Dow's Lake is a man-made lake on the Rideau Canal. It's the site of many fun activities and there…read moreare several restaurants there with beautiful views of the water. You can rent canoes, kayaks, and pedal boats/paddle boats in the summer. In May there's the Tulip Festival which is technically in Commissioner's Park, but this park surrounds Dow's Lake. In the winter when the lake freezes over, you can skate on it, and it's connected to the Rideau Canal, so you can skate for a pretty good distance. There are 3 restaurants at Dow's Lake. Over the years they have changed, but currently the restaurants are Lago, Umbrella Bar, and Mexi's (aka Mexicali Rosa's). There's a paid parking lot nearby ($3.50 per 30 minutes up to a maximum of $14), or street parking ($0.25 per 6 minutes) a bit further away, or free parking on residential streets in neighbouring Little Italy (3 hour limit as per by-laws).

Dow's Lake Pavilion is a short distance away from the airport and Ottawa's downtown core. I like…read morethat you can escape from your daily routine to this picturesque area without doing a road trip. There are canoes and pedal boats that you can rent. You are required to sign a waiver, wear a life jacket, and put down a $20 deposit. You can use cash, and debit and credit cards, except for American Express. Sadly, Amex doesn't seem to be as widely accepted as it used to be. There are lockers where you can store your belongings when you are on the water. I recommend coming with what you truly need. I parked in the lot across from the Pavilion. Parking is $3.50 for 30 minutes, to a maximum of $14. I paid by credit card, which was great. I didn't risk parking on the street, but I know that I can now. It's cheaper that way, but you do have to be cognizant of the time. You can also dine here after a fun time out on the water. We ate at Mexi's. You have the option of dining in the restaurant or sitting out on the patio. I missed the tulip festival. Perhaps I'll plan my vacation and take them in next time. (254)

We tried a new tour called Hidden Ottawa. It's Not a haunted tour. It's a history based tour that…read morehighlights things even most locals don't know or have never noticed about the town. Our group were all locals and we all enjoyed the tour and didn't know the majority of what was talked about. Get ready to learn some real colourful stories of Ottawa! I also appreciated the path the tour takes. It's very scenic and uses areas none of us had been before which was also super cool to learn about and made for some amazing photo locations too!

Walking through downtown Ottawa and came across the sign for a ghost tour. They tend to be fun. So…read morewe inquired and wound up taking the 8pm haunted prison tour. Cost me for 2 adults, 2 kids just under 100 cad. Our guide was Hanna and she was excellent. Overall she seemed extremely knowledgeable about the area and added a little theatrical approach to her story telling. It's a short walk to the prison but once inside it's a throw back to 100+ years in the past. Spooky and fun. Not overly scary for my 10 and 7 yo. If I'm ever back in the area I'll definitely be checking out one of their other tours. My kids loved it.

It's difficult planning out the day. You research, make reservations, buy tickets, and do…read moreeverything you can. Then the traffic takes longer than anticipated, you got lost on the way, the card was declined because you forgot to call your credit card company. For some people, these little disasters ruin trips. Me? Just roll with it. For our schedule we wanted to do a canal tour, but it wasn't going to work for itinerary, so we opted for the river cruise instead. I am very glad we had done so. Rolling down the Ottawa river was a welcome break from all the walking, and you get to see these beautiful views of the city from the water that you otherwise would be completely unknown to you, like who really shot JFK. Our guide was a sweet and cheery girl, she enjoyed talking with guests and answering questions. The other staff were quite friendly, the boat was clean, and even had a bar (thank you sweet baby Jesus!) which allowed for my wife and I to enjoy a glass of wine on the river. Definitely recommend.

We took this boat cruise for a birthday adventure. Booking was easy (online) and we didn't check…read morethe reviews in advance. The location was easy to find, and parking (Ottawa City Hall) a piece of cake. The guided tour hit many of the highlights and took maybe 45 minutes. The next 45 minutes was a complete waste of time I.e. no information, no questions answered, nothing but radio silence. Not recommended.

Not recommended to french speakers. It was not a good experience for us. We are a mixed language…read moregroup and specifically wanted a double language tour (it is advertised as such). The guide wants to speak english only and will ask to do so 2 minutes into the tour. The tour is short and very uninformative, mostly jokes about how bad the streets in Quebec are or how lazy the canadian politicians are. The bus is very loud which makes understanding the few informations given a challenge. I can guarantee you any ferry or bus tour i had in my life was better than this.

This is a fun way to see Ottawa. You get a nice overview of sites on land then you head into the…read moreriver which gives you a great view of the city. We had an informative host. It was a fun way to start our visit in Ottawa. Thanks!

