Canada Itenarary

Kicking it off in Kitchener

Sometimes, you need a bit of a vacation, or some time to simply just get away. I knew that the holiday weekend was coming up and I had an itch to explore and do something new. My husband is always an avid traveler but between the new job, family obligations, and wedding season approaching it’s hard to focusing on getting away.
However, after doing some research (lots of Pinterest) we saw how beautiful Canada is and oddly it isn’t as far away as we thought. We have always wanted to be spontaneous and do a weekend road trip get away and we thought the Fourth holiday weekend would be perfect. Of course, we felt like bad American’s going to another country during our country’s birthday, but the timing was just too perfect.
After realizing that the drive was only 6 hours from Chicago, we decided we would for sure drive it. I love site-seeing, and there’s nothing better than being immersed in the views as you drive through someplace. After a couple days of discussing we decided to grab my brother and his girlfriend, and we made our way towards Canada from Chicago. This blog post is dedicated to a Canada itinerary if you’re looking for a fun quick getaway I will list the best place to stay and places to visit!

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The Drive

So, we tried to mentally prepare ourselves for the drive. Make sure if you do decide to drive to pack a bunch of snacks. We carried a cooler full of drinks and snacks, so we didn’t have to constantly stop for food. Also, this might be obvious but make sure to pack your passport, I swear we checked for that several times.  You don’t want to be stuck someplace without your identification. Word of advice if you decide to leave make sure you leave early and not late like we did. We ended up leaving around 8 because of work and we were chugging coffee making sure to stay awake. I suggest leaving around 12 so you can make it there within a reasonable time. It’s also good to have two strong drivers. In our group it was my husband and my brother’s girlfriend they had designated times so no one got too tired or burnt out while driving.  Once we finally arrived at Kitchener (it took us about 7 and a half hours only because we stopped a couple times) we were so ready for a good night’s sleep. However, the drive really wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be especially heading to a different country. 

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The Hotel

We stayed for approximately 3 days. We left Wednesday night and officially arrived in Kitchener early Thursday morning. We had the absolute privilege to stay at The Walper Hotel located in Kitchener-Waterloo area. Fun fact, this hotel was built in 1893 and has a rich culture and history. This colorful and beautifully designed hotel has a collision of contemporary style and timeless elegance. Everything inside the hotel is intricately done and picked to inspire. I loved the hotel because of its rich history behind it. I learned that Eleanor Roosevelt stayed at the hotel and had a preferred breakfast location there it which solidifies that everything behind this hotel has an interesting story behind it.
I love a great aesthetic and we all know that color is my forte. I was obsessed with the color schemes around the hotel. Vibrant portraits, elaborate furniture, everything smoothed together so nicely. Even the tiles on the ground are colorful and so are the decorative books on the shelves, which were one of my favorites.
Okay, I have been to a lot of hotels in my 27 years on this earth. However, this is probably the best hotel that I have ever stayed at. Between the great service, clean and fresh rooms, and interesting art I was so pleased to stay here. The room was one of my favorites because it created such a quaint atmosphere. 
When you first walk into the room you are greeted with a feeling of comfort and you can tell that everything inside the room has been carefully planned and designed. Each of the rooms my friend and I stayed in had custom furnishings and distinctive wall murals which we all know that I am a huge fan of! In fact, I travel around Chicago always trying to find murals so the fact that our hotel room had one made me such a huge fan! I loved the little details put in our room, like the Skoah lotion and shampoo and conditioner. To the beautiful all natural, vegan, hand crafted soap. I also was a huge fan of the personalized post it note that was left for us in our bathroom, it shows that everyone at this hotel appreciates their guests and want them to feel like they are apart of their family. 
So, we all know that I am a huge coffee drinker, (even my husband survives off coffee these days) so we were pumped to see the personal coffee roaster. The coffee was amazing, fresh, and filled with a blast of flavor. 
The second thing I thrive off is a good glass of wine and let me tell you their bar did not disappoint. Remember how I spoke about the beautiful décor; their bar was so gorgeous. A timeless glamour mixed with a contemporary aesthetic. What I loved about this area is you can come up there and get work done as well. They have such a great creative area with couches, tables, and décor that it was a great place, in the morning, to come up and get some blogging and writing done. Then in the evening,  come back and have a nice drink. 
We also got to explore one of their ballrooms. It was breath-taking, with their crystal chandeliers and rustic finish.  I must admit my husband and I had a Beauty and the Beast moment and had to waltz around the ballroom. It would be such a great place for a wedding, social event, or even a birthday party!
They also have a cute little breakfast lounge that procures delicious breakfast selections. I personally was obsessed with the avocado toast, it was garnished well, and had just the right amount of seasoning. A light healthy breakfast that can help quick start your morning. My husband had the continental breakfast which consisted of yogurt, pastries, and toast with butter. My friend Julie got the parfait with fresh berries and Greek yogurt. 
Overall, if you are looking for a hotel that is sophisticated, glamorous, and overall superb you need to stay at The Walper Hotel. It’s the perfect hotel away from home. Although it’s located it Kitchener it’s not too far from Toronto, so you can get the best of both worlds. 

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Explorin' around

Half of the trip was dedicated to my brother because it was his birthday on the 3rd. We asked him the one thing he wanted to do while visiting Canada. He said that he wanted to at least see a baseball game. Luckily, the Boston Red Sox were playing the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday evening so we made sure to drive to Toronto, do some sight-seeing, and attended the game. It’s so interesting to witness a baseball game in a different way. The Rogers Centre has such a great amount of food, drinks, and a retractable sky dome. We had so much fun cheering on both teams, even though they weren’t our own, and meeting some amazing people. If you are a huge baseball fan I suggest visiting a different baseball field when you travel, it’s always so interesting to immerse yourself in different tradition and culture. 
Another fun thing we did was try a couple of outdoor bars. I love patio season in Chicago and sadly our weather hasn’t allowed us to do it much. However, the weather in Canada was beautiful not a rain drop or cloud in sight. One of my favorite patio bars was Bobby O’Briens in Kitchener. They had large umbrellas to keep us shielded from the hot son, great staff, and an awesome sand area for volleyball. They had a volleyball net and it was so cool because after people were done eating and drinking they were engaging in some fun games. They had a great selection of beverages, food, and great company there. Also, we all know that I had to get some Poutine while I was in Canada and there’s was awesome. After eating and drinking they also have a night club, called Wax, attached to it! It’s the perfect form of entertainment. 
Kitchener was such a fun place to walk around and explore. We honestly spent most of our days roaming around and enjoying the beautiful buildings and atmosphere that it had to offer. Everything seemed so close to Chicago and yet so different at the same time.
It’s such a great experience, being able to travel and see a different country especially within a matter of hours. I was so excited to do this mini trip and I highly suggest you take that time to explore too! With Canada being so close it’s the perfect place to escape for a mini getaway. Thanks for following along everyone, I hope that wanderlust spirit consumes you and you decide to take a mini vacation as well. We all work hard and sometimes can get caught up in the daily life we forget to breathe. Remember, to take the time to enjoy life, explore the world, and do what makes you happy!
Once again huge thank you and shout out to The Walper Hotel for hosting us and allowing us to be apart of their family for our getaway! 
Until next time Love bugs,
Xoxox
Rachel

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