The Bottom Line
Pros
- Charming country inn located just outside one of Canada's prettiest towns.
Cons
- No elevator and steep stairs may prove uncomfortable for second-floor guests.
Description
- Two story Georgian mansion, circa 1860, surrounded by vineyards.
- Contains 21 guest rooms with private baths and working fireplaces.
- Majority of rooms offer a queen-size bed or double beds. Couch may fold out to sofabed.
- Rooms feature satellite TV and complimentary high-speed Internet access.
- In-room sitting area and work desk with chair provided.
- Small, saloon-style 1890s bar offers local vintages.
- Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner year-round.
- Patio, open in summer, overlooks vineyards. In winter, enjoy the warmth of a fireplace.
- The Shaw Festival Theatre is just down the road; some may consider it within walking distance.
- No-smoking facility.
Guide Review - Riverbend Inn - Niagara on the Lake, Canada
Upon entering, you'll see a huge crystal chandelier (without a cobweb in sight) and you'll be warmly greeted by the front-desk attendent. The steep stairs to the second floor seemed daunting at first. Thankfully, the helpful staff -- accompanied by innkeeper John Wiens himself -- insisted on carrying our luggage to our room. Decorated in warm colors and with a fireplace set between two windows, it appeared classic, elegant, and comfortable.
Each meal we enjoyed in the Riverbend Inn's dining room was a pleasure, from the foraged wild mushroom omelet with young goat's milk cheese for breakfast to the grain-fed chicken sandwich with French brie and honey mustard on a toasted onion roll at lunch. At sunset, we toasted our good fortune to stay at the Riverbend Inn with a glass of sweet ice wine, the local delicacy.
