8 Best Luxury Experiences in Toronto

Toronto wears luxury well. The skyline is stacked with glass towers that hide butler-serviced suites and sky-high tasting menus, while just beyond the city you can be stepping out of a helicopter into a vineyard or pushing a Porsche around a proper race circuit. These eight experiences lean into that “millionaire for a weekend” feeling, whether or not you actually are one.

1. Suite life in Yorkville at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto

If you want to feel plugged straight into Toronto’s high-end circuit, base yourself at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto in Yorkville. The 55-storey tower on Yorkville Avenue is the brand’s Canadian flagship and the first hotel in the country to ever earn both AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star ratings, which gives you a sense of the service standard before you even step through the doors. You are surrounded by designer boutiques, galleries and some of the city’s most expensive condos, but the hotel itself feels calm: polished stone, warm woods, big windows and staff who remember your name by the second interaction.

Upstairs, rooms and suites look out across Bloor Street, the financial core or north toward leafy residential streets, with marble bathrooms, soaking tubs and plenty of space to spread out. Downstairs, the Four Seasons spa stretches across the ninth floor with a bright indoor pool, infrared sauna, steam, treatment rooms and a relaxation lounge that feels more like a private club than a typical hotel spa. Spa hours run from 8 am to 9 pm daily, with the pool open from 6 am, which means you can swim laps at sunrise, get a massage mid-morning and still be in Yorkville boutiques by lunch.

If you want to lean into the neighbourhood, book a corner suite, plan a half-day around the spa, and then spend the evening doing nothing more strenuous than strolling between Holt Renfrew, small galleries and a late dinner at one of Yorkville’s finer restaurants. For a certain kind of Toronto trip, just existing at the Four Seasons and treating the city as your backyard is the whole point.

2. A full spa day at Spa myBlend, The Ritz-Carlton Toronto

On the other side of downtown, The Ritz-Carlton Toronto hides one of the most serious urban spa operations in the country. Spa myBlend by Clarins occupies 23,000 square feet on the hotel’s fifth floor, and it is the only myBlend location in the Americas, a concept originally launched in Paris by Dr Olivier Courtin around hyper-personalised skincare. The space is all pale stone, glass and quiet, with 16 treatment rooms, an aroma-infused vitality pool, city-view saltwater lap pool, steam rooms, saunas, a co-ed sanctuary and separate relaxation lounges for men and women.

Treatments run from deep-tissue massages to high-tech facials that mix Clarins products with LED light, vibration and cryotherapy, and a 60-minute or longer service gives you all-day access to the spa facilities. Reviews describe it as a “wonderland of luxury,” with natural light flooding the glass-enclosed floor and expansive views over downtown from the pool and relaxation areas. It is easy to lose an entire day here: arrive early for your appointment, rotate between steam, sauna and vitality pool, have your treatment, then spend the afternoon reading in the sunroom or drifting in and out of the saltwater pool.

You do not have to be an overnight guest at the Ritz to book in, so this can be a stand-alone splurge even if you are staying elsewhere. Spa hours run roughly from 8:30 am to early evening, with slightly later closing on weekends, and reservations by phone are strongly recommended, especially on Fridays, Saturdays and around big events when locals treat it as their reset button.

3. Omakase at Sushi Masaki Saito, Canada’s only two-star Michelin

In a city now full of strong Japanese food, Sushi Masaki Saito sits in its own orbit. The 10-seat counter at 88 Avenue Road is Toronto’s only two-Michelin-star restaurant, and was the first in the country to reach that level when the Michelin Guide launched its Toronto edition in 2022. Chef Masaki Saito serves a strictly edomae-style omakase, with fish sourced exclusively from Japan and aged, marinated or cured according to traditional techniques that treat each piece of nigiri as its own tiny course.

This is the kind of experience where you surrender control: there is no à la carte, just a progression from sashimi to nigiri and perhaps a few composed dishes, paced carefully across the evening as the chef chats, sears, brushes sauces and shapes rice in front of you. Pricewise, En Primeur and Pearl both note that it sits at the very top of Canada’s dining spectrum, in the per-person range, and that reservations can be difficult, since there are only two seatings per night and limited days of service (Tuesday to Friday evenings). In return, you get fish and technique that critics compare to New York’s elite counters, and a sense that you are seeing just how far Toronto’s food scene has come.

