn’t realize was how beautiful the Falls appear to be at night. That changes my thinking about whether I want a room with a view of the Falls or not, because they looks really stunning lit up at night. At least I have some good choices to think about now. Niagara, here I come!

Niagara Falls at Night

Photo Credits: Randy OHC, Satoro Kikuchi, C.P. Storm

The Famous Hollywood Sign

Interesting news in the San Francisco Chronicle this weekend: a developer intends to restore the Byron Hot Springs Hotel, famed playland of Hollywood stars like Clark Gable and Mae West.

If you were wild over Leonardo DiCaprio’s Howard Hughes in The Aviator, where can you find the haunts of screen stars of the 20′s, 30′s and 40′s?

Until Byron Hot Springs reopens, here are a couple of choices…

Open since 1927, the Roosevelt gave comfort to Tinseltown stars like Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Shirley Temple, and Errol Flynn. The hotel also hosted the first (and shortest!) Academy Awards in 1929. Rooms run as a low as $199 per night during the week, up to $499 per night for the luxurious Cabana Suite, overlooking the famed Tropicana Bar.

It’s no longer an operating hotel, but the Knickerbocker at 1714 Ivar Avenue in Los Angeles was home to many of Hollywood’s great hotel stories: Frances Farmer was arrested in her hotel room, Houdini’s widow held a rooftop seance to contact him, and the bar stools supported the bottoms of Marilyn Monroe and Joe Dimaggio.

Built in the 1920′s, The Cecil Hotel lacks the romance of drunken starlets or rooftop seances, but it’s a great budget option at only $70 per night for a Queen room or $139 for a family “mini-suite.” A great, affordable jumping off point to explore the Walk of Fame or remants of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

image from wikimedia commons