A Look at the Canadian Rockies Fairmont Resorts
This is another post from Tim Larison from familytravelgurus.com on his visit to the province of Alberta, Canada in March, 2016.
27 years ago I visited the three Canadian Rockies Fairmont resorts with my wife Anne during our wonderful Canadian Rockies honeymoon. In 2016 I had the opportunity to return with a group of travel agents from around the U.S. I was to discover these resorts were just as magnificent as I remembered them.
First up: the Jasper Park Lodge. We were greeted by a friendly doorman. I was impressed with the level of service from all the Fairmont employees we met (our dinner hosts, wait staff, and adventure guides)
photo courtesy of Fairmont resorts
The Jasper Park Lodge is different than the other two Fairmont resorts we saw. It features a main building with a pool, checkin area, a few guest rooms, and restaurant, with smaller guest cabins spread throughout the property. The Chateau Lake Louise and Banff Springs hotel, in contrast, each feature guest rooms in one large building.
The near freezing temperatures we encountered didn’t stop these guests from enjoying the resort’s heated pool with snow capped mountains all around.
Here’s a view of one of the guest cabins. As I walked through the Jasper Park Lodge grounds in the quiet of the evening it reminded me of my younger days at summer camp in the Colorado Rockies back home. These cabins, though, were much nicer than my youth camp cabins ever were!
The cabins came in different sizes. A large family cabin featured this cozy fireplace. At Jasper Park Lodge you can experience the outdoors in a serene Canadian Rockies setting yet still have the comforts of a larger hotel in your guest cabin.
photo courtesy of Fairmont resorts
Next we visited the Chateau Lake Louise. The picture above reminded me of how the resort looked when I visited it back in August 1989. I was to discover the resort was just as spectacular in the winter.
Lake Louise looked very different this time! A number of outdoor activities, led by the resort’s guides, were available, such as a snowshoeing adventure I wrote about in a previous post.
Most guests staying here enjoy world class skiing at the Lake Louise ski area. I took this picture from the top of the ski lift. If you look closely you can see the Chateau Lake Louise and the frozen lake far in the distance. The views were spectacular!
Back inside this picture reminded me of the resort’s roots. The Chateau Lake Louise and the other Canadian Rockies Fairmont hotels were built in the early 1900’s by the Canadian Pacific Railway.
After a delicious lunch we toured some of the Chateau’s guest rooms. If staying here it is definitely worth it to pay extra for a Lake Louise view.
photo courtesy of Fairmont resorts
Our final visit was to the Banff Springs Hotel. Another Fairmont hotel in a magnificent mountain setting.
I loved the views of the surrounding mountains from the resort.
Back inside this area was the hotel’s main lobby for many years (including on my last visit in 1989). Now it serves as a reception area.
I enjoyed walking the halls of this classic hotel.
Guests could take a dip in this large indoor pool as a respite from the cold temperatures outside.
All the meals we had at the Fairmont resorts were excellent, including this buffet breakfast at Banff Springs.
That’s me in front of an ice castle on the frozen Lake Louise. I really enjoyed my visit to the three Canadian Rockies Fairmont resorts. I’m already making plans to return to the Canadian Rockies with my wife for a future anniversary trip!
Want your own vacation in the Canadian Rockies? We can help! We can book one of the Fairmont resorts described above or other resorts in the area. Contact us for more information or a no obligation price quote.
Unless otherwise noted, all pictures above are from Tim Larison.