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Downtown Toronto, Entertainment, Food & Recipes, Lifestyle talk, Mid Town, Toronto History

Favourite Patios in Toronto

May 25, 2015

Hanging out on your balcony in your DelSuites furnished apartment rental in Toronto can be novel for only so long. Though it’s one of our favourite amenities, sometimes you want a change of scenery. As the summer heats up, here are our favourite patios in Toronto to grab a drink and people watch.

1. Amsterdam Brewhouse
Steps away from our downtown toronto apartments like 300 Front Street, The Icon, and The Element, Amsterdam Brewery’s patio is situated on the Harbourfront, lakeside, with a nice view of the Toronto Islands. Also named as one of our favourite craft breweries in Toronto, all you need to relax is a pint in hand in a muskoka chair to feel like you’re transported north of the city. Don’t forget you can buy some of their cans to bring home. Their bottleshop is open until 11pm!

(Photo by Tasting Toronto)

2. El Catrin
The vibrant patio, located in the Distillery District, and its Mexican details –cut outs, tiles and firepits –makes this one of the most popular outdoor spots to have brunch or lunch in the summer months. The food is just as great as the location. Try sharing some tacos or ceviche. For dinner, you could try a 7 course tasting menu with your friends. The best part? Your fellow patio-patrons surrounding you are best for people watching. Reservations are strongly encouraged.

3. Terroni (Rosedale)
This rooftop patio of the popular Italian trattoria is a more low key destination and in short distance of our mid-town properties, 173 Duplex and the Republic. Chow down on hearty pasta and many delectable pizzas under minimalist decor and a great view of the downtown landscape.

4. Speakeasy 21
This Financial District favourite –at Scotiaplaza–has a brand new 3-tier patio for after work libation. You can watch all of the drama of rush hour unfold from your perch right in the centre of things. Knock it back with a watermelon mojito or bites to share with coworkers or friends.

What are your favourite patios in Toronto?

Business Travel, Family Vacations in Toronto, Lifestyle talk, Relocation

5 Misconceptions About Short-Term Condo Rentals Toronto

May 20, 2015

As property development and construction in Toronto has increased so has the need for Short-Term Housing and Condominium Rentals. This concept is still relatively new and thus, there can be many misconceptions. We wanted to clear up the misconceptions and myths of short-term condo rentals Toronto and stays for a better understanding of the industry.

1. Short-Term Condo Rentals Toronto Minimum Stays
Though “short-term” can mean for less than a week or two in our lexicon, DelSuites minimum stay for their short-term stays are 30 nights. This may sound like a hefty amount for some but if you need a place to stay while you are settling in the city or on business, this minimum day stay will assure you you’ll have a place to call home away from home. Unlike a hotel, you can get to know your neighbours and you never have to move in and out in that 30 day period – lugging around your luggage if you are travelling to and from Toronto. You retain possession of the suite and can leave your luggage at home for the entire 30 nights.

2. Short-Term Condo Rentals Toronto are not Furnished
DelSuites apartments are always fully furnished in modern furnishings and decor. Not only do you have your basic amenities but you also get the extras like kitchen appliances, plates, utensils, cleaning supplies, and more. You even have a start up supply of laundry and dish detergent for your en-suite laundry. As opposed to looking for a new apartment in the city and dealing with buying your own furniture or the hassle of a laundromat, DelSuites has you covered.

3. Short-Term Condo Rentals Toronto Don’t Come With the Extras
Though this may be true for some short-term condo rental companies, DelSuites has plenty of amenities. Concierge to help you with any of your needs? Check. Fitness Facilities? Check. Complimentary Wifi and Cable? Check. Grocery services from Real Food Toronto? Check. Airport Pick-up or Drop-Off Service? Check. Welcome Gift for every Child to help settle them in? Check. We’ve taken care of all of the details so you can arrive safe and relaxed.

4. Short Term Rentals are Not Clean or Well Maintained
We have a cleaning staff that come in once a week to ensure that your apartment or suite is spick and span. Unlike hotel cleaning staff when you don’t know when they’ll be coming on a daily basis, our staff are appointed a specific day to come in to clean from 9am to 5pm and can even work around your schedule.

5. Short Term Rental Costs
Though furnished apartments may seem costly for a short-term stay, when you factor in the costs (housekeeping, free wifi, laundry, a fully stocked kitchen, etc.), the costs can turn out to be less than staying in a hotel. Hotel rooms are usually just that – a room – so if you were to get a suite, a furnished apartment is better value. If you are in the midst of a relocation, DelSuites is a one-stop shop and less cost than a consultant.

