At the end of May, my friends and I went on a quick trip to Toronto with NewLeaf Travel. It was a super quick trip as we could only fit three days off with our busy schedules. With the travel from the west coast, we really only had one full day to explore Toronto. We attempted to make the most of every moment.
NewLeaf Travel is a new airline in Canada. They offer discounted flights, to and from smaller airports that are less expensive. This way they can reduce the costs of airfares. For us, we travelled from the Abbotsford airport which is just outside of Vancouver to the Hamilton airport located on the outskirts of Toronto.
I actually live a lot closer to the Abbotsford airport than the Vancouver airport, so this is very convenient. Another bonus is that parking is also a lot cheaper at the Abbotsford airport.
NewLeaf Travel offers options when booking your flight to help you keep costs down. The “How to Save” section on their website give you all those details. Definitely worth checking out.
You also won’t find them on a travel booking website (Expedia, etc.), you need to book directly through them. This also helps them to keep costs down. My cute pink luggage is from Away.
For this trip I traveled with my friends Joel, Daniel and Valerian. Make sure you check out my vlog with this link or below. I made a major blogger fail and didn’t get a group photo of us all together. How does that even happen?
We had so much planned for this trip with a full itinerary. However, the weather had a different plan for us. Don’t fret because there are plenty of things to do in Toronto in March and spring is a great time to visit.
We left the sunny west coast and arrived after dark in Hamilton to torrential rain. Once we arrived, we rented a car and drove the short trip into Toronto, hoping for better weather the next day. During our time in Toronto, we stayed at the Westin Harbour Castle, which is right on the water.
Unfortunately, in the morning it was still raining hard. Knowing we only had the day, we made the best of it!
At the Westin Harbour Castle we had a very spacious suite, which was perfect for a group of 4. The suite life is the good life! I will have a full post about my stay here on the blog soon.
As with any vacation, I try to find some great spots to eat and have coffee. For breakfast (see vlog) we at at the Portland Variety. It was so good and I definitely suggest it for breakfast or brunch if you are even in Toronto.
We stopped (and waited patiently for the rain to stop) at Sorry Coffee. They have signature cups which are adorable and perfect for photos.
The rain didn’t stop so we went to check out the Toronto City Hall. It is a great location for photos…even in the pouring rain.
Next stop was at the CN Tower, which is an iconic Toronto landmark. We enjoyed going up and experiencing it but with the rain and cloud, we didn’t get to see the amazing views. Next trip I hope for better weather when I go. They have glass floors which are very eerie to walk on especially when you are someone like me that isn’t particularly fond of heights.
FINALLY IT STOPPED RAINING! Late in the afternoon the weather finally changed and the rain stopped.
For dinner we had reservations at the Drake One Fifty, which was soooo good. Make sure you check out the vlog for this trip to see what we ate.
The decor is fantastic, and they have a photo booth, which is always fun for a photo lover. There is also the Drake General Store, which has some really great gifts, clothing and things for the home. I love unique shops like that.
After dinner we walked around downtown snapping photos as we went. It was really a fun night. Traveling with friends is always fun, even if the weather isn’t ideal.
You can watch my trip to Toronto vlog below or on YouTube for higher quality.
Our flight home left early the next morning, but we left in time, so we could check out Albion Falls in Hamilton. It was beautiful! Niagara Falls is also close to Hamilton. Next trip I want to head there. I think a heli ride over Niagara Falls would be epic!
We didn’t get much sleep on this trip, so the flight home was mostly sleep and before we knew it we were back in sunny Abbotsford.
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This blog post is brought you in collaboration with NewLeaf Travel and the Westin Harbour Castle. Also, thank you to the Drake One Fifty for hosting us for dinner and to the CN Tower for hosting us. I appreciate it that you support the brands that support me.
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for food, dogs, fitness, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
Wow! Those are some amazing shots. I have never heard of Newleaf travel before. Thanks for the insightful post. Toronto looks like a beautiful city. Would love to visit there someday. Keep up the awesome work! š
Such a beautiful city. I’ve never heard of Newleaf Travel. Since I always want to go somewhere , but then it ends up too expensive (we have a three kids) I will check them out.Great pictures, looks like you crammed a lot into one day.
I have only been to Toronto once and it was many years ago, but I would LOVE to go back!
I love the pink luggage! And that rainy day photo is awesome. Looks like you had a fab trip!
Toronto looks like a lot of fun! I love your relaxed travel look. I had three trips this past month and I made sure that my plane outfits were comfortable!
Toronto looks like a lot of fun! I love your relaxed travel look. I had three trips this past month and I made sure that my plane outfits were comfortable!
Oh wow it looks like you had such an amazing time, I would love to visit Toronto. I love the idea of the airline managing to bring down fees by using smaller airports, after all sometimes they are actually more useful.
What an amazing adventure and though it was quick it looks and sounds like a really fun one.
What a fun trip and the views are amazing. I will be traveling soon and I need some cute new pink luggage :). I’d love to visit Toronto sometime.
It looks like you had fun even though the weather didn’t cooperate! It is great that there are airlines who are more budget friendly too. Your suitcase is adorable.
all the travel feels!!
What a fun adventure!! Toronto is on my travel bucket list!
Sounds like you had a fun and relaxing trip. Would love to visit beautiful Toronto one day!
What a wonderful trip that you had! I also want to visit Weston Harbour Castle.
It sounds like you all had an awesome time. NewLeaf Travel I will have to share with my sister and my son father. They both travel a lot. Toronto sounds like a great place to visit. I love your pink luggage and will have to check that out for sure. Thanks for sharing the information.
You need to know this Bella, YOU ARE MY FAVORITE BLOGGER. I’ve never been to Toronto but I’d like to. Your trip to Toronto seems a great excitement. The pictures and the places you have visited are making me crazy. Soon, Iām going to plan a visit to Toronto. #XoxoBella
Glad to know you enjoyed your trip even if it was raining. The hotel suite is ginormous! That was a good choice to book a suite at the Westin. I love that you were able to find a way to not only get discounted air fare, but to fly out from a less popular airport that would save you more money.
This looks like such a fun, quick trip! I’ve always wanted to visit Toronto!
Megan | http://www.pipmegan.com
I cannot wait to visit canada!!! Your blog is always inspiring my travels!
xx,
Lacey//theglittergospelblog.com
I’m glad I read through because I had never heard of this airline. Glad to see this newer airline was so awesome!
Looks like an amazing trip!! Toronto just moved up my travel bucket list!
-Katherine
engineering-in-style.com
Love the vlog, I got to see parts of the places you guys been. What a trip, I would love to go there.
i just love traveling to Canada! Toronto is a great city and I get there whenever I can!
How adorable is this! <3
That waterfall looks amazing! It looks like you had a great trip! And I totally want that pink suitcase!
You look so cute and I lobe that hotel room too.
What a fun trip!! I love your outfits and pictures, as usual! So fun, I can’t wait to visit/explore Canada!
How cool! It looks like y’all had the best time!
Looks like a lot of fun! and you sure enjoy yourself!