{"id":1051,"date":"2020-07-10T21:51:57","date_gmt":"2020-07-10T21:51:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elishalemoire.wordpress.com\/?page_id=1051"},"modified":"2020-08-15T19:29:50","modified_gmt":"2020-08-15T19:29:50","slug":"the-napa-valley-of-ontario-niagara-on-the-lake","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/index.php\/the-napa-valley-of-ontario-niagara-on-the-lake\/","title":{"rendered":"The Napa Valley of Ontario \u2013 Niagara on the Lake"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>May, 2012<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-coblocks-gallery-collage has-small-gutter\"><ul><li class=\"wp-block-coblocks-gallery-collage__item item-1\"><figure class=\"wp-block-coblocks-gallery-collage__figure\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010001.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-index=\"0\" data-id=\"2262\" data-imglink=\"\" data-link=\"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/?attachment_id=2262\" class=\"wp-image-2262\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010001.jpg 640w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010001-300x225.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010001-347x260.jpg 347w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-coblocks-gallery-collage__item item-2\"><figure class=\"wp-block-coblocks-gallery-collage__figure\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/jamie-bridge-FQrCC9DeFEk-unsplash-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-index=\"1\" data-id=\"3273\" data-imglink=\"\" data-link=\"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/index.php\/the-napa-valley-of-ontario-niagara-on-the-lake\/jamie-bridge-fqrcc9defek-unsplash\/\" class=\"wp-image-3273\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/jamie-bridge-FQrCC9DeFEk-unsplash-1024x768.jpg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/jamie-bridge-FQrCC9DeFEk-unsplash-300x225.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/jamie-bridge-FQrCC9DeFEk-unsplash-768x576.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/jamie-bridge-FQrCC9DeFEk-unsplash-665x499.jpg 665w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/jamie-bridge-FQrCC9DeFEk-unsplash-347x260.jpg 347w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/jamie-bridge-FQrCC9DeFEk-unsplash-600x450.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-coblocks-gallery-collage__item item-3\"><figure class=\"wp-block-coblocks-gallery-collage__figure\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010007.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-index=\"2\" data-id=\"2264\" data-imglink=\"\" data-link=\"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/?attachment_id=2264\" class=\"wp-image-2264\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010007.jpg 640w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010007-300x225.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010007-347x260.jpg 347w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-coblocks-gallery-collage__item item-4\"><figure class=\"wp-block-coblocks-gallery-collage__figure\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010005.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-index=\"3\" data-id=\"2263\" data-imglink=\"\" data-link=\"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/?attachment_id=2263\" class=\"wp-image-2263\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010005.jpg 640w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010005-300x225.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010005-347x260.jpg 347w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-coblocks-gallery-collage__item item-5\"><figure class=\"wp-block-coblocks-gallery-collage__figure\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/the-miscellanista-wkxc9_mzpeq-unsplash-1-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-index=\"4\" data-id=\"2265\" data-imglink=\"\" data-link=\"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/?attachment_id=2265\" class=\"wp-image-2265\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/the-miscellanista-wkxc9_mzpeq-unsplash-1.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/the-miscellanista-wkxc9_mzpeq-unsplash-1-225x300.jpg 225w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/the-miscellanista-wkxc9_mzpeq-unsplash-1-665x887.jpg 665w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/the-miscellanista-wkxc9_mzpeq-unsplash-1-195x260.jpg 195w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/the-miscellanista-wkxc9_mzpeq-unsplash-1-750x1000.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When most people think Niagara, they think Niagara Falls and yes, it is worth seeing if you haven\u2019t been before.\u00a0\u00a0Niagara-on-the-Lake has a completely different vibe than the Vegas style of Niagara Falls though.\u00a0\u00a0NOTL is a small town packed with character, history and charm.\u00a0\u00a0It is quaint, relaxing and has that small town, peaceful vibe.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Vintage Inns are a collection of Ontario\u2019s Finest Hotels, Restaurants and Spas.\u00a0\u00a0Each inn is unique based on the area, and has attention to the finest details where you will be guaranteed an extraordinary experience.\u00a0\u00a0In NOTL you have 4 inns to choose from including Prince of Wales, Queens Landing, Pillar &amp; Post or the Moffat Inn.\u00a0\u00a0For this weekend getaway, we opted for the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintage-hotels.com\/pillarandpost\/\">Pillar &amp; Post<\/a>, but we have also stayed at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintage-hotels.com\/queenslanding\/\">Queens Landing<\/a>, with a package for the Niagara\u2019s Icewine Festival in January, 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pillar &amp; Post offers a 13,000-square foot indoor and outdoor spa, an onsite fine dining restaurant, a wine bar and is within walking distance to parks and trails along the Niagara River.\u00a0\u00a0Nestled further out of town, it is a perfect little retreat to decompress.\u00a0\u00a0Each Inn offers weekend indulgent packages and we chose the two-night stay including breakfast each morning, dinner at any of the 4 inns, so you can pick the restaurant with the menu that appeals best to you, and some winery tours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We checked into our room and headed over to the wine bar for some cocktails to begin our weekend of relaxation.\u00a0\u00a0After sipping and chatting, we headed to freshen up before dinner.  I choose the Tiara Restaurant at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintage-hotels.com\/queenslanding\/dining.php\">Queens Landing<\/a>,\u00a0with a little surprise.\u00a0\u00a0We head to the front of the Inn where a horse and carriage awaited us, a surprise for D and he was like \u2018oh no you didn\u2019t!\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0Part of the reason, I picked dinner at another Inn was so we could enjoy a romantic horse and carriage ride through town, intertwined with the history of the NOTL.  It was honestly like living in your own fairytale for part of the evening.  Settling in for 5 star dining, overlooking the Niagara river while sipping and savouring local wines.