30 years ago we went on our honeymoon to Banff Canada. We stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel for three nights and Chateau Lake Louise for three nights and filled all our days with winter wonderland activities. When we arrived home we swore that we would return often but life just kept getting in the way. Finally for our 30th anniversary we thought it would be fun to try to recreate our honeymoon.
Banff Springs Hotel
Back then the Banff Springs Hotel was a bit dated and a little dingey but for two young kids on their honeymoon it was a castle to us. Our room was small and on the front of the hotel which is not the best side. The natural spring was under renovation and the only restaurant open was an Italian restaurant. Now it is a Fairmont property and has been completely renovated. There are several restaurants, a world class spa, year round heated swimming pool indoor and outdoor and tons of activities. The nightly rate is pretty high but it was our 30th so we decided to splurge.
https://www.fairmont.com/banff-springs
When I made the reservation I told them we were celebrating our 30th anniversary and that we had stayed there for our honeymoon. I requested a room with a view and said I would be willing to pay for it. When we arrived the front desk said we had been upgraded and I assumed it was the upgrade I had requested but it turns out they upgraded us to a suite with an incredible view. Waiting in our room was a plate of chocolates and a bottle of champagne with a card that said Happy anniversary, Welcome Back!
We walked into town and went into the Park Distillery which has the distinction of being the only distillery inside a national park. We took the tour which is really short because the distillery is really small but very impressive. Then we sat down for a tasting. They don’t distill any Bourbon or Whiskey yet but they do distill a variety of Vodka and Gin. In the shop they sold ready made cocktails and since the drinks at our hotel were extremely expensive I picked up a few. One of them was the Alpine Martinez my new favorite drink.
Thirty years ago we went skiing every day but this trip we broke it up a bit by going snowshoeing, cross country skiing and hiking.
We had dinner at the Grizzly House famous for it’s wild game fondue. 30 years ago we asked the concierge where we should go to dinner and we headed to this place with no reservations. Now you have to make reservations weeks in advance. We had one of the private rooms last time so I made sure to reserve one again. We ordered the four course fondue dinner which starts with a soup or salad then moves on to a cheese fondue. For the main course we ordered the Hunter Fondue which is Wild Boar, Buffalo, Ostrich and Venison and the Exotic Fondue which is Alligator, Rattlesnake, Ostrich, Frog Legs and Buffalo. For dessert there was chocolate fondue and all the trimmings. The place is a little bit dark because of the ambiance so the pictures are not great but you get the idea.
MENU
After three nights at the Banff Springs Hotel we headed over to Chateau Lake Louise which is now also a Fairmont property.
https://www.fairmont.com/lake-louise
At the Chateau We went cross country skiing and ice skating right on the lake. We also decided to hike in Johnston Canyon. In summer it is full of waterfalls but in winter the falls are frozen which means you are hiking on ice. If you want to try this you really need to wear some sort of crampon on your shoes. We saw so many “tourists” in tennis shoes or just regular boots trying to do the hike and they were slipping all over the place.
We hiked past all the tourists and had the trail to ourselves until we ended at the “ink pots” which are small mineral springs that can change color as you watch them bubble. Apparently they are really amazing in summer.
We had a fantastic meal at the Grill Chateau Lake Louise. We ordered the flat iron wagyu beef and the bone in ribeye steak and we were surprised with two incredible desserts to celebrate our anniversary.
