This was my first time on a 1000 Islands Cruise, so I am coming in with fresh eyes and a fresh perspective.
I booked this cruise as a Mother’s and Father’s Day gift for my in-laws. Four of us went, including my husband and myself. I thought my in-laws would like the history cruise, which is why I selected this one specifically.
For context, the Heart of the Islands Cruise is described on the website as, “The world-famous 1000 Islands begin in Kingston and span the St. Lawrence River for miles. Wind your way through small cottage islands of the Admiralty group featuring Napoleon’s Hat, Wanderer’s Channel, the opulent Mandalay Mansion and historic sights of Kingston on the Heart of the Islands Cruise.”
On the cruise there was a guide sharing historical knowledge, a licensed bar and canteen for purchase, an indoor and open-air deck and restrooms. On our cruise, there was a gentleman singing and playing the ukulele when the guide was not speaking.
First thing’s first, I LOVE that the ship departed at exactly the time it was scheduled to, and, to my surprise, it docked exactly three hours later, at 3:30 p.m. on the dot.
This is the map of where the ship went:
It was cool to see Howe Island, but until we got close to the 1000 islands, the cruise was a bit bland, which was worrisome knowing that we had another two hours to go.
It wasn’t a full cruise and we weren’t fighting for space. The main and second floor enclosed decks were empty.
People were walking around, checking out the scenery, grabbing food and drinks. We grabbed bottled waters, Ginger-Ale and popcorn.
The popcorn was actually really good! I found that surprising. I am not a movie theatre popcorn gal (I prefer Kernels), but I thoroughly enjoyed the popcorn they made.
Is the Heart of the Islands Cruise worth leaving the house for? Honestly, I would say take it from Gananoque. This may have been obvious for some or most Kingstonians, but I learned while on the cruise that taking it from Gananoque is the way to go.
It would have been worthwhile to drive the 30 or so minutes to Gan to save an hour and a half of time versus getting there via cruise. I hear that the cruise to Boldt Castle is quite unique.
Now, the real question is: will the Gan cruise have popcorn as good as the Kingston cruise? Perhaps we will find out!
FYI
If you’re booking a cruise and you’re not the type to read the fine print, know that you have to pick up the tickets in person at Waterfront Gifts & Apparel located (248 Ontario Street) in advance of departure! You will receive one ticket regardless of how many people are in your booking.
We spent our first wedding anniversary in Prince Edward County. It’s an easy drive from Kingston, and it always feels refreshing being there.
Here’s what we did…
The Drive There
We took Bath Road (Highway 33) to the Glenora Ferry dock, which took us to Picton. This drive runs along the water and has gorgeous views along the way. Find out more about the Glenora Ferry here: https://www.ontario.ca/page/ferry-services#section-1
Screenshot
Before we got too far out of Kingston, we stopped for coffee at Giddy Goat in Amherstview. Tom drinks drip coffee with milk and I love getting cappuccinos. That’s typically my drink of choice. I usually get a coffee from Giddy Goat on my drive to work in the morning. This may have been the first time I got it on a weekend, and for some reason, I didn’t think it tasted as good. The cafe was also a lot busier than I am used to. I also picked up an espresso cookie, which again, was just okay. I wouldn’t get it again, but I would go back for a cappuccino because I have had positive experiences multiple times before.
Afterwards, while we were driving on highway 33, we made an unplanned stop at Rectory Bookstore in Adolphustown, a used bookstore on the same property as St. Alban’s Centre, a church built in 1880. Two years ago we attempted to go to the same bookstore, but it was closed. I picked up a copy of The Beauty Myth for $4. Cash only!!!
While we were in the bookstore, the lovely women there invited us to partake in a tour of the church building. We said yes and learned a lot about the church and Loyalist area! We even got to ring the church bell.
After docking in Picton, we drove straight to Wander in Wellington.
