With a bewildering array of Hotels available, it was with some trepidation that I booked the Skyline Motel in Niagara Falls for a brief stopover to see what the fuss was about with some Waterfall, on a whirlwind 2 week tour of Ontario and Quebec earlier this year, as I feared the pick of the only dud in town.

Superior in terms of Waterfall, value for money, and well, just because - Niagara Falls Ontario is the preferred destination for millions of tourists, honeymooners, conventioneers and waterfall enthusiasts (I'm sure there are some) - over its sister town of Niagara Falls, New York over the border.

Nothing could have been further from the truth. Whilst the larger, well known hotels still had high rates during the off season, the Skyline had me sold for a mere £26, and delivered a standard of quality and facilities worth at least twice that.

Location:5 Minutes walk from main Entertainment area on Clifton Hill. Opposite Hard Rock Cafe and Fallsview Mall, all of which is a lengthy 20 minute stroll along the Parkway to the Horseshoe Falls.

International Bridge and US side of the Falls a 10 minute walk.

Train/Bus Station is 5 minutes Bus/Taxi ride away - both readily available from the main road behind the Hotel.

Fallsview Mall and streets beyond Clifton Hill contain a large variety of gift shops and holiday related purchases.

Attached to the back of the massive Fallsview Water Park, which links through to the 3 Hotel Falls Avanue complex adjoined with an entertainment mall, the Skyline appears somewhat unassuming in a low-rise fashion - but walk through the enclosed 'motel style' courtyards, with two storied balconied galleries and central sitting areas surrounding a water feature or two, and you'll be stunned by the newly refurbished rooms. Conveniently, the Hotel is situated just on Clifton Hill - the top end of the entertainment district, and opposite the Hard Rock Cafe.

The rooms were standard size, but very tastefully finished in dark and cream tones, with a very swish bathroom, and all the usual bits: Cable TV, Fridge, Coffee Maker etc. Being only the end of April, the Hotel was barely 25% full, and we had a blissfully quiet night's sleep, despite being only 5 minutes walk from the throbbing heart of the Continent's largest Honeymoon destination.

A fairly decent family restaurant is located in the corner of the Motel, serving from very early in the morning until the evening, and in the peak season, your stay also gives you cheaper access to the Fallsview Indoor Water Park (N.America's largest), as well as coming with a thick booklet of discount attractions for Niagara - some tacky, some cheesy, but all worthwhile!

Entertainment/Shopping: Fallsview Mall and streets beyond Clifton Hill contain a large variety of gift shops and holiday related purchases.

Night Life? Stacks of restaurants, family attractions, amusement complexes, cinemas, bars and clubs abound in the Entertainment area - absolutely no shortage of things to do for couples and families.

Quiet? Off season, certainly. Probably noisier in the Summer, but it's hardly a Tropical Getaway

As an added bonus - we were also entitled to free use of the Swimming Pool at the nearby Crowne Plaza Hotel, which was secretly stashed away on an upper floor and therefore pretty quiet. How good is that!

On leaving the next morning for our antisocially early train, the reception staff were only too happy to order us a Taxi and offer us a Discount Voucher for a return stay in the future. Should we return to Niagara, we'll definitely head for the Skyline.