Mazey

Unfortunately I found this website *after* we booked hotels for our honeymoon next September. Any opinions on any/all of our choices would be great, as we still can change our minds at this point if we chose unwisely. We are planning one more expensive nights stay, since it is our honeymoon after all, and the rest of the trip in more reasonably priced accommodations.

We booked:

Lake Louise: Lake Louise Inn - We are planning a side trip to Yoho Nat?l Park

Banff: Buffalo Mountain Lodge (our $$ night) and Brewster Mountain

Jasper: Whistlers Inn

Calgary: Calgary Marriott

Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

April

The Marriott in Calgary is just fine. Nice room and breakfasts. However, their rates seemed vague and ever-changing. What was told to us over the phone was different than what we were charged in the end. Get a confirmation in writing.

maj

We spent 4 nights at the Buffalo Mountain Lodge at the beginning of October. The rates had just dropped (we paid around $144(CAN)with AAA discount for a room with 2 queen beds). It had a fireplace with wood replenished every day and a balcony. We didn't really have a view, but by the time we were back in our room it was dark anyway. This was one of the cheaper rooms--which was enough for us at the time--I know people have raved about the ones with the claw foot tubs. We were really happy with everything there. The hot tub was great at the end of a day of hiking, the rooms were very clean, the beds were comfortable. (I really liked having bottled water in the room--hadn't seen that elsewhere) We had stayed one night in the Best Western close to town and it was okay, but didn't have air conditioning and if you left the window open--it was quite noisy being on the busy street. Buffalo Mountain Lodge is close to town, but quiet and private. We didn't eat at the restaurant, but hear it is very good. I think it would be a great place for a honeymoon.

maj

Forgot to mention--we stayed at Lake Louise and spent a day going to Yoho too. We were glad we did--it isn't far.

Borealis

Whistler's Inn in Jasper is on the main street (Connaught Drive). I have never stayed there, but have walked through the lobby and it looked fine (I know! I know! walking through the lobby does not qualify as really knowing what it is like!!). However, it's centrally located but in a very busy spot, and across the street from the railway station (hope that the trains won't bother you at night!!), and it isn't very big.

We have stayed at other places when in Jasper, so I could comment on those if you were interested Mazey (and that includes Becker's Chalet's, Alpine Village, Pyramid Mountain Resort, Jasper Inn, and Jasper Park Lodge).

deborahmcginnis

Spent our 25th anniversary at Buffalo Mtn Lodge last summer. Make sure you ask for one of the newer rooms. We had no problems, but read posts from folks who did. We had one of the rooms with the nice clawfoot tub. We were in a ground-level room not too far from the hottub. We had no complaints. Slept with the windows open under the down comforter. It was great. Woke up to a deer outside our room one morning. The room had a small porch with a couple of chairs. I think the view at Rimrock might be better, but you'll be fine at Buffalo Mtn Lodge

Judy_in_Calgary

Mazey, if you don't mind my sidetracking from your hotel topic, I recommend you have dinner at Teatro (quite expensive), which is close to the Marriott in Calgary. Reservation recommended. Here's their website:

http://www.teatro-rest.com/

If you're looking for a medium priced restaurant in Calgary, there are quite a few of them along the Stephen Avenue (8th Avenue) pedestrian mall, also close to the Marriott. Almost any of them would be fine. You could walk along and see which type of cuisine appeals to you (western, Irish pub, Italian, or whatever). Reservations are not required for most of these restaurants.

In the range of reasonably priced restaurants, I recommend the Rose Garden, which serves Thai cuisine. It's at 207 - 8th Avenue S.W. (Stephen Avenue Mall), opposite The Bay department store. We go there not because it's cheap but because we love the food (the fact that it's cheap doesn't hurt, though). Reservation not required.

All of the above mentioned restaurants would be convenient if you're going to be in Calgary only for one night, and want to eat somewhere close to your hotel.

If, however, you're going to have a day in which to walk around downtown Calgary, I would recommend you walk along the Stephen (8th) Avenue Mall. Stop in at The Bay department store. It's officially the Hudson's Bay Company, which got its charter from King Charles II in 1670. Its the world's oldest corporation, and it started out as a fur trading company. But now it looks like any other department store. Its Canadiana section is the best value for money, in my opinion, when it comes to souveneir shopping. Last time I looked, the Canadiana section was housed in the basement, easily accessible via an escalator from the ground floor.

Another thing that's worth looking at, if you haven't seen a western outfitting store before, is Riley & McCormick's opposite The Bay on Stephen Avenue. It's a cultural experience to see that many cowboy boots.

After that, the Devonian Gardens are worth a look. They're on the fourth level of Toronto-Dominion Square, between 7th and 8th Avenues and between 2nd and 3rd Streets S.W. This 3 acre indoor garden is nice enough when the weather is good but, to appreciate its significance to us Calgarians, you have to try to imagine what the gardens mean to us when it's -25 deg C outside. Many of us take our sandwiches and eat there during our lunch hours.

In the same vein, you'll appreciate the so called Plus Fifteen network of above-ground tunnels that connect the downtown buildings if you similarly try to imagine how convenient we find them in winter.

After a morning of exploring the Stephen Avenue Mall area, head north to the Bow River. If you want an excellent (but expensive) lunch, I heartily recommend the River Cafe on Prince's Island. It's owned by the same people who run Teatro on the Stephen Avenue Mall, which I recommended for dinner.

http://www.river-cafe.com/

If you want a reasonably priced lunch option, there are several restaurants in the Eau Clair Market complex, on the south shore of the Bow River, near Prince's Island, between about 1st and 3rd Streets S.W.

http://www.eauclairemarket.com/rest.html

Of these, the ones I like best are Joey Tomatoes (medium-priced Mediterranean cuisine) and Good Earth Cafe (extremely casual, fairly cheap, delicious, health food).

When we go to River Cafe or Joey Tomatoes for lunch as a group from the office, we make reservations. However, if there are only two of you, I think you would get in without a reservation. Good Earth Cafe provides cafeteria style service, and doesn't take reservations.

Judy_in_Calgary

Mazey, another upscale dinner option is the Rimrock Restaurant in the Palliser Hotel. The Palliser is across from the Marriott on 9th Avenue S.W. It's one of the elegant hotels that was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in the same era as the Banff Springs Hotel, Chateau Lake Louise, etc. For reasons that are unclear to me, given that we're WELL inland, the clam chowder at the Rimrock Restaurant has been renowned for decades.

Speaking for myself, Teatro still would be my first choice, but I thought I should give you another option in the upscale restaurant category.

You wouldn't go wrong by dining at either place.