Canada
Imagine what you think it will be like and multiply by ten. The Rockies are awesome. Banff is a great place to stay. We stayed at Fox suites on the Avenue. Free transit bus to town - five minutes. Eat at Nourish or the Elk and Oarsman.
Do not expect speed at Nourish but the vegetarian food is nothing short of amazing. Fruit shepherds pie, you must eat it to believe it.
Trips: Drive highway 1A to Lake Louise for bears and wild elk and stunning scenery. Walk up to Lake Agnes and go to the tea shop. Visit Morraine Lake.
Walk up to Stewart canyon at Lake Miniwanka - it is amazing.
Do the Banff gondola, The Whyte museum and visit Bow falls. What a great place to stay.
www.banfflakelouise.com/
Fox Hotel and Suites:
461 Banff Avenue, Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta T1L 1H8
+1 403 760 8500
Google map: bit.ly/q4nF87
Nourish:
nourishbistro.com/
215 Banff Avenue
+1403 760 3933
Google map: bit.ly/oE8YQL
Elk and Oarsman:
www.elkandoarsman.com/
119 Banff Avenue AB T1L 1B6
+1403 762 4616
Google map: bit.ly/qKmbHq
The Whyte Museum:
www.whyte.org/
111 Bear St, Banff, AB, T1L 1A3
+1 403 762 2291
Google map: bit.ly/rpZW0q
Hotel and restaurant. Great service and the food is five-star. The toilet had broken in our room - we went to the shops and came back in 20 minutes, and it was fixed.
Banff Avenue
Hard to describe this 107-year-old castle-like hotel. It rises majestically above the forest and has hosted kings and stars throughout its history.
815 rooms for a maximum of 2,000 guests when full, the hotel features 12 restaurants and a nightclub and everything is pretty much as it was back in the day.
The jewel in the crown of the Canadian railways hotel chain for a century, the Banff Springs Hotel is a rare experience where old-school luxury takes on new dimensions.
I would bet the farm that more postcards have been sold with pictures of Lake Louise than any other destination in Canada. A stunning hotel overlooking the perfect lake.
Rent a canoe or go for a long walk along the path around the lake. Braver souls can hike to the Tea House for a cuppa in nature's proudest surroundings.
And hour and a half from Banff by car. The railroad chugs past if you choose the rail solution between Calgary and Vancouver.
Search Been there