My boyfriend and I were looking for a nice little getaway for a weekend needless to say we ended up wanting to head toward Niagara Falls without being in the middle of all the hussle and bustle. We decided on The Inn at Lock 7 ... only 11 minutes from Niagara Falls .... close to great shopping in St Catherines yet in a quiet cute little town of Thorold is this peaceful little getaway. The rooms were spotless, the couple that run the place are personable and customer service is clearly a priority. It's not a high end hotel ... however if you are looking for cozy and a warm atmosphere and happy to not be in the middle of all the noise of the Falls this is the place to go. The staff make you feel welcome and will go above and beyond for their guests. This was our second visit to this Inn and we will definitely stay again the next time we head to Niagara Falls. For those of you thinking you need bells and whistles .... who needs bells and whistles while you're sleeping??? Go do your running around then relax at the Inn at Lock 7

We have stayed at The Inn for many, many years and still love to watch the ships go through the locks. The Inn is a no frill, very clean and very friendly Inn of 24 rooms. Each room has a balcony overlooking the locks. There isn't an elevator so be aware. The main attraction is watching the ships. We even saw a cruise ship, c. Columbus, this year. If you have been up to the Soo, this place is a must. It is also 20 minutes from Niagara Falls and casinos. This is a family owed Inn and they do everything possible to make your stay enjoyable. Our children and grandchildren have also made this one of their vacation destinations.

For anyone interested in large seafaring ships, this family-owned motel offers a ring side seat to watch commercial vessels transit Lock Seven on the Welland Canal System.

The rooms are a bit pricey at $112 USD for what you get room-wise. The accomodations are comparable to budget chains in the USA. The walls are painted cinderblock and the air-conditioning is provided by a typical window unit mounted in a hole in the wall. But the bed and pillows are comfortable and the room is clean. Furnishings are vintage and look like they came from an estate sale. The continental breakfast is adequate and offers more variety than the typical toast and coffee provided in lower priced establishments.

However, the main attraction is watching the ships from your own private balcony. The ships are close enough to watch the movement of the crew on the deck, manning lines and aiding the lock staff to move the vessel through the lock safely.

In my opinion, the best view is from the third floor, the top floor in the 24 unit building. There is no elevator, so you will have to climb the stairs. You can also view the ships passing from the lawn, where many visitors to the motel stood to take photographs.

The motel is an historic structure, dating from the turn of the century. It has been remodeled and updated over time, but nothing has been done recently. It could use a facelift.

The owners and staff are friendly, chatty and helpful. Overall, the stay was rewarding because of the opportunity to get up close to the massive vessels and watch the workings of the lock.

My husband and I had 3 free days on our hands. Since neither of us had ever seen Niagara Falls, we decided to go. We had no reservations and no agenda. Our first night was spent in $500 room overlooking the falls. That broke the bank for us, so we left Niagara Falls, looking for less expensive lodging in a place less traveled.

We put ourselves on an unfamiliar road and followed it. The ride in the countryside was beautiful and enlightening. We didn't know that rural Ontario is filled with vineyards in all parts of the lake region around Niagara Falls. We also found August was prime harvest time for fruit and berries.

As evening drew near, we used our TomTom to locate lodging near us. The Inn at Lock Seven popped up. The name grabbed our attention, so we navigated to the front door. As sailors, we are fascinated by all things maritime. The thought of lodging next to a commercial lock struck us as a unique opportunity.

To cut to the chase, the rooms are clean, but non-descript with cinderblock walls and a wall mounted air conditioner that hums loudly all night long. However, each room has a balcony large enough for two to sit outdoors and watch "mighty ships appear to 'climb the mountain.'" (The quote is from the Inn's brochure.) The ship's crew are close enough to exchange glances with you as you watch them work the vessel through the lock.

Each passage takes about 30 minutes. We watched bulk transport vessels carrying either ore, salt, coke, cement or grain in their holds. In between the goliaths, three pleasure vessels -- 2 sailboats and a motor yacht -- made the transit. A pleasure craft that would be impressive to you if you were standing next to it in a marina, looked ant-like in the commercial lock.

Sometimes the great ships sounded the ship's horn when they began to move forward under power. Once we wanted to sleep, we were grateful for the noisy air conditioner to mask those blasts.

The beds and pillows were comfortable, and we slept like babies in the very quiet neighborhood. Between ships, noise was non-existant.

The owner-operators were very friendly and chatty, if you wanted conversation. They left you alone, if you preferred quiet. The continential breakfast was ample and self-serve. The coffee was good. The fruited muffins were a little dry. The juice tasted fresh. And the Inn is close to many tourist activities, enough to keep anyone busy for a week.

I think the $100+ charge for the room is high for what you get. The room is equivalent to the rooms of the budget chains in the USA. But the proximity to the Welland Canal lock #7 is intriguing. There is no elevator. If you are on the top floor, you will have to walk up 3 flights of stairs. You get the basics -- a clean room, a decent bed and set of pillows, a fun view, a continental breakfast.