Four Canadian resort hotels, read for their rooms, views and stages first.
Montreal, Canada
Expo 67 islandEvening out
Montreal hosted the world in 1967, and two of the Expo pavilions never left. Their glass and steel, on Île Notre-Dame across the water from downtown, now hold this property.
Begin with the setting: the skyline over the river, the trails and lagoons of Parc Jean-Drapeau, the Formula 1 circuit next door. Inside are restaurants, bars and a stage for live shows. Tables and machines take up one part of it.
Niagara Falls, Canada
Horseshoe FallsFull-service resort
Ask for a falls-view room. That is the whole pitch at Fallsview, whose tower climbs from the ridge above Niagara and looks straight across at the Horseshoe Falls.
Since opening in 2004 it has grown into a self-contained resort with a spa, restaurants from casual to formal, a shopping galleria and the Avalon theatre for headline acts. Gaming occupies another level of the building. Plenty of guests come for the water and never visit it.
Richmond, Canada
Fraser riverbankAirport stopover
Flights out of Vancouver often leave early. River Rock, in Richmond, sits a short ride from YVR beside the Fraser, with the Canada Line's Bridgeport stop practically next door.
Suites, a pool and a marina with slips on the river give the hotel a life of its own. The theatre books concerts and comedy, and gaming keeps to its own wing. Downtown Vancouver is under half an hour away by train.
Rama, Canada
Lake CouchichingResort hotel
Cottage country starts here. Rama First Nation land surrounds the resort, outside Orillia and close to the eastern side of Lake Couchiching, roughly a ninety-minute drive from Toronto.
The hotel tower is the centre of gravity, with a spa, a handful of dining rooms and an entertainment hall booking touring musicians and comedians. Gaming occupies a single wing. Many visitors treat their room as a launch point for lake-country beaches and trails.