Casino Hotels

The building is the headline. The casino occupies pavilions put up for Expo 67, on Île Notre-Dame in the St. Lawrence River, inside Parc Jean-Drapeau.

One point matters before planning a trip: there are no guest rooms on the island. Overnight visitors book hotels in the city, and downtown is a short taxi ride across the river.

Inside, restaurants and bars sit on the upper floors, some with views back toward the skyline. The gaming floor takes up much of the building. Around it, the island offers parkland, the Biosphère on neighbouring Île Sainte-Hélène and the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.

From the upper floors of the hotel tower, the view is the Horseshoe Falls. Many rooms face the water, and that is what most guests come for.

The resort is large. A spa, an indoor pool, a run of restaurants and a theatre for touring acts share the complex. Gaming is kept to the lower levels, apart from the guest floors.

Outside, the falls promenade, Queen Victoria Park and Clifton Hill are all walkable. Summer brings crowds; winter brings a quieter town and a lot of mist.

About ninety minutes north of Toronto, near Orillia, the resort stands on the lands of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation, close to Lake Couchiching.

Rooms and a spa are in the hotel tower. Restaurants range from casual to sit-down, and an entertainment centre books concerts and comedy through the year.

Gaming is large in scale. Even so, many guests come for a quiet weekend in lake country, with Orillia's waterfront and the surrounding cottage towns a short drive away.