House on McGill

Although it's clean and cute, it is not what was advertised. A lot of little things are broken. The air in our room was cool at best. Breakfast was horrible--cereal and old fruit. No pastries. There are very low ceilings on the lower floor--you will hit your head if you're tall. The owner seemed nice, but he was rarely there. The guests kept asking each other questions. The entryway was dirty. Duct tape was holding up the light fixture in the kitchen/dining area. The fire extinguisher was falling off the wall. There were old towels and comforters. Sorry, guys, but you need to fine-tune this place, and it would be amazing.

I have stayed at many bed and breakfast accommodations around the world, and the House on McGill in Toronto is not a bed and breakfast. It is much more like a youth hostel, and is nothing like the description on its web site. The manager is not on site and during our four days there we never saw him. He communicated to us through strange written messages, delivered to our room when no one was around. One of these was left on the floor inside our door, which he left unlocked and wide open. Bagels served at breakfast were moldy, and "homemade muffins and croissants" did not exist. There are holes in the walls and ceiling. The $80 room we reserved was occupied when we arrived. With no apologies the manager offered us a more expensive room at $110, a classic "bait and switch." The manager also runs the Burwood Inn in Toronto, and the Rideau Inn in Ottawa. I recommend staying away from all three.