Have you ever stayed in a short-term rental? What was your experience and are these misconceptions true? What have you found to be misconceptions about short-term condominium rentals? Discuss! And if you ever have any questions, please contact us at 416.296.8838 or email us at info@delsuites.com

Downtown Toronto, Downtown Toronto Condos, Family Vacations in Toronto, Fitness and Health, Food & Recipes, Lifestyle talk

Tips to Healthy Eating in Your Furnished Suite

May 8, 2015

Being healthy while travelling on the road whether for business or for leisure can be a difficult task to upkeep. Luckily, the kitchens at the furnished apartments at DelSuites gives you the resources to eat as healthy as possible while you’re in Toronto for your trip. Here are a few of our tips to healthy eating, whether you’re in the city for a short-term or long-term stay.

1. Buy Locally from Farmers Markets. Shopping at the farmers markets ensures that your produces is locally sourced. Locally sourced produce means it’s fresh and that you’re getting the best quality and nutrients in your meals as opposed to the exported product found in grocery stores (most produce, as a result, will be processed). While in another city, like Toronto, going to the farmers markets will keep you in the company of locals and chat up the local farmers and producers of your food. There are a number of farmers markets that are in the areas of our properties from downtown to Etobicoke and Mississauga.

2. Buy in Season. As above, the food you buy at the farmers’ markets is seasonal. That said, if you are at a market or at the grocery store near your furnished rental in Toronto, buying in season will ensure your produce is as healthy as possible. Asparagus and Rhubarb are prime in the spring; corn is perfect in the summer months; tomatoes are at its peak in September; and apples and pumpkins are ripe and ready in the fall. Buying in season also helps you connect with the earth and weather as it changes throughout the year.

3. Get your Groceries Delivered If you are on business while in Toronto and on the go, having no time to shop can result in unhealthy eating. Luckily, one of our services is grocery delivery via Real Food Toronto. This way you can plan your meals to keep your meals fresh and delicious if you can’t get to the farmers markets. Real Food Toronto prides itself on its selection of healthy options for its customers.

4. Broil and Bake instead of Fry. Our fully stocked kitchens come with state of the art ovens, pots, and pans for all of your cooking and baking needs. Cooking instead of going to restaurants will also keep you healthy on the road and with our amenities, there’s no excuse not to cook in your apartment! Whether you get your groceries from a local grocery store (many grocery stores are conveniently located near our properties), or at the farmers market, try to broil or bake your fish or meat instead of frying it, as it will save you from added calories or additives in your meals.

5. Eat at a Table. Having a place to sit away from a desk or taking the time out in the morning to enjoy a healthy breakfast will keep you satiated and less likely to induce in cravings later on in the day as well as giving you that peace of mind and time for yourself before a busy day in the city or while on business.

What are your favourite tips to healthy eating?

Downtown Toronto, Entertainment, Food & Recipes, Lifestyle talk

Where to get High Tea in Toronto near Your Furnished Rental

May 6, 2015

As Mother’s Day approaches, one idea to celebrate the day is to partake in the tradition of afternoon or high tea in Toronto. Luckily, there are a number of places across the GTA near your furnished rental to indulge in this leisurely treat. Pinkies up!

1. The Old Mill
Near our Nuvo and Park Nuvo properties, The Old Mill is a storied tradition and has been at the Old Mill Inn in Etobicoke for 100 years. Bring your favourite fascinator and celebrate with your mom in style. For $30, you can snack over a varied menu of finger sandwiches, scones, and afternoon tea pastries, a variety of teas, and even bubbles (at an extra cost). With a view of the outdoor garden through the old-fashioned windows, this is one of the best atmospheres for afternoon tea in the city.

2. The Windsor Arms
One of the most famous places to enjoy the afternoon tea tradition in Toronto (and not too far from our 173 Duplex and Republic short-term rentals at Yonge and Eglinton), The Windsor Arms also has one of the most luxurious tea rooms in the city. In one of the three elegant tea rooms, you can sip from over 20 different selections of tea as well as a savoury menu of finger foods. The Windsor Arms arguably has the best scones and devonshire cream in the city. If you can’t make the regular seatings, there is a twilight menu serving the tea menu at 5:30 and 6:00 PM daily. Fancy hats or fascinators are encouraged. You can borrow one for $5 and proceeds benefit the Look Good Feel Better program, a charity that offers hands-on cosmetic and hair alternatives workshops for women with cancer.

3. The Old Curiosity Tea Shop
This high tea tradition is not too far away from our Circa apartments for rent in Markham which offers over 50 different teas. The Victorian tearoom also specializes in current and discontinued Royal Doulton china replacements. The afternoon tea tradition is by reservation only.

