Reader's home of the month
This month's £150 Habitat giftcard goes to lindsaydglasgow's 'terrace on a teeny budget'...
The Drake Hotel
Snuggle up by the glistening snow in one of these chic hotels
Why? When The Drake reopened in 2004, following a design makeover, it kick-started the renaissance of this buzzing district, and remains one of the city's best boutique hotels.
Where? In the heart of the downtown West Queen West Art + Design neighbourhood.
Staying in This place is perfect for boho, arty types: the 19 cosy rooms are described as 'hotbeds for culture'. Exposed brickwork, 10ft-high ceilings, retro wallpaper and quirky artworks (plus iPod/DVD essentials) combine to create loft-apartment-style rooms with a 40s vibe. The mood continues in the decadent lounge and dining Room, with leather booths and marble and brass details. Join savvy locals at the hotel's Corner Café (with free Wi-Fi), the cutting-edge Underground performance space, and, in summer, the rooftop Sky Yard. Take a souvenir snap in the lobby's photo booth.
Style steal Borrow nifty storage solutions, such as train luggage racks installed high up on walls.
Out and about Find galleries on Bathurst Street – aka 'art mile' – and vintage furniture stores on Queen Street East. Made, on Dundas Street West, has fun design products. Don't miss local hero architect Frank Gehry's impressive reinvention of the Art Gallery of Ontario. And Nyood serves modern Mediterranean food in a baroque-inspired space.
More info Double rooms from £107 per night (+001 416 531 5042, thedrakehotel.ca).
Next snowy hotel – Copperhill Mountain Lodge
Where? In the heart of the downtown West Queen West Art + Design neighbourhood.
Staying in This place is perfect for boho, arty types: the 19 cosy rooms are described as 'hotbeds for culture'. Exposed brickwork, 10ft-high ceilings, retro wallpaper and quirky artworks (plus iPod/DVD essentials) combine to create loft-apartment-style rooms with a 40s vibe. The mood continues in the decadent lounge and dining Room, with leather booths and marble and brass details. Join savvy locals at the hotel's Corner Café (with free Wi-Fi), the cutting-edge Underground performance space, and, in summer, the rooftop Sky Yard. Take a souvenir snap in the lobby's photo booth.
Style steal Borrow nifty storage solutions, such as train luggage racks installed high up on walls.
Out and about Find galleries on Bathurst Street – aka 'art mile' – and vintage furniture stores on Queen Street East. Made, on Dundas Street West, has fun design products. Don't miss local hero architect Frank Gehry's impressive reinvention of the Art Gallery of Ontario. And Nyood serves modern Mediterranean food in a baroque-inspired space.
More info Double rooms from £107 per night (+001 416 531 5042, thedrakehotel.ca).
Next snowy hotel – Copperhill Mountain Lodge