Book as far in advance as you can, expect to prepay or provide a card guarantee, and show up ready to lean into the full omakase, wine or sake pairings included. If you want to extend the night, Yorkville’s bars and hotel lounges are close enough to wander to afterwards, still slightly stunned by the last piece of uni.

4. Sky-high Italian at Don Alfonso 1890 (and other Michelin stars)

If Sushi Masaki Saito is the most rarefied Japanese counter in the country, Don Alfonso 1890 is Toronto’s most decorated Italian room. Sitting on the 38th floor of The Westin Harbour Castle at 1 Harbour Square, the restaurant combines floor-to-ceiling Lake Ontario views with a Michelin-starred tasting menu overseen by the Iaccarino family, whose original Don Alfonso in Campania has been famous for decades. It holds one Michelin star in the Toronto Guide and has been named the number-one Italian restaurant in the world outside Italy by some international rankings, which explains the steady stream of destination diners.

The tasting menus lean modern but rooted in southern Italian flavours: pristine seafood, pastas with delicate sauces, and dishes that make heavy use of olive oil, citrus and herbs, plated with the kind of precision that rewards slow eating. BlogTO notes that 2025 marked the eighth consecutive year Don Alfonso received a major North American award for excellence, in addition to its Michelin star, and that it stands out in Toronto for both its wine list and its panoramic setting over the harbour. Eating here feels less like a quick dinner and more like boarding a ship that happens to be standing still.

If you are building a full Michelin circuit, add Alo, the one-star French tasting room on Spadina that has held its star every year since 2022 and is widely regarded as one of the country’s best restaurants. Alo’s third-floor dining room is more intimate and downtown-urban; Don Alfonso is your choice when you want Italian flavours and a big-sky view over the lake. In both cases, book months out for weekends and be prepared to spend a long, well-paced evening at the table.

5. Private helicopter over the CN Tower and waterfront

Nothing says “different tax bracket” quite like swapping the elevator up the CN Tower for a private helicopter orbiting around it. Several operators run helicopter tours over Toronto, but if you want something that feels properly premium, look at private or twilight flights from Toronto Heli Tours or Great Lakes Helicopter. A 30-minute private skyline tour departing from the Polson Pier heliport is currently listed around CA$1,199 for up to two passengers, taking you over the downtown core, CN Tower, Rogers Centre and the Lake Ontario shoreline with guaranteed window seats and concierge-style scheduling.

Toronto Heli Tours’ menu includes shorter flights as well, from roughly seven-minute “Romantic Jewel” rides out of Billy Bishop Airport to 20 km private tours and a 20 km Romantic Twilight Flight that takes off just after sunset. The twilight option, priced at around $722 per couple plus tax, is a private tour for two that runs a 20 km loop over downtown, High Park, Casa Loma, the Don Valley and back along the lakeshore as the city lights come on. Their description promises a close fly-by of the CN Tower, harbour and islands, with speeds around 185 kph at roughly 2,000 feet, which is high enough to see the city’s structure and low enough to feel every turn.

Flights depart from either Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (Hangar 1 on Eireann Quay) or the heliport at 10 Polson Street, depending on the operator and route. Dress comfortably, avoid overly loose items, and treat the whole thing as you would a small-plane trip: arrive early, listen to the safety briefing, then settle in as the city slides underneath and you realise how small the Gardiner traffic jam looks from above.

6. Shangri-La’s Heli Adventure in Niagara: waterfalls and wine from the air

For a full “money is a construct” day outside the city, it is hard to beat Shangri-La Toronto’s “Heli Adventure in Niagara” package. The hotel frames it as a “thrill of a lifetime” that combines Niagara Falls and the Niagara wine region in partnership with Niagara Helicopters, built around a two-night stay at Shangri-La, daily breakfast, and an all-inclusive excursion day managed by the hotel’s concierge.

