Name: The Winchester Toronto - Tourist Home
Address: 137, Winchester Street Toronto M4X 1B3,Winchester Street, Toronto, Toronto, Toronto, M4X 1B3, Canada
Rating: 9

Air conditioning

Ticket assistance

General

Fridge

Cable TV

Hairdryer

Rooms

Iron and board

Laundry

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Breakfast

Microwave oven

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Family/Kid Friendly

Kids

Location

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Castle Frank

Sherbourne

Broadview

Cabbagetown

Allan Gardens

Yonge-Dundas Square

Toronto City Hall

St. Lawrence Market

Nathan Phillips Square

Royal Ontario Museum

Hockey Hall of Fame

Grange Park

Air Canada Centre

Art Gallery of Ontario

Royal Alexandra Theatre

Roy Thomson Hall

Princess of Wales Theatre

Metro Toronto Convention Centre

CN Tower

Harbourfront Centre

Rogers Centre

HTO Park

Casa Loma

Fort York National Historic Site

Toronto City Centre Airport

Pearson International Airport

Buttonville Municipal Airport

St Catharines / Niagara District Airport

The Winchester Toronto - Tourist Home

Toronto

Initially we had booked another hotel, the avalon, which is owned by the same owners, but we had a problem with the flight and warned that we would arrive the next day. Upon arrival at the avalon we were told that there were no available rooms there and were taken by taxi to winchester. The hotel looked similar to the avalon, small, with a receptionist only a few hours a day. The room was fine, well decorated with a private bathroom. As there are negative points that there is no elevator, and the street is not the main one so there is no public transport, just warn that you should walk about 10 minutes to catch a bus.

Change of planes

I read other TripAdvisor reviews and decided to book rooms at the Winchester. I had to switch rooms part way through due to availability. (It gave me a chance to experience different rooms.) I agree with the reviews in part, and wonder if I completely missed the plot on other points.

-- Here's what I loved:
* Location:
Cabbagetown is quiet, quaint, and trendy. Winchester Street is very, very quiet, and the neighbouring streets are absolutely beautiful. It's a very short street car ride from downtown and there are lots of amenities. People who live here are much more relaxed than their downtown counterparts.

* Responsive owners & operators
Joseph and Vicky are fantastic and ensure that we had everything we needed from directions to door codes. Joseph gave us a small discount for booking at the last minute. Both always answered our phone calls, emails, and texts.

* Price point
Because you are just outside the downtown core, and it is not a hotel, rooms are bit cheaper.

* Communal kitchen, dining room, laundry
You can use everything free of charge. Having access to a communal kitchen really helped with the food budget, and with the days where we didn't really want to eat out.

* Communal phone available for free local calls.

-- What Visitors Need to Be Aware Of
*Not all rooms are alike
The Berkley Room, despite the shower being quite tight for bigger and taller folk and the tiny bathroom sink being awkward to use, it's a lovely little room. The Metcalfe Room, which I stayed in for a couple of nights, was very tired, the bathroom weathered and old, and the furniture looked like it had seen better days.

* No bathroom fans or kitchen hood fan
There were no bathroom fans in the rooms I stayed in. The room was humid and stuff after a hot shower. Be aware that there will be lingering kitchen smells if someone decides to cook a meal.

* Inconsistent Wifi and no business centre
If you are here on business, it will be quite challenging to get any work done unless you have a roaming plan to help with backing up the on again-off again wifi, and are also can work completely paperless.

* Squeaky floors
It's an old house, so there is no way around it. Sound, including footsteps and voices, travels quite easily between rooms and floors, but the owners are clear that this is not a party house, and they prefer quiet visitors only.

* Be Diligent with Cleaning Up After Yourself: Unsure About Communal Garbage & Recycling
There were a few times where I cleaned up after other visitors in the kitchen so I could use the equipment. The garbage and recycling also piled up after my week there, so I was unsure about the rules regarding communal garbage and recycling.

* There is No Daily Housekeeping in the Rooms
Towels and linens are changed out between visitors. If you're the type who needs fresh towels everyday, you may need to do your own laundry.

* Not Wheelchair Accessible, and there is No Elevator
If you like big suitcases, the stairs may be a challenge.

For me, it was mainly the details that have me hovering between "very good" and "average". There were a lot of things the shiny pictures on the internet did not show.

Hovering Between "Very good" & "Average"

Our stay at The Winchester was perfect in many ways! We were a group of 8 from Manitoba and B.C. coming to Toronto for a week for our daughter-in-law's 'Call to the Bar'. We wanted to all stay in one place and close to our 'kids' who also lived in Cabbagetown - so we booked the entire home - lots of room for everyone in the shared areas like kitchen and dining room, and yet private in the separate bedrooms and baths. Vicky was helpful when needed - very accommodating. Loved the neighbourhood - just a short walk to Parliament Ave. for groceries, liquor, flowers, restaurants, baking, coffee, .... Rooms were clean and just like in the photos! I do believe we made use of every corner of the house, yard, and upstairs deck! Highly recommend staying here as a group or as a single - so much better than a hotel room!

Call to the Bar in Cabbagetown!

I can't speak highly enough of our experience at the Winchester Tourist Home and of Joe. 
Firstly, the house is beautiful, the rooms are clean, spacious and includes your own private bathroom and TV. The shared areas such as the kitchen have all the essential equipment to cook and are well maintained. 
The area is amazing...gorgeous tree lined street in the heart of Cabbagetown, a very safe neighbourhood. Easy 5 minute walk to coffee, cafes, groceries, drug store and the street car. The street car will get you downtown within 10 minutes. We stayed in the summer, so we just walked to Yonge street a lot of the time..it's a nice easy 20 minute stroll. 
Joe (the owner), is absolutely incredible as well. A great guy, with loads of knowledge to share about Toronto and Canadian life in general, both he and Vicky went out of their way to accommodate us as we set ourselves up in Toronto. We also stayed at Joe's properties at Woodbine, and he's brand new property on Pape/Danforth....both were excellent as well. Highly recommended!

Amazing Experience Staying at the Winchester

Joe was terrific.  Super accomodating.  We were a group of 7 women and stayed in 5 rooms plus a blow up mattress (newly purchased just for us) in the living room.  It was great.  We used the dining room as our gathering place in the morning for coffee and pastry (great bakery two block away) and for evening cocktail hour.  Loved every minute of it!!

Great place for a women's get away

This place is wonderful. In the heart of the nicer place in Toronto. Amazing neighborhood, great restaurant, calm and beautiful, you fill like home. Clean, safety and well served. Close to the main interests of the city. Good transportation to the centre in 15/20 minutes. I'll be back here if again in Toronto. First choice

The Winchester Toronto - Tourist Home

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