$600 Per Night Luxury Westin Harbour Castle Toronto Hotel by Marriott

Luxury Hotel Review | Westin Harbour Castle Toronto Hotel by Marriott

I always wanted to spend a night at the Westin Harbour Castle Toronto Hotel, which is known for its stunning views. An opportunity was presented when I got a deal from Marriott – so I didn’t have to pay the full prices. 

When I checked in on Friday, my penthouse room on the 35th floor was going for $600 or more. Once I was inside the room, I came to the conclusion that it was worth paying for just for the view.

In the lobby or other areas of the hotel, it looks like just another Marriott hotel for $200 per night. However, when you get in the room and see the view, that makes the stay worthwhile.

I had a full lake view overlooking the Toronto Islands, Billy Bishop Airport, the pristine blue waters of Lake Ontario, and you even have far-off, shimmering views of Niagara Falls and the US border. On my right side I also had a partial downtown Toronto city view, including the CN Tower. It was like the best views of all sides.

The fun part was watching planes landing and taking off and seeing cruise boats and other boats crossing the waters. I did several timelapses and videos for my YouTube Channel. 

The sunrise and sunset added an extra charm to the views and they were awe-inspiring. At night, the views totally changed. The Islands had some lights in the evening, but later on only a few lights remained. The airport runway looked amazing with all the different colored lights.

I was content having lots of photo and video opportunities in such a short time. I hope to return to the Westin Harbour Castle Toronto Hotel again in the future when an opportunity presents itself. 

Cottage Country Canada Trip | Huntsville and Orillia, Muskoka, Ontario

Huntsville and Orillia, Ontario Trip | Cottage Country Travel, Canada

I am back from my cottage country trip to Huntsville and Orillia. It was a 3-day trip full of activities and excitement.

I was busy the whole time documenting my travel experience, which is available under the below YouTube Travel Playlist I created for this trip. This playlist will feature travel videos from Canada's popular cottage country locations in Huntsville (Muskoka) and Orillia (Simcoe County).

Cottage Country Canada Trip Challenge

I visited Huntsville and Orillia, popular cottage country destinations in Ontario, Canada.

Huntsville – Located in the famed cottage country district of Muskoka, Huntsville is the largest by population and land area.

Huntsville is a vibrant small town nestled amongst many lakes and the iconic Algonquin Provincial Park. Huntsville is located 215 km or 134 miles north of Toronto.

I visited Lions Lookout, the Muskoka Heritage Place Train Ride, Stubb’s Falls in Arrowhead Park, and the Town Dock waterfront in downtown Huntsville.

Orillia – The birthplace of famous Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, Orillia is located in central Ontario – just 1.5 hours from Toronto.

Known as the sunshine city, Orillia is nestled between two lakes and is a popular tourist destination. A large waterfront and Casino Rama are some of the many attractions in Orillia.

I visited Couchiching Beach Park, the Port of Orillia, Mariposa Market, and the Orillia Peter Street Arts District in Orillia.

This 3-day trip was like a warm-up trip, as I have a bigger 1-month trip to Asia coming up shortly. You can follow all these trips on my YouTube Channel right here: www.YouTube.com/ADawn

Huntsville and Orillia, Ontario Trip | Cottage Country Travel

Cottage Country Canada Trip Challenge

My trip to the cottage country in Ontario, Canada will begin in a day. This will be my first trip within Canada this year (2022).

I have created a YouTube Travel Playlist for this trip, which will feature travel videos from Canada's popular cottage country locations in Huntsville (Muskoka) and Orillia (Simcoe County).

I am trying different formats and styles of videos in this playlist. There will be short-length videos, some long videos, and lots of YouTube Shorts.

The Trip Challenge is to post as many updates as possible throughout the trip. For this reason, I am taking my laptop. My goal is to stop over here and there to post fresh videos. However, due to circumstances and network availability, I may not be able to update anything.

The reason for this Cottage Country Canada Trip Challenge is to take lessons and design my upcoming trip to Asia next month, which is an even bigger and longer trip.

I will have to drive about 3 hours to reach my first destination and I am hoping to stop over somewhere in the middle and publish a quick post.

As of now, it looks like I got some favourable weather and it is expected to be sunny and warm, hovering around 25° C (77° F). Although this is hot, but it’s nowhere near the weather in Dhaka, which has a hot and humid tropical climate.

January is the coolest month in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with temperatures averaging near 26 C (78 F), which is their winter but the same temperature as summer in Canada.

You can follow all these trips on my YouTube Channel right here: www.YouTube.com/ADawn

My COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot Experience

24 Hours After COVID-19 Vaccine Third Dose

I took my 2nd COVID-19 Vaccine in July, 2021. So, my booster shot was long overdue. I delayed it a bit to schedule it on the long Canada Family Day weekend, so I would have enough time to recover should I feel sick from the after effects.

Both my 1st and 2nd dose were administered at the Toronto City-run Metro Toronto Convention Centre immunization clinic. My 3rd experience was also seamless and I was done within 15 minutes, just like the previous ones. 

I felt nothing for the first 3-4 hours, but then started feeling the pain in my left arm. I took one 500 mg Tylenol as recommended by the nurse.

I woke up fine the next morning, except my left arm felt heavier and little bit sore, but it was not a big pain or sore muscle. The rest of the day felt fine and I kept myself busy doing my usual chores.

What I noticed around 23-24 hours after is that I started feeling weak and sick. I rested in bed for 20 minutes and then got up to go outside for a walk. Then my nephew showed up and we had coffee at Tim Hortons and headed to Ikea to browse some stuff.

I think keeping myself busy outside helped me to handle feeling sick better. After coming home, I took a cold shower and I felt a lot better. This was around 30 hours after the shot.

I planned to take another Tylenol before going to bed, but my arm soreness and pain was almost gone and I felt so much better that I decided not to take any more pain killers.

Some people had severe reactions after their 3rd dose and some people had none. Mine felt less severe than the 1st and 2nd dose and I think tomorrow I will feel even better than today. 

Happy Holidays Everyone!

A Dawn Journal YouTube Channel

First Published Date: December 25, 2016

If you are familiar with A Dawn Journal or just stumbled upon it for the first time, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy holiday season.

A Dawn Journal has tons of articles to make people’s lives better by covering various aspects of life. Recently, I have stepped up publishing more videos from various walks of life on my YouTube channel. You will find the same quality content which is unbiased, non-sponsored, and authored by myself, just like this website.

Without your support, it would not be possible for this site to survive and thrive as a high-traffic website. I appreciate that and look forward to your visits for years to come.