We don’t often think of Mississauga as a travel hotspot, but when looking for a place to stay this long weekend for the historic Queen’s Plate at Woodbine Racetrack, we found ourselves an unlikely treasure. Canada’s top racecourse, known as the “Airport Oval” is just 15 minutes from Hotel Novotel Mississauga Centre and we’ll tell you why this is an ideal place to stay.
Location is important when finding a hotel. Situated right off the 403, Novotel Mississauga is a breeze to get to and from. It is literally minutes from the 427 and Toronto Pearson International Airport, while just a bit more of a drive to the 401. Better yet, if you don’t want to bother with the travel downtown, the Hotel is literally across the road from tons of amazing shopping and dining at Square One. Everything you need is a dime’s throw away.
You’d be shocked how many Hotels around the Airport aren’t pet-friendly. There is where Novotel shows its true class and heart. Billy and I were welcomed with open arms. A beautiful Zen Garden called Kariya Gardens, is just a block away and even though pets aren’t permitted within that park, the perimeter has lots of greenery for a proper walk. Sure beats being centered among a bunch of commercial buildings and concrete, which is what you’d get around the Airport, right?
Novotel‘s rooms are spacious – we loved most the large bathroom equipped with amenities like a blow dryer and fair trade toiletries. More importantly, their cushy beds are of a five-star caliber. We’ve stayed at five-star hotels before and aren’t afraid to say our sleep was on-par with the beds in those establishments. Billy is the best at reviewing bed comfort and it was a sight seeing him tuck himself between the pillows and conked-out!
The room was well-cooled with some powerful Air Conditioning, much needed in the heatwave we experienced Canada Day long weekend. We were always comfortable and comfort comes first.
We need to stay connected with much of our presence being online and on Social Media. Our room had the perfect desk with plenty of outlets to stay charged to get our work done. The Wi-Fi, although sometimes finicky, for the most part was there for us. Above this, our cable came with a wide selection of channels to keep us entertained and informed.
That buffet though. One thing we look forward to at Novotel is the Breakfast Buffet in their TRIO Restaurant. A great value at $15.99 per person, you get your own pot of coffee, tea and/or juices. The offerings range from a variety of eggs, bacon, sausage, oatmeal, cold cuts, fruits and of course, their signature pastries and breads! You can even enjoy it on their patio.
Driving? Don’t stress about parking. Hotel Novotel Mississauga Centre gives you in-out privileges, at a super-reasonable $13/day rate. There were plenty of spots. Don’t drive? Don’t sweat it. You can Uber to Woodbine for less than $20 or just walk across the road to Square One and hop on a Missisauga Transit bus that can connect you downtown.
Our only regret? We wish we had more time to try out their 24-hour gym (there’s also a swimming pool!).
Learn more here.
Our Queen’s Plate experience here.
(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)
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