Explorer House — Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake

Due to Covid restrictions we had to drastically change our plans for our 25th anniversary and stayed local to Ontario instead of travelling to Hawaii. Doing some research I wanted a top rated B&B as I have always found them far nicer than hotels. I must say Explore house and the wonderful hosts did not disappoint. The rooms are large and beautiful with each room being done up in a different style for their travels. We stayed in the Serengeti room. Rooms were well furnished and comfortable beds. Bathrooms were large furnished with a 2 person jacuzzi tub. The only thing I would of liked was a larger shower as the one in the bathroom was quite small and personally I prefer that over the jacuzzi. Throughout the house are amazing photos taken by The host (Deanna) that were wonderful to look at. Due to Covid they can't do the regular breakfast room, but they instead prepare a basket breakfast that you select the night before that includes some staple breakfast items, but also always contains a daily selection of fresh baked goods, fruit medley, and a protein egg dish, along with choices of tea, coffee, orange juice, yogurt etc. It is served in you choice of different area of their garden property, guest balcony of your room balcony. We had told them of our original plans for Hawaii for our anniversary, and for breakfast for that morning they gave us shell leis (necklaces) and put on Hawaiian music in the background. They were so kind and attentive and provided passes to the different wineries and were happy to give suggestions of places to go and visit and the best restaurants. Thank you so much Deanna and Alec for a...

Deanna and Alec are wonderful, welcoming hosts and truly interesting people. They are expert B&B operators who have seemingly thought of everything. They wrote the book, literally (you can buy Deanna’s recipe book adorned with her beautiful photographs from their many adventures to almost every continent that decorate every room). They have provided every convenience you could want or need for a romantic get-away, including a secret garden with hot tub, fire pit table and gazebo.

My wife and I stayed for four nights to celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary and could not have been more pleased with our stay. We were treated to delicious gourmet breakfasts, served daily in the location of our choosing, lovingly prepared with great attention to detail.

The home is stunning and immaculate. It is perfectly located on a quiet cul-de-sac, close by to many restaurants, bike rental shops and wineries. Our room, the Cloud Forest Suite was spacious and comfortable, and all rooms have balconies.

We enjoyed taking walks and riding rented bikes to and from Queen Street through the beautiful neighborhoods. We also rode bikes along the Niagara River and along the streets and parks facing Lake Ontario and the mouth of the Niagara River. We attended a play one evening at the Shaw Festival Theatre, had wonderful dinners around town, and visited a number of local wineries.

Thank you Deanna and Alec for a...

I will definitely go back to the Explorer House. I highly recommend it. The owners / hosts obviously take great pride in their property as everything is clean, well maintained, well organized and efficient. The Explorer House has separate rooms on the upper floor with private bathrooms. We stayed in the Silk Road Suite. Comfortable king size bed, large bathroom with separate shower and bathtub. The room opens up to a patio overlooking the backyard where I had coffee in the morning. On the guest floor, there is a sitting area with everything you may need : table and chairs, fridge, keuring machine with k-cups, and kitchen essentials. We had coffee in the morning and used their mugs and wine at nice with their beautiful wine glasses. The backyard is beautiful and spacious with a gust hot tub and firepit area. The landscaping is perfect. Probably not a spot for kids, though FYI. But for a couple, it is perfect. The breakfast part of this B&B is amazing. We had breakfast with two other couples every morning at a large table. The menu is simple and the food delicious, perfectly prepared. The last day I had the best eggs benedict I ever had! It is just over a kilometer from the main NOTL shopping street, but we walked it easily in about 15 minutes. I definitely recommend this as a better alternative than big...