The concierge recommends: Niagara Falls

By CHRIS ROSIE

Kyoko Abe is a Japanese concierge at the Renaissance Fallsview Hotel, which is set above the Niagara Falls on the Canadian side.

You can hear the growl of the falls from kilometres away, but it still comes as a shock to see the white arc shrouded in clouds of dense spray with tiny river boats struggling below, mere specks against the surging cauldron.

There are two cataracts, the accelerating water being sliced into two channels by tiny Goat Island.

For Kyoko, selecting the best free attraction in the area is simple: the falls. She also recommends the Niagara Parks Commission's Garden for the Blind, with its scented and softly textured plants.

She suggests the best paid attraction is the Maid of the Mist boat ride, which gives visitors a close-up experience of the power of the falls. There is also the Journey Behind the Falls, with elevators providing access behind the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Away from the area's natural attraction, Kyoko plumps for the Imax Theatre.

For the best restaurant, Kyoko recommends the hotel's Rooftop Dining Room, with its panoramic views of the falls and surrounding parks. As an alternative, she suggests the revolving dining room on the nearby Skylon Tower.