Avoca Bed & Breakfast 3 Sentry Circle Niagara-On-The-Lake, ON Tel: 905-468-5217 Reservations: 1-800-665-0119 Fax: 905-468-1702 Web site: www.members.aol.com/avocanotl
	Avoca B&B	Yvonne McMorrough

Avoca is located just off Lakeshore Road and a short two-kilometre drive into picturesque Niagara-On-The-Lake. The residence is air-conditioned, is both smoke- and pet-free and offers a number of suites with one specially modified for accessibility. The accessible suite was actually added on between the main house and the garage where the large carport originally stood.

There’s a definite Irish flavour to the Avoca B&B, which takes its name from the Vale of Avoca in County Wicklow, Ireland, as described in Thomas Moore’s poem, The Meeting Of The Waters. Your hostess, Yvonne McMorrough, who’s somewhat of an authority on Thomas Moore, points out that Niagara-On-The-Lake has its own meeting of the waters with Lake Ontario, the Niagara River and the Welland Canal.

PARKING: Guests using the accessible suite can drive right up to the door to park with sufficient room to accommodate a side-loading vehicle.

ENTRANCE: Yvonne will be ready to welcome your arrival and will place a portable ramp at the door to assist your entrance if using a wheelchair or scooter as there is a 1” lip rising to 3”. The door is 32” wide, a scooter just squeezes in, and has a regular key entry. There is also an outer storm door. Once inside there is a light switch 48” high on your right just inside the door.

Two singles	on legs	table, TV and radio in corner

Electric fireplace to ward off cool nights, walker	low rack in closet, cot available

BEDROOM: The bedroom has two single brass beds, which at the time of our audit were placed along one wall, but Yvonne said they could be arranged side by side if so desired. The beds are on frames with wheels and are raised 7” from the floor. A three-drawer dresser sits between the beds with a push button lamp and a clock radio. On the wall above the dresser is a double light fixture with a long pull cord. There is a clothes hamper at the foot of the bed.

Tucked in behind the door is a round table with a pair of folding chairs. A small television with remote sits on a shelf above the table. Directly in front of the table are the stairs leading up into the main house. The room also features an electric plug-in fireplace encased in a cabinet. This unit can be removed to allow more room for manoeuvrability. Another lamp with a twist knob sits atop the cabinet. This lamp has a light sensor that automatically turns the light on at dusk to facilitate guests coming in at night. There is also a closet that has a nice low clothes rack and a low shelf above.

Yvonne has even placed a quad cane and a walker in the room.

There is a space of 52” from the fireplace to the bed and 64” from the wall to the bed. The length of the room, from the front door to the door to the kitchenette directly opposite, is almost 16 ½'. From the wall at the foot of the stairs to the bed is a distance of 8 ½’. Turnaround space in this room is extremely limited as it is very narrow.

Tiny kitchen area packs in a lot of amenities

KITCHENETTE: The kitchenette is 94” by 70” and has a nice large window that overlooks the lovely garden. There is a small sink and fridge unit and a microwave along with coffee/tea fixings. The room phone is in the kitchen. You also have laundry facilities at your disposal.

Open sink, toilet with Versaframe	Narrow door to shower

BATHROOM: The bathroom is located off the kitchenette through a louvered split door with small knob handles. Accessing the bathroom on a scooter is extremely tight. There is a door in the bathroom with a portable ramp that takes you to the picturesque back yard and patio.

The sink and toilet face you as you enter the bathroom and the shower is on your left. The toilet is 15” high with a Versaframe and optional toilet riser. There is a vertical grab bar beside the toilet. The sink is 32” high and open 29” below. It is not set in a vanity. The sink has a push/pull/twist faucet. There is a space of 7” from the side of the sink to the Versaframe.

The shower door is 20” wide and opens out against the sink. There is a 6” step up into the shower, which has a bath seat. It has a handheld showerhead that can be lowered on a vertical bar and a push/pull/twist control. Note the size and configuration of the shower. It could pose a problem if you are not aware of its size as could the size of the entire bathroom. You might be hard-pressed to close the shower door if you needed to sit in the shower.

There is a space of 6’4” from the shower to the opposite patio door and 3’4” from the front of the toilet to the opposite wall. Transfer to the toilet would be from the front. From the edge of the sink to the split louvered door is a space of 4’2”.

Beautiful patio

BREAKFAST: A full and generous breakfast will be brought to your room, consisting of cereal, juice, fruit, home-baked dishes, muffins, croissants and homemade preserves. You also have the choice of breakfast on the patio.

There is no shortage of eateries in Niagara-On-The-Lake and you are also in the heart of wine country with many of the wineries offering lovely dining facilities.

Avoca would be perfect for a couple who intend to be out and about a great deal and who have no need for a large shower area or to sit in the shower but need a toilet with Versaframe and perhaps laundry facilities and would enjoy a full breakfast on the patio to start their day.

May 2004