Canadian Vacation recommendation
 

Hello. My husband and I are planning our 10th anniversary vacation for the end of September through the first of October. We only have three nights, because of his job. I have been reading about Banff/Jasper and Montreal/Quebec or Seattle/Victoria/Vancouver. I would LOVE to get a recommendation from someone who has vacationed (not taken a busienss trip) at any of these locations. Are they do-able with our time frame? Is this a good time of year for these places (bahamas are out due to hurricane season)? Where should I stay and eat? What are the sites, other than the national parks? I need to book the trip in the next few days, so if anyone can provide a quick response it would be great!
Thank you, Amy

What side of the country do you want to go to? What sort of things do you want to see? What's the "vibe"? ;)

Banff is a slightly overdeveloped but gorgeous mountain town, 1.5 hours drive from a major airport (Calgary). I would pair it with Lake Louise (20 min away - and breathtaking) in your time frame rather than Jasper (about 4 hours away). If you want to see anything and get a little time for R and R it's lovely. The biggie lodges - Banff Springs or Chateau Lake Louise - are very special places for an anniversary. You are likely to see a lot of elk and if you luck out some mountain goats or sheep. One main street in either. Great for hikes or touristy-type-shopping (both are a popular tour bus stop).

Seattle/Vic/Van - I would cut out either Seattle or Vancouver for travel time. Start at one of the cities (I know Van better) - in Van go to beautiful Stanley Park, then rent a bike and ride along the seawall which is one of the most beautifully developed seafronts I've seen. Take the hour ferry to Victoria and enjoy the old-style buildings, luscious Butchart Gardens (their centennial this year), fun walks and shopping along the waterfront. Alternately, take a ferry cruise in and among the many little islands that dot the channel between Victoria and the mainland, ending in Seattle (or Vic, depending on route). It is a lot cheaper - and more fun - to start and finish on the mainland by the way.

Montreal/Quebec - if you speak a little French it helps (i.e. your screen name) but you won't starve without by any means. This is the closest thing to Europe you'll find in Canada, maybe North America. Festivals, a very unique and fun culture, smoked meat sandwiches (- dear GOD. Maybe I'm coming with you), actually, all amazing food, and the chance to experience something totally different relatively close to home. Quebec city is old, quaint, fun, and stunning.

And this is an absolutely beautiful time of year for all those places. The bulk of the tourists are fading out and it's not cold yet (I swear my feet almost froze to the street through my shoes in Montreal in February when I stopped to look in a shop window).

How exciting to be planning your 10th - congrats! I'm planning my wedding. Anniversaries seem like a lot more fun! ;)

It all depends on how you like to spend your time.

In Montreal/Quebec and Vancouver/Victoria/Seattle you'll be busy with city type activities, while Jasper/Banff are outdoors type destination.

If all you have is three nights, stay in only one of these places, otherwise you will spend all your time travelling from one place to the next (for example, Vancouver to Victoria to Seattle).

Since I love the mountains, my recommendation would be Banff, stay at Rimrock Hotel (or Buffalo Mountain Lodge), visit the Banff area and Lake Louise, dine at Post Hotel (fine dining), Coyote Grill (casual), the Eden dining room (fine dining)at the Rimrock, have the buffet breakfast at the Banff Springs Hotel, drink in the spectacular scenery and the fresh mountain air!!

(weather should be cool but sunny)

Good luck with your plans!!

Part of it depends, too,
on how far you have to fly to reach these areas for a fairly short stay.
I've been to two out of three of your options (not Quebec one)...several times over!
I'd select the one that's not TOO far, since you have a fairly short overall time to spend there.

I agree w/the other poster...
are you more in the mood for city life...w/beautiful scenery as a backdrop...
or more in the mood for spectacular scenery (up close!) w/wildlife to boot? (and hiking, canoeing, etc.)
I'm not saying one is better than another...it's just more whatever your tastes are.

We were in the Rockies last Fall...went end of Sept.
Fall colors were quite nice!

What's so cool about the Lake Louise/Moraine Lake option is it's a grand total drive of about 2 hours from Calgary's airport.
And yet, feels like YEARS away.

Well, Lake Louise can be quite busy at times, so I take that back...
the hotel itself.
But, once you're out on the trails or canoeing for an hour or so...
sigh. :-)

You can do some wonderful very Canadian hikes to teahouses, where they serve delicious ... hit-the-spot
homemade breads & desserts...
after you've been on the trail & truly feel you've earned them. Yum!

If doing the Banff/Lake Louise option for such a short stay, I'd definitely opt for staying either near Lake Louise or Moraine Lake. They are just 20 minutes apart from each other...
both GORGEOUS & both offer great lodging options. (perfect for Anniversaries) Great dining, too.

These two 'sights' are more than enough for one long weekend...
trust me! You could easily spend a full week between Banff, LL & Moraine Lake, or Emerald Lake (Yoho)...just a bit further afield from Calgary. Easily!

If I were to do the Seattle/Vancouver option...I'd lean towards visiting either a San Juan Island or Gulf Island for 2 nights w/one night in the city. Or, all 3 nights on the isles...
little gems & wonderful romantic getaways, too! (we go almost annually for our anniveraries to the San Juans, btw) But, our Anniversary is in May & this area is glorious then...
all Spring green, etc. Lots of flowers, etc.

Not sure if they shine quite as much in late Sept? Someone else here can answer that.

But, I *know* the Rockies definitely are nice in Sept...
both times we've been, we've gone in Sept. (once early & the other VERY late & into October & had a blast)
Good luck & have fun planning!! :-)

I agree with R. If you only have three nights, it might be better to visit something on your side of the country. A long airplane ride would take away a lot of your short valuable time.
Good luck.

This reply may be too late, but I'll post for whatever it's worth. I have vacationed in all the spots you mention (except Seattle), some more than once. If I had only 3 nights and wanted a special and romantic setting (and wasn't too concerned about budget) - I would choose one of the resorts in the Rockies - e.g. Chateau Lake Louise, Moraine Lake Lodge or Emerald Lake Lodge. All of these are within or directly adjacent to Banff National Park but not right in the town of Banff, although all are a reasonable drive to town if you want a diversion one day (e.g. Moraine Lake is about 40 miles, Lake Louise is less). These are some of the most spectacularly scenic places in North America. All these resorts have easy to find websites with lots of information including "things to do".

with so little time, i'd choose quebec city if you prefer city life or banff if you prefer scenary and relaxation. either one would be wonderful for 3 days.
vancouver, victoria would be too much to try to fit in in such a short time frame.

I'll add my 2 cents worth. Spend the entire time at one place. Vancouver would be my choice. The cost of a flight there is about the same as to Seattle, depending on where you start. Vancouver is a wonderful active city, great nightlife with a pacific northwest feel. Gastown is wonderful for strolling and window shopping. Stanley Park is wonderful for strolling or driving through. Grouse Mountain, 20 minutes north, gives a fantastic view of the greater Vancouver area and pacific ocean. Sun Yat Sen gardens downtown is serene and picturesque, great ethnic restautants, etc. etc.

Just to confuse the issue- Have you considered Long Beach on the west side of Vancouver Island. Three nights would be great.