48 Hours in Niagara-on-the-Lake: Fine Food + Wine, A Lovely Hotel and a Great Spa

One of Canada’s finest hotels. A marvelous, family-run winery. A highly-rated spa. And excellent food.

Niagara-on-the-Lake is one of the top destinations in North America, a stunningly beautiful Ontario town with a rich, colourful history and one of the top theatre programs in the world, the Shaw Festival.

My wife and I were lucky enough to spend a couple days in town earlier this month, a stretch of November that felt more like early October. We had sumptuous meals, wonderful wine, high tea at a posh hotel, relaxing spa treatments, and a fun walking tour. Here’s a look at our 48-hour stay.

PRINCE OF WALES HOTEL

This is a handsome, low-rise, brick property on the south end of town and dates back to 1864. The lobby features a large stained glass portrait of the goddess Athena in a vineyard, which is rather fitting for such a renowned wine-growing area. There are portraits of British royalty hung in gilded frames, delicate wood carvings and sturdy, overstuffed armchairs and sofas. We visited in early November and they had just put up a sizable number of Christmas decorations, including deep green garlands and towering toy soldiers.

Our room (183) had floral wallpaper that wasn’t too over the top and the kind of well-made, sturdy furniture that feels like it came from Laura Secord’s day, as well as a heavy, gold mirror and an old-fashioned wooden valet stand.

 We had a very comfortable king bed, a Nespresso maker, a gas fireplace, a mini-fridge and a truly enormous, deep bathtub with a water flow just slightly less strong than Niagara Falls. (Seriously, it sounded like thunder). There was also a fine shower and plenty of space for a couple to spread out their toiletries.

The indoor pool is stunning, and the Churchill Lounge features tons of dark wood and a fireplace, making it the perfect spot for a winter cocktail.

We had our spa treatment at White Oaks Conference Resort and Spa, but I visited the Prince of Wales spa some years ago and found it to be fantastic.

Prince of Wales Food

The hotel’s Noble restaurant is an elegant dining spot that also has a nice solarium looking out on the main street and pretty Simcoe Park, which was filled with fiery red, yellow and orange leaves in early November. I had a wonderful Churchill Elixir cocktail with Collingwood whiskey, Writer’s Tears Irish whisky, sweet vermouth, bitters and orange.  We sampled excellent duck breast on a bed of green beans, excellent lamb loin, a side of fresh veggies that included edamame, cherry tomatoes and artichoke hearts, potatoes cooked in beef tallow and a tremendous lavender-blackberry crème brule. They also served us an interesting amuse bouche with salmon and cinnamon crème fraiche; an inventive combo I quite enjoyed. The meal was terrific, but our server, Gerard, elevated it to an exceptional evening with his gregarious nature and wine knowledge, We had several short chats about life, family, and the Blue Jays and thoroughly enjoyed it. Hands down one of the best servers I’ve run across in my day.

We had two breakfasts at Noble, including a tremendous omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes, Ontario cheddar cheese and a just-right combination of herbs and very good oatmeal (a huge portion big enough for two people) with dried blueberries and cherries. I would’ve liked to see some artisan sourdough as a bread option, and maybe something like avocado toast or an interesting smoothie, but they weren’t on the menu.

We also got to indulge in a high tea session in the hotel Drawing Room, which has a large fireplace and another solarium. The spread included salmon and cucumber finger sandwiches, macarons, hummus tarts, a fine banana/pineapple/coconut cupcake and incredibly buttery scones served with clotted cream and a crème fraiche with lemon zest. Yum.

The rooms were decked out in pink and white Christmas decorations when we were there.

Bonus: Every evening around 6 p.m., someone came by our room with a free rose in a tiny, glass vase. We brought home a yellow one and a pink one and they each lasted a solid week.

RAVINE VINEYARD WINE TASTING AND LUNCH

I first visited Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery in 2010 or so, writing a story about the winery for the Toronto Star. I’ve been a couple times since, and find it to be one of the best wine experiences in Ontario.

The property was a fruit orchard for 140 years or so, and one of the buildings has a fireplace that survived an assault on the area by American forces during the War of 1812. There are several attractive farmhouses and old buildings scattered around the property, which is in the village of St. David’s; just below Queenston Heights.

We enjoyed a terrific tasting with Alex Harber, a fifth-generation resident of the farm who knows both his wine and his history. He started us off with a 2011 Vintage Brut; a dry sparkler with yeasty notes that I think could easily pass for a fine French champagne.

