Saying Farewell To Toronto At The Drake Hotel.

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As a resident of Toronto, I’d only ever been to The Drake Hotel for brunch, dinner, drinks and dancing. I’d never actually been inside of one of the hotel rooms and always wondered what one looked like.

When planning my overseas move from Toronto to Berlin, I knew that I wouldn’t be sleeping my final night at my loft in Liberty Village. All my stuff had either been moved to storage or was on it’s way to Berlin so my place was completely empty. Knowing I needed to do a lot of last minute errands in my neighborhood before I left the city for good, I opted to book the closest hotel possible which happened to be none other than the Drake.

I had others reasons for staying there too. First, I wanted to treat myself one last time before before moving to Berlin to become a poor free-lance travel writer who sleeps on pull-out couches and hostel bunk beds in 8 bed dorms. Second, I wanted and needed one night in a real bed. A good night’s rest was needed for the long trans-Atlantic flight I had the next day.

So just what do the rooms at The Drake look like? As expected, they’re über cool complete with patterned wall paper, funky art, a flat screen and lots of other extra special touches. I loved my room. So weird and quirky, just like … me!

To be honest, this doll really scared me. When I went to bed, I hid it from sight as I feared nightmares and even a potential attack. You never know, maybe it’s an evil creature that comes alive at night hellbent on destroying on life in it’s immediate vicinity. I could have been a casualty.

Usually, I prefer a hotel room that comes with a nice deep bathtub so I can take a long soak in a candle-lit bubble baths while drinking wine. Yes, I like doing this and certainly wouldn’t have minded doing so before going to bed that night either.

In any case, I was glad to shower …  alone. Notice how the panes are clear glass? They need to be frosted. What if I was sharing this room with a friend or family member? Could make for some uncomfortable moments.

They have nice amenities in the room such as gourmet snacks, Canadian reading materials and high-end bathroom products (which you can buy in the Drake’s General Store).

After getting settled into my room, I headed downstairs to the dining room/lounge area for drinks.

This Negroni sampler consisted of three really yummy cocktails.

I hung out with my friends for a while, sharing good laughs, reminiscing over old times and finally saying bittersweet farewells. It was hard to say goodbye!

Sleep that night was heavenly. I wrapped up my stay the next day with a late afternoon lunch on the patio, inhaling a couple of their famous mojitos.

Verdict? I had a fabulous stay at the Drake and would stay there again in a heartbeat. Well that is, after I’m a rich and famous travel writer or some other sort of successful working stiff.

Staying here was a perfect way to end my time in Toronto.

About The Drake. For those of you who want to know more about this place, here’s a little write-up from a previous article of mine.

The Drake’s 19 rooms are chic and luxurious filled with hardwood floors, furniture and art designed by local artists, exposed brick, flat-screen TV’s and large queen sized beds. Their restaurant which serves only local and organic food is a popular brunch hotspot for locals on the weekends. There’s also an indie music venue,a general store, cafe, urban vegetable garden and even a year round roof-top patio.

Address: 1150 Queen Street West, Toronto ON Canada.

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