The day itself starts with a chauffeur-driven car from the hotel to Niagara Helicopters’ base on Victoria Avenue, where you board a helicopter that follows the Niagara River from the Whirlpool and rapids past the Rainbow Bridge, American Falls and Skylon Tower, curving around the Canadian Horseshoe Falls so you see the arc of water from multiple angles and, on sunny days, catch rainbows in the mist. Instead of returning to the heliport, your flight then continues over vineyards and Lake Ontario’s shoreline before landing at Peller Estates Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where you sit down to a three-course à la carte meal with wine pairings organized by the winemaker. A chauffeur whisks you back to Toronto at the end of the day, leaving you to decompress in your room or at the hotel bar.

Niagara Helicopters and other operators run their own wine-landing tours as well, some of which combine a flight over the falls with tastings at multiple wineries. But the Shangri-La package wraps the whole thing in door-to-door service and five-star accommodation, which is the difference between “special outing” and “this could have been an opening sequence in a movie.”

7. Private yacht on Lake Ontario with skyline views

You do not need to own a boat to get that “our yacht, our rules” feeling for an afternoon. Butterfli Yacht Club bills itself as Toronto’s premier luxury sailboat and yacht charter service, and its standard offerings already feel indulgent. A two-hour Toronto Skyline Cruise, for example, runs about $400 CAD for up to six guests and takes you along the Harbourfront with unobstructed views of the CN Tower, Rogers Centre and the downtown skyline from the deck of a private sailboat or small yacht. They pitch it as ideal for romantic dates, celebrations or simply unwinding with friends while the city glows a short distance away.

Step up to their four-hour Island Escape Charter and you extend that into a half-day, sailing to the Toronto Islands, dropping anchor near Hanlan’s Point or Ward’s, and having time to swim, sunbathe on deck or go ashore to wander the beaches and boardwalks. Because it is a private charter, you decide the tone: champagne and hushed conversation, or a playlist and a more social scene, all with a skipper handling the boat. You bring your own food and drink or arrange catering, and the view back toward the city as you return at golden hour is the sort of thing you remember on grey February mornings.

Departures are typically from marinas along Queens Quay; exact piers are confirmed when you book. Summer weekends and fireworks nights fill quickly, so if you have a specific date in mind, lock it in early and keep an eye on the forecast. Even in shoulder season, a clear evening on the water with the skyline lit up can feel far more indulgent than a pricey dinner on land.

8. Porsche track days at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

For a luxury experience with more adrenaline and less plush robe, head an hour or so east to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) with Downtown Porsche Toronto. The dealership runs Driver Development Open Track Days where Porsche owners bring their own cars to the circuit and spend a full day learning advanced driving skills with professional coaching. The day starts with registration, breakfast and a classroom session, then participants are divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced groups for lapping sessions, autocross runs and coached track time, each driver paired with an in-car instructor who talks them through braking points, lines and weight transfer in real time.

Video from previous events shows a full hospitality setup: buffet breakfast, refreshments, a midday barbecue lunch and end-of-day prizes and photos in a winners’ circle, all framed by the rolling hills and grandstands of CTMP. The track itself is a proper, flowing road course rather than a parking-lot autocross, so by the afternoon your car is stretching its legs in a way Toronto streets never allow, while you learn how to handle it safely at speed. It is a very specific kind of luxury, but if you care about driving and already own (or can borrow) the right hardware, it might be the most memorable day of the trip.

You typically sign up through the dealership’s driver development program, with numbers limited to keep run groups manageable. If you are not a Porsche person, similar high-performance driving events run at CTMP and other regional tracks with different marques, but the basic formula is the same: real coaching, real speed and the satisfaction of using an expensive machine for something more interesting than creeping along the Gardiner.

These eight experiences are the sort of things locals daydream about when a windfall hits: skyline suites and serious spas, counters where every piece of fish is a small miracle, helicopters that turn the tower into a toy, boats that turn the city into scenery, and racetracks that remind you what your car was actually built to do.