They have a couple varieties of chardonnay, one quite lean and fresh and the other mixed with aromatic chardonnay musque grapes. The sauvignon blanc is crisp and refreshing, and they make a lovely icewine.

My personal preference is for their red blends. They make a nice cabernet sauvignon and also a merlot that’s a bit on the light side. But the cabernet franc soars and shines, with a rich, full-bodied but not-too-sweet flavour profile. We took home a couple bottles of the Lonna’s Block cabernet franc, named after one of Harber’s late aunts. I didn’t see any for sale, but the 2013 cabernet sauvignon is off the charts good.

The vineyard is well known for its food, especially its wood-fired pizza oven. We enjoyed a wonderful, blistered Margherita pizza with an organic, sourdough crust. Maybe even better was the thick porchetta sandwich on a buttered brioche bun with broccolini and spicy aioli, served with good fries. They also make a very good arugula salad with beets and goat cheese. The light-filled dining room has a nice view of the vineyards and surrounding countryside.

We had a short tour of the facilities, including the barrel room and the event space, which is bright and modern and handle a wedding for up to 250 people, as well as corporate events and other programs. There’s also a fine, wraparound porch overlooking the vineyards.

ZEES WINE BAR FOR DINNER

Zees Wine Bar & Grill is a modern, bright dining spot across the street from the main Shaw Festival theatre site. It’s also part of the Shaw Club Hotel. We had good pork belly and insanely delicious bang bang-style shrimp with honey and sriracha. The lamb shank was quite good, and the beef tenderloin one of the best I’ve had anywhere in the world. We topped it off with raspberry sorbet and a very good lavender/lemon cheesecake.

WHITE OAKS RESORT AND SPA

I had an excellent 80-minute massage at the White Oaks Resort and Spa, which is just off the QEW.  The relaxation room is unassuming but fine, and they offered us each a mimosa or sparkling wine prior to our treatments. My massage included my neck, shoulders, feet and hands and was done with expert care, while my wife had a wonderful, 70-minute oxygenated facial.  Spas of America last year voted The Spa at White Oaks as the best in Niagara and number two in all of Canada.

A TOUR OF THE TOWN

Rick Meloen, a former Niagara-on-the-Lake town employee (“I was in charge of roads, so I know where the bodies are buried”), gave me a 90-minute tour of the old part of town. We strolled down to the waterfront gazebo, which I’d somehow never seen in all my previous visits (at least eight or 10). He told me that a fine hotel called the Queen’s Royal Hotel once stood nearby, and that society people from Toronto would arrive by boat.

Meloen, who’s chair of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Heritage Trail Committee, said the town was founded in 1781 and was the first capital of Upper Canada (now Ontario). It also had the province’s first lighthouse, first circulating library and first newspaper.

“When the War of 1812 started, this was the largest city in Upper Canada,” he said. “Niagara on the Lake had 800 people. Toronto (then known as York) only had 500.”

The town was under U.S. control for about seven months in 1813, but the British side regained the land and it’s been in British/Canadian hands ever since.

The town went through some less prosperous times over the years, but Meloen told me the arrival of the Shaw Festival in 1962 put Niagara-on-the-Lake on the proverbial map, helping turn it into one of Canada’s most popular and prettiest villages.

OTHER THINGS TO SEE AND DO

There were no productions on when we were in town, but I’ve attended the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake in the past and found it spectacular. The festival features A Christmas Carol and White Christmas between now and Dec. 21, 2025.  Next year’s lineup includes Wind in the Willows, Amadeus and Funny Girl.

Fort George is an historic fort (it was built by the British between 1796 and 1803 to guard the Niagara Rivera), just south of town. Engaging reenactments and tours are available.

The views from the Brock Monument at Queenston Heights are exceptional.

There are dozens of wineries in town. We visited Chateau des Charmes in August and tried out their tasting cabana, which overlooks a pretty vineyard and offers up delicious food and wine.

The Niagara on the Lake Golf Club, founded in 1875, is one of the oldest courses in North America. It’s a fine, nine-hole layout on the shore of Lake Ontario. The clubhouse has a fabulous outdoor patio.

Don’t miss a drive along the peaceful Niagara Parkway, which runs from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the city of Niagara Falls.

The Outlet Collection at Niagara offers dozens of fine shops, including Aritzia, Eddie Bauer, Banana Republic, Kate Spade and Lululemon.

NOTE: