{ Coffee & mom chats with my girl Kira over at Northern Style Exposure }

Our beautiful hair & makeup team! Hair by C.E. Bridal & Makeup by Colour Me Nessa

{ The most delicious room service options EVER!! } { The most delicious restaurant where we ate daily, I suggest the lobster gnocchi!!! } { A wall of champagne…need I say more? }{ After some indulging for high tea we decided to hit the beautiful health club! } {Both of our leggings are from Hemm Fit – check out their stylish yoga & activewear here! }{ We loved the pool so much that we made sure to go for an evening dip too! }

During Toronto Fashion Week this month I had the pleasure of staying at the Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto with my fashionista friend Filipa Jackson from the Playing with Apparel Blog, walking distance to all of the shows – perfection! This being my first time staying at this gorgeous hotel, I was in absolute awe of every detail including their display & appreciation of champagne. Upon arrival we were greeted by the sweetest staff and they wouldn’t let me lift a finger with any of my bags…as a mama of 2 who is always carrying little ones I totally welcomed the help! Especially since I DO NOT pack light, even for just a couple of days I had a full size suitcase & more…you’re the same right? When we arrived to our room I could have cried, there was fresh flowers and fresh DELICIOUS coffee waiting for us and they responded to my excitement with “we know you love coffee”, yes I do and I loved them to bits at this point! Our usual 1 hour drive to the city had turned out to be a near 2.5 with traffic and I was craving a coffee and snack so badly, so perfect that they also had 2 freshly baked gluten-free maple loaves and whipped cinnamon butter waiting too…talk about swooning guys. I have to mention this now before I continue on because it is very important…I have NEVER in my life enjoyed my coffee as consistently as at this hotel. I ordered coffee daily at a variety of times in a french press and it arrived hot and ready to my room (on the table since they asked me to sit so they could serve it on a table – the kindest I tell you) with organic cream and freshly frothed milk SWOOOOON AGAIN!!!! I have been on serious coffee withdrawal since coming home and the coffee they used was our very own Canadian JJ Bean from Vancouver, you can find the coffee here. I’ve also linked to some of my favourite french pressed below.
Now, more about our room…they treated us to the beautiful Deluxe One Bedroom Suite…I could have enjoyed sleeping in the tub of jaw dropping marble bathroom and how great that Filipa and I each had our very own washroom! If you’ve travelled with a girlfriend before you KNOW we all need a fair amount of space for all of our makeup & hair products so we were both thankful to have our own big mirror and marble counter space. The floor to ceiling windows also provided the best lighting for makeup and the best lighting for marble flat lays (fellow bloggers you KNOW what I mean)!

We spent our first day with our fabulous hair & makeup team playing with hair extensions and air brush makeup to shoot some beauty & glam looks before we hit our first show. If any of you are on the hunt for great hairstylists or a makeup artist for a special event these ladies I linked to above are my go-to. I am super picky with my hair and makeup so I promise you, my recommendation says a lot!

After a long evening of shows I headed back to the hotel early (yes, because I am a tired mama) to crawl into my Shangri-La robe and comfy bed (the comfiest ever) and watch the Bachelor (guilty)!! I could have watched the show from the marble bath if I wanted to as they have a tv on the bathroom mirror but I was too exhausted for a bath and I just craved my show and my wine and Filipa joined me after the last fashion show of the night. We stayed up giggling until midnight (so much for sleep right?), we watched the show and perused the in room IPAD of which we could order any room service or adjusting the lighting and window coverings…I mean we didn’t even have to get out of bed, we just did it all from an IPAD! Talk about being pampered, we couldn’t wait to order breakfast in bed in the morning and it was just as delicious as we imagined come morning when it arrived. Talk about indulging!!!! We of course were new to the ipad system and accidentally ordered more than we meant to…but it was all eaten. Eggs benedict, gluten-free pancakes, fresh fruit salads, lattest & freshly squeezed orange juice…how did we actually get ready and leave the hotel that day I couldn’t tell you. I had breakfast coma until dinner time!

The Shangri-La Toronto treated us to their High Tea where we enjoyed 3 different blends and a beautiful vintage 3 tier dessert stand full of a variety of fine sandwiches and goodies. Did you know they have 75 different blends of teas to pick from!?! My favourite was the vanilla earl grey. We relaxed and went over our day while we listened to the live pianist at play and calming atmosphere, I swear this is now my favourite place to have meetings! PS If you are looking for a lovely place to bring mum for Mothers Day I strongly suggest the Shangri-La High Tea! It is served daily from 2:00-5:00pm and you can make a reservation by calling (647) 788-8281 or email lobbyreservations.slto@shangri-la.com

Now, during our entire day of shows I couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel…you see I am a big time home body and much more comfortable away from crowds. Not only that but we had a reservation at the BOSK restaurant back at the hotel, I had already heard wonderful things about this restaurant and my stomach just couldn’t wait! The restaurant is beautifully lit and elegant. I can still taste the delicious foods, it was not only an incredible dining experience but I dreamt about the food that night and I can’t wait to go back with Craig. We are both big foodies and I know he would love it! It also was exciting that they had over 700 different wines to pick up, I indulged in a French White and Filipa enjoyed her favourite red. We shared a variety of items from the menu since we found it too hard to just pick our own, sharing is always my favourite even though after my first bite of the lobster gnocchi I had to fight back the urge to run in the corner and devour it to myself (no lie)!!! We also ordered oysters…and then ordered more oysters…and then some more ha! The oysters were so good and a great pair for my white wine! Bosk has a beautiful large patio so I can assure you on those warmer days I will be there indulging in champagne & oysters for meetings in the city! You can learn more about this restaurant or book a table here, they have a great private room which is sure to please your guests if you are wanting to host a lovely business bruncheon!

Bosk, the signature restaurant at Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto, brings to life ingredients harvested a la minute from a network of respected global suppliers. Diners can expect Asian inspired, distinctly Canadian modern cuisine made with seasonal regional ingredients and served with genuine, caring service.

This is turning into quite the long post but truly I am in love with this brand and their staff, we’ve travelled quite a bit and it’s refreshing to find such a beautiful and high quality hotel so close to home. I told Craig that we need to book the deluxe suite again for a weekend away just us, no littles and stay in bed all day watching movies and ordering room service!!

After Filipa and I enjoyed high tea that afternoon we toured the health club and enjoyed a yoga class (after a few selfies of course). We took a light swim in their stunning 24 meter pool and made sure to enjoy the infra-red sauna and Jacuzzi after dinner and even relaxed and drank wine in their private pool-side cabana- the perfect recipe for a sleep in I tell ya! Fine dining + wine + jacuzzi + dark curtains! This experience with the ShangriLa Toronto was such a lovely one and I can’t wait to go back! If you haven’t stayed there already you MUST, even if you are local to Toronto it’s a lovely place to go for a nice meal (or tea), a meeting or even plan a mini “staycation” with your spouse! Their current Bed & Breakfast package is perfect for a mini getaway with a stay in one of their guestrooms + breakfast at the signature Bosk restaurant in the morning! There is an exotic oasis right on location, the Miraj Hammam Spa by Caudalie Paris where you can get even more pampered during your stay. We are planning a trip to Vancouver this spring and I am already looking at their Vancouver location!!!

If you are keen to stay at the Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto I suggest viewing their current offers, you can click {here} to see them!