One of the best hotels in Ottawa, Canada. The dignitaries and state officials stay here. Nice…read moresafe area beside the Parliament. There's Zoe's restaurant in the lobby and a cute teapot topiary inside. Walking distance to all the attractions

This iconic 1929 three star hotel in the capital of Canada in Ottawa Ontario is famed for its…read moreFrench Gothic Revival architecture and copper roof. It is in the heart of the city and just minutes away from the National Gallery, the Senate of Canada, Parliament Hill, Royal Canadian Mint, ByWard Market District and the Ottawa river boat cruise. The impressive 429 room hotel looks like a grand castle on top of a hill. They have a restaurant, high tea and a bar lounge. We checked in and the room smelled a bit moldy probably from the carpet, curtains and bathroom so we requested to change rooms. The next one was much better. It's an older hotel which needs some updating. We loved the location and the historic elegance.

I visited Le Belvedere last night for a wedding, and was very impressed with the setting and…read moreambiance. The building is at the top of a hill. Drivers take note: the road up Le Belvedere is basically a glorified dirt path. It was extremely steep and twisty. I cannot imagine what it would be like to drive through in the rain. Let's just say with drove with great caution! Also, be sure to keep a look out for the street signs because the GPS on my iPhone didn't recognize all of the tiny roads. Once you safely reach your destination, you will find a pretty building overlooking gorgeous trees and lakes as far as the eye can see! It was truly spectacular. The view alone is worth the trek up the hill! The building itself is a decent size. The wedding I attended was around 120 people and we all fit comfortably inside. There are massive windows showcasing the spectacular views, a bar, patio/deck space, and even a fire pit for those chilly nights. The food was good, as far as wedding food goes. I had grilled salmon with vegetables. The salmon itself was overcooked. The outside was actually crunchy, almost more like chicken than fish. However, the flavors were great and the presentation was very appealing. The drinks at the bar were very tasty and the bartenders were super friendly. All of the staff we encountered were very hospitable and helpful. It made the wedding experience very enjoyable, at least from a guest perspective! Overall, I would say, if you are willing to make the drive out, Le Belvedere is an excellent event destination.

I was here for a wedding. The views were fantastic, you can see for miles. In the autumn, the…read morecolours of the trees is majestic. The food I had here was wonderful. We had a summer salad with strawberries and pecans, and a healthy portion of peppercorn seasoned filet mignon. The speakers are as high quality as any urban night club. The sub woofers have ample power and there were over a dozen speakers pouring top quality sound onto the dancefloor. I think this is a great place to have a wedding. It was worth the approximately 60 minute drive from Ottawa. If you're driving, ask for directions before you go, the GPS satellites get poor reception up in these hills/mountains and all of the big 3 cell companies lose signal here at times.

Lovely stay & beautiful hotel in the non smoking queen sized room we booked. Friendly & welcoming…read morefront desk service. Love how the front people slwats opened the front door for us when we got inside & outside very sweet, welcoming us with a smile. Beautiful room, comfortable bed, had everything from mirror, desk, shower, 2 bedside tables, tv(though we didnt turn it on), iron, lots of storage space, plenty clean towels daily, coffee machine with plenty of pods, sugars and creamers, nice fridge where we can store leftovers & anything we want to store cold items, all neccesities: hand soap, bodywash, conditioner and shampoo though no toothpaste. Great cleaning service in the sense the room was always tip top clean. The only negative is not even a water bottle in the room.

3 and a half stars. First night was disappointed as they gave us a very tight queen bed room with…read morea bed that felt cramped when we booked a queen. We thought we could have dealt with it but it was too hard to sleep. Luckily even though it was Remembrance Day we were able to upgrade to a larger king bed room that viewed the park and free breakfast vouchers. Breakfast was decent but not great but we loved dinner and the drink selection. Our new room was much better and we watched the Remembrance Day procession from our room. Would recommend the Fairmont Chateau Laurier over here but this hotel isn't bad, just not quite on the caliber of history and luxury of there for the price charged and the Confederation Park views are nowhere as quite as spectacular as the Parliament views of Chateau Laurier.

My stay was good overall - the hotel is pretty modern and has nice rooms and amenities you'd…read moreexpect. It is conveniently located a few mins away from Parliament Hill and the Royal Museum of Art. At the same time, it is in the Byward market district which is... kinda sketch. My room was clean and spacious - it is rare to see a walk-in closet in a normal room and free snacks (not just water). There's also a rooftop lounge / bar up top with amazing views of the city. Besides the location, my room could use a bit of maintenance in the bathroom (hard to adjust hot water, toilet making a weird noise while filling up, and power outlets being flimsy). However, the room was clean and relatively quiet. I liked their restaurant / breakfast options and friendly staff. Never had an issue. Overall, good value for the money with a bit of room for improvement. Overall, good value for

Front desk staff are so kind and friendly. New Trainee was working hard and was super friendly…read moreliterally the only good thing abt this place imo. The Manager however sounded extremely passive aggressive when I asked them something. Now for the room, I did not like this place. When I got in the room, it was super small not worth the money. I got it for a staycation for Valentine's Day and the place was rather expensive... The bed was comfy tho. The bathroom however was so cheap, standing shower (no glass door) with a shower curtain, drain semi-clogged, water would flow onto the flooring and it made the bathroom wet. Had to put a towel on the ground so we didn't make a swimming pool in there. I expected more for what I paid and was pretty disappointed with what I got.