Niagara Falls Marriott Fallsview Hotel and Spa

The Niagara Falls Marriott Fallsview Hotel and Spa is the hotel we recommend for travelers who want the classic Niagara experience: waking up, opening the curtains and seeing the Horseshoe Falls. It stands on Fallsview Boulevard on the Canadian side, among the cluster of high-rise hotels on the escarpment above the Niagara Parkway, and its position is its great asset, close to the brink of the Horseshoe Falls, with falls-facing rooms looking down over the curve of the cataract, the rising mist and, across the gorge, the American Falls. The view changes all day and all night: rainbows in the morning spray, the river lit gold at sunset, the nightly illumination in color, fireworks on summer nights and through the Winter Festival of Lights. The rooms are what you expect from a full-service Marriott, comfortable and contemporary, and the hotel is known for its falls-view categories, so the single most important decision is to pay for a falls-facing room rather than a city view; at Niagara, the difference is everything. Beyond the room, the hotel has a spa, an indoor pool and fitness facilities, on-site restaurants with views, and parking for a fee. The location works on foot: Table Rock, Journey Behind the Falls and the Niagara Parks Power Station are a short downhill walk away, the Skylon Tower and the Fallsview casino district are nearby, and Clifton Hill is about twenty minutes' walk along the river or a short ride on the seasonal Incline Railway and WEGO buses. Best for: couples on a special-occasion trip, first-timers who want the view without compromise, and winter visitors timing a stay with the Winter Festival of Lights, when falls-facing rooms come into their own.

The Fallsview district is the Canadian side's hotel skyline: a row of towers built on the high ground above the Horseshoe Falls, designed around the simple idea that at Niagara the view sells the room. The Marriott is one of the best-placed of them, close to the brink and with an unobstructed line of sight down to the water from its falls-facing floors. Higher floors give a wider, more panoramic view of both falls and the gorge; lower falls-facing floors feel closer to the spray. Rooms that face the city or the casino side lack the view entirely, which is why rate comparisons should always be made like for like.

Living in it: the room is the attraction, so plan to spend time in it, especially at dusk when the illumination begins and on fireworks nights, when you can watch from the window without braving the cold. The spa is a good rainy-day retreat, the indoor pool keeps children happy, and the restaurants mean you do not have to leave for dinner on a freezing night. Service is professional and geared to a mix of couples, families and groups. Parking is paid, as at almost every hotel in Fallsview, and weekend and summer rates climb sharply; midweek in the off-season is the value window, when falls-view rooms cost a fraction of their July price.

Base math: walk down the hill to Table Rock in a few minutes for Journey Behind the Falls and the Power Station, ride up the Skylon Tower nearby, and follow the river path north to Clifton Hill and the Canadian boat dock. Cross the Rainbow Bridge to the American side with the right documents. If you want history and quiet over views, Niagara-on-the-Lake is the alternative base; if you want maximum fun for kids, the Falls Avenue area at the top of Clifton Hill suits better. For the definitive falls-view stay, this is the pick.