Soho Metropolitan

Paying a visit to Toronto is easier than taking the metro most days. A quick 45 minute flight and you’re at Billy Bishop airport and a seconds long ferry ride from the heart of the city. Many of us travel to Toronto several times a year for business and pleasure and as Day Jobs and the Nightlife continues to grow, we are looking at bringing our readers the best there is from cities around the country for fantastic weekend getaways. We decided to start with finding a comfortable place to call home base in Toronto and we didn’t have to look very hard.

The Soho Metropolitan in downtown Toronto’s entertainment district is a mind-blowingly impressive hotel. We were in the lap of luxury from the minute we entered and were greeted warmly by many friendly faces. Before we headed up to our room, we took a quick glance around to soak in the details. The lobby is spacious and bright with a sunny Senses (stylized Sen5es) café on your right as you walk in and cozy bar which is also named Sen5es, to your left. The name Sen5es is derived from a series of bakeries that were once operated by the hotel owner.

Once we were checked in, we headed up to our room. The hallways were quiet and discrete which is always a good sign and inside the room, a neutral palette sets a calming tone while large windows reveal a stunning view onto a constantly evolving city. The bed was large and comfortable with crisp white linens (good hotels always make it hard to leave!) while other cool features included a full mini bar, good hotel coffee (details, details) and automatic drapes that open and close with the flick of a switch.

We were most amazed (a jaw dropping wow factor moment) when we saw the spacious walk-in closet with enough space to comfortably unpack and move right in. Thinking that might be hard to follow that up, we discovered the marble covered bathroom with a large bathtub, standing shower and heated floors. Yes, heated floors in the bathroom.

We went on a short tour of the hotel before heading out on the town and what we saw left us very impressed. The Soho Met has a well equipped gym, complete with a personal trainer, a lap pool and hot tub, an outdoor terrace where many functions are held and a full business centre.

The stylish boutique hotel has 92 gorgeous rooms over 4 floors but nothing could have prepared us for their crown jewel. Sitting atop the hotel, on the 15^th floor of the luxury condominium tower in which it is housed, is a 4000 square foot penthouse suite. Like a castle in the sky, it is spread out over 3 floors with pristine light pouring in from large windows. Featured recently on Britian and Ireland’s Next Top Model as well the Food Network’s Top Chef Canada, it has its own glass elevator and a sprawling, professional kitchen. Other amazing featurest include 4 bathrooms, 2 fireplaces and one stunning view from the terrace.

The penthouse is expertly decorated in a way that makes it feel like you’re at home from the minute you walk in. On the third floor there’s a beautiful view of downtown Toronto and the CN Tower which is only minutes away.  The outdoor rooftop terrace also has a BBQ, a hot tub and an adjacent smaller kitchen and lounge area for preparing food and welcoming guests. In addition, there’s an adjoining library with another bedroom should you need it and private laundry facilities. We felt like we had fallen into the lap of luxury and it and easy to get used to (make no wonder high profile guests such as Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Mariah Carey have called this penthouse, home).

Though we like to explore everything a city has to offer, having a place to call home away from home is always nice to come back to. The Soho Met is a fun, friendly and luxurious experience that makes it easy for us to go and discover a little more about our neighbors to the west.