4. The Tea Room, Streetsville
An affordable place for this tradition in Mississauga, you can choose from three different menus for afternoon tea. The Tea Room High Tea menu offers a garden salad in addition to the three tiered tray of tea sandwiches, quiche tartlet, scones, and sweets. You can also choose among an array of black, oolong, and herbal teas.

5. DEQ at the Ritz Carlton
This modern take on the afternoon tradition is a short walk from our downtown toronto apartments furnished apartments in downtown Toronto. There are four different menus to choose from, each which feature the luxury Sloane tea, its blends sourced by certified tea sommeliers. Nibble an updated twist of the traditional menu such as a larger size of the salmon sandwiches served on croissants and macarons served on a modern version of the tiered tray.

Where is your favourite place for high tea in Toronto?

Feedback and Reviews, Lifestyle talk

A Guide to Decorating Your Furnished Condo

April 30, 2015

Whether you’re a business traveler in Toronto on an extended stay, a family looking for a longer city vacation, or a film or TV industry pro moving in for the summer shooting season, part of what makes a furnished rental great is the unique character you can’t get from a hotel room. But part of the draw of furnished rentals is the ability to personalize that space you’ll be living in for weeks or months into a home away from home.

Here are a few low-cost, simple tips on decorating your furnished condo décor—and creating a gorgeous Toronto nest that truly feels like it’s yours.

Start With Colour, and Texture, and Light…

The simplest antidote to a furnished rental that’s not yet found its voice is texture and colour. Most Toronto furnished rentals come with a very clean look that makes adding your own personal touches easy, without having to break out paintbrushes or power tools. Patterned rugs, couch cushions or throws and small lamps can all bring a condo space to life without much investment—and portably enough to bring home with you!

Want a warm, rich, South Asian-meets-bistro feel? Visit Morningstar Trading, which specializes in Rajasthani imports, for hand-carved wooden vases, bright fabric, plush embroidered cushions, and small furniture pieces that bring colour into a room.

If you love the clean, rustic, and airy feel of reclaimed-wood furniture and eggshell-white walls? The Drake General Store, an offshoot of the Drake Hotel specializing in Canadian designers and brands, has a wide selection of log-cabin Canadiana, including carved-stone coasters, soft throw blankets, and needlepoint cushions.

For a clean, minimalist aesthetic, check out Harbord Village’s Things Japanese, a cozy source for everything from shoji screens to soften the afternoon light to wood-and-paper table lamps, vases, decorative boxes, and rollable, portable inked wall scrolls.

Bring the Spring In

One of the simplest ways to put your mark on a space is by bringing something green home. Most Toronto fruit markets will have a selection of potted herbs once the warm weather hits, and a spilling, vibrant mint in a brightly coloured hanging planter from Roncesvalles Village’s Scout or your local hardware store can both brighten up your space and contribute materially to a homemade mojito.

If you’d rather smell your plants than taste them, small florists like Church-Wellesley Village’s Ladybug and Yorkville’s Sweetpea’s not only take online orders for long-lasting floral arrangements, but deliver to your door. And for the budget-minded, there’s nothing better than a tall Mason jar and a handful of daffodils from the corner variety store.

Beautiful and Useful

There’s a reason coffee table books were so popular in the sixties: They were objects, almost carelessly placed, that told your guests a story about what you love. Small, useful objects like coasters, cushions, handmade notebooks, and more make your mark on a space, and help you inhabit it completely.

Almost every neighbourhood in downtown Toronto has a monthly flea full of the useful-and-beautiful, with vendors offering vintage, handcrafted, quirky, and just fun items in their own neighbourhood. There’s a flea in Leslieville and The Parkdale, and more. Admission rarely goes above two dollars, and they’re an increasingly gr Decorating Your Furnished Condo eat source for good décor finds—and a fun day out.

Having a few old favourites on the nightstand can also go a long way, and specialty Toronto bookstores like Ben McNally Books for literary fiction mavens, The Sleuth of Baker Street for mystery hounds, Bakka-Phoenix Books for science fiction, fantasy, and horror fans, or TYPE for lovers of art and design can supply you with your best-loved bedtime stories to reread or shelve prominently—and make your space feel that much more like home.

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Ultimately, decorating your furnished condo rental in Toronto is halfway about the experience: Each object you bring home to brighten your space is a piece of Toronto you’ve gotten to know, a walk you took, or a neighbourhood you’ve discovered. And it’s a great way to enjoy the time you spend here—and build a few great memories when it’s time to head home.

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