Wellington
Without a reservation, we went to Gather, the restaurant at Wander, and were seated right away at the best seat in the house! Check out the view:
There was only one other couple there and it remained that way for a while, until a group of three arrived. Even then, it was only the three tables being used for the duration of our meal.
I ordered a lychee and cactus pear cold-pressed juice for eight dollars and it was delicious!
For brunch, I ordered the shakshuka (poached eggs, savoury tomato, feta) with sourdough for $24.
The image turned out aesthetically pleasing, but the meal itself was lacking in flavour.
Tom ordered the brunch burger (Walt’s beef, brioche bun, bacon jam, brie, sunny, egg) with a side of twice cooked fries. The fries were delicious! The burger, similar to the shakshuka, lacked flavour. I regrettably did not take a photo of Tom’s dish!
On the way out, I picked up my most favourite candle: Wander the Spa scent by The County Candle Co. The 26 oz size was about $80. This specific scent has notes of palo santo, wild spruce, and fir balsam. My most favourite scent. This is the third one I’ve gotten and I haven’t gotten sick of it yet.
Bloomfield
After our time at Wander, we stopped in Bloomfield on our way to Picton to check in to The Royal. Bloomfield is always one of my favourite places to visit because of all of the local businesses on the main drag. A new business we discovered was Idyll Books, which is on the second floor of the established Green Gables storefront.
We sat in an oversized chair together and flipped through a picture book about Ontario.
The Royal Hotel, Picton
This is one of my favourite places in The County, but my first time spending the night. I have gone there countless times for breakfast, lunch and dinner and for their hot chocolate (best I’ve ever had).
The check-in process was excellent! The staff were excited for us that it was our anniversary. They provided us each a glass of sparkling wine and asked us to stay in our room for a surprise that a staff member will bring.
In our room, the table was set up with a bottle of Hinterland sparkling wine, a gift that my mother-in-law coordinated with The Royal. The surprise that came to our room after (also coordinated by my mother-in-law) was a chocolate cake and a tiramisu. She knows us well!
After spending a bit eating the cakes and getting settled into our room, we headed to the heated pool! It’s a private and small space where you have to walk through the outdoor dining patio. Given the time of year, we didn’t have to fight for space at the pool.
The scent of the hotel is something I can’t fully explain, but they sell the body lotion at the front and I’ve received it as a gift more than once. I slept well, which doesn’t always happen for me in hotels.
Dinner at Darlings
This restaurant was recommended by a few people and we are so happy we went for dinner.
We started with bruschetta (with pesto, minus anchovies) and holy moly, the bread? Soft and phenomenal! For the main, Tom and I split the vodka pizza. We weren’t crazy hungry given all the things we ate throughout the day, so the size was great. It was actually much bigger than we expected, similar to the bruschetta. It was one of the best pizzas we’ve had in a while and cannot wait to go back again!
FYI- make a reservation. It was completely packed on a Saturday night!
Brunch at The Royal
Brunch at The Royal has been iffy for me over the few years I’ve gone. Sometimes it’s excellent, and sometimes it’s not. This time, it was okay. I ordered the parfait, which started out well, but after I ate the fruit and granola on the top, there was a ton of yogurt left. Tom ordered the blueberry pancakes and wow, they were good! They gave us orange chocolate balls on-the-house as a congratulations for our one year wedding anniversary. I am not normally an orange chocolate person, but these were fantastic!!! So soft and the orange was not overpowering at all. I would absolutely order these next time I’m there.
After brunch, we stopped at the Picton Farmers’ Market in the parking lot behind The Royal and picked up some beautiful fresh flowers.
That basically sums up our one year anniversary weekend in Prince Edward County.
Date of visit: Tuesday, June 9, 2026 Time of visit: 6:40 p.m.
My friend, Sarah, assembling the dish she ordered while sitting at a picnic table at Skeleton Park.
Friends, this was my first time trying Cat House Chiang Mai. I’m Leila (pronounced lay-la) by the way. Founder and curator of Kingston Current. Hi!
