Anyone been to Canmore or Banff, AB?

[tkyes]

DH and I are looking at going to Banff for our anniversary in June.

The only problem is that hotels are pretty expensive, or so we've found. Canmore only 15 minutes away seems to have more reasonable rates and some nice places to stay.

I've also heard that Banff itself is pretty touristy and it might be nice to stay out of town a bit.

Anyone have any experiences they can share with me?


Thanks!!!


Tamie

 

[damo]

We loved the Rimrock hotel. It is very close to the Hot Springs and Gondola. It overlooks the town and gives you such a sense of peace. The Fairmont hotels at both Banff and Lake Louise are beautiful. They are the old Canadian Pacific Hotels. Try to avoid the Rocky Mountain Lodge. We left there after one night.

I would advise staying a few nights at different places. Take a trip up to Jasper as well. They also have a beautiful Fairmont Hotel.

Make sure you bring along appropriate clothing. It snowed when we were there in August.

You will have great memories from any trip to the Canadian Rockies.

 

[debster812]

me me me me me

But, you already have all of my suggestions! hee hee hee.

Can I sneak in your suitcase??

 

[tkyes]

thanks Damo - so you stayed in Banff? Was it too touristy?

I saw the Rimrock and the Fairmont online, beautiful, slightly out of our budget I think.

Thanks for the heads up on the Rocky Mountain Lodge!


Is 7 days a long enough trip? Too long?

If we stayed just in Banff or Canmore for 7 days would we get bored?


thanks -

Tamie

ps - Deb, sure you can sneak in our suitcase!!

 

[binny]

hi there.
we used to live in Calgary. You can always stay there and drive out to Banff. It IS very touristy but beautiful!!

there are lots of places to stay in Canmore that are cheaper and its gorgeous there too.


Anything else you want to know? we used to go quite a bit.

 

[tkyes]

I'm sure I'll bug you later when we finalize our plans, I'll be looking for things to do. Right now I just have to figure out where to stay. My mind can only handle so much at a time.

In Canmore I've found the Residence in by Marriot, The Radisson and Mystic Springs Chalets. Anyone been inside or stayed at any of those places?


tamie

 

[MosMom]

We lived in Calgary so we mainly did day trips and I can't remember where we stayed when we were there. Don't forget to visit Lake Louise, it is gorgeous! If you will have a car you could also drive down to Frank Slide for the day (it is a giant rock slide that buried a town long ago..sounds sad but it is quite interesting). I think if you drive around the rockies and see some different things you won't get bored. You might get bored staying in only Banff. There really isn't much to do in Canmore as far as shopping/tourist type stuff goes. There are some great off the beaten path hiking trails if you are into that too (take the back road to Lake Louise and there are some great hiking trails). Even if you can't afford to stay in some resorts, you should visit Banff Springs and Chateau Lake Louise (they are GORGEOUS). You can take the Gondola up near Banff Springs and the hot springs are right there too!

It is all gorgeous and you could probably spend a day just driving around seeing the sights. Have fun!!!

 

[CdnDisneyNut]

You might get more information and feedback if you post it on the Canadian Vistors board.

 

[tkyes]

Good thinkin'!!! thanks

 

[damo]

I think 7 days in Banff would be too long. Personally, I wouldn't stay in Canmore, I would stay about 3 nights in Banff, then one night at Lake Louise and drive up to Jasper for a few nights. The wildlife is amazing along the highway. The Columbia Ice Fields are also so interesting. There are so many back-tours of waterfalls and rock formations and hot springs to take. I'll try to find some on-line guides for you and add them as I find them. We stayed at Charlton's Cedar Court on our honeymoon 20 years ago. It was fine but not as nice as some of the hotels on the outskirts of the town. We have also stayed at many of the government run campgrounds. They are very nicely kept.

Some links:
http://www.discoverbanff.com/WheretoStay/HotelsMotels/index.html
http://www.jaspernationalpark.com/beauty.html
http://www.explorejasper.com/sights/columbiaicefield.htm
http://www.banfflakelouise.com/
http://www.igpublications.com/home.html
http://www.discoverbanff.com/

 

[tkyes]

Just curious Damo why you wouldn't stay in Canmore.

Thanks for the links, I've seen a couple, but not all of those, thanks.


tamie

 

[damo]

I wouldn't stay in Canmore because even when we stayed just on the outskirts of Banff we felt we were too far away. Banff is a very unique little place that deserves about three days to enjoy it. If you are going to stay in Canmore you will be doing a lot of commuting back and forth to the Banff and Lake Louise area where the attractions are. I think to fully enjoy it, you should stay right there.

Another neat thing to do is to take the ski lifts up the mountain. There is a nice ski area on the Lake Louise side of Banff that allows people to go up to the tea house (in the summer) way up the mountain. This isn't the gondola ride which is another absolute must.

 

[#1 Disney Fan]

We went out west to Banff when I was about 5, so yes, I have been, but I'm not going to be much help to you though! Have a great trip up here!

 

[shortbun]

Banff is touristy but very small. You can walk the main street
in an afternoon. I've stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel a few
times. I loved Lake Louise and Jasper too and I agree that
a week in Banff may be too long. Curious-why would a
WDW lover worry about something being "touristy?" WDW
is afterall the ultimate in "touristy!" lol
Really, I don't think you'll hate Banff at all, it's just charming!
Have a great trip and yes, take your mittens and scarf-it can
get cold any time of the year!

 

[tkyes]

shortbun - Did you like the Banff Springs Hotel? - oops, of course you did, I just looked at it online, it's gorgeous, it's also $550 a night for when we want to stay.

I am a WDW lover, but that doesn't mean that I want every vacation to be touristy. We want stuff to do, but we want a nice relaxing, peaceful vacation, and something romantic for our anniversary.

tamie

 

[tkyes]

Just one more bump -

based on this thread we are now thinking of doing Banff and Lake Louise.



tamie