As Canada’s largest and most populous city, Toronto has a lot to offer, from multicultural cuisine and film festivals to excellent museums and beautiful green spaces. Typically, Toronto hosts 9.5 million overnight visitors every year, and if you plan on being one of them, let me convince you to take a trip to the Bisha.
Hotel
Relatively new to Toronto’s hotel scene, the Bisha isn’t trying to compete with the likes of The Four Seasons or The Ritz, instead, this hotel offers something different. Owner Charles Khabouth prides himself on ‘giving the public what they want before they know it themselves’, and with the case of Bisha, this is a hotel that oozes modern luxury. It’s bold, eye-catching and lavish.
Boasting 85 guest rooms, ranging from 400 to 540 square feet, as well as ten luxury suites, one of which was designed by none other than Lenny Kravitz, this hotel fuses art and modern style. It’s also a hotel suited to everyone, even pets are allowed.
Outside of the rooms (more on those shortly), there’s a rooftop pool which operates in the summer months, as well as a well-equipped gym and sauna area.
Room
Our suite was at the end of a hallway that was reminiscent of a Pop Art gallery. The walls of the corridors were adorned with Andy Warhol quotes and bright neon lighting and each door to each room seemed to lead to its own magical space.
Ours, the Stella Suite – which we were told is one of the largest in the hotel – was indeed spacious and extravagant too. There was a theme of fame running through; the doors to the room had a resemblance to oversized LPs, and upon walking through we were greeted by a large black velvet sofa with purple cushions and a wall of framed photos of icons, spread haphazardly. Kate Moss, Uma Therman and others were there to stare back at us.
A swiveling floor to ceiling television unit sat opposite, the bottom third taken up by a giant speaker. If Kate Moss on the wall wasn’t providing enough stardust, there were other giant portraits of Madonna and Marilyn Monroe hanging throughout the rest of the room.
The room has an extravagance to it, with pops of metal and ambient lighting. It’s the kind of space I imagine would be well suited to a rock star and entourage lounging around after a sold-out arena gig. The bathroom continued this vision of opulence, clad in black marble, its heated floors warming your toes. One corner is occupied by a giant stand-alone bathtub kitted out with scrubs.
Take a right from the bathroom and you enter the spacious bedroom. The bed, made up with Frette linens, was so comfortable it was a challenge to leave its soft covers in the morning, but a complimentary Nespresso coffee machine provided the perfect incentive to start the day. The suite’s floor to ceiling windows means the room provides a bright start to the morning. Brighter still – weather permitting – if you decide to start your morning reading a paper on the private balcony.
Food and drink
Come for the hotel, but truly, stay for the food. Bisha offers two restaurants and a bar: on the 44th floor sits KŌST, a rooftop restaurant which overlooks the hotel’s pool and seemingly the rest of Toronto. It was here, admiring the views, that we had our breakfast; a fresh tasting omelette packed with herbs and greens as well as their take on fry up. For the sake of balance, we also ordered a turmeric and orange smoothie, which I highly recommend.
Outside of breakfast, KŌST also serves lunch and dinner. As does Akira Back. With a completely different vibe to KOST, Akira Back occupies one of the lower rooms of the hotel. It’s dimly lit and the perfect setting for a lavish night of sushi. Named after the chef, Akira Back draws on inspiration from his Korean heritage and various travels around the globe.
The enticing menu blends modern Japanese cuisine with authentic Korean flavours. There are many highlights I could list, but the black miso cod, tuna and mushroom pizza (trust me on this one!) and wagyu steak dish still live in my mind weeks on from dining there. As do the cocktails which were the perfect balance of flavoursome and refined.
To do
Located in downtown Toronto, it’s unlikely that guests staying at the Bisha will be short of things to do. It’s a short stroll away from both King Street West and Queen Street West and therefore a great location to hit up some of the city’s best shops. Outside of the classic chains, Zara, Anthropologie etc, there are some unique boutiques well worth visiting.
On a rainy, or sunny day for that matter, the nearby TIFF cinema is a fine place to spend some time. Associated with the annual Toronto Film Festival in September, the cinema boasts an exciting selection of films all year round. They also have a stylish bar space with a tempting happy hour.
In a nutshell
Bisha is a downtown hotel that oozes opulence. Everything from the walls of the rooms to the cocktails served are statement.
Factbox
Address: 80 Blue Jays Way, Toronto, ON M5V 2G3
Phone: 844-275-1726
Website: bishahoteltoronto.com