Back to Cat House Chiang Mai. This restaurant was recommended to me over a year ago, and, well, you know, life gets busy, until this spontaneous hang out with my friend, Sarah (pictured above), who recommended visiting their new location on Concession Street.
Cat House Chiang Mai is Thai cuisine. I can’t say I’ve had much experience with Thai food in Kingston specifically, but I have been to Thailand and have had many Thai dishes throughout Ontario.
So, on a gorgeous sunny Tuesday evening, Sarah suggested we go. She received no opposition from me. In fact, I may have jumped up and down at the suggestion. I cannot confirm nor deny.
Off we went down the yellow brick road.
We parked in the Coffee Way Donuts plaza parking lot and walked over to the front doors of the restaurant facing concession street.
Sarah walking into Cat House Chiang Mai.
After looking over the menu and battling between the chicken pad thai and the chicken pad se ew (both under the ‘stir-fried noodles’ category and $18.25 each), I ended up ordering the latter. I really do love me some pad thai, though. Sarah ordered the khao soi (under the ‘noodle soup’ category and $20). Her dish was/is spicy, baby. Not this girl’s vibe anymore. My acid reflux cannot with spice.
The service was kind, quick and efficient. Sarah also picked up a bottle of sweet lychee fruit juice from the fridge (kind of seen on the left side of the photo below – it’s pink!). The brand is Mogu Mogu and the drink has chewy nata de coco. Kind of reminds me of bubble tea in some ways with it having something to chew on. It was surprisingly good. I say ‘surprisingly’ because I don’t typically drink juice, or pop for that matter. But I enjoyed it and would consider getting it.
Sarah and I chatted and waited inside the restaurant for our meals to be ready. The restaurant has an interesting vibe. Very hole-in-the-wall style, which can either be a GOOD thing or a not so good thing. Keep reading to find out which it was….
There are kids’ drawings on the walls. I assume they’re kids, but honestly, I’m not a good drawer so any of those could be an adults’ as well, lol. I didn’t get a chance to ask.
There are different types of spice on the table. You could literally spell the spice wafting out of the container and it smelled spectacular.
Once ready, Sarah and I paid for our dishes and drove to Skeleton Park, where we set up on a picnic bench to enjoy our food in the gorgeous sun just after 7:00 p.m.
The park was buzzing with people, in a good way. The weather was perfect. Not too hot and not too cold. There was enough light to see what we were eating and to enjoy the park vibes.
You’re probably wondering what the heck I thought of the restaurant and the meal (if you didn’t already scroll to the bottom to find out. I promise I won’t tell).
So, without further ado. Friends. The meal was cooked well, the noodles were perfect, the veggies were crunchy, but I was disappointed by the missing flavour in the pad se ew.
I was lucky enough to have a bite of Sarah’s dish and it was EXCELLENT! I regrettably could not continue eating it because: 1. it wasn’t my meal, and 2. the aforementioned spice, which also means it’s not a dish I would order. BUT if you can handle spice, one hundred per cent.
Sarah did say she didn’t like how challenging it was to put her dish together. She has not experienced this at the other location of which she has been a few times and exclusively gets the khao soi.
All that being said, there was no pad se ew leftover for my lunch the next day, so I do consider that a good sign, but also a note that it may not be as big of a dish as people say, or I was just super hungry….
Okay. Drum roll. IS Cat House Chiang Mai worth leaving the house for? For the right dish, absolutely. I will for sure go back to try the pad thai ($18.25), but I won’t get the pad se ew again, unless I go to their main location on Progress Avenue. I would also try on of their homemade drinks like the Thai milk tea.
Locations
New location: 19 Concession St, Kingston, ON, K7K 2A5
Original location: 660 Progress Ave, Kingston, ON, K7M4W9
Website: https://cathousechiangmai.ca/location/kingston/ NOTE – it looks like you can order online! AND there seems to be some items available at the Concession Street location that are not available at the Progress Avenue location.
