Hotels in Sault Ste. Marie

Downtown has several distinctive choices for travelers to lay down their weary heads. The Holiday Inn at the Waterfront, 208 St. Mary's River Dr. (tel. 877/477-4674; 705/949-0611; www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/6c/1/en/hd/yamca), is a modern, high-rise with 195 rooms that locals generally consider downtown's best choice. The rooms offer the usual business amenities, including a conference center, as well as a whirlpool, sauna, pool, and fitness center and free parking; staff is friendly, courteous and responsive. Doubles run $99 to $204. Elsewhere downtown, the centrally located Quality Inn Bay Front, 180 Bay St. (tel. 800/567-4421 or 705/945-9264; www.qualityinnssm.com), gets high marks for affordability, cleanliness, proximity to the Casino, train station and Station Mall. Many rooms on the third floor and up have water views, and the business class rooms are equipped with a work desk and high speed Internet access. Seniors/AARP and AAA members receive 10 percent discount. Rates run $115 to $135 double and upwards of $249 for executive suite.

The three-star Algoma's Water Tower Inn, 360 Great Northern Rd. (tel. 800/461-0800 or 705/949-8111; www.watertowerinn.com), is a reliable, well-regarded alternative near downtown, just two miles from the train station. There's quite a variety of accommodations available, from their no-frills "run of the inn" room, with a Simmons Beautyrest mattress and in-room coffee service, to "resort rooms," with knotty pine furniture, duvet-covered beds, and high-speed Internet access. (Some of those rooms have fireplaces.) The outside hot tub and waterfall garden, in addition to the indoor pool, hot tub, and sauna, makes this a popular spot for honeymooners and romantic getaways. The environmentally conscious traveler might be pleased to know that the Inn boasts the only saltwater filtration pool in Northern Ontario. The 40-year-old inn regularly offer packages through their web site, but rates run $110 to $149 for standard double.

If you don't mind traveling a little further away from the heart of downtown, and prefer a decidedly more personalized stay, try a bed and breakfast called Brockwell Chambers, 183 Brock St. (tel. 705/949-1076; www.brockwell.biz) Brockwell, built in 1905, was home to the manager of the original bank of Montreal. The chambers have only four rooms, one with a single Jacuzzi and another suited for two, but all rooms have air conditioning, television, and Internet hook-up. Downtown is within a ten-minute walk. Guests are often repeat visitors; host Maria Sutton is renowned for her hospitality and great breakfast fare -- waffles, French toast, and omelets are on the rotating menu -- served at individual tables in a spacious dining room. Relax with a glass of wine, play chess, or read by the fire in the sitting room. Rooms run $85-$125. Open all year round; credit cards not accepted.