Prince of Wales Hotel- Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

Niagara-on-the-Lake is ridiculously quaint, with all the charm that Niagara Falls is missing. While there may be no falls, there are also no casinos or tacky tourist attractions. There is however a lovely main street and plenty of historic buildings, including the Prince of Wales Hotel.

Built in 1882 on the site of an earlier hotel, the Second Empire Long’s Hotel featured a mansard roof, bevelled corner and quoins, all popular at the time. It targeted tourists, and advertised first class service at modest prices, starting at $7 a week for room and board.

The hotel was renamed the Prince of Wales in 1901, following a stay by the Duke and Duchess of York (after the Duke, who held the title at the time). In 1973, Queen Elizabeth also stayed at the hotel, during her Canadian tour.

While the property has been updated and enlarged since then, they retained many of the bulding’s unique historic elements. Some might find the property dated (rooms are traditional), but it will please fans of historic hotels.