Toronto, Canada
The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto
Northern Star
What it is
A recently revamped 263-room urban idyll, complete with a Clarins spa and Canada’s only cheese cave.
What it isn't
Sluggish. Guests are pampered with assistance from a 24-hour concierge, 24-hour in-room dining, twice-daily housekeeping, and gratis house car service for quick whirls around town.
What we think
Some 400 pieces of Canadian art dot this retreat—including blown-glass light fixtures by Jeff Goodman—so if you think it’s just another business hotel, think again. Guest rooms are nothing short of gynormous (starting at a whopping 450-square-feet), and their livability continues in their amenities—including bathrooms lined in Portuguese Estremoz marble, 400-thread-count Frette linens and African Anigre wood millwork at every glamorous turn. Though the Italian restaurant, Toca (helmed by Oliver Glowig) is obligatory due to that cheese cave, so too is the Ritz Bar, where guests and locals alike beeline for nitrogen martinis a la Bond—James Bond.
You're here because
The hotel’s afternoon tea is legendary, thanks to a menu curated by tea sommeliers (yes, that’s a thing) and dishes like curried chicken tacos with Branston crema, jicama and cilantro.
The Moment
Like the hotel itself, you find the spa—an outsized 23,000-square-feet—is next-level. Your eyes actually pop when you learn there’s a scented vitality pool and champagne nail bar, but when your treatment starts—a mud wrap and a white jasmine body scrub—you can’t help but languidly close them and actually fall asleep. If this is heaven, you’ll do everything right to stay. Forever.
Restaurants & Bars
TOCA Restaurant - Handcrafted Italian Cuisine
Ritz Bar - Tapas
DEQ Terrace and Lounge - Authentically Local Cuisine
Ritz Bar - Experience nightlife in this distinctively urban ambiance in downtown Toronto
DEQ Terrace and Lounge - An urban outdoor oasis, nestled in Toronto’s downtown core with a breathtaking view
Location
In tony Old Toronto, across the street from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in Roy Thomson Hall—and about three blocks from an outpost of Momofuku Noodle Bar.