Photo by Jason Hafso via Unsplash
The pandemic has been very hard on the travel industry as governments put the clamp on travel with restrictions and border closures putting some parts of the industry on the brink. Airlines were hard hit as sun vacationers were almost wiped out for months and even travel within Canada was restricted as certain provinces like in the Maritimes went into their own "bubble" restricting entry for non-residents. Even Quebec and Ontario had their own travel restrictions between the two provinces for a while.
With that said I'm happy to have the chance to head to Ottawa for a weekend getaway with my partner and see something new as opposed to the routine we have been living for over a year. I think that after the last year that we have been having with the routine of working at home and only going outside to do groceries and other essentials, being able to travel will give an opportunity to break the routine, see something new and most importantly enjoy a new city for a short while.
TRAVELLING TO OTTAWA
Travel time to Ottawa from Montreal is usually around two hours give or take how you drive, if you drive. For this trip, we travelled to Ottawa by train with ViaRail. The last time I took a train anywhere in Canada it was to Toronto and I went business class which was a great experience. However, for a two hour trip there isn't much need to go business class unless you really want that experience, I won't judge. The train ride is so short that you can catch a quick nap and next thing you know you are being told to get off the train, you have arrived.
If you are a window seat person who likes looking out at the scenery during trips, I will say that there is some good views on the trip back and forth but mostly just forest and farmland but still maybe have your camera at the ready.
ACCOMODATIONS
When it comes to places to stay in any city, saying what is the best or worst can be subjective depending on personal preferences so just know that I'm giving you my personal experience in regards to the Andaz.
The Andaz Hotel in downtown Ottawa is described as a luxury boutique hotel. Andaz stands tall over the Byward Market section of Ottawa and depending on which room you get and how high up you are, you might just get a entire window view of the market area. Unfortunately for us, our view had a partial view of the market area but that's ok.
Being centrally located in the Byward Market area, the Andaz is within walking distance to the Rideau Canal site, Parliament Hill and other attractions such as museums and the casino Lac Leamy across the river in Gatineau. Of course you are right there in the entertainment area in the market area where Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest nights of the week.
The room itself was nice and had some interesting features, from the small storage room where you can put your suitcase to the bathroom with the sliding door and see through glass standing shower with a traditional shower head and also a waterfall shower head. The most important feature I think for most of you will be the bed itself and I found the bed really nice and did not affect my sleep, however I did not find the pillows too comfortable and that bothered me. Not sure who supplies their pillows but I was not impressed.
One thing that was really good was that they gave us a three hour extension on our check out time which was originally at 11am. That might not seem like much but if you like sleeping in when you can then the extra time means you can maybe get a breakfast somewhere in the market and get back pack or just take your time and get ready without the hassle of hurrying up to make the 11am check out. The service overall I must say was really nice and friendly as you would expect if you were going to a luxury hotel.
WHERE TO EAT IN OTTAWA ON A SHORT GETAWAY
In the short time in Ottawa one of the places I really wanted to go was Flapjack's Canadian Diner in Little Italy. I heard about this breakfast/brunch spot a few years ago and in 2018 went there for the first time. The location is small and almost out of the way (you might miss it if you are not paying attention) but going for breakfast or brunch there is something you will never forget. For a place that is relatively small the menu is bountiful and provides so much choice that it's normal that you are there for 5 minutes or more trying to decide what you want to eat.
As this was my second time there I have to say Flapjacks is still the breakfast place I would recommend to anyone visiting Ottawa. The weekend that I went was the first day that restaurants in Ottawa were allowed to have indoor seating due to COVID regulations in Ontario however the weather was great and eating on the patio was a good treat. There was a little bit of a wait to get seated but nothing unbearable but completely understandable since it was the second day that restaurants could seat people.
So Flapjacks was my brunch spot of choice but another popular brunch spot that gets a lot of press is Zak's Diner right in the Byward Market. On my next getaway to Ottawa I will definitely go there and see if they too live up to the hype.
OTTAWA ATTRACTIONS AND THE MARKET AREA
When in Ottawa one of the attractions you have to take in is Parliament Hill. These days security is a little more visible but I was able to walk onto the grounds in front of Parliament which is open to the public. On the day I was there, the hill was hosting a demonstration by members of the Cuban community over the recent summer unrest happening in Cuba.
On the same day that the Cuban community were out in force I saw what I assume is a permanent memorial also on Parliament Hill dedicated to the First Nations kids who were victims of Residential Schools in Canada. This memorial was made up of hundreds of pairs of children's shoes representing the children who lost their lives.
At the date of our trip to Ottawa I believe that over 1,000 mass graves of First Nations youth were found in different parts of the country. It is a horrible part of Canadian history that needs to be revealed.
Another attraction to checkout on a short stay in Ottawa is the Rideau Canal National Historic Site. The canal is an important part of Ottawa's history and probably the most famous and historically significant canal in Canada.
- Opened in 1832 (Construction started in 1826)
- Oldest continuously operated canal system in North America
- In Winter, Rideau Canal becomes the world's longest skating rink covering 7.8 Kilometres.
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
Links
For more on the Andaz Hotel, check out Andaz Ottawa Byward market.
For more on Flapjacks, check out Flapjacks Canadian Diner.
For more on travel, check out Viarail.
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