\u00a0\u00a0Of course, I will offer my opinion on what to order \u2013 start with the tasting of sustainable seafood; Algonquin Corn Polenta, fried pork belly with bouillabaisse sauce along with the Inniskillin Pinot Grigio.\u00a0\u00a0Of course, I choose the Ontario Lamb Chop with wild rice and winter squash and chose a glass of the Malivoire Meritage to bring out all the flavour.\u00a0\u00a0Since life is short and about treating yourself, I indulged in the scallops as an add-on and shared some with D.\u00a0\u00a0The night ended with the chocolate tasting plate; salted caramel chocolate pecan tart, hazelnut mousse, white chocolate truffle, espresso macaron, chocolate dipped molasses caramel with a white chocolate sauce.\u00a0\u00a0It was like Willy Wonka\u2019s chocolate factory presented to you on a single plate; chocolate lover\u2019s heaven.\u00a0\u00a0I paused and thought since it is a sampling plate it would go seamlessly with a flight of dessert wine; three 1 oz wines to sip while savouring this.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What was on the agenda for the next day?\u00a0\u00a0After a farm to table breakfast at the Inn, we headed to the spa to unwind with some pampering.\u00a0\u00a0We had a couples massage and lounged around for most of the morning \u2013 a nice slow start to the day.\u00a0\u00a0For the afternoon, I had another surprise planned which was a California Inspired Wine Tour with a Wine Pairing Dinner Experience.\u00a0\u00a0I hadn\u2019t been to Napa yet, so I was thinking this might be the next best thing.\u00a0\u00a0We booked with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaravintagewinetours.com\">Vintage Wine Tours<\/a> which is a 6 hour, fully guided tour of three award winning, family owned wineries from hidden gems to large establishments and transportation so you can sip safely.\u00a0\u00a0The night ends with dinner at a 4 star heritage designated restaurant in the heart of the old town.\u00a0\u00a0You have a private table with a selection of exceptional local cuisine that follows the farm to table philosophy.\u00a0\u00a0In addition, a sommelier will include three local wines to match your dinner choices, including of course, a featured icewine for the final course.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s Niagara after all \u2013 the home country of well-crafted icewine.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/maksym-kaharlytskyi-3ujt73tr4hi-unsplash-2-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2267\" data-link=\"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/?attachment_id=2267\" class=\"wp-image-2267\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/maksym-kaharlytskyi-3ujt73tr4hi-unsplash-2.jpg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/maksym-kaharlytskyi-3ujt73tr4hi-unsplash-2-300x200.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/maksym-kaharlytskyi-3ujt73tr4hi-unsplash-2-768x511.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/maksym-kaharlytskyi-3ujt73tr4hi-unsplash-2-665x442.jpg 665w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/maksym-kaharlytskyi-3ujt73tr4hi-unsplash-2-391x260.jpg 391w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010011-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"2268\" data-link=\"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/?attachment_id=2268\" class=\"wp-image-2268\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010011-1-1.jpg 640w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010011-1-1-300x225.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/p1010011-1-1-347x260.jpg 347w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/p1010004-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3271\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/p1010004-1.jpg 640w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/p1010004-1-300x225.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/p1010004-1-347x260.jpg 347w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/p1010004-1-600x450.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>After breakfast the next morning, we lounged around the outdoor spa before we had to pack up and check out.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not quite ready to call the weekend to an end, we headed to the old downtown area.&nbsp;&nbsp;We walked around, wandering in and out of boutique shops, grabbed some ice cream and finished off with a late lunch\/early dinner before heading back home to the city.&nbsp;&nbsp;Another great escape in the books.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/steven-binotto-oK-0AYfdwH0-unsplash-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"3272\" data-link=\"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/index.php\/the-napa-valley-of-ontario-niagara-on-the-lake\/steven-binotto-ok-0ayfdwh0-unsplash\/\" class=\"wp-image-3272\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/steven-binotto-oK-0AYfdwH0-unsplash-683x1024.jpg 683w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/steven-binotto-oK-0AYfdwH0-unsplash-200x300.jpg 200w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/steven-binotto-oK-0AYfdwH0-unsplash-768x1152.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/steven-binotto-oK-0AYfdwH0-unsplash-665x998.jpg 665w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/steven-binotto-oK-0AYfdwH0-unsplash-173x260.jpg 173w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/steven-binotto-oK-0AYfdwH0-unsplash-400x600.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/steven-binotto-uhgVj_nP_mQ-unsplash-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"3274\" data-link=\"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/index.php\/the-napa-valley-of-ontario-niagara-on-the-lake\/steven-binotto-uhgvj_np_mq-unsplash\/\" class=\"wp-image-3274\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/steven-binotto-uhgVj_nP_mQ-unsplash-683x1024.jpg 683w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/steven-binotto-uhgVj_nP_mQ-unsplash-200x300.jpg 200w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/steven-binotto-uhgVj_nP_mQ-unsplash-768x1152.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/steven-binotto-uhgVj_nP_mQ-unsplash-665x998.jpg 665w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/steven-binotto-uhgVj_nP_mQ-unsplash-173x260.jpg 173w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/steven-binotto-uhgVj_nP_mQ-unsplash-400x600.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>May, 2012 When most people think Niagara, they think Niagara Falls and yes, it is worth seeing if you haven\u2019t been before.\u00a0\u00a0Niagara-on-the-Lake has a completely different vibe than the Vegas style of Niagara Falls though.\u00a0\u00a0NOTL is a small town packed with character, history and charm.\u00a0\u00a0It is quaint, relaxing and has that small town, peaceful vibe.\u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1051"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1051"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3610,"href":"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1051\/revisions\/3610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/explorewithelisha.azurewebsites.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}