Now you have me wondering about Calgary?
Mar 4th, 2002, 07:03 AM
#1
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Now you have me wondering about Calgary?
I've waited for days for this site to go back on line. The messages posted earlier this month were positive, helpful and very "friendly" in manner. Therefore, I couldn't wait to post my itinerary to get some helpful suggestions from our Northern Friends and Neighbors. Imagine my disappointment with the tone of some of the responses to "Calgary? Boring?" But I will wager my 7-week vacation that our Northern Neighbors are true to their word - so here goes. Does anyone care to comment on my itinerary and tell me whether I am spending too little or too much time in one town. Also, can you recommend restaurants, activities and golf courses in the towns I will be visiting. Our vacation is the first week of July. We will spend the first night at the Windtower in Canmore. We will spend the next two nights at Becker's. (Thank you for those recommendations.) One night at the Chateau Lake Louise and three nights in Calgary at the Econo Lodge near the university. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Mar 4th, 2002, 01:23 PM
#4
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You didn't mention what you were doing in Calgary. Visiting someone at the university? Stampede? If not I wouldn't spend three days there. I stayed at the Fairmont, which is a Canadian Pacific Railroad Hotel. It was a very nice hotel, and Calgary was clean with a few decent shopping areas and restaurants. But unless I had specific plans, I'd spend more time in the mountains. We enjoyed our stay at the Chateau Lake Louise. The building is nice enough, but the view of the lake is spectacular. Such an unusual color, and I was there on a dark dreary day. There was a nice restaurant near Lake Louise, I can't remember the name of it but it had a railroad theme. The word depot may be in the name. Oh, I should mention that when we booked our Chateau Lake Louise vacation we requested a cheaper room not facing the lake. But when we got there we immediately decided to splurge and go for a lake view. Very much worth it.<BR><BR>I will say that a Calgary Econo-lodge sends up a bit of a red flag, but you never know. I once had to stay in a Motel-6 in San Antonio because the Riverwalk hotels we're booked. It was good enough.
Mar 4th, 2002, 08:00 PM
#5
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I agree with the folks who say that 3 days in Calgary is too long and that more time should be spent in the mountains. I did stay in Canmore but was very disappointed. Why don't you increase your time in Lake Louise and stay in Banff instead of Canmore? I agreed with the individual who recommended the railroad depot restaurant in Lake Louise - yes, it is good. Instead of staying at the Chateau Lake Louise which is quite expensive, you might enjoy it just as much to stay at one of the hotels in the town of Lake Louise, which is only 1 or 2 miles from Chateau Lake Louise.<BR>As far as Calgary is concerned, I think 1 night would suffice--and I would recommend going to the park there (forgot the name of it) and eating at the restaurant that's in the park.<BR>
Mar 4th, 2002, 08:27 PM
#6
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I think you are trying to think of Heritage Park. Calgary might be worth a full day of sightseeing. For me, it is a stop on the way in and out.<BR>Other than the Canadian Rockies, the primier attraction to the east is in Drumheller: the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. But unless you want to do some learning on your trip, a World Heritage museum might be be so high on the list. <BR>That is an interesting mix, Econo Lodge and Chateau Lake Louise. <BR><BR>I guess I would stay at neither for diametrically opposed reasons.<BR>
Mar 5th, 2002, 04:22 AM
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Thank you all for responding. I truly appreciate the responses. The trip is in celebration of 25 years of marriage. The one night at the Chateau is our big splurge. The stay at Econo Lodge is not only to compensate for the expense, but every other hotel chain I called was already booked or $200 a night. Maybe I should keep looking. Any recommendations for hotels in Calgary? As for Banff, I agree that one more day should be spent there. My husband, however, would like to spend some time at the Stampede and night clubs in Calgary. (There are night clubs aren't there?) As for Canmore, the stay there is enroute to Jasper. I checked on availablity and rates in Banff and they were twice what I am paying at the Windtower. Any recommendations for golf courses, restaurants or activities in Jasper. We are staying at Becker's Chalets. I believe one of you previously recommended them.
Mar 5th, 2002, 05:16 AM
#8
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If you like museums try the Glenbow in Calgary. It is worth your time. Since you are going at Stampede time, the hotels will be expensive. You could check out the Holiday Inn on Macleod and about 43rd street. Last summer we only paid $69/night (not at Stampede) and it was really quite nice. They have a renovated section so do be sure and ask for that area. Heritage Park and the Zoo are both worth a visit and if you like shopping try Kensington. I personally like Calgary and find the people to be very warm and friendly. Perhaps it is attitude?<BR><BR>Just as an added note, I did a quick search for the Holiday Inn in Calgary - address 4206 Macleod Trail. It lists rates from $94 - $119/night so it has gone up but it is close to the Stampede grounds. You would have to book quickly. This was on travelocity so there may be a small commission in there. <BR><BR>Good luck and enjoy your visit.
