Toronto's exclusive atmosphere

TORONTO shows off its trendy boutiques and hotels to Mercedes Maguire who indulges in a spa treatment that is not as painful as it sounds.

Yorkville toronto escape

WOMEN sit sipping chilled water with lime, flicking through Vogue Italia and whispering behind their manicured fingers.

I'm at the Stillwater Spa, a peaceful oasis at the Park Hyatt in Toronto and awaiting what I have been told is a brand new treatment  - the Moscow Massage  - which includes being whipped by bamboo-like reeds.

I, too, pretend to sip my water and flip the pages of my designer magazine without really paying attention.

When my name is called, I'm shown into my dimly lit room and told to lie face down on the bed. I tense as I wait for the whipping to start. Instead, I'm treated to a beautiful back massage which alternates between hot and cold to contrast the body's senses. It also involves caviar. When the whipping comes, it's a light, playful flutter more than a stinging bite.

I emerge feeling less an imposter in this top end of town and more like the ladies who surround me.

The Park Hyatt Hotel is in the heart of Yorkville, Toronto's answer to Fifth Avenue or Rodeo Drive. Nearby, a sign out the front of the Church of the Redeemer reads: "Happy are those who see beauty in modest spots."

There are few places less modest than Yorkville, where you see Maseratis pulled up alongside stretch limos and well-heeled women walking their pampered pooches along the footpath.

If there was a Real Housewives franchise made in Toronto, these are the streets where it would be filmed.

You can stand on the corner of Bloor and Yonge streets and catch a dozen top-end shopfronts with a quick turn of the head  - Max Mara, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Hermes, Gucci  -  the list goes on. Embracing my new persona, I meet my guide Elaine for a tour of this Toronto top end. Elaine is a native Torontonian and lives in Yorkville  - and she's no imposter. She's dressed in chic black from head to toe and the retailers of this square mile know her by name and welcome her warmly into their stores.

Among the more well-known label houses, are a handful of Toronto institutions: the five-level flagship men's retailer Harry Rosen, who opened his store in 1954 and claims 40 per cent of men's high-end clothing sales in the city.

A few doors up is chic department store Holt Renfrew, the equivalent of Saks, which houses a series of designer boutiques including Prada, Valentino and Marc Jacobs.

Yorkville was established in the 1830s by William Jarvis and Joseph Bloor, who moved uptown to escape the taxes down by the harbour where Toronto was settled. It grew as a community of middle and working-class people and was established as a village in 1853, before being annexed by the city of Toronto in 1883.

In the 1960s, Yorkville was hippie central and you could hear the folk music filtering from the various coffee houses and bars. But in the decades that followed, Yorkville was gentrified.

My hotel for the evening is the historic Windsor Arms, a suite-only boutique hotel, which has been a temporary home to visiting royalty, movie stars, business magnates and politicians. Gloria Swanson, Elizabeth Taylor, Vincent Price, Katherine Hepburn and Bill Clinton have walked its hallways and it's been repeatedly voted the No.1 hotel in Toronto by Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

On checking in, I am told I have a 24-hour butler service at my disposal. What could I possibly need with a butler? I order from the extensive room service menu (which has a complete vegan counterpart). Twenty minutes later my "butler" brings in my club sandwich, lays out my food and quietly disappears. Later, I simply place my empty tray inside the butler's pantry at the entrance of my room, which my butler accesses from the outside hallway, meaning I won't be disturbed again for the night.

There are several pockets of Toronto that exude sophistication. E11even Restaurant is downtown in the sports and entertainment district.

The wine list comes on an iPad I'm told a paper version would resemble a phone directory as it contains 4000 bottles.While the ambience may play to the sophisticated, the menu reads more like mum's kitchen, but with an elegant twist. I order the signature roast chicken and make sure I leave room for strawberry shortcake. I giggle at the last item in the dessert section cookies and milk.

Towards the end of my meal, Tiffany approaches and says I may want to visit the ladies' room, which was voted No.1 rest room by the public. Intrigued, I wander in to find warmed seats and a push pad to the right of the toilet for the electronic bidet.

While I've enjoyed getting to know the designer side of town, my true roots emerge on my last day and flick my imposter chic to the curb. I wander downtown to the St Lawrence Market, recently voted the No.1 food market in the world by National Geographic.

Established in 1803, it's a foodie's wonderland and it's here I have my best meal in Toronto. For less than $10 I eat a peameal bacon sandwich followed by a butter tart at the famed Carousel Bakery. It's Toronto's most famous dish and I understand why  - it's delicious. Sometimes it's the simple things in life. 

The writer was a guest of the Canadian Tourism Commission and Tourism Toronto.

Go2

-- TORONTO 

- Getting there

Air Canada operates daily services from Sydney via Vancouver to Toronto. Ph 1300 655 767 or see aircanada.com

- Staying there

Windsor Arms Hotel, 18 St Thomas St, Toronto. See windsorarmshotel.com

Le Germain, Maple Leaf Square, 75 Bremner Blvd, Toronto. See germainmapleleafsquare.com

- Touring there

All About Toronto Tours provide customised tours of the Toronto and Niagara Falls areas.

See allabouttoronto.com

Muddy York Walking Tours explore Toronto's history. See muddyyorktours.com 

-- More:

See toronto.ca or canada.travel