Holiday Inn Niagara Falls State Park Entry

The Holiday Inn Niagara Falls State Park Entry, formerly known as the Holiday Inn Scenic Downtown, is our family pick on the American side, and its new name says exactly why. It stands on Buffalo Avenue at the upstream end of downtown Niagara Falls, New York, steps from a State Park entrance, and the hotel puts the brink of the falls about a five-minute walk away, with the Cave of the Winds and the Maid of the Mist both within a few tenths of a mile. Inside, it is a comfortable, conventional Holiday Inn with a few features that matter to families. The indoor heated pool is open daily from morning until late evening, a lifesaver on winter trips and after a wet afternoon in the spray. The on-site restaurant is an outpost of The Anchor Bar, the Buffalo institution famous as the home of Buffalo wings, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the hotel runs a kids-eat-free programme that takes the sting out of feeding children. There is a 24-hour fitness centre and business centre, free Wi-Fi, daily housekeeping and a smoke-free building. Parking is on site for registered guests at a daily fee, there is no shuttle, and pets are not allowed. Rooms are standard chain-hotel comfort rather than design statements, and like nearly every American-side hotel there is no view of the falls themselves, and the setting along Buffalo Avenue, near the upper river, is calmer than the casino blocks inland. Best for: families who want a pool, an easy family dinner on site and a short walk to the falls; first-timers based on the American side; and winter visitors who need warmth and convenience after a day outdoors.

How it fits a Niagara trip: from this end of downtown, the walk into Niagara Falls State Park leads straight toward the upper rapids and the American Falls, and the bridge to Goat Island, with Terrapin Point, the Three Sisters Islands and the Cave of the Winds, is close. That makes it ideal for a plan built around the state park, with an evening swim and dinner downstairs. A day in Canada is a short walk or drive away over the Rainbow Bridge.

Stay tips: ask for a room on a higher floor and away from the elevators for quiet. Use the kids-eat-free offer at the Anchor Bar, and try the wings at least once; it is a Buffalo rite of passage without the drive to Buffalo. Parking is for registered guests only, so day visitors cannot use the lot. If you are flying, Buffalo Niagara International Airport is the nearest major airport, a drive of around half an hour.

Who it suits: families with children of all ages, groups, and first-timers who want a familiar chain with a pool close to the falls. Couples looking for character might prefer The Giacomo; budget travellers who do not need a pool can save at the Comfort Inn The Pointe; and anyone wanting falls views should look across the river to the Fallsview towers.