Mar 5th, 2002, 06:32 AM
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There are a bunch of upper class places located off Deerfoot on 32nd. A long way from Stampede but close to Memorial Drive that will get you downtown. Memorial and Deerfoot are heavy, fast traffic and I hate driving on them but you could try the Greenwood Inn in that area. The last time I stayed there I believe it was about $129/night for a standard room but the rooms are very, very nice. Check out accomodation in that NE area if you are used to driving in very heavy fast traffic and it wouldn't bother you.<BR><BR><BR>Also www.discovercalgary.com may help you in locating a room. There is a good search engine on it to find rooms within your price range and requirements.<BR><BR>Also, try the Hospitality Inn on Macleod Trail. A bit further out but still negotiable and you wouldn't have to travel the Deerfoot. I would imagine in the downtown area, most things are all ready booked. <BR><BR>Let me know how it goes.<BR>
Mar 5th, 2002, 07:16 AM
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Help! The more I look the more confused I get. It would seem that Calgary accommodations are broken down into four areas. The airport area, City Centre (Downtown?), Calgary South Macleod Trail and Calgary Motel Village. Since we're spending this part of our trip in Calgary to take in the Stampede and explore the night life I guess convenience is now more important than price. Which area of Calgary would be closest to restaurants, shopping, night life and public transporation? Thank you again!
Mar 5th, 2002, 07:30 AM
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The Stampede grounds are on Macleod Trail South, closer to the downtown area. The downtown area is closest to Kensington, Chelsea, Eau Claire Market, the Glenbow, etc. Macleod Trail South is easy navigation to the downtown area despite heavy traffic as the speed limit is lower (Deerfoot is 110kms./hr).<BR><BR>Motel Village is in the Northeast I believe and the Airport area is way out but all tie up with Deerfoot which is the main drag through Calgary. <BR><BR>If you want to be closer to restaurants, shopping (the big malls are mostly on Macleod Trail), night life and the Stampede, you will want to search the downtown area or Macleod Trail South. Hope this helps, Cathy.
Mar 5th, 2002, 09:02 AM
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Cathy,<BR><BR>I am a Calgarian and I offer you the following hotel advice.<BR><BR>The Motel Village is in the Northwest (not the northeast like "taveller" thought). I is located at the intersection of 16th Avenue and Crowchild Trail and yes, it is a bit out of the downtown core. However, it is located right beside an LRT (Light Rail Transit -- a subway above the ground) often referred to here as a C Train. The C Train will take you directly into downtown and on to the Stampede Grounds. During Stampede (with all of the resulting traffic conjestion and parking problems) it is actually an effective way to get around Calgary. I would choose a hotel in "Motel Village" rather than one up in the Northeast by the airport because of the access to the C Train.<BR><BR>Downtown hotels will be expensive during Stampede and most likely fully booked already. If you still want to look check out the websites for the Westin (member of the Starwood), Hyatt (new hotel in downtown), the Fairmont (Palliser and old CP rail hotel like the Chateau Lake Louise), International Hotel, Delta Bow Valley, and the new Sheraton Suites at Eau Claire. There is also a Sandman Hotel that is right downtown and whose rates will be cheeper than those mentioned. The location of all of these hotels would give you quick (walking) access to shopping and nightclub activities in downtown Calgary. They would also give you C Train access to the Stampede Grounds.<BR><BR>The restaurant in the park that Bob Brown referred to is called the "River Cafe" and it is located on Princess Island Park. It is an old boathouse that has been converted into an upscale restaurant. The food uses game and fish as its main ingredients. There is no car access to the restaurant but a nice stroll through the park will get you there. Reservations in the summer are a must.<BR><BR>If you have other questions or if you have questions about a specific hotel, post again and I will try to give you my thoughts.
Mar 5th, 2002, 09:09 AM
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Thanks for helping Rita. As I don't live in Calgary and only visit 3 or 4 times a year for seminars, I totally forgot about the LRT but that is a great suggestion for Cathy. <BR><BR>If you can afford it Cathy, I have stayed at the Palliser and the Sheraton Eau Claire Suites. Both are wonderful. I found the Delta Bow Valley to be a bit run down the last time I stayed there but they may have renovated. Perhaps Rita can help out with this.<BR><BR>There are a lot of places to stay in Motel Village and they are quite nice from the outside, but I don't have personal experience with them.
Mar 6th, 2002, 03:09 AM
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Just a hint. Make sure you check repeatedly with Beckers that everything is okay with your reservation. We had made a reservation for last September for a couple of days at Beckers. When we arrived, they had a "record" that we had called and moved the dates to different dates. Funny, there was no "record" of a phone call to Beckers on my phone bill. (it was also the only place in 5 hotel reservations that was a problem) And they were really rude about it. At first they, wouldn't help us at all. After repeated requests, they grudingly gave us the name of another place. While we didn't end up staying at the place they recommended, at least they were willing to help us find another accomodation. After my experience, I would not recommend using Beckers. But if you still want to use them, I suggest confirming your reservation several times. It was really annoying to arrive at a hotel ready to check in only to find that the management of the place had messed up your reservation. And they were not accomodating at all about providing a fix. Their attitude was that it was our problem to fix.
Mar 6th, 2002, 04:30 AM
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Thank you Rita for the tips on Calgary. I did call three or four of the downtown hotels you suggested but they were all $300+ a night. I was able to secure accommodations at the Travelodge on Macleod Trail South. It sounds like that may be a better choice than the Econo Lodge on 16th Ave. Also, thank you Jean for the heads up on Becker's. I will certainly follow your advice. Once again, thank you all for the valuable advice.
