Whistler and/or Banff?
Aug 13th, 2005, 06:53 AM
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Whistler and/or Banff?
Hi,
We have 10 days in total and are thinking about the following route:
1. Vancouver,
2. Vancouver Island (victoria and Tofino)and maybe Maine or similar and then
to either
3.Whistler or Banff
Would it be better to go to Whistler or Banff? I hear is beautiful but I fear may be full of tourists at this time of the year? Also, do you have any recommendations as to accommodation that is nice but intimate? The big hotels don't really tempt us.
Also, any suggestions as to what islands are the most beautiful ones to go to (we are looking for scenery and relaxation)?
We have 10 days in total and are thinking about the following route:
1. Vancouver,
2. Vancouver Island (victoria and Tofino)and maybe Maine or similar and then
to either
3.Whistler or Banff
Would it be better to go to Whistler or Banff? I hear is beautiful but I fear may be full of tourists at this time of the year? Also, do you have any recommendations as to accommodation that is nice but intimate? The big hotels don't really tempt us.
Also, any suggestions as to what islands are the most beautiful ones to go to (we are looking for scenery and relaxation)?
Aug 13th, 2005, 09:32 AM
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I have been to both Whistler and Banff and for me the Banff region is the hands down winner for wildlife viewing, great scenery and great hiking trails. Both regions are beautiful, offer good hotel options and are pretty crowded in the summer (you didn't mention when you are considering travel).
A reasonably priced hotel in Whistler is the Edgewater Lake Lodge.
A reasonably priced hotel in Whistler is the Edgewater Lake Lodge.
Aug 13th, 2005, 10:56 AM
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I thought someone may say that.
We are off next week so I will have a look at places that are still available to stya at. Where would you recommend staying in Banff and what do you think are the must dos?
We are off next week so I will have a look at places that are still available to stya at. Where would you recommend staying in Banff and what do you think are the must dos?
Aug 13th, 2005, 01:44 PM
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Here's a thread in which all the "must see" attractions are mentioned.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34661278
If you have 10 days, I believe it would be best to devote two thirds of your time to the Canmore / Banff / Lake Louise area and one third to Jasper.
As far as the Canmore / Banff / Lake Louise corridor is concerned, you don't need to move around, as you can use any one of those towns as a base for seeing Banff National Park and nearby Yoho National Park.
Since you've said you want relaxation, I don't think Banff would be the most relaxing of the three towns. However, it would be more relaxing if you stayed on the outskirts of the town, in a hotel that was not too big, e.g., Buffalo Mountain Lodge, which has in the neighbourhood of 100 rooms.
Properties that I also like are Lady Macdonald Country Inn (12 rooms) and Georgetown Inn (24 rooms) in Canmore. They both include nice, hot breakfasts in their prices.
If you really want a quiet, relaxing time in prime hiking country, I like the Lake Louise area. There you can try Baker Creek Chalets, Paradise Lodge and Bungalows, Moraine Lake Lodge, and one of the larger rooms (Heritage Room or Tower Room) at Deer Lodge.
You can go still further into the mountains, to Yoho National Park. There you might try Cathedral Mountain Lodge or Emerald Lake Lodge.
In Jasper you can try Alpine Village, Becker's Chalets, Jasper House Bungalows, Pine Bungalows, Patrica Lake Bungalows and Pyramid Lake Resort.
A caveat about Jasper. When you do an Internet search for accommodation in Jasper, you may get links to accommodation in Mount Robson Provincial Park, Jasper East, and Hinton. I do not recommend staying in any of those places, as they are too far from Jasper to serve as convenient bases, in my opinion.
The Canadian Rockies, and particularly Jasper and Lake Louise, get very booked up in the summer. It probably will take quite a bit of juggling to find accommodation. I suggest that you work your itinerary around your stay in Jasper, if you agree to my suggestion to include Jasper. That is one of the places in which it's most difficult to find accommodation, and there is no substitute for it. In the case of Lake Louise you can, if necessary, default to Banff or Canmore, where it's easier to find accommodation.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34661278
If you have 10 days, I believe it would be best to devote two thirds of your time to the Canmore / Banff / Lake Louise area and one third to Jasper.
As far as the Canmore / Banff / Lake Louise corridor is concerned, you don't need to move around, as you can use any one of those towns as a base for seeing Banff National Park and nearby Yoho National Park.
Since you've said you want relaxation, I don't think Banff would be the most relaxing of the three towns. However, it would be more relaxing if you stayed on the outskirts of the town, in a hotel that was not too big, e.g., Buffalo Mountain Lodge, which has in the neighbourhood of 100 rooms.
Properties that I also like are Lady Macdonald Country Inn (12 rooms) and Georgetown Inn (24 rooms) in Canmore. They both include nice, hot breakfasts in their prices.
If you really want a quiet, relaxing time in prime hiking country, I like the Lake Louise area. There you can try Baker Creek Chalets, Paradise Lodge and Bungalows, Moraine Lake Lodge, and one of the larger rooms (Heritage Room or Tower Room) at Deer Lodge.
You can go still further into the mountains, to Yoho National Park. There you might try Cathedral Mountain Lodge or Emerald Lake Lodge.
In Jasper you can try Alpine Village, Becker's Chalets, Jasper House Bungalows, Pine Bungalows, Patrica Lake Bungalows and Pyramid Lake Resort.
A caveat about Jasper. When you do an Internet search for accommodation in Jasper, you may get links to accommodation in Mount Robson Provincial Park, Jasper East, and Hinton. I do not recommend staying in any of those places, as they are too far from Jasper to serve as convenient bases, in my opinion.
The Canadian Rockies, and particularly Jasper and Lake Louise, get very booked up in the summer. It probably will take quite a bit of juggling to find accommodation. I suggest that you work your itinerary around your stay in Jasper, if you agree to my suggestion to include Jasper. That is one of the places in which it's most difficult to find accommodation, and there is no substitute for it. In the case of Lake Louise you can, if necessary, default to Banff or Canmore, where it's easier to find accommodation.
Aug 13th, 2005, 09:04 PM
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I would pick Whistler since it's easy to get to, the drive up Howe Sound offers great vistas, does not require a lot of time and offers spectacular vistas with excellent restaurants.
It would take two days to go to Banff
by car or one day to fly the Calgary
and take a bus or hire a car and drive to Banff. The total time wasted in airport lounges equals the time to drive to Whistler and back.
I would also recommend planning your next vacation to explore areas like Waterton, Canmore, Banff and Jasper.
It would take two days to go to Banff
by car or one day to fly the Calgary
and take a bus or hire a car and drive to Banff. The total time wasted in airport lounges equals the time to drive to Whistler and back.
I would also recommend planning your next vacation to explore areas like Waterton, Canmore, Banff and Jasper.
