Kalila Snow

A Rooftop Pool with a View: The Staycation Dream

What more do you want in a Toronto summer getaway?

There was much written about moms’ fantasies during lockdowns, the ones without access to schools or childcare or camps, when kids were constantly within snack-requesting distance. Namely, that once “this” was over, mothers would as a whole flee from our beloved families and lie prone, ideally poolside, in silence for as long as possible.

While an extended solo vacation remains the dream, it’s not entirely realistic, which is why I jumped at the chance to spend 24 hours staycationing with a friend (remember those?!) at Hotel X Toronto, the most luxurious hotel to be found within gazing distance of Lake Ontario.

Situated within the grounds of The Ex, Hotel X opened in 2018 but of course lost some steam over the past year. Its Summer House setup should help entice guests back: With special menus like a margarita-based “afternoon tea” (why not?), a Sunday series of DJ nights at sunset and daily outdoor Spinco workouts, it’s all designed to show off the hotel’s sun-seeking assets to the fullest.

Rani SheenSettling into a plush lounger on the Hotel X pool deck.

Checking in to a Premium guest room on the 24th floor induces my first gasp-inducing moment of the stay. I push open the door and move past the spacious bathroom with soaker tub and two inviting queen beds, and arrive at the thoughtfully placed armchairs in front of the nearly floor-to-ceiling windows, perfectly framing the lake. The sun sparkles off the water, people walk and cycle along the waterfront paths of Martin Goodman Trail, tiny bodies lounge on towels on Hanlan’s Point beach and a yacht club’s worth of sailboats carve frothy white wakes amid the blue. It all feels extremely Mediterranean.

Tearing myself away from the window becomes easier when I remember I have a date with the rooftop pool. Walking out on the deck, with its towel-draped loungers, pristine 55-foot pool and even more spectacular view over the lake, I feel a long way from my west end Toronto apartment, which I can almost spot in the distance. L.A., maybe, or even Sydney.

In COVID times you have to reserve a two-hour slot for the pool, which proves a blessing because it’s not crowded—capacity maxes out at 24—and no one has to fight for sunbeds. The water is a perfect 26 degrees (it’s open and heated year-round), the margaritas are frothy and icy and not too sweet, the fries are just crispy enough and come with plenty of mayo, and no one asks me to build a Hot Wheels track while I lie back and read my book post-dip, dripping dry onto plush white towels.

Rani SheenAnyone for a dip in the Hotel X rooftop pool?

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The crowd is quite eclectic, which makes for fun people-watching. There’s a beautifully groomed couple in matching Speedos, visiting families attending a wedding onsite (later, at dinner, I watch the bride and groom dance a joyful Horah from the restaurant patio), and a well-oiled group ordering tequila shots, taking photos from behind and making me feel overdressed in my high-waist, full-bum swimsuit. (It’s more Esther Williams than granny panty, okay?)

Even if everything else were extremely mediocre, that pool would make this stay worth it. But we also pack in an excellent yoga class at the hotel’s fitness club, 10XTO— the studio’s view faces downtown and once I’m in downward dog, the CN Tower appears perfectly framed between my legs. Yoga! In a real studio with a real teacher!

Feeling limber and blissed out, the next stop is dinner alfresco at Prime Grill. I’m glad to be seated outside on the ground-floor patio, set amid historical buildings and tidy lawn plantings, rather than among the aggressively exuberant and shiny decor inside the restaurant.

Kalila SnowAlfresco dining on the Prime Grill patio.

From the summer menu put together by Food Dudes executive chef Adrian Niman, an earthy mushroom flatbread topped with creamy burrata, the indulgent poached lobster, and a delicious side of charcoal-roasted beets with spiced almond dukkah stand out. A Michelin-worthy composed pineapple and lime dessert wildly outshines a rather pedestrian cookie fudge sundae. But the best thing we eat isn’t even on the menu: It’s the bread, or rather the pillowy-soft brioche nuggets stuffed with herby chimichurri and dusted with parmesan. Our servers, all youngish women who are very friendly and expressive despite the fact that only their eyes and brows are visible above their masks, are a delight. Everyone wants to talk about how thrilling it is to be out of the house.

Rani SheenLake Ontario and the island airport by night.

We have grand plans to check out the rooftop SkyBar after dinner, but it has of course been fully booked (hot tip: Book everything before you go anywhere this summer!). We’re happy to retire to our room instead, to don sheet masks and watch a rom-com, but those plans are derailed too when we encounter our view by night. Moonlight shimmers across the lake, not one but two outdoor cinemas glow in the parks along the shore, and at the island airport, rows of twinkly runway lights guide incoming small planes and helicopters containing what we can only assume are ultra-wealthy cottagers. It is mesmerizing, and we can do nothing but stare at it for the next two hours.

I tear myself away for a deeply relaxing soak in the tub with thoughtfully provided L’Occitane bath salts, and then I’m ready to sink into that plush pillow-top bed, my room-service breakfast order already mapped out and my pool slot for 11 a.m. reserved. I sleep deeply, dream of nothing, and no one wakes me up at any point. It’s a fantasy realized.

 

Accommodations for Rani Sheen were provided by Hotel X. Hotel X did not review or approve this story.

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