For years, Breathe has wanted to see Canada. She is very much a water baby, and the Niagara Falls has been a consistent “bucket-list” thing for her. A few months ago, I saw very reasonably priced airfare tickets for dates that worked with our extra busy Summer and spontaneously booked them.

First, the details.

To start with, getting there was harder than it should have been. We arrived at the airport hours too early (we got there 3 hours before boarding because I’m habitually early). To make matters worse, the flight was delayed by over an hour. By the time we left Florida, we were already tired. The flight was very disorganized: there was “very limited” drinks and snacks available, crew were very rigid, and, generally, not comfortable. The flight was 2.50 minutes long—-but, when we landed in Buffalo, we couldn’t gate for an additional 45-60 minutes. This meant that we didn’t get the rental car and make it to the hotel until around 12:30a.

The highlight, though, was that, as we were driving at night, when we passed the Falls for the first time… they were lit up, and absolutely beautiful.

The light show reflected off the water was gorgeous, and the area was surprisingly clean and well-kept. Though clearly designed for tourists, we knew, even that late at night, we liked it. Desperate for food, we’d found Clifton Hill, which is much like “the strip” in Gatlinburg. Basically, a money trap … but with food! We’d come back to explore a roller coaster ride and do some shopping later in the trip.

The Hotel

Niagara Fallsview & Spa

3 Nights in Executive Suite – Fallsview High Floor

Room only total: $2189

We stayed in an upgraded room, the Executive Suite Superior Room, high floor. We were on the 9th floor which gave us an eye level view of the horseshoe falls. With 2 queen beds and a sitting area separated by two French doors holding a full-sized sleeper sofa, there was ample space. Located within a 5 minute drive to the Falls and beside a TGI Friday’s, it was very convenient.

The hotel has a family pool and hot tub as well as a spa with thermal springs and hot tubs. The spa area is very nice. It has a Himalayan salt sauna, a normal dry sauna, and three thermal pools – one very hot, one lukewarm and one icy plunge cold. The idea is to go in that order. We did this and it was very funny. Alissia, meanwhile, most enjoyed the family pool.

We asked for a box fan – and it was delivered! The hotel also has a Morton’s restaurant in it, as well as live music, but despite all of the extra amenities, the main attraction of the hotel is its view of the Falls. Our room, 918, was located eye level with the horseshoe portion and had a great view of the nightly fireworks.

The fireworks routine is based on a seasonal schedule – and go off at 10pm every night in June. The Falls are impressive all by themselves. We had great conversations while staring at them of God’s power and how, despite the obvious power of that much water converging in one place, His power is so much more. We loved that we saw a beautiful rainbow one morning in them, and fireworks are one of our most loved experiences… but they aren’t needed. The Falls are The Falls.

The best place to see the fireworks, they say, is from Queen Victoria park. Our window had an unobstructed view we thought grand, too.

The downsides to this hotel:

1. Valet: in addition to being $60/day, you wait a long time for them to pull your car up. They say 10 minutes – our experience was more like 20 – 25 minutes. Not awful, but something to be mindful of in case you have reservations.

2. The sleeper sofa: Is not great. Doable, but not great.

These are the only cons we could identify.

Burning Springs & Hot Tub at the Hotel – $250 total

I didn’t get pictures here but this was awesome. They give you 3 hours to basically flip flop between the thermal pools, the saunas and the hot tubs. It’s quiet voices only, they have a decent menu, complimentary water and tea, fire pits outside and, generally, very nice. They limit the number of people, but the 3 hour time limit is supposedly flexible—if there aren’t a lot of people, they won’t “kick you out.” We only stayed 2 hours. Robes, showers will full amenities and shoes are provided.

The first excursion we took was Journey Behind the Falls. This means descending 125 feet and meandering through tunnels where you can feel the vibrations of the falls. At two of the portholes, you are quite literally 3/4 of the way behind the waterfall. They provide ponchos because you do get wet. It’s a really neat feeling—and it was a great way to experience the Falls the first time.

Next up was Maid of the Mist. There were two options for this: the Canadian side or the U.S. side. Both are identical. I’d purchased tickets in advance for the American side -this meant we had to go over the border to get there. It boards from within the Niagara State Park, which is absolutely beautiful. $15 to park in Lot 1 was the closest parking spot, and it is a bit of a walk from there to the Maid of the Mist line. But that means you get to see the top of the American Falls and some of the park. There were stands offering food and drinks throughout and clear signs directing you.

Once at the line, it moved very fast. We waited maybe a total of 10 minutes. The boats depart every 15 minutes. You’re given a poncho. When you board, most crowd the bow of the boat—but there’s not a bad area. There are limited seats (maybe 20) on each of the 2 decks. Top deck gets the most wet.

This excursion was hands-down amazing and all of our favorite. It was really awesome. It takes you directly into the Falls. As we approached, rainbows started appearing. Tons of birds flying around. This was awesome.

The last excursion we did was the Whirlpool Jet ride. This is a 40 min round trip into the whirlpool. It is about a mile away from the Falls, so you do not see the Falls (a good thing cause you’d go over!). It is basically white water rafting without the work: it’s an electric boat which means you do not paddle. It goes through Class V rapids. You see Class VI rapids, but they are illegal to go through. The boat does tricks like pop, drop, slide and a fancy u-turn.

You are going to get absolutely soaked. At some points, you are sitting in knee deep water. And it is freezing. It is also a lot of fun.

The excursions were wonderful… but it was really the Falls themselves that sparked the most awe. We loved the view. The girls said, more than once, that it exceeded their expectations and talked about wanting to come back. Alissia was sad to leave.

The Canadian people were really kind, and we liked seeing differences between them and Americans. For example, it’s “iced tea” instead of “sweet tea.” I also kept trying to give people my credit card – and each time they scowled and me. One waitress said, “In Canada, no one will ever take your credit card. We’ll bring the machine to you.” While pricing was a bit higher than the U.S., part of that was likely because we stayed in the touristy areas.

Dreams are about more than having fun. Dreams are about cultivating and nurturing hope. If you have something you believe in, if you have something to work toward, if you have something to chase, tomorrow is easier. Dreams are adventures; adventures are goals; goals are inspiration; inspiration stems from a belief something amazing is possible; if amazing things are possible, hope exists.

As far as dreams go, Canada is a good one.