TRAVEL - TORONTO

EVERY YEAR WE ALL SPEND hundreds and even thousands of pounds on holidays and most often or not we tend to go back to the same destinations, hotels and with the same brands. For the year 2020 I want you all to think outside this box look further than Europe maybe even step away from the usual package holiday experience and try something a little bit different. Canada is a huge country with many different cities from east coast to west, mountain ranges that offers ski to great coastal beach resorts and some truly enchanting lake retreats. My personal experience of Canada from visiting from a young age to the present day is that nothing is the same and of course they even speak French as a first language in some of its main cities. Don’t panic English is of course spoken so you don’t need to start remembering those GCSE French lessons just yet.

Now City break destinations may not be everyone’s cup of tea but Toronto is Canada’s largest city and is recognised globally as an international centre for business, Finance, arts and culture to say the least. This city is also highly acclaimed for being one of the world’s most multicultural and cosmopolitan on earth today.

Due to the location of Toronto you will find its always a great time to visit because you get what I would say is the best of both worlds with its gorgeous lovely hot summers and also very cold winters so if its sun your after then summer is the time and if you’re a snow fan then bring on winter this city really does cater for all weather fans.

You might be surprised at how large this city is with around 3 million local residents and to be frank at times its large skyscrapers blocking out the skyline took me by surprise. This stunning city is also quite unique as it has the largest free standing structure in the western hemisphere the CN Tower.

Toronto has many International flights from both Ireland and the UK mainland with airlines such as Air Canada/rouge, British Airways, West jet etc., all offering various options throughout the year either as a City break destination or as part of a multicentre holiday to Canada and the USA. No trip to Toronto would be complete if you didn’t visit one of the most spectacular waters falls on the planet Niagara Falls and with so many different packages for you to choose from you would be very silly not to do so no matter which budget you have.

You will be absolutely delighted to know that Toronto is home to Canada’s largest LGBTQ community and welcomes you with and open heart from all corners of the world to come share, live, experience and love during your stay in its beating heart known as the Gay Village or to locals the Village. If you arrive at the intersection of Church and Wellesley streets then you’re in the vibe zone packed with cafes, Restaurants, gay shops, hot bars and clubs just awaiting your discovery.

If like me you love a Pride break then Toronto is your go to Pride event for summer 2020 hosted every year in June. Toronto Pride is one of the world’s largest annual Pride parades and has developed into more of an annual Pride festival spread over a week’s build up. This Pride is like no other I have been to simply because you can get either from LGBTQ business events, Evening social events, Cultural events and even local car parks turning into concert spaces allowing you to drink and party the nights away. Canadians LOVE PRIDE and its one of the best Prides around and its guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. On the very last day this is the Big Pride Parade day and the cities Yonge Street becomes a blanket of rainbow colours all helping the city celebrate its diversity.

Accommodation in Toronto like most major cities is diverse from the utter out of this world luxury accommodation to the simple shared Budget style accommodation. I feel that it is always good to maybe mix your stay in a few different areas or accommodation styles and so I would like to recommend the flowing two properties. The Anndore House is a mid-range property only 3 minutes’ walk from the gay scene and the nearest station is Bay. The style is modern loft with exposed brick in the rooms and offers guests extra comfy beds with amazing showers.

If you like a bit of luxury and well who doesn’t then I feel a night or two or three has to be at the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto which is an elegant 5 star offering that offers onsite Spa, Gym and in house restaurant facilities. This property is again an excellent choice for walking distance to the ever popular gay scene and is situated in the Yorkville zone.

Toronto offers travellers loads of things to see and do for free such as Toronto Island tour, St Lawrence Market and the Harbour centre. Toronto is famous for its Ice Hockey teams and as a fan of local Ice Hockey in Belfast and avid supporter of the Belfast Giants then a visit to the Toronto Hockey Hall of fame is also a must.

The local Gay scene is very good and offers a really excellent mix of cafes, pubs and clubs some of which I have highlighted for you below to give you a taste of what you can expect.

WOODYS has become a local gay scene main stay mainly because it was famous by the USA version of Queer as Folk. Woodys is a vast venue with a multi-level club and also boasts 5 bars. You will always find something going on at Woodys like Drag, cabaret acts performing to competitions such as best Abs or Ass maybe even best junk in the trunk lol. It really is a venue that offers something for everyone and because of this you will find that it has a very well mixed clientele. Boutique Bar I think is defiantly one for the summer and the sun as it has patio where you can have some really lovely cocktails as you watch the talent go buy. Also if you love gay cheese music then this is 100% the place for you and would be a fab choice to kick of any early night out or afternoon. My favourite is Black Eagle which as the name suggest offers a dark industrial style interior and tends to cater more for the local Gay leather and denim communities. You will find they have weekly and nightly events such as pup nights, naked night and even a Balls deep disco night.

Flash on Church is another venue that surprises you. It is kind of like a private members club for Gay community but you can become a member either when you arrive or check the venues website before travel. It offers some of the best local gay GO GO GO/strippers and has some of the best drink deals too.

If you like a gay sauna to relax and enjoy yourself in then Toronto has the option of Spa Excess which is the largest venue and offers state of the art equipment, is open 24 hours and also has an onsite bar. The other option is Splash Steam and Sauna which isn’t in the heart of the scene but is known for its younger clientele and offers fetish evenings and is also 7 days a week

Regardless of what you feel makes a good holiday or city break I think Toronto has something for everyone whether your single, coupled or even married. I like the fact that the scene here offers so much and you will meet people from all over the world simply looking to have a good time and explore the city limits.

My final advice is to get yourself online check out what’s on in Canada 2020 because if Toronto is anything to go by then other major cities and resorts in Canada will catch your eye and make you